Skip to main content
Advanced roulette strategies

Advanced Roulette Strategies: The Labouchere System

By Tips & Tricks No Comments

Roulette lovers know that playing roulette is an art and a risk. It is an art in a sense that a player needs to be skilled and have analytical mind in order to boost his chances of winning. What makes it a risk is the fact that each spin of the wheel is unpredictable. However, there are players who are interested in something more than simply trying out their luck. They are always into exploring mathematically based advanced roulette strategies. The Labouchere system is one of such strategies.

The Labouchere System

The Labouchere System originates from the time of Henry Labouchere. He was a British aristocrat and a business entrepreneur who lived in the 19th century. Apparently, Mr. Labouchere liked to play roulette and developed his own strategy. That strategy is mathematically based, similar as the Oscar’s Grinding.

This system is reportedly working. However, in order to win, a player needs to be persistent. Consequently, a player should not be afraid to take some risks, such as raising bets. Advanced roulette strategies are for more skilled players. This is also the thing that makes them more successful.

So, How Does Labouchere Work?

The basic thing a player has to follow when applying the Labouchere system is to set a goal for himself. Then, a player should express the desired winning amount in units. Unit amount can be any amount the player wishes. When a player decides on the value of each unit and hence – the total number of units, he then expresses the value of his goal amount. Value of a unit should be the sum of several smaller positive numbers. For example, if the value of a unit is $10, the number sequence could be: 1 2 3 2 2. As you can see, these numbers add up to 10.

Now, when deciding on the size of a bet, a player adds the first and the last number form a sequence. In this case, a player would bet 3 units, i.e. $30. In case of a win, a player strikes out the first and the last number of a sequence. Then, he continues to bet accordingly.  Once he exhausts all numbers from a sequence, a player achieves the goal.  Every time a player loses, he adds one number to the sequence line.

Crossing out 2 numbers for every win and adding one number for every loss, means that a player wins one third of a time. In the long run, the predictions are that a player will win more than one third of the time. Nevertheless, all players should know the downside to this system is that losses eventually cost money. On the other side, the bets tend to get quite large.  The main trick in using this system is to keep betting in order to get back on track.

 

Have you used Labouchere’s strategy so far?

 

The News Provenance Project

NYT’s News Provenance Project

By News & more No Comments

We all know that future would be hard to imagine without the blockchain empowering various industries. New York Times reportedly decided to participate in the race and launched the NYT’s News Provenance Project. It is only understandable that one of the most reputable media in the world would invest in protecting the truth and fighting fake news.

Application of News Provenance Project in the Media

In case a news consumer is not willing to investigate the details of the news he or she read, the news becomes the truth. Not everyone is ready to dig deeper and research whether everything stated in an article is true. Therefore, what we have in our hands is the situation where the power has been given to the media outlet. Media creates reality and imposes trends and truths. Since more and more fake news appear, the need to introduce blockchain is clearly visible.

What constitutes fake news is the right question. It does not necessarily have to be a completely untrue story. It is enough to distort a certain piece of information and the news becomes fake. The information that people usually temper with can be in either text, visual or audio format. This is where blockchain can help out.

Technology of blockchain proved to be efficient in tracking the provenance of each product. Therefore, a piece of information is no exception. We have learned that details that we put on blockchain are immutable. Consequently, once we put an original information on blockchain, all possible alterations are visible and accessible. This is what the New York Times aims for, obviously. For those aiming for responsible journalism, blockchain would be a solution.

How Far the News Provenance Project Has Reached?

Blockchain offers variations to managing access, determining consensus, etc. New York Times reportedly plans to use Hyperledger Fabric, a private, permissioned, open-source framework. Their partners in this endeavor are IBM Garage, a company that has previous experience in this field.

At the moment, they claim to be in the starting phase of their work. Namely, the first step is to research the market. This means exploring the user-experience in the first place. The next step is to research how Internet publishes metadata about video and audio material.  In order to finish the research, they would also need to create “photojournalism-focused proof-of-concept”. This should provide input in what way and to what extent such a blockchain-based project could work to scale.

 Why Do We Need the News Provenance Project?

The answer to this question is quite simple. The Internet is the place where you can find immense number of various information. Nevertheless, there are situations when we need to be certain that the information we found is a reliable one. That is why we need blockchain in the media, or in this particular case – the News Provenance Project.

Blockchain would serve as a type of validator. Once the information publishes on the Internet, and gets shared many times through different platforms, networks and so on, it eventually loses its original context and could be interpreted in the wrong way. Imagine watching the image without knowing that it had previously been edited, selectively cropped, re-touched, photoshopped and so on. Alternatively, videos are especially prone to tempering. We have already reflected on the subject of deepfake. All this leads to deceiving readers and viewers.

