Anyone up for a meetup in Bahrain? Got a venue ready, if we get some interest we'll make it a regular slot. Already doing informal meetups every week anyway, but would be good to get some more people involved.

According to this article, Suge Knight has pleaded 'no contest' to a charge of voluntary manslaughter. He will be sentenced to 28 years in October, less than the life sentence he may well have received if found guilty of the original murder charge (this was dismissed once he took the equivalent of a guilty plea for the manslaughter charge). It dates back to a hit and run that happened in January 2015.

[Here's a list of the coins (from the Top 100) that hodlers will be happy they're still hodling...]

Here's a list of the coins (from the Top 100) that hodlers will be happy they're still hodling...

1. Nano +1680.14%
2. Stellar +1111.96%
3. Binance Coin +938.81%
4. Metaverse ETP +576.84%
5. EOS +567.52%
6. Funfair +515.01%
7. Dogecoin +301.76%
8. Bytom +273.01%
9. ReddCoin +169.57%
10. Waltonchain +151.05%

Plus a few that have come out since (Sept 10th 2017) and are still showing a good return...

1. Rchain +1579.93%
2. Tron +866.99%
3. Cardano +264.44%
4. Mithril +220.22%
5. Power Ledger +173.60%
6. Decentraland +138.63%

And some left holding the bags - plenty more of the (Sept 2017) Top 100 have also experienced losses of 50% upwards, these were just the biggest losers...

1. Bitconnect -99.45%
2. MCAP -99.39%
3. vSlice -98.85%
4. Status -98.14%
5. Metal -93.66%
6. Monetha -92.15%
7. Agrello -91.66%
8. GameCredits -88.86%
9. NoLimitCoin -88.14%
10. Cofound.it -86.69%

Obviously none of these figures take into account that there have opportunities on all of them to cash in huge profits at various stages, so actual returns will vary depending if/when they were sold/bought.

NB. Last year's figures were taken on September 10th 2017. This year's from earlier today on September 9th 2018.

* Figures may be incorrect, especially if ICOs for the newer coins included bonuses - all numbers taken from coinmarketcap.com

Just started mining some Raven coin a week or two back, heard it could be the new and improved Polymath. Proof of work coin that will launch securities on it's blockchain, and only 500 to launch your own security. There's never been an ICO, only mined, and it's currently at just under $0.02. Using two 1070's and four 1050TI's, and getting between 50-100 per day. Anyone else have any experience mining it? Going to stick with it for a while anyway and see how it pans out.

[Current Status (in units):]

Current Status (in units):

Total  Staked (1 unit per bet unless otherwise stated) - 70

In Play - 0

Returns - 70.29

Profit/Loss - 0.29

https://bettin.gs/CryptoThief

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Edit 14.

Not a great day yesterday, a few disappointing performances meant that most bets fell a goal short, so happy enough to almost break even. Couple of crackers lined up today, especially the early game.

West Ham v Chelsea is always a feisty affair, and with Chelsea looking to move to the top of the table with a 2 goal victory or more, West Ham are bound to be defending for most of the game. Their defence is not exactly the strongest in the league, but surprisingly they've beaten Chelsea at home in 3 of the past 4 meetings. This makes their odds to win, even given their shocking start to the season, seem very generous. I'll be backing the straight West Ham win at 6.05 on cloudbet.com, and also a West Ham win and BTTS at 9.75 on the same website. Keeping a bit of perspective (and respect for Chelsea) with West Ham to win either half at 2.90 on sportsbet.io.

The other game today also looks to be a tasty one, as Arsenal host Everton at the Emirates. Everton are not known for their form away from home, and Arsenal will be looking for a win to draw level with Spurs on points. Looking at an Arsenal win, and a comfortable one too. Going to go for a multi score of either 1-0, 2-0 or 3-0, at 3.25 on sportsbet.io. Arsenal need to crack into gear sooner or later, and this game is an ideal opportunity.

63. West Ham v Chelsea - West Ham to win at 6.05 on cloudbet.com

64. West Ham v Chelsea - West Ham to win and BTTS at 9.75 on cloudbet.com

65. West Ham v Chelsea - West Ham to win either half at 2.90 on sportsbet.io

66. Arsenal v Everton - Arsenal to win 1-0, 2-0 or 3-0 at 3.25 on sportsbet.io

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Edit 13.

I missed the early game, so heading on to the 3pm kick offs.

