An interesting match between FAA vs Thiem, and now the fourth set after the third set Thiem managed to take it to make the match longer and in the tie break FAA made several mistakes that gave points to Thiem, this is still difficult to predict even though FAA is the favorite to win but it is very possible that this will go to five sets.
Naomi Osaka was not smooth in her comeback in Australia Open, she did not play poorly but Caroline Garcia managed to overcome the pressure well because the crowd was on Osaka's side, and the match lasted two sets with the second tie break.
FAA had to work very hard and I don't think anyone expected that he would have to work so hard to win this match. At least I did not expect that. I thought the match should have been a lot easier for FAA. Remember that this is the first round of the Australian Open. Imagine how hard he will have to work towards the later part of the competition. He will play the next match against Garnier. In my opinion that match should also be easy for him. but who knows, maybe his opponent will make him work just like he had to in the last match. Naomi Osaka did try to win this match in my opinion. and I agree that her opponent was just better in this match. it was one of those matches for her, whatever she was trying was not working out in favour of her. Ah but Thiem is a very capable player, he can trouble pretty much any player, hopefully 2024 will be a good year for Dominic...and Felix, two good guys. Likewise for Naomi Osaka, she was close today but it was always going to be a tough ask against Garcia who has been in great form and was very much ready for this match, so hopefully Naomi can build into 2024. |
|
|
|
|
We are still here!
2 from the picture board above are out, Wawrinka and Murray.
Wawrinka lost out to Mannarino in 5 sets, no tie breaks and got Bagled in the last.
Murray lost out to Etcheverry in 3 sets 3-6, 2-6 and 2-6. I know Murray has been discussed
here before but I really think this could/should be his last season.
on the womens side 7th seed Vondrousova was beaten by Yastremska in 2 easy sets
6-1 and 6-2.
Lets see how the rest of the round 1 matches pan out to look at round 2
|
|
|
|
|
It was 'winner all right' La Rochelle romped home with a score of 45-12. I had a $5 bet on
that parlay, I think thats the first in about 8 months which I did and it worked.
An update on the other tournaments:
United Rugby Championship - resumes 16th of February
English Premiership - Round 12 of 18 starts 26th January
Top14 - Round 13 of 26 resumes on the 26th of January.
So the only Rugby this coming weekend is Round 4 of the European Champions Cup and
the European Challenge cup which I'm not following.
|
|
|
|
|
I think most countries in Europe anyway have a proactive attitude to bitcoin and in my european
country the government treat Bitcoin as an asset, the same as any other investment.
It means we are free to buy it and HODL it but when we want to sell it for FIAT the "Profit"
is liable for TAX @ 33%, they are quite happy to take their TAX at the "exit" point.
|
|
|
|
I am thinking about the opposite. This is the start of the excitement and this has already created momentum for the upcoming bitcoin rally. Just look at the rally to 48K from below the 30K level. The industry is waiting for major bullish news for bitcoin after halving and those news is aligned for the perfect time to be released i think. The approval of the bitcoin ETF was already predicted and whales speculated on the price of bitcoin for this news. From here the territory is unknown because those asset managers have so much financial power that they can stagnate the market for a few years if they want. The rally of GOLD after its ETF approval was massive but look at the timeframe it took.
I agree, the ETF's are now in foundation stage, ready to be built upon metaphorically speaking in terms of the market and pricing. A lot of people including the OP must have been expecting a big price increase right after the approval, and they are probably scratching their heads wondering why... it went down. Id say give it time and also wait for the aftermath of the halving and the excitement will be back. |
|
|
|
|
Berrettini has pulled out of his AO match against Tsitsipas with an injury. Things continue
to be hard for Mateo, such a pity.
Earlier Sinner and Arnaldi have progressed.
Djokovic is playing now and has dropped a set against Prizmic and has been broken
now in the third set, he's gonna win and Djokovic' odds now are 1.25
On the womens side Wozniacki got a walkover against Linette
I'm also happy to see Leylah has progressed to the second round.
|
|
|
|
|
remarkably enough the bets on my parlay all won, thats Northampton, Exeter Saints, Lyon
and The Stormers. I am waiting for todays match La Rochelle v Leicester, fingers crossed.
|
|
|
|
he is
very talented but tries to enjoy himself a bit more than others! Its enjoyable to watch.
Yes, watching him play is quite entertaining but it will be debatable if he plays against a player who doesn't like his behavior such as his underarm serve, like what if he met Kyrgios, a player who also likes to serve underarm. The Australian Open will start tomorrow, Jannick Sinner will face van de Zandschulp I think this will still be easy for Sinner as well as Novak Djokovic vs Dino Prižmić young Croatian tennis player, and one match that will probably be quite close is Fabian Marozsan vs Marin Čilić maybe the match will go longer than three sets. And in the women's section, Caroline Wozniacki will face Magda Linette. Linette is very likely to stop Wozniacki in the early rounds, but the problem that the Polish player often faces is inconsistent performances, such as when she lost in Adelaide and this may very well go three sets. Thats an easy first round match for Djokovic and not too bad for Sinner. There are a few difficult ones on both sides, Womens and Mens. Garcia plays Osaka - thats also a tough draw for both Tiafoe v Coric - another tough draw but Tiafoe is favourite @ 1.53 v 2.50 Mannarino v Wawrinka - that could be a tough match for both. Berrettini v Tsitsipas - its going to be difficult for Mateo.