The Provenance Project should secure the delivery of the authentic information to the audience wherever that info appears – either on social media, web sites, emails – just to name a few. This should be achieved through sending “signals” along with the information, in case that information has been tempered with. The so-called “signals” would reflect the metadata on when and where photos and videos were captured, what exactly has been edited, who dealt with the material, etc.

Do you think blockchain would be able to confront fake news?

Famous roulette strategies

Famous Roulette Strategies

By Tips & Tricks No Comments

Roulette originates from France. The word itself means “little wheel”.  Many roulette lovers do not know that one of the first roulette versions in the US featured an “American Eagle” field in the wheels. This field, as a symbol of American liberty, stood for the house edge and was later abolished. Famous roulette strategies have been developing ever since to decrease the house edge. The extent to which people have been dealing with this matter is portrayed in a fact that many famous people have considered gambling and strategies.

The US Roulette

If we put aside the arrangement of fields in the wheel, the US roulette evolved in a way that the wheel was eventually placed on the table instead of inside the table. The decision was based on presumption that such arrangement would diminish the cheating and placement of various devices inside or below the table to influence the game. The US roulette game evolved from New Orleans and further to the west, while the French roulette developed further in Monte Carlo.

The US Roulette wheel has 36 numbers and a zero. The well know fact is that the sum of all numbers from 1 to 36 amounts to 666. So, let us explore the famous strategies of the “devil’s game”.

The Martingale System

There are several famous roulette strategies. If you are an experienced player, you most probably have developed your own strategy.  We sincerely hope it helps and boosts your chances of earning some serious money. If you are a beginner, the first thing you should do is get to know the existing strategies. The most talked-about is certainly, the Martingale system.

Roulette is probably the most unpredictable game. The thing is that whatever you do, you can never be certain in which field the ball would lend. Simultaneously, this is also the thing that makes it the most exciting. It is the game of chances. Nevertheless, as with all other games, there is a system which works short term.

The concept of the Martingale system is that a player should increase the bet after every loss. Consequently, when a player wins, he or she gets the lost money back and starts betting with that initial amount again. This is the most popular and the most commonly used system in roulette.

Experienced roulette players consider it to be a risky strategy. The downside of this system, as they claim, is the fact that there is a limit to how much or how many times a player can win. The frequency of winnings is increased without a doubt. However, if you are a player who goes for the big bucks, this strategy may not be the right choice. On the other hand, if you are just getting to know the game and are looking for a strategy that will get you in the mood and offer some input to roulette, Martingale system can work just fine.

So, How Does It Work?

Experience taught us that the best way to use this strategy is to bet on only even-money outside bets 1-18, 19-36, Red, Black, Even, and Odd. The chances of winning are 50%. The minimum payout is in 1:1 ratio.  I guess you can never lose if you get to collect the same amount you invested in the first place.

If you are into even-money bets, the suggested bet progression is: 1 – 2 – 4 – 8 – 16 – 32 – 64 – 128 – 256 – 512 – 1024 – 2048 – 4096 – 8192.

Additional Martingale Tips

Almost all famous roulette strategies suggest that beginners should start with minimum bets. If you keep betting, eventually, you will lose at one point. However, the trick is to double the bet when that happens. Once you do that, in case you win, you get to reimburse the money you originally placed plus win some extra cash.  The next step would be to again place the minimum bet for the next spin, and just keep going in circles.

All in all, the Martingale system is a risky strategy that can bring you short-term winnings. You should always keep in mind that the money you win will be placed as another bet for another possible win. Would it be equal to the previous one or at least in the same neighborhood, no one can predict. The most important thing is to explore the odds and know your limits. Bet safely and enjoy the game.

 

Do not forget to let us know your experience.

Stress-relief in Japan and the Western world

Stress-Relief in Japan and the Western World

By Lifestyle No Comments

Do you lock yourself in a bathroom when you need a moment for yourself? Or you go for a walk, or a drive maybe?  Above all, do you feel content and relaxed while enjoying the solitude? If the answer to all of the above questions is “yes”, then you can consider yourself to be a lucky person. We have been exploring the stress-relief in Japan and the western world.

Stress-Relief in Japan

Maybe you have never thought about it, but there are people who are so overwhelmed with the stress of their daily lives, that they cannot even find a place to vent. Take Japan, for example. The country that has very strong work ethic. The Japanese have advanced thanks to its perseverance and resourcefulness. They even incorporated many positive methods into their working environment in many industries. This goes to unimaginable lengths. Imagine a self-serving checkout (or cash register) in supermarkets. Yes, they have it and they are using it regardless how tech-savvy they are.

However, not all is shiny in the country of the rising sun. Apparently, the workers are highly stressed. Japanese have even invented the term “karōshi” meaning “overwork death”. Occupational sudden mortality happens even today. The term originates from the 1970s when they noticed the rising number of people dying from strokes or heart attacks associated with work burnout. Working overtime is often considered a public service.