With contrasting fortunes so far this season, Burnley have an opportunity to turn things around on home turf in what should be a close encounter with Bournemouth. Bournemouth have surprised quite a few people with their impressive start to the season and sit in 5th place ahead of Spurs, Arsenal and Man Utd. Burnley on the other hand are struggling at the foot of the table with a solitary point and desperately need a morale boosting win to kick start their season. I'm going for a home win as I think Burnley will sneak it by a goal (1-0 is 9.87 on cloudbet.com), and the home win is 3.25 on cloudbet.com.

Difficult to see anything other than an away win in the Cardiff v Manchester City game, even with their under par performance in midweek. Not sure it will be the goal blitz that some are expecting, but I still think they'll put two or three into the Bluebird's ne(s)t. Leroy Sane to score anytime is 2.36 on cloudbet.com and he's been looking good recently. Both halves over 1.5 goals is 3.25 on sportsbet.io, and that's not bad odds, but think it might fall a goal short. I'm going for Man City to win both halves at 2.03 on sportsbet.io, should come in, especially if they can get a breakthrough early.

Crystal Palace v Newcastle looks like another close one, and the Magpies haven't exactly impressed so far. Looks like it will be another wasted long trip for the Toon army, especially with Zaha in the starting line up. I'm going for Zaha to score anytime at 2.91 on cloudbet.com, although the straight win for Crystal Palace at 2.07 is also tempting.  

Leicester should be good for 3 points against Huddersfield. Since winning the Premier League 3 years ago, Leicester haven't managed to get anywhere close to the form that brought the title to the King Power stadium, but don't think Huddersfield should cause them too many problems. Huddersfield have only scored twice and conceded 11 in a winless start to the season. Leicester should be good for over 1.5 goals, and it's available at 2.08 on cloudbet.com.

Liverpool take on Southampton at Anfield, and Salah will be looking to get back his scoring form from last season. I reckon Southampton will grab a consolation, but Liverpool should prove to be too strong for them. There's a multi score option on sportsbet.io and that's what I'm on. It's 3.80 for 2-1, 3-1 or 4-1 to come in.

Manchester Utd v Wolves could be a good game; I like the way Wolves have played so far this season, they're not afraid to go on the attack against supposed better teams. Man Utd seem to have upped their game a bit lately, and should be able to take maximum points, but it won't be an easy one. I'm going for a Man Utd win and BTTS at 3.57 on cloudbet.com. Lukaku to score first is a bit of a long shot at 4.95 on the same site, but could be worth a punt.

The late kick off is Brighton & Hove Albion v Tottenham, and Spurs really need a win to stay in touch with the leaders. This should be an ideal game to put 3 points on the board, as I don't think Brighton have enough to hold them at bay. I actually think that Brighton might manage to score, so a Spurs win and BTTS is 3.54 on cloudbet.com. Heung-Min is also 3.54 on cloudbet.com to score anytime and I'm on that, he'll be looking to get back into action after his time away at the Asian games. Spurs and over 3.5 total goals is 3.90 on sportsbet.io and if they hit their stride early, it could be on the cards, so going to throw that one in too.

55. Burnley v Bournemouth - Burnley win at 3.25 on cloudbet.com

56. Cardiff v Manchester City - Man City to win both halves at 2.03 on sportsbet.io

57. Crystal Palace v Newcastle - Zaha to score anytime at 2.91 on cloudbet.com

58. Leicester City v Huddersfield - Leicester City to score over 1.5 goals at 2.08 on cloudbet.com

59. Liverpool v Southampton - 2-1, 3-1 or 4-1 at 3.80 on sportsbet.io

60. Manchester Utd v Wolves - Man Utd to win and BTTS at 3.57 on cloudbet.com

61. Brighton & Hove Albion v Tottenham -  Heung-Min to score anytime at 2.20 on sportsbet.io

62. Brighton & Hove Albion v Tottenham - Spurs win and over 3.5 goals at 3.90 on sportsbet.io

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Edit 12.

