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Dogs play cards in casino publicity stunt |
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ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- Some
gamblers just don't know how to play their cards. Tiny Chip, for example. His three blackjack cards totaled 19, but he took a card anyway. It was a three of hearts, so he busted. Jack Attack, whose favorite words are "Hit me," had the same problem. Sitting pretty with 18, he still wanted another card. He got a seven of diamond, busting with 25. Then there was Lucky Louise. Dealer Joanne Li hadn't even gotten around to her yet when Louise got up out of her seat, walked across the green felt table, stepped in the chip float and started sniffing around the other players, her bushy tail wagging in the dealer's face. So it went Thursday at the Sands Casino Hotel, which re-created artist C.M. Coolidge's famous painting "Dogs Playing Poker" _ using five live dogs _ in a publicity stunt aimed at drumming up interest for a new table games pit. "Sands Casino Hotel: Where the Big Dogs Play," read the sign in the pit, which has per-hand betting minimums of $100 on weekdays and $500 on weekends. Built to lure high-stakes Texas Holdem players, the pit features roulette wheels, a craps table and six blackjack tables. On Thursday, it hosted a roomful of curious gamblers, Sands officials and members of the media gathered for the painting re-creation. Just after 7 p.m., the crowd parted to make way for dog handlers ushering in the animals _ dog "actors" who work in advertising, TV and movies on leashes. Sammy, a bulldog, was billed as a hardcore Texas Holdem poker player known to intimidate other players by drooling on the chips. Murph, a Brittany spaniel, is an "international Texas Holdem poker player who travels frequently over and in the big pond." Tiny Chip, a Great Swiss, is a well-known "ladies dog" who likes to joke. Jack Attack, a Rottweiler, uses his smile to bluff. Lucky Louise, meanwhile, is a border collie who likes diamonds around her neck and in her hand. The game wasn't poker, but the animals "played" one hand anyway, their handlers holding tight to the leashes while kneeling down to stay out of the photographs. Casino publicist Cathleen Kiernan narrated the action as Li dealt the cards. The dogs, who remained seated through most of the hand, barked to ask for cards. It was on command from the handlers, of course. Mercifully, they left no canine calling cards in their seats. Aside from Lucky Louise walking onto the table and gripping a $20 bill in her mouth, all went smoothly. "This is very unusual for them," said animal handler Bambi Brooks. "It's live and live is always difficult. There's no re-takes. But they're very, very comfortable." Onlookers didn't know exactly what to think. "Bizarre," said gambler Carol Shaw, 50, of Cape May Court House. "Totally bizarre." |
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