Regardless of the industry they are working in, everyone needs time to break free. Recently, media reported about the phenomenon that rent-a-car agencies in Japan noticed first.  Namely, they noticed that the mileage remained almost the same after renting the cars to drivers. What they found out was that people renting cars actually just needed some time for themselves during the day. They needed to get away from constant hectic lifestyle. Furthermore, renting cars in Japan seems to be quite affordable, around 400 YEN for half an hour, which is approximately US$3.70. Renting agencies operate 24/7.

Work Ethics and Work Burnout

The interesting part about this phenomenon is that large number of cars rented were used for simply having lunch in solitude during a lunch break. Or, hiding away from bullies and annoying bosses. Alternatively, working Japanese use rent-a-cars for setting up a small office. There were also the cases of using rent-a-cars for storage. All in all, it appears that strong work ethic often goes hand in hand with estrangement. Orix Auto Corp i Times24 Co are among the largest rent-a-car agencies in Japan. They reportedly claimed that one in eight cars does not move around or go anywhere when rented. People use them to sort out their thoughts, to take a nap during a break, to reset their minds, or to simply get away from other people.

The western world can hardly imagine that kind of dedication. We cannot even begin to understand it. Therefore, we should not judge it either. What we should do is take care of ourselves and try to find that special private spot where we can take a break from everything that causes stress. Spending time alone is healthy. It gives us an opportunity to rethink the circumstances, relationships and our own acts in order to become better people. Happier individuals. Therefore, more appealing to others, but above all – to ourselves. Once we learn to appreciate our own efforts and time, life will become easier and more enjoyable.

Tell us about your special getaway spots. Is it a bench in the park? A visit to your favorite café? Or maybe, a secluded viewpoint overlooking the city?

 

Leadership in life and business

Leadership in Life and Business

By Lifestyle No Comments

When you think of a leader, what is the first name that comes to your mind? Is it one of the famous politicians, an entrepreneur, or someone you know from everyday life? Leaders are individuals who have strong influence on other people and processes and who make things happen. So, why people do not usually relate the term “leader” with men and women who are not in the spotlight? Let us explore the leadership in life and business.

Leadership Skills in Real Life

I happen to know a lot of persons who lead by example. Being a leader in everyday life has its advantages, as well as downsides.  These individuals are usually not widely recognized and have no records of accolades ascribed to their names. Many books have been written on this subject, while the topic itself is quite simple to understand.

A person is a leader if he or she inspires and supports others while sharing the same goal. A true leader leads. This means that a leader should be focused on what can be done, not ponder on the possible mistakes and inabilities. Additionally, a leader is the person who is able to recognize other people‘s abilities and use them as resources.  This may sound to complicated, I know. Nevertheless, if you move the focus of your thinking from corporate frame to everyday life, you will see that leaders are among us.

A dedicated friend can be someone who inspires you. Friendships have that impact on people. We often find ourselves exploring the subjects we have never before thought of. Alternatively, friendships can be the driving force behind our efforts to achieve certain goals. Whether that driving force comes in a form of competitive spirit between friends or the simple need to show that we are good at something, to boast about, it is of less importance.

Parents can be magnificent leaders too. Their altruistic “job” is to be understanding and supportive. A parent should be able to foresee the obstacles and to teach the child how to circumnavigate them. Alternatively, a parent can lead a child‘s way through the obstacle and experience the storm together. Sometimes, it is necessary to learn through mistakes and a good leader knows that investing in such an experience pays off. Eventually, a skilled person is the one with a lot of “hands-on” escapades. Furthermore, the ultimate goal of a parent is to groom new leaders.

Old Vs. New

We hear the same phrases on daily basis: “Be pro-active, follow your dreams.” Although this is nice and we can agree with the essence of this message, we feel the need to question the means to achieve such goals. Call me old school, but “pro-active” is often mistakenly understood as “aggressive”. What great leaders do is rely on former authorities in their field and then explore if there is any room for improvement of their ideas and methods.

The technology has changed significantly, and it is still developing at incredible speeds. This makes our lives easier in a way. It puts technology in our hands as a means of achieving higher goals. However, human nature is not changing at the same speed as technology. Good leaders are aware of intellectual limits of people in their teams. Above all, being a leader does not necessarily mean that you should generate something new and revolutionary. The way we see it, leaders are the persons who do something meaningful and are able to transfer that drive and knowledge to others.

There are times when we should consult older and wiser. I have read recently that Bill Gates has learned the most important lesson in life from Warren Buffett. According to his own words, he learned what true friendship really is. And what an investment that is! To learn how to share the knowledge and inspire others while getting the same feedback. Obviously, this is how true leaders are made. Not everything is in fierce discipline, working by the book and building condescending attitude towards the world.

Do you know any good leaders?