It’s been downright chilly on occasion at Oaklawn Park this winter, but the action will definitely heat up Saturday with the Hot Springs, Ark. track’s second Triple Crown prep of 2022.
Month: January 2022
Trio of Wildcards Join Tattersalls February Sale
Three more wildcards have been added to the Tattersalls February Sale catalogue after the addition of White Marlin (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}). Rated 93, the Michael Bell-trained Dairerin (GB) (Spill The Beans {Aus}) (lot 375B) will be offered by Bell's Fitzroy House. The 3-year-old was a dual winner last year and also ran in the G3 Prix de Cabourg in Deauville, although he did not hit the board. From the family of the Classic-placed G2 Geoffrey Freer S. hero Mr Combustible (Ire) (Hernando {Fr}) and the G2 Ribblesdale S. winner and influential producer Miletrian (Ire) (Marju {Ire}), he was third in his sophomore bow at Newcastle on Jan. 13.
Also joining the Feb. 3-4 catalogue is the winning Acrion (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) (lot 375D). A full-brother to Group 3 scorer Extortionist (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) who also placed in the G1 Nunthorpe S., the Brian Meehan runner is rated 70p. Rounding out the trio is another hailing from Meehan's Manton Lodge Stables-lot 375C, City Runner (Ire). Rated 84, the son of Caravaggio has made three starts and graduated going seven furlongs over the Southwell all-weather on Jan. 9.
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Online Poker Strategy That Works For Any Player
More and more people are playing online poker, despite its legal issues. Whether you are a pro veteran, a newbie who just starts playing, or somewhere in between, you want to improve your poker game continuously so that you can win more than you lose. Without the correct strategies, you can make sure that you will be outplayed by other players who also eager to take your money. Your game strategy, combined with the right tools such as pot odd calculators, lots of practice, and luck will make you a better poker player. Here are some helpful tips to help improve your poker skills:
Play tight. This is the best advice for beginners, period. Think about it, poker is a game of statistics; unless the game is rigged, players who happen to hold the best hand at the beginning will win most of the time. The idea of playing tight is to allow you make an easy decision whether to fold or hold your cards in every betting round. Hands like A-A, K-K, Q-Q, and alike, are considered to be the best starting hands in poker. Meaning that if you’re playing only these kind of hands, you will make money at the end of the day. However, many newbie players are not patient to wait for these cards to come, therefore they are playing garbage hands that only empty their bankroll. So next time you sit in an online poker room, choose a room that is full of loose players who will unconsciously give you their money.
Pay attention to your position. Poker is also a mind game that requires concentration, great memory, and a skill to bluff. It is a fact that player who act last will have a greater advantage over other poker players who act before him. This is because he has a chance to observe others’ reaction before he has to make any decision, therefore it is a good idea to play more hands in late position and throw away most of your hands when you are in early position. Having said this, sitting on the left side of a solid player is a lot better since you can see what his action is before you have to put your chips at the table. Again, the idea of this poker strategy is to allow your decision making process a lot easier in every betting round.
Pay extra attention on drawing hands. Drawing hands mean if you need one more card to make a great combination like flush, straight, or full house. You have to know at all times how many cards will help you make that great combination and beat your opponents. Unfortunately, not all drawing hands are treated equal. For example, 5-6-7-8 will have a greater chance of making a straight than 5-7-8-9. The reason is obviously clear, 5-6-7-8 will make a straight with 4 AND 9, giving you two outs, as opposed to 5-7-8-9 that will make a straight ONLY with 6. Knowing poker odds at all time will definitely make your job a lot easier whether to fold or hold your hand. This is the guideline, if your chance of getting your out is bigger than the pot odds, you should to call. On the other hand, if your chance of getting your card is smaller, you need to fold immediately.
So there you have it. If you apply these strategies, you will win more money than you lose. There is no reason to say “I am a bad poker player” to yourself. Yes, luck plays a role in poker, but again, poker is a game of statistics. There are certain percentages whether or not your hand will win at the end and as far as I know, nothing can prevent those numbers from happening. Like I said earlier, experience will help you play better, and nobody can teach you experience. You have to earn it by yourself. When you do, it is guaranteed you will play poker a lot better. Believe it or not, an experienced player’s instinct is 70%-80% right!! Imagine being able to “guess” your opponents’ cards and get it right 8 times out of 10.