Nice turnaround over the weekend, and almost back in the green overall, especially thanks to away wins for West Ham (finally got some points on the board), Arsenal and Man Utd. The Monday night game is a south coast battle between Southampton and Brighton, and if their two meetings last season are anything to go by, we could be looking at a low scoring draw. There's a couple of interesting bets out there, with Southampton being slight favourites, but it's far from a foregone conclusion. Brighton were first to net in both games last season, and you can can get 2.53 on cloudbet.com for them to repeat it again. It could get a bit feisty too, with neither team shy of a booking (last season saw 4 yellows in both meetings), so 2.03 on sportsbet.io for over 3.5 total bookings isn't a bad bet either. Brighton & Hove Albion only scored 34 goals last season, but Glenn Murray managed to put away 12 of them, so going to go with Murray to score anytime at 3.58 on cloudbet.com (was tempted by first goal scorer at 7.52).

56. Southampton v Brighton & Hove Albion - Glenn Murray to score anytime at 3.58 on cloudbet.com

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Edit 11.

Finally scraped back some of those frustrating losses with a couple of decent wins, would have been an even better day if the penalty for Spurs had been given at the death (not that they deserved it), and Huddersfield had managed to grab an equaliser. Anyway, what to do, small margins make and break most bets. On to Sunday's games, and not really impressed with either game to be honest, but I'll push on through anyway.

The early kick off is Wolves v Burnley, and Wolves are the favourites going into the game after Burnley's less than impressive start to the season. A rocky defence compared to regular clean sheets last season, combined with a lack of goal scoring since they put three past Aberdeen, has left them with just a point so far this season (from an opening day 0-0 draw with Southampton). Wolves haven't exactly been flying either, but they did manage to hold Man City at bay, so they must be doing something right. A low scoring game would be the winning ticket for me, but can't pick a winner. Going for a 0-0 score at 9.51 on cloudbet.com,  but adding some (semi) credible back up with a half time draw at 2.14 on the same website.

Everton v West Ham kicks off at 4pm, and West Ham are still trying to get off the mark. It's another away game at Goodison where they've only beaten Everton once since 2007, and haven't scored in the fixture for the past two years, conceding six goals in the process. History calls for a 2-0, 3-0 or 4-0, but I can't shake the feeling that West Ham are going to fight to the last minute to try and scrape a point, even though they are likely to leave unrewarded for their efforts. If any Hammer can score a (probable) consolation, it's Arnautovic, and he's 2.80 on cloudbet.com. Going to have a crack at the corners market too, with West Ham to finish on top at 3.00 on sportsbet.io. A West Ham win and BTTS comes in at 6.43 on cloudbet.com and that's my long shot for the day.

51. Wolves v Burnley - Correct score 0-0 at 9.51 on cloudbet.com

52. Wolves v Burnley - Half time result -draw at 2.14 on cloudbet.com

53. Everton v West Ham - Arnautovic to score anytime at 2.80 on cloudbet.com

54. Everton v West Ham - West Ham to win the most corners at 3.00 on sportsbet.io

55. Everton v West Ham - West Ham win and BTTS at 6.43 on cloudbet.com

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Edit 10.

Had a bit of a bad run, so hoping that the enforced international break will turn it around. Some decent match ups today, so looking forward to watching the games and grabbing a bit of value.

The early game is Spurs v Liverpool, two likely top 4 contenders, and it has all the markings of being an evenly matched game, even with some key members of the Spurs first team already ruled out. I'm on the draw, available at 3.65 on sportsbet.io. I also fancy Heung-Min to score anytime (3.20 on sportsbet.io), although I won't be too disappointed if they end up resting him after his extended international duty.

Bournemouth v Leicester has been a low scoring game for the past few seasons, and I'm not going to rock the boat by predicting anything different. Keeping it simple with under 2.5 goals at 2.01 on cloudbet.com.

Chelsea v Cardiff is one of two (theoretically) one sided games this afternoon, and it's difficult to see past a big Chelsea win, the problem is finding the right market with a bit of value. The best I can see, and I'm siding with a big Chelsea win, is Chelsea to win both halves at 2.09 on sportsbet.io. Obviously hoping for an early Chelsea goal, and if they can get it, it should be a done deal. A Cardiff red card could be worth a punt too, 7.80 on sportsbet.io.

Not necessarily one for the neutrals, but Huddersfield v Crystal Palace is a game that both would desperately love to win. The Eagles could really do with Zaha back, they find it nigh on impossible to win without him. Neither defense is known for being a stronghold, so BTTS at 2.11 on cloudbet.com is going to be my call, almost tempted to add over 2.5 goals to it for slightly higher odds (2.65 on sportsbet.io), but I'll resist the temptation.

