Sport betting – another way to make money
Seems like a perfect way to earn money online, doesn't it? Watch football, tennis or basketball, predict the most likely outcome, put your money where you mouth is...and win. Let's see if we can find a way to bet on sports profitably.
Obviously, betting companies are not charities and need to ensure they're gonna make money, at least in the long-term.
So, just like in a casino, the odds are stacked against you. Mind you, this doesn't have to be a large advantage. 100,000 bets at 10 USD each will give you a turnover of 1,000,000 USD. A 1% advantage means 10,000 USD in profit..not bad, right?
What are the real odds? Let's have a look at few sample bets you can make at betfair.com.
Aston Villa v Swansea
Win: 1.9,
Draw: 3.5,
Lose: 5.1.
For a start, imagine you want to cover all possible outcomes for each of those matches, betting 10 USD on every possibility.
Each match costs you 30 USD and assuming every possible outcome is just as likely,
the estimated return for Aston Villa v Swansea is (1.9*10 + 3.5*10 + 5.1*10)/3 = 35 USD. That's statistically 5 USD of "free money" for you.
Too good to be true? Of course. Let's look at each possible outcome:
Win: 1.9*10 = 19 USD (11 USD loss)
Draw: 3.5*10 = 35 USD ( 5 USD loss)
Lose: 5.1* 10 = 51 USD ( 21 USD win)
Thing is, Aston Villa is much stronger team and their advantage is reflected in those odds. For the bets above, you'd lose 11 USD when they win, which is bad, as it's the most likely outcome.
Now, let's adjust our bets by adding another 12 USD for Aston Villa. Your total cost it 42 USD now and the winnings for possible outcomes are:
Win: 1.9*22 = 41.8 (0.2 USD loss)
Draw: 3.5*10 = 35 USD ( 7 USD loss)
Lose: 5.1* 10 = 51 USD ( 9 USD win)
Still bad, since our return is just as random as when betting on only one result. Let's say we have 1000 USD per event and we're gonna try to cover our outcomes so that Win and Draw will result in at least break even:
Win: 1.9*527 = 1001.3 USD (1.3 USD win)
Draw: 3.5*286 = 1001 USD ( 1 USD win)
Lose: 5.1*187 = 953.7 USD ( 46.3 USD loss)
In case we lose, it's gonna be only 4.63% of our total bet amount. Not bad, especially considering that's the least likely possibility. Assuming implied probabilities given to us by odds, our expected return would be (1.3/1.9)+(1/3.5)-(46.3/5.1) = 0.68 + 0.29 - 9.08 = - 8.11. 8 USD estimated loss on 1000 USD bet, that's about 0.8% house advantage.
The question is, what can you do to turn it into your profit?
There are few main options:
1. Use the sign-up promos.
Most betting sites(same applies to poker and casinos) will give you a sign-up bonus as a thank you gift, when you make your first deposit. This goes without saying, when you create a new account with any of those sites, make sure you benefit from any promos that are available. Most companies will put measures in place to minimize their losses on those promotions(like minimum turnover requirement before withdrawal can be made), but if you're smart, these bonuses can add to your advantage.
2. Arbitrage between multiple betting sites.
Aside from getting multiple sign-up bonuses, having multiple betting accounts(on different sites), has another benefit. When different sites judge the same events in a different way, their odds will be different. Let's say another betting site, totesport offers the same match, Aston Villa v Swansea, with odds as below:
Win: 1.7,
Draw: 3.4,
Lose: 5.4.
What's the play here? Obviously, you'd bet win and draw on betfair.com, while placing the 'lose' bet on the latter site. With the same amount you'll get 5.4*187 = 1009.8 USD. This means that no matter what happens, you'll be in profit!
3. Knowledge
Another obvious point, but often the hardest one. You can profit by simply knowing a given sport, team or event. If you're passionate about basketball, focus on it. Try to get to know few teams inside out, each player and a unique situation before each match. This will give you an additional edge, which directly translates into profits. Remember, employees of betting sites have slightly different goals when setting their odds. First of all, they need to cover a much wider range of events and simply can't focus on single events as much as you can. Secondly, their goal is to ensure medium to long term profitability and that's often dependent on the number of bets they receive on each outcome. As you probably know, common opinion represents the average and you want to be better than that.