Irwin: USADA Essential To A Successful Horseracing Integrity And Safety Authority
It was not by happenstance that in a 2004 Op/Ed I wrote in The Blood-Horse and eight years later the Water Hay Oats Alliance in its mission statement both singled out the United States Anti-Doping Agency as the one entity that could rein in the rampant use of drugs both legal and illegal in horse racing.
Through several iterations of proposed congressional legislations in different political administrations, WHOA forged ahead, convincing The Jockey Club, Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders' Association, Breeders' Cup and other leading organizations to join its efforts. But WHOA never lost sight of its goal as stated in its original mission statement: USADA needed to be named by congress to oversee drugs in racing.
When Mitch McConnell finally saw the light and agreed to help his state's signature industry by embracing the idea of the federal legislation, he joined the effort for a final push that resulted in the idea of naming an entity, named the Authority, to deal with the Federal Trade Commission in setting up drug controls. The idea from the very get-to and through the rewritten federal law was to bring USADA on board to do their thing.
But between passing the legislation, seating board and committee members and drafting rules for drugs and safety, the Authority lost sight of its mandate and role in the process. Things that plague most political actions and serve as a stark reminder of the corruption to which many humans are capable of brought forth conflicts of interest and the weightiness of power. The Authority shockingly announced during the holidays that it had been unable to come to a meeting of the minds with Travis Tygart, the head of USADA. The newly formed group revealed that it was moving ahead to find an alternative overseer of drugs in racing.
Conflicts of interest? Abuse of power? Money up for grabs? Really? Yep. Really.
I will save you all from having to read the rest of this and get right to the point: USADA is the only group with the brand, gravitas, respect and tools to save the sport of Thoroughbred racing. Yes, there are other groups that could address testing, investigations and education, but in total none of them has what USADA brings to the table.
Jeff Novitzky, a storied federal investigator who graduated from breaking open the 2002 BALCO scandal and currently is in charge of athlete performance for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, is a board member of the Authority. He is potentially an important player in determining who gets the nod to oversee drugs in racing, as he actually has experience in hiring USADA to work on behalf of the UFC.
As explained by Novitzky, there are ultimately three tasks that need to be addressed by any anti-doping organization, namely testing, investigation and education. Interestingly, he said that education is perhaps the most important, as it involves an authority figure such as Travis Tygart being able to educate athletes as to how sophisticated and thorough USADA can be in its job. Novitzky says that this aspect of the triple-pronged approach has formed an effective deterrent to cheating by his athletes. Novitzky said that it is possible to find outfits that could do testing and investigation, but very challenging to find a group that could educate the participants like USADA. That is a difference maker for him.
The reason that WHOA and I have pushed so hard for USADA is that a totally independent group is essential in allowing the game to function and give fans and competitors alike the confidence that the sport is on the level.
Here is why an independent group is needed. In a game dominated by super-wealthy, powerfully-connected participants that operate their enterprises on a win-at-all-costs ethos, only an independent body is able to withstand the onslaught of a corrupt individual to assist them in breaking the rules.
In today's environment, within the confines of racing (and not including the Federal Bureau of Investigation), powerful individuals who get caught breaking the rules always seem to find a get out of jail free card.
The reason so many horsemen and owners seem to be against USADA's involvement in racing is that their reputation has preceded them. They are incorruptible and this scares the crap out of them.
However, with USADA now set to be totally bypassed in favor of some other organizations that have been mentioned, independence will be thrown right out the window and all of our efforts will have been for naught, because the bad guys will have won again and nothing will have changed. Right now forces that want the appearance of change, but behind closed doors actually embrace the status quo, are calling the shots.
Forces working against USADA include those with conflicts of interest. Among them are Authority members that have existing affiliations to other anti-doping doping agencies, rival testing labs lined up for a big payday and individuals pulling any strings they can find to keep USADA from becoming the top cop on the block. There is a lot of money involved and more than one testing lab or doping agency that would like to get their piece of the pie. Cronyism, regional muscle flexing and a good old-fashioned money grab characterizes the battlefield today.
It says here that the Authority has lost sight of its role in the process and that a combination of egos fueled with new-found power, members swayed by passionate enemies of USADA and lots of money up for grabs has corrupted what should have been a simple task. And for all appearances it looks very much like those empowered to guard the palace gates want to ascend to the throne.
Barry Irwin is the founder and CEO of Team Valor International
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