No one expects anything other than a huge Man City win against Fulham, and it really would be an achievement for Fulham to keep the scoreline relatively low. Problem is the odds, aside from a 6-0 win and up, they're so low it's a tough one. I'm going to go with David Silva scoring anytime, seems to be a bit of value there at 2.28 on cloudbet.com. Both halves coming up over 1.5 goals is also not out of the realms of possibility, and you can get that at 2.33 on sportsbet.io.

Newcastle v Arsenal should be another tough away game for the new Arsenal manager, but they should have enough in them to come away with a win, at least in my opinion anyway. Plenty of attractive betting opportunities here, but will all go up the swanee for me if Newcastle get something from the game. Going to go for BTTS and an Arsenal win at 3.63 on cloudbet.com (over 2.5 total goals and an Arsenal win is 2.50 on sportsbet.io).

The final game of the day is another challenging trip for Mourinho as Man Utd visit the unexpected high flying Watford. I think Watford could make it slightly difficult, but still think he'll add another 3 points to their tally. I can't get away from a Man Utd win and BTTS, and it's available at 4.19 on sportsbet.io. Lukaku first goalscorer is 5.21 and it's another decent bet.

Saturday 15th September

43. Spurs v Liverpool - Draw at 3.65 on sportsbet.io

44. Spurs v Liverpool - Heung-Min to score anytime at 3.20 on sportsbet.io

45. Bournemouth v Leicester - Under 2.5 goals at 2.01 on cloudbet.com

46. Chelsea v Cardiff - Chelsea to win both halves at 2.09 on sportsbet.io

47. Huddersfield v Crystal Palace - BTTS at 2.11 on cloudbet.com

48. Manchester City v Fulham - David Silva to score anytime at 2.28 on cloudbet.com

49. Newcastle v Arsenal - BTTS and Arsenal win at 3.63 on cloudbet.com

50. Watford v Manchester Utd - BTTS and Man Utd win at 4.19 on sportsbet.io

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Edit 9.

Up late for the early game, but couple of opportunities in the two later kick offs. Can't see past wins for the two 'favourites', even though Burnley will probably put up a fight against an underpar Man Utd. Moura had a great game last time out, so an anytime scorer could be on the cards again.

40. Burnley v Manchester Utd - Man Utd win and BTTS at 4.08 on cloudbet.com

41. Watford v Tottenham - Lucas Moura to score first at 3.25 on sportsbet.io

42. Watford v Tottenham - Tottenham win and over 3.5 goals at 3.60 on sportsbet.io

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Edit 8.

Shocking home performance from the Red Devils busted all three bets. Ah well, Saturdays are normally a good chance to catch up.

Not going to go into detail for bets today as I'm tight on time, but fingers crossed we'll grab a couple of winners.

30. Leicester v Liverpool - Correct score 0:2 at 6.60 on sportsbet.io

31.  Leicester v Liverpool - Under 2.5 goals at 2.31 on cloudbet.com

32. Everton v Huddersfield - Everton over 1.75 team goals at 2.10 on cloudbet.com

33. Crystal Palace v Southampton - Half time result draw at 2.21 on cloudbet.com

34. West Ham v Wolves - West Ham to win and BTTS at 4.70 on sportsbet.io

35. West Ham v Wolves - West Ham to score over 1.5 goals at 2.37 on sportsbet.io

36. Brighton & Hove Albion v Fulham - Brighton to win at 2.21 on cloudbet.com

37. Chelsea v Bournemouth - Chelsea to win and under 3.5 goals at 2.30 on sportsbet.io

38. Manchester City v Newcastle - Correct score 4:0 at 7.20 on sportsbet.io

39. Manchester City v Newcastle - 1st half Manchester City win and over 1.5 goals at 2.12 on sportsbet.io

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Edit 7.

Shame I didn't go for my alternative bets, as over 1.5 Watford goals and Joselu to score both came in. Just another reminder why I hate bets restricted to either half, the game is over 90 minutes; so no winners, with a 2nd half Watford win, a ridiculously high scoring first half in the Fulham game, and the Chelsea win just took far too long for the first goal to get the ball rolling. Anyway, there's one more game to consider tonight.