To summarize, you'd ideally want to leverage all the three methods above when earning money from sport betting. Gain some knowledge and interest in any sport covered by your betting site(s), use smart money management system and don't bet when the odds are stacked too much against you. Be smart and control yourself and I'm sure you'll close the year in green.
Where to bet on sports?
betfair.com - this one is my favorite. They offer a 20 GBP free bet and up to 1000 GBP of cash back. Try them!
BET & WIN like a PRO with Accuscore - save 25% use code: MLB25CJ
totesport - They offer 60 GBP in free bets. Would be a shame not to use it!
Philippine Tarsier in Bohol
In case you didn't know the Philippine Tarsier is endemic to the Philippines. Living mainly in Bohol Island as well as Samar and Mindanao, it's one of the most distinct creatures on Earth.
Tarsiers are also called Kupal and Mamag in Tagalog and believe it or not, it was only discovered in 18th century.
Here's an angry one:
Angry Philippine Tarsier
Tarsiers are one of the smallest primates known to man, measuring only around 100 mm in height and weighting about 120 grams.
Interesting facts about Tarsiers
1. Their eyes are fixed in their sockets so basically they cannot move them around. Instead, they move their head around, up to 180 degrees!
2. Tarsier's eyes are huge and officially have the largest eye to body size ratio of all known mammals.
3. You shouldn't touch them. It is said that most will get depressed and die shortly after being petted by human.
Difference between stock market and forex
Even though most people tend to put them both together, foreign exchange market is different from the stock market.
The foreign exchange market is also known as the FX market, and the forex market. Trading that takes place between two counties with different currencies is the basis for the fx market and the background of the trading in this market. The forex market is over thirty years old, established in the early 1970's. The forex market is one that is not based on any one business or investing in any one business, but the trading and selling of currencies.
The difference between the stock market and the forex market is the vast trading that occurs on the forex market. There is millions and millions that are traded daily on the forex market, almost two trillion dollars is traded daily. The amount is much higher than the money traded on the daily stock market of any country. The forex market is one that involves governments, banks, financial institutions and those similar types of institutions from other countries. The
What is traded, bought and sold on the forex market is something that can easily be liquidated, meaning it can be turned back to cash fast, or often times it is actually going to be cash. From one currency to another, the availability of cash in the forex market is something that can happen fast for any investor from any country.
The difference between the stock market and the forex market is that the forex market is global, worldwide. The stock market is something that takes place only within a country. The stock market is based on businesses and products that are within a country, and the forex market takes that a step further to include any country.
The stock market has set business hours. Generally, this is going to follow the business day, and will be closed on banking holidays and weekends. The forex market is one that is open generally twenty four hours a day because the vast number of countries that are involved in forex trading, buying and selling are located in so many different times zones. As one market is opening, another countries market is closing. This is the continual method of how the forex market trading occurs.
The stock market in any country is going to be based on only that countries currency, say for example the Japanese yen, and the Japanese stock market, or the United States stock market and the dollar. However, in the forex market, you are involved with many types of countries, and many currencies. You will find references to a variety of currencies, and this is a big difference between the stock market and the forex market.
Are you sure your critical data is protected?
Today, all companies make a big use of the technology available and rely on their critical data on a daily basis. Most businesses however, are unable to invest in redundant network storage and large servers like the bigger corporations do.
Smaller businesses have a limited budget. When a small-cap company encounters a disaster they rarely seem to recover, normally going out of business. Past disasters such as 9/11 or the dreaded hurricane have showed the importance of backups and disaster planning. Companies that thought things through and made sure to protect their digital assets survived, while those that didn’t, lost a lot of money or went bankrupt.
There are several ways that you can protect your data and keep it safe. One of the most popular and easiest ways to protect your data is with a server. Servers are great for both large and small businesses, and protection the data for your business. They can tend to get expensive though, with the most popular server, Microsoft, starting out around $3,000.
Unlike other options, servers provide you with a safe and secure system to store all of your corporate data. You can set the permission of your files to prevent any unauthorized access, to keep your files safe. When using servers, most of the loss comes from either accidental deletion or employees that are upset with corporate management and decide to get into the server and erase files.
When using a server, your data will be stored in one central location, and not spread around over different computers in your network. Servers are very user friendly, and keep your files neat and tidy - in one location. This way you don’t have to go looking all over the place for your data, you can look in the server and find everything you need.
