Play the Odds – Think like a ‘Bookie’ or a Buddha
The right timing is a part of every success. Luck can play an essential part in the outcome of our strategy. At times, after all the correct data is collected, and market intelligence is understood, risks still exist. Businesses must place bets. I grew up in the South Pacific, the United States and Australia. Today, Australian casinos are busy with mostly Asian gamblers. In the United States, people gamble on lots of things, including sport and the stock market. When I was a teenager, Australia was very much a horse and dog racing culture. At the racetrack, a 'bookie' was the person who picks the odds of a horse or dog winning or placing and takes people's bets. At school, some students placed bets amongst themselves on horse and greyhound races. A family friend, Alex, who was a few years older than me, would take horse bets from other students on the 'Melbourne Cup', which is the largest annual horse race in Australia. Alex was bright and had come up with a good set of odds. Odds he hoped would give him a nice profit. When race day arrived, his father, Joe, who had recently discovered Alex's illegal activity, demanded [...]