Manchester Utd v Tottenham is the Monday night game, and if you're going purely on recent history, then a Man Utd home win to nil is the most likely result. Stats don't always show the whole picture though, and Man Utd haven't exactly been firing on all cylinders so far this season. Still reckon they'll take the win, but Tottenham won't make it easy for them. Expecting a high scoring game and BTTS, so the first bet is over 2.5 goals and BTTS at 1.99 on sportsbet.io. Also like the look of a Man Utd win and over 3.5 goals  at 6.40 on sportsbet.io. Lastly I'm going for a Man Utd win and BTTS at 4.78 on cloudbet.com. A long shot correct score would be 3:2 at 31.8 on cloudbet.com, but would be a complete gamble.

27. Manchester Utd v Tottenham - Over 2.5 total goals and BTTS at 1.99 on sportsbet.io

28. Manchester Utd v Tottenham - Man Utd win and over 3.5 total goals at 6.40 on sportsbet.io

29. Manchester Utd v Tottenham - Man Utd win and BTTS at 4.78 on cloudbet.com

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Edit 6.

The 0-0 in the Huddersfield Cardiff game definitely saved the day, especially with the (in my opinion) surprise result at Molineux. Should have read up more on match form for the Bournemouth Everton game, would have gone for a higher scoring game in hindsight, but what to do. Few games up today, and hoping to grab another couple of winners.

A London derby is first, with Watford v Crystal Palace kicking off at 3.30pm. Watford have a chance to take top spot if they can put 3 past the Eagles with no reply, but that seems unlikely, even though they've been impressive so far this season - albeit it not against top draw opposition. Another home win is on the cards if they can grab an early lead, and as much as I don't like bets restricted to specific halves, the odds are good enough to persuade me. I'm going to go for a first half Watford goal, and it's 2.30 on cloudbet.com. Also like over 1.5 Watford total team goals at 2.50 on sportsbet.io

Fulham Burnley is one of the late games, and it's a tough one to call with Burnley still (just) in Europe. It would probably do them a favour if they drop out later in the week and they can get back to 100% focus on the Premier League. They always struggle to put the ball in the net, but their strength is (normally) an ability to keep a clean sheet, so a low scoring game is the probably outcome. Fulham aren't exactly known as a goal scoring team either, and both teams will see it as an opportunity to pick up three points. Reckon it'll take a while to get going, so a draw at the end of the first half isn't a bad bet, available at 2.16 on cloudbet.com. I'm going for a similar bet at a very similar price to that one though, highest scoring half to be the second at 2.15 on sportsbet.io.

Finally it's Chelsea away at Newcastle, and going on past form (with no away wins in their past five meetings), it's not going to end well for Chelsea. Newcastle haven't started the season well though, and Chelsea will be hoping to capitalise on this to bring the three points back to London. Purely on recent results, over 2.5 goals and BTTS is a decent bet, available at 2.14 on sportsbet.io. Looking for more than that though, and with Newcastle scoring two or more in their last 5 home games against Chelsea, this could well be a game with over 3.5 goals if Chelsea perform. It's 3.10 on sportsbet.io, and that's my call for this one. Joselu (Jose Luis Sanmartin Mato) to score any time is 3.77 on cloudbet.com, and that's a decent outside bet too.

24. Watford v Crystal Palace - Watford first half goal at 2.30 on cloudbet.com

25. Fulham v Burnley - Highest scoring half second at 2.15 on sportsbet.io

26. Newcastle v Chelsea - Over 3.5 total goals at 3.10 on sportsbet.io

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Edit 5.

The less said about the last round of games the better, so straight onto Saturday's matches.

First up it's newly promoted Wolves against last season's run away winner's Man City, and I'm going to stick with my guns on the likelihood of a high odds scorer when Man City play 'inferior' opposition. So once again I'm going for Stones to score anytime at a (lower than expected) 9.00 on sportsbet.io. To be on the safe side, I'm also going for Man City over 2.5 total goals at 2.11 on cloudbet.com, can't see them scoring less than 3, and at over evens, it seems like a done deal. Quite fancy Wolves to score too, so BTTS and over 2.5 goals could be worth a stab too, but not going to risk that one.

Southampton v Leicester is one of the 5pm kick offs, and it seems quite evenly matched on paper. Reckon both will find the back of the net over 90 minutes, and although I can't pick a winner, I don't think it'll finish up a draw, so BTTS and over 2.5 goals is the bet for this one. Maddison has a decent chance of scoring any time, and he's at 4.50 on cloudbet.com in the match specials.  

Bournemouth v Everton should be tight, and wouldn't be surprised if a single goal decides the winner. Tempted by a 1-0 win for either team (an Everton 1-0 win is 12.5 on cloudbet.com, but can't pick which one, so going to go with both teams not to score and under 2.5 goals at 2.65 on sportsbet.io, as it covers 5 likely results.