Another way to keep your data safe is with CDs, DVDs, and even external hard drives. If you are using any of these methods, you should always do a backup of your information at the end of every day. With disasters being completely unpredictable, backing things up every day will ensure that you are protected if something should occur.
If you are backing things up to CD or DVD media, you should always put the discs in a safe and secure location, preferably a fireproof safe. This way, if the office should catch on fire, you’ll have your backup discs protected. You should always add your new backups to the safe at the end of every working day, so you’ll have them tomorrow if you need them.
You can also store your data and information offsite as well. This is a highly recommended option, as you pay a flat monthly fee and a company stores your information. Most have secure vaults and servers for your data, which ensures protection from unauthorized accidents or hazards. You don’t need to worry about your data when using these services, as they will do the protection for you.
No matter which method you use for protecting your information, you should always make sure that you have a plan. Corporate data is very important and essential to success, which is why you should look into immediately if you don’t have a plan already. If you know your data is safe and protected from hazards and unauthorized access - you’ll have the peace of mind in knowing that your data will be there each and every time you need it.
Maintaining Internet security and privacy while travelling
These days, you can find Internet access everywhere. From public hot spots in small pubs, airports and restaurants to hotels and train stations. Even a 5$ a night hotel in the middle of Thailand will usually provide free wifi access in your room.
This abundance comes with a price, and in this case it's rather steep.
First of all, in any public places, traffic to and from the hot spot can easily be intercepted and analysed. The strongest encryption methods are enabled on a very small fraction of routers and even with them in place you have no guarantee that the hot spot itself isn't compromised. Hotel owner's son with reasonable google skills can install and run software like WireShark and later on, use your email address to request naked pics from your friends, girlfriend or wife. And that's the most optimistic scenario, not involving PayPal, your credit card or identity theft.
What's more, with so much malicious software around the web these days, any other user in your area might be running a specialized traffic analyzing viruses without ever knowing. No multiple pop-ups and porn site redirection, just sending over every usable piece of data about you and other users. Your name will be tied to your email and facebook account, any possible password sent over without encryption will be used to generate a vocabulary used attack against your account on many other sites, including banks, Forex brokers, poker software and anything else you can imagine.
Sometimes, your spending habits and other information will be analysed and sold over to another interested group. It could take weeks or even months for this data to be used, but believe me, it will be used.
Privacy and financial security are the most common reasons to protect your traffic but that's not all. In countries like China, you won't be able to access Facebook and many other sites banned in that country. You should be also vary of sending any politically sensitive data over the open channel.
Can you protect yourself from all those threats while using your phone and laptop as usual? Yes, and the solution has been there for a while, simply use VPN to establish a secure tunnel between your machine and the reliable service provider.
Once reserved to high-end management personnel, thanks to Best VPN
Service you're now able to protect your privacy, use Internet securely and go through arbitrary government restrictions.
Also, in case you're travelling a lot, there's a good reason to sign up for a VPN service now. Partnering with Wimdu, Best VPN Service has created a fantastic Crazy Summer Offer, giving you a free 60$ Wimdu voucher for EVERY VPN purchase you make. There's virtually no catch, so why don't you convince your friends and secure yourself an amazing discount for your next trip!
How to find cheap, last minute accommodation while travelling or on holiday
A quick post, this time. Finding a place to sleep is one of the most important tasks we're all faced with before, and while travelling.
While it's generally not a problem if you're going on holiday once a year(just book any decent hotel and you're set), choosing between different accommodation options is much more important when travelling long-term and/or changing places frequently.
There are few reasons for this. First of all, you'll need a place where you can focus as well as reliable Internet access if you're working remotely. Some people find it easier to use a hot-desk or even Starbucks and internet caffees but if you, like me, prefer to work at night(or if you're in a remote location without facilities above), you'll find it easier to work and sleep in one place.
I've got few rules when choosing where to stay:
1. If I have a lot of work, research or catching up to do, feel tired, need a long bath or find an amazing deal online, I book a decent hotel. Free Wi-Fi and great location are the most important factors. I don't mind whether it's a small boutique hotel or a big chain and I don't care about star rating that much. Believe me, a great 3-star hotel can still be much better than a lousy 5-star.