Results from Adelaide: Winners are Ostapenko easily in 2 sets and Lehecka easily over 3 sets. |
|
|
|
Last year was pretty bad for FAA. After a good start, he had a pretty miserable time from the end of March. At the end of October he finally won his first tournament. In Basel Switzerland he won the final against Hurkacz. But after that his time got worse again. Now he has played his first tournament this year. And it is still seem to be going badly. In Auckland he lost in 2 sets against Daniel Altmaier.
ATP Auckland this time was for unseeds because all the seed players had been eliminated and the one who made it to the final was T. Daniel vs Tabilo, T. Daniel beat Shelton in two sets and Tabilo beat Fils in two sets too, and FAA always displays performances that fluctuate but it could be because the competition at ATP is very tight because many good young players are emerging. Korda v Lehecka - Odds 1.56 - 2.4 - i think Korda as favourite is right, a good price too. Unfortunately Korda lost and this was quite an easy match for Lehecka, only a few moments Korda put up resistance so he had to go through several dueces but Lehecka managed to overcome his opponent well and reached the final. Draper v Bublik - Odds 1.45 - 2.80 - I'm giving Bublik a good chance to win this and I'll take
those odds.
Bublik played quite well when he beat Musetti and it was a very close match, and against Draper it will be quite close in my opinion and as you said Bublik has a chance to win and even become champion in this tournament. WTA Adelaide, Daria Kasatkina was lucky enough to be able to reach the final without having to play the last two matches. L. Siegemund, her opponent in the quarterfinals withdrew, as well as Jessica Pegula, her opponent in the semifinals withdrew, she is waiting for the ongoing Ostapenko vs Alexandrova match to compete in tomorrow's final. Ah I had a small bet on Bublik but it wasnt to be. It was a close one but in the end he couldnt do it. I parts of the match and thought Bublik had some fantastic shots, he is very talented but tries to enjoy himself a bit more than others! Its enjoyable to watch. Tomorrows final could go either way, Draper has been solid but Lehecka could be tricky to beat, Draper is favourite though 1.58.
On the Womens side its Ostapenko v Kasatkina, its the 6th seed Ostapenko who is favourite @ 1.58. |
|
|
|
|
European Rugby Champions Cup is back on this weekend starting today with:
Northampton v Bayonne - Northampton are topping that Pool 3 so they are unbackable
@ 1.06 that could be one to go into a favourites parlay.
Exeter Chiefs v Glasgow Warriors - Exeter are healthy favourites @ 1.35, another one for the parlay
Lyon v Connacht - @ 1.25 Lyon are home favourites but Connacht are libel for anything,
anyway lets add Lyon
Stormers v Sale Sharks - Have to go with the Stormers @ 1.16 at home
La Rochelle v Leicester Tigers @ 1.06 - hopefully the French side have their house in order.
total odds there of 2.28
|
|
|
|
WTA Adelaide:
Ostapenko somewhat unexpectedly defeated Caroline Garcia 6:4, 5:7, 6:4. Sad to see a top player leave at such an early stage. Latvian will be playing Marta Kostyuk in the next round.
Kasatkina v Kalinskaya just ended, and I was watching this match. Kasatkina won in three sets 5:7, 6:4, 7:5. Kalinskaya was obviously not feeling well, she had her blood pressure measured on court and she also complained about her right hip area. Too many unforced errors from her today, but she had good chances to win. Unfortunately for her, Kasatkina's defensive play was more consistent today.
also Pegula is there in the first quarter final tomorrow against Pavlyuchenkova, one to watch out for too Over on the mens side the top 4 seeded players have made it to the quarter finals: Paul Jarry Korda Musetti Also Bublik is there too, I would like to see him doing good things this year, He plays Musetti tomorrow, odds are Musetti 1.95 - 1.89 Bublik, interesting match! Paul plays Draper tomorrow too in another close one according to odds 1.68 v 2.22 Update on todays mens matches at Adelaide Jack draper got the job done against Paul in 2 sets and easily enough 1-6 and 4-6. and Bublik beat Musetti in 3 close sets, thats promising from Bublik. The semi finals are: Korda v Lehecka - Odds 1.56 - 2.4 - i think Korda as favourite is right, a good price too. Draper v Bublik - Odds 1.45 - 2.80 - I'm giving Bublik a good chance to win this and I'll take those odds. |
|
|
|
Now that the ETFs have approval, which one are we piling into?