Two probable end of season relegation contenders match up in the Huddersfield v Cardiff game, and doubt we'll see anything to prove otherwise. Expecting a low scoring game again, and wouldn't be surprised if neither found the net in this one, so keeping it simple with a 0-0 correct score available at 6.99 on cloudbet.com. The draw would probably be a safer bet, as 1-1 is another popular opinion, but taking the chance on a higher return.

The final 5pm kick off is Arsenal v West Ham, and it's difficult to see past an Arsenal win, but West Ham are always capable of springing a surprise when you least expect it, and nobody expects them to do anything other than ship a load of goals here. Difficult to give West Ham the nod, even though a West Ham win and BTTS score is tempting at 11.6 on cloudbet.com. I like the corners handicap as I think they're generally weighted too heavily towards favourites, with West Ham to win with a +2.5 at 2.35 on sportsbet.io

The late kick off is another one sided affair, with Liverpool hosting Brighton & Hove Albion, and nobody is expecting the trip up north to pay any dividends for the south coast team. The odds for a high scoring game are nothing to write home about, and the only real value there is if you expect Brighton to sneak one in, but I can't see it. I do think that they will struggle to contain the pace of the Liverpool team, and that could bring cards, possibly even a red one, so that could be worth something at 7.80 on sportsbet.io. 4 or more cards for Brighton is slightly safer, and that's where I've ended up, at 7.20 on sportsbet.io

Saturday 25th August -

17. Wolves v Manchester City - Stones to score anytime at 9.00 on sportsbet.io

18. Wolves v Manchester City - Man City over 2.5 team goals at 2.11 on cloudbet.com - 2 units

19. Southampton v Leicester - BTTS and over 2.5 goals at 2.46 on sportsbet.io

20. Bournemouth v Everton - Both teams not to score and under 2.5 goals at 2.65 on sportsbet.io

21. Huddersfield v Cardiff - Correct score 0-0 at 6.99 on cloudbet.com

22. Arsenal v West Ham - West Ham to win corners handicap +2.5 at 2.35 on sportsbet.io

23. Liverpool v Brighton & Hove Albion - Brighton to get 4 or more cards at 7.20 on sportsbet.io

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Edit 4.

I'll take the wins any way I get them, and an injury time penalty to scrape a win from a poor Man Utd showing, plus some lively Hornets will do the trick. I'll be backing Stones for a goal any time Man City are up against 'bus parking' opposition too, even though it didn't work out this week - the longer it takes for him to score, the more the price drifts. Tonight's game is another dodgy one to call, but I'm gonna have a couple of stabs at it. Some people are expecting a shock, I'm not, Liverpool are going to rob Palace of any dignity in today's game - apart from Zaha, he's (maybe) gonna grab a consolation prize. Goals, and lots of them. Couple of long(ish) shots for fun - but only fun if they win.

Monday 20th August -

14. Zaha to score any time at 3.22 on cloudbet.com

15. Liverpool win and BTTS at 2.87 on cloudbet.com - 2 units

16. Over 4.5 total goals at 4.10 on sportsbet.io

Edit 3.

Bit of a disappointing day yesterday, wasn't expecting West Ham to lose at home, but their leaky defence proved to be their undoing once again. Surprised that Wolves didn't manage to get a goal or two either, especially playing against 10 men for half an hour. Anyway, there's a few games on Sunday to get into.

First up it's Burnley v Watford at Turfmoor, and if it wasn't for Burnley being two legs away from a spot in the Europa League, I'd go for them to hold out against the Hornets. They've still built up a decent reputation for a tight back line, especially at home, so doubt we'll see many goals (from either side). Was tempted by a straight Watford win at 3.36 on cloudbet.com, but can't bring myself to write Burnley off completely. One or two goals should win the match though and assuming that's the case, a single goal in either half for Watford would bring this one home; Watford to win either half at 2.22 on sportsbet.io

The other early game promises goals galore, and the bookies are wise to the 'one-side-edness' of Manchester City v Huddersfield, with 5 Man City players odds on to score at any time. Not much value in any score lines or for the most likely scorers; but when there's lots of goals, it means that some unexpected names may pop up on the score sheet. That's where I'm looking, and John Stones has grabbed my attention. He is 7.00 on sportsbet.io to score anytime.