2. For longer periods of time(more than a week), I generally prefer to rent a managed apartment. For a price that's usually lower than a hotel, I get all the freedom, facilities and privacy I need.
3. If I feel like partying, socializing or stay only for few hours, I usually book a hostel. They are cheap, usually offer free Wi-Fi(and lockers) and are full of young, friendly people. What else do you need? 
Ok, so how do we find hotels? I start with 3 sites:
- Hotel Crow - my site of choice, with easy interface, advanced filtering system and plenty of hotels to choose from.
- Agoda - plenty of really good deals(especially around SE Asia) but no sorting by price.
- Hotels - more flexible search and lots of discounted offers.
These two should be enough to find a decent hotel anywhere in the world but if it's not...just Google it 
As for hostels the most popular sites are:
And if you're really in trouble, CouchSurfing and HospitalityClub are good for crashing on someone else's couch for few hours(or longer )
Have fun!
One very short and simple guide to forex – dummy edition
There's plenty of guides, introductions and tutorials on this subject. Forex is one of those hot topics, associated with a fast and easy way to fortune,
working 4 hours per week and so on. Here's yet another one, very short and concise, written especially for all you dummies out there
You know, what are currencies, right? You better do, since this is where we start. Imagine having 1000 USD, going to a currency exchange and coming back with, say 1600 GBP. Is that how Forex trading works?
Not exactly, since trading operates on contracts, mimicking the results of currency exchange.
In essence, you're just asking a guy(broker) to make a deal with you(open position) simulating the effect of currency moves for a given amount.
Also, you're giving him a deposit for currency fluctuations plus some more for unexpected moves(margin) so that he's not on the losing side.
For example, buying a EUR/USD contract for 10000 is equivalent to taking a loan from your USD account for enough dollars to buy 10000 Euro and put it in your savings EUR account. Obviously, you'd need to pay the interest on USD loand while receiving it on your EUR deposit. We'll call it rollover or swap and as you can imagine, you could either lose or get additional money depending on the interest rates on both accounts.
Now, opening a position with your forex broken means simulating the above situation in few clicks, while closing one obviously means taking your deposit back and paying off your loan.
What's more your broker will need to earn some money, which means:
- you'll get slightly less money when selling your currency back. This is called 'spread'
- loan interest rates are lower than borrowing costs of the same currency. This means your broker's spread rates are skewed in their favour. Obviously.
That's it for now. We'll discuss carry trades soon.
Guest Post: introducing Sara
Hi. My name is Sara and I'm from Puerto Galera. Don't google it yet, it's not that important anyway.
I should tell you upfront, people say I think too much. I do, but I don't talk a lot, on the outside.
I think about things that happened, might have and those that would never, ever, ever have had happened. I talk with my friends, famous people and random, unnamed characters, all in my head, inside.
It's a great place to talk, since I make all the rules.
For example, I can repeat important parts, improve them, make them perfect. There's no distracting noise and they, my great conversation partners, ask only the right questions at the exact time it is required.
This is the perfect environment for solving life's mysteries, debating political issues or talking to a loved one.
Once, I've met an old man there, in my head, in my world without noise.
He had a long white beard, bushy eyebrows(think Gandalf, not captain Kirk) and wore a long, unbranded robe so I immediately knew he was the wisest men I have ever met.
The man, told me a story that I think is worth sharing with you in its entirety. Here it goes, the story of a wise man:
Life is like a holiday in the mountains.
You can stay in those safe, green valleys. Looking at the summit from below, maybe hoping to get there one day, but never departing.
Sometimes, you will admire people, quite literally above your level, sometimes you will laugh at their efforts without understanding.
You'll stay with the crowds, eating pizza and hastily prepared sandwiches, talking about the weather.
Not knowing any other sights, you will die in a shadow of greater things, staring at the top, blinded by the sun setting behind it.
You can make some effort and walk through marked trails. They will get you further and you'll see valleys and their inhabitants from somewhat different perspective.
You'll take a break from the crowds, especially higher, on those slightly more difficult tracks and scary looking paths, since crowds don't get that far.
If they hurt you, and since you're so young, hurt they will, you'll come back down to the valley where you truly belong.
You'll be with people, reminiscing about the old times and better views.
And quite inevitably, you will die, staring at the top, crying with regret that you gave up so easily.
