Update - The Orange Park Kennel Club is now the new home of The Poker Room.
Just like the St. John's Greyhound Park's Best Bet, The Poker Room offers
Texas Hold 'Em, Seven Card Stud, and Omaha. I haven't played
there yet, but I hope to visit real soon. I will write about it
when I do.
October 5, 2007
Jacksonville, Florida is home to a
small circuit of Greyhound Race Tracks. There are three Greyhound
Race Tracks in all: Orange Park Kennel Club, Jacksonville Kennel
Club, and St. John's Greyhound Park, also known as The Best Bet. The
Greyhounds Race all year long, but only at the Orange Park location.
St. John's, a.k.a. The Best Bet, has a state-of-the-art Off Track
Wagering floor where you can bet on Greyhounds, Jai Alai, and Horses
(thoroughbred or harness) from around the country. They also have
the Poker Room where you can play Texas Hold 'Em, Seven Card Stud,
and Omaha. The Best Bet is a small Casino, but there aren't any slot
machines though. In August 2007, Duval County voted to build a Best
Bet at the Orange Park Kennel Club facility. It is expected to open
around mid-year 2008.
I enjoy going to Orange Park Kennel Club whenever I visit
Jacksonville, Florida. Admission is only 50 cents for the grandstand
and $2 for the Clubhouse, and regular parking is free. If I want to
stay, I can watch the Greyhounds Race there, or I can place my bets
and watch the Greyhounds Race from the comfort of my motel room
through a live internet feed. The internet feed is offered on their
website. It's a pretty sweet set up. I often will go to the Track to
place my bets, and then return to my motel and set up my laptop in
my room next to the TV. Then I would watch TV, and whenever a Race
would start, I'd watch it on my laptop. At the end of each Race,
they show you the tote board with all of the payoffs. Before each
Race the tote board will show the odds for each entry. If I win, I
can go down there the next day and get paid. Your winning tickets
are good for 6 months, so no worries. I usually stay at the Hampton
Inn at Youngerman Circle and I haven't had any problems watching the
Greyhound Races at Orange Park Kennel Club with the connectivity
they provide.
If you decide to go to Orange Park Kennel Club and decide to stay
and watch the Races, you can also dine in the Paddock Dining Room.
In the Paddock Dining Room you can enjoy dinner and drinks and watch
the Race with a high vantage point. The Paddock Dining Room has
daily specials and on the weekend they have an all-you-can-eat
buffet. So you can make it a nice evening of dinner, drinks and
excitement at the Track if you want. Please be sure to check out my
Pari-Mutuel Wagering using Exotic Wagering
Strategies page to help you understand how Exotic Wagering like
Exacta, Trifecta, and Superfecta betting works.
If you find yourself in the Orange Park/Jacksonville Florida area, I
recommend Orange Park Kennel Club for an alternative to the usual
dinner and bar-hopping scene.
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