By " we", I very much doubt that's going to be a particularly large collective around here. Using myself as an example: a) I'm not a yank b) I can't be arsed speaking to a broker c) I'd rather hold actual BTC and not these IOUs that supposedly represent BTC And I suspect many others here will be in a similar position. Each to their own, though. Absolutely with you, ETF's are for those wealthy people who dont want to learn about Bitcoin, dont want to get involved with seed phrases, passwords and connecting hardware wallets but would much prefer to call their broker and send funds. I'm not interested in any type of Bitcoin which I cannot take custody of but yea there are people who will be happy to use these ETF's. |
|
|
|
|
Block 2
2- aoluain
Thank you bitdaryl
|
|
|
|
The speculators will be celebrating with this news, but the real Bitcoiners will know that it is a sad day for Bitcoin. Large Fiat rich centralized financial investment firms will now buy bitcoin in large quantities and this will increase centralize ownership of bitcoins. These companies are purely driven by speculation and profit and not using Bitcoin as a currency. (Satoshi's ultimate goal for this technology)  It's definitely going to be that and I don't think that small investors like us will ever be able to keep up with this rich investors that will definitely want to hoard all of the bitcoin and there's no way that they're going at it little by little, they'll definitely want it all I'm sure of that and that's going to be enabled because we let this happen but I guess the potential profits is just too much for us to not be in the boat with this, I do hope that when things get worse for investors like us as ETFs become a popular thing, I'm already out of the market but had a lot of profits. I agree with you two. A lot of people are delighted about the news and saying we will all be rich as more Bitcoin is bought up leaving the supply strained and demand high but they dont realise that when they go to sell they will do so once, the opportunity to buy back will be gone at an affordable price if there is even Bitcoin available. The big investors will have locked them away for the super rich to hold their wealth in. Bitcoin will become like a rare priceless artwork, not for the average joe/jane, perfect to store wealth by individuals who may never need to sell it. This could happen quite quickly, whoever wants to buy into rhe ETF's will want in at the best price, thats now! |
|
|
|
|
but Bitcoin isnt anything like a bond or Gold, they have realised its potential thats why
all the big asset managers want SPOT ETF, they know there is a demand from their
clients, they want to take custody of it because if they dont do it now their rivals will.
|
|
|
|
|
yup - keep an eye out for those cover page publications!
IDK I think I have mixed feelings about this ETF approval thing now that its approved,
From all the talk about it it seems like it could push the price of Bitcoin beyond more
peoples grasp, it could end up locking away Bitcoin which will not see the market again
for a long time. It also pushes Bitcoin further from Satoshi's vision.
and then it could reward us Bitcoiners who have believed it can survive through all the
negativity.
|
|
|
|
WTA Adelaide:
Ostapenko somewhat unexpectedly defeated Caroline Garcia 6:4, 5:7, 6:4. Sad to see a top player leave at such an early stage. Latvian will be playing Marta Kostyuk in the next round.
Kasatkina v Kalinskaya just ended, and I was watching this match. Kasatkina won in three sets 5:7, 6:4, 7:5. Kalinskaya was obviously not feeling well, she had her blood pressure measured on court and she also complained about her right hip area. Too many unforced errors from her today, but she had good chances to win. Unfortunately for her, Kasatkina's defensive play was more consistent today.
also Pegula is there in the first quarter final tomorrow against Pavlyuchenkova, one to watch out for too Over on the mens side the top 4 seeded players have made it to the quarter finals: Paul Jarry Korda Musetti Also Bublik is there too, I would like to see him doing good things this year, He plays Musetti tomorrow, odds are Musetti 1.95 - 1.89 Bublik, interesting match! Paul plays Draper tomorrow too in another close one according to odds 1.68 v 2.22 |
|
|
|
|
Yes for sure anything marking an event even if its an ETF approval will be collectible.
Remember the El Diario newspapers reporting on the El Salvador Bitcoin legal tender
announcements by the government. There were 4 of them and are very collectible, particularly
the first one.
I wonder if the ETF's are rejected outright will the reports in the various magazines and
newspapers still be collectible?
|
|
|
|
|
The English Premiership Rugby wont be finalised until the middle of May. There wont be any
matches in February.
In the European Rugby Championship the group stages end at the end of January so still
a bit to go there still and then its onto the finals stage.
The Rounds of 16 take place in April
Semi finals at the start if May
and the Final at the end of May.
|
|
|
|
Ok thanks, now I'm more confused about my stance in politics, because other than promoting violence against any particular type of people, and promoting racism, I have supported all the rest one way or the other at some point in time. I just can't decide on which side to stand, because if I see a side is doing something wrong, I'd abandon supporting them, which makes me a no side kind of person.
This probably suggests you are a 'centre' politics supporter. Like the majority of people if its available in your country. The centre is where a political party will appeal to most people because most people are not extremist, a centre party will have policies which are taken from left and right without the extreme elements.
And all of these political terms, are just some political BS to categorize people into smaller groups in order to have a much more effective brainwashing influence over the masses.
Peoples views are very diverse, there has to be some form of political leadership otherwise there would be chaos and because we are diverse in our outlooks and ideals there will be political groups willing to feed these for better or worse
Racism, discrimination is bad, period. IMO we should always stay on the side of truth, meaning even if our child does something wrong, we should not try to hide it, because God already knows everything, and if we try to cheat him like that, then there will be nobody saving us from him, but as long as we have him on our side, not even the whole world could harm us.
you have a view about racism, discrimination etc. which is very much like most of us around here and in the majority but as about some people dont share those views and truth is one thing to us and something different to others. |
|
|
|
|
Show Posts