Finally, you can do more. Go higher and higher, where no one has reached before. Walk alone through tough and hazardous terrain, further and further. You will experience the most amazing view, not known or understood by anyone else.
With an endless abyss of insanity on your both sides, you won't hold back as it would mean certain death.
Maybe sometimes, but very rarely, you might come across another, like you, wanderer. Appreciate the company, for only a partner like this can save you from the fall.
You will walk hand in hand, very closely, the only possible way. Still, you won't stay together for too long and will part ways choosing different peaks.
But remember, every five minutes of your shared toil will give you strength for years to come. For that reason you need to fight for the company in the mountains, never pass it with a short hello or a frail handshake.
And so, you will either perish on your way or get where you wanted. The magnificent view will be enlightening and unforgettable for valleys look different when seen from the distance. After resting, you'll be ready to come back down, longing for pizza and some small-talk.
You'll stay for a while, but not too long, for you're not cut for it. Life in the valley quickly gets boring and there are still so many trails to explore.
One day you'll stay for good, knowing death will reach even you. Staring at the top with pride, you'll recall every wanderer you've met on your way. And that cute waitress working in the valley.
This is everything you need to know about life and death, love and hate, happiness and sorrow.
Mixed together and together served.
The man chuckled and disappeared, which shouldn't happened without my consent.
Anyway, just saying hi.
How to earn millions, move stuff with your mind and fuck like a porn star!
Today, I woke up with an immense sense of purpose.
8:00 glowing brightly on the alarm clock - time normally reserved for budget flights, after-parties and an odd case of solid panic on the stock market. Yet today is different. Today is now still, sober and silent. I like it like that.
And here we are. A day full of time, purpose and energy – with things to be created, bought, crossed off and eaten. It's gonna be legen-dary!
It seems like the perfect time for my focus excercise. And no, it has nothing to do with the Force.
I will tell you a secret. You don't have to be lucky, beautiful, skilled or smart to be successful in today's world. You don't need rich parents, government help or even be in the right place in the right time. The absolutely one and only thing needed for both small and immensly large goals, is focus. To be specific, all you need is focused action.
To explain it better, I'll take a short break now to setup my new playlist which will help me focus on writing. Yeah? Fuck no!
Did that explain it? If not, read it again, I've got a movie to watch
Few hotels to stay around Burgos street in Makati
If you're planning to stay in the financial district of Manila for few days and you're not travelling with family, you should definitely consider many of the reasonably priced hotels around Burgos street.
It's conveniently located around one mile from the very center of Makati - Philippine Stock Exchange and Ayala Triangle Park.
The first one is Clipper Hotel. Small and with a boutique feeling, it's been my favourite throughout the years. Being one of the cheapest hotels in the area(around 1000 PHP per night for a double), it offers a great value for money, with clean, functional rooms, free wifi, comfortable writing/computer desk and a great bed. What's more, you'll get a really hot water under high pressure and shower gel/shampoo dispenser in the bathroom. There's obviously an aircon, TV and a safe deposit box in every room.
In case you're not on a tight budget, I highly recommend Antel Spa Hotel Suites situated quite close to Clipper Hotel, on the norther part of Makati Avenue.
At around 2500 PHP per night, it's definitely a more expensive option, but you'll also get more in return. Bear in mind it's still significantly cheaper than Intercontinental and Shangri La Makati, popular expat options in the nearby Greenbelt.
I highly recommend upgrading to an only slightly more expensive suite accommodation, which will get you a generously sized 1 bedroom apartment with 2 TV sets, 2 air cons, open plan kitchen and an amazing bed. As the name suggests, you'll also be able to your various massage and spa treatments, personalized training program and much more.
Given the location, great quality and a reasonable price, Antel Spa Hotel Suites no wonder comes quite on my list. Highly recommended!
Awesome posts
- Sport betting – another way to make money
- Philippine Tarsier in Bohol
- Difference between stock market and forex
- Are you sure your critical data is protected?
- Maintaining Internet security and privacy while travelling
- How to find cheap, last minute accommodation while travelling or on holiday
Useful stuff
Useful
- Domain valuation tool - check how much is your domain worth based on traffic, pagerank, etc.
- Hotel Crow - pretty awesome hotel comparison site
- Sky Scanner - my favourite flight search tool