Dogs that play poker

Just when you think you have seen everything you could possibly see in the world of poker, there is something that is so bizarre, you may think it is a joke. Let me tell you this, there are dogs that play poker. Yes, you read correctly: dogs. Plural.

There are two dogs that play poker; Hugo and Grizzie –and they’re not bad players either! While these dogs only currently play poker, it would be interesting to see if they were able to use that luck to make some money with sports betting using Betstars free bet [3].

Hugo is a cute dog that is owned by YouTuber ‘PokerDudeOnTube’. He uses a system with Hugo whereby he presents Hugo with treats of different colors; each color represents a different move, such as fold, raise and all in. Hugo makes his decisions based on the color of the treat he eats for each turn. His owner remarks that Hugo playing is a really good way to confuse his opponents who may be used to playing against him.

You would think perhaps that letting a dog make decisions in a poker game when there is money on the line, would not be the best decision. But watching the video [4], you will be surprised how well Hugo performs in his first tournament. Hugo does not seem as excited about winning as his owner does, but he sure looks content at all the treats he is getting out of this poker playing!

And then there is Grizzie who has been making the news more recently. Grizzie is the first dog to play at the WSOP Main Event. Grizzie and her owner Tatjana Pasalic [5], alongside their friend and well-known Social Justice Warrior Cate Hall decided to take on the WSOP establishment and fight for Grizzie to fulfill her dreams of playing at the Main Event.

Tatjana Pasalic

They have filmed a ‘dogumentary’, chronicling Grizzie’s long, hard journey to play at WSOP Main Event. The film is essentially a story of triumph, determination and persevering to beat the odds. It focuses on themes of both oppression and marginalization within the industry –and Grizzie is one super cute dog too! Overall, it is set to be a captivating and inspiring film. It is currently unknown as to the exact date of release of the film. In addition, it is also unclear to the public how Grizzie actually plays poker, and whether it is based on a similar system that Hugo uses to make his moves. Speaking of Hugo, I would pay good money to see Grizzie and Hugo play against each other –we’d see who the top dog really is!

Many people are not happy with dogs playing poker, especially at a tournament as prestigious as WSOP. Some have raised issues regarding the dogs’ conscious abilities to reason and make logical decisions. But at the end of the day, if the dog is winning and someone is putting funding the pup –where is the harm in all of this? Perhaps people are embarrassed merely at the thought of being beaten in poker by a dog.