Brighton & Hove Albion take on Manchester Utd in the final EPL game of the day, and it hasn't been an easy fixture for Man Utd recently. Saying that, I can't see Brighton keeping Man Utd at bay for the full 90 minutes, especially as they're probably going to be 'parking the bus' for most of the game; so even if they manage to score, you can almost guarantee that they'll be conceding. Lukaku to score anytime is 2.23 (4.82 to score first) on cloudbet.com, and his presence in the box will definitely cause Brighton problems, so could be worth a wager. Man Utd should power through for the win, but even more certain that they'll hit the net at least twice, so the shout for this game is Man Utd over 1.5 team goals at 2.10 on cloudbet.com

Sunday 19th August -

11. Burnley v Watford - Watford to win either half at 2.22 on sportsbet.io

12. Manchester City v Huddersfield - John Stones to score anytime at 7.00 on sportsbet.io

13. Brighton & Hove Albion v Manchester Utd - Manchester Utd over 1.5 team goals at 2.10 on cloudbet.com

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Edit 2.

Some tasty looking games this weekend, and plenty of value in the right markets. Going to have a go on every game on Saturday, so we'll see whether the form follows through.

Cardiff v Newcastle is the early kick off, and most punters seem to expect a Newcastle win, but I'm not so sure. I can't see either team scoring, so my first instinct is to go for 0-0 correct score at 7.19 on cloudbet.com, but going to play it a bit safer with under 1.5 goals in case either team manges to sneak a win. It's available at 2.65 on the same website.

Everton v Southampton kicks off at 3pm (GMT), and although Southampton held them to a draw at the end of last season, I can't see the same happening. Not to say that Everton will have an easy game and Southampton could well score, but a home win seems the likely outcome. Over 1.5 goals for Everton is where my money will be, and it's 2.02 on sportsbet.io

It's been a long time since Leicester played Wolves in the Premier League, and the two results when they played don't exactly help (0-0 and 4-3). I can see this being a high scoring game, possibly the highest of the weekend. Newcomers Wolves have invested in some Portuguese flair courtesy of their new manager, and they're not shy of scoring. Can't pick a winner, so goals is the winning combination here. I like the look of BTTS and over 2.5 goals at 2.22 or Wolves to score over 1.5 team goals at 3.20, both on sportsbet.io; but going to try and squeeze a bit more value, so I'm going for over 3.5 match goals at 3.60 on sportsbet.io

On paper, Tottenham v Fulham is probably the most one sided game of the day, and you're not going to get any arguments from me. Spurs need to continue their winning start to the season if they are going to be competing for a top 4 slot in 9 month's time. Harry Kane will be most people's choice for a first goal scorer, but the bookies know that and they've got too many likely scorers to justify the low value. Over 2.5 total goals and both teams not to score is available at 3.75 on sportsbet.io, and I think that's a decent enough shot. I'm not keen on betting on any of the 1st/2nd half markets, as the game is over 90 minutes, and those statistics are largely irrelevant, but I do like the look of over 1.75 1st half goals at 2.87 on cloudbet.com. I'm going to go for a Spurs win and both teams not to score at 2.03 on sportsbet.io, not the best odds, purely because I reckon it's a safe(ish) bet.

West Ham v Bournemouth could be a close game, although West Ham should have just enough to take the win at home. They don't have the tightest defence in the league by a long shot though, and there's a chance that even Bournemouth could sneak a goal. But I really can't picture a high scoring game, and a 1-0 or 2-0 result seems the most likely, that's why I'm going with a West Ham win and under 2.5 total goals at 5.00 on sportsbet.io

The late game is bound to attract the most interest, one of the biggest London derbies between Chelsea and Arsenal will give an early indication of who will finish as top dog. Both teams have new managers, and both will be looking to prove that they have what it takes to grab a Champion's League spot (I don't think anyone realistically expects either to be challenging for the title this season). Chelsea are the (deserved?) favourites, with Arsenal undergoing a massive overhaul after the Wenger years. A simple bet on the draw is 3.98 on cloudbet.com, and it's not a bad shout. Looking at the bookings market, it is historically a feisty atmosphere, and an average of over 4 yellow cards per game in their previous meetings. Any player to be sent off is 4.80 on sportsbet.io, and an Arsenal player is 7.00; either could be worth a small punt. I see value in the corner market though, and Arsenal seem to be over priced at 3.45 on sportsbet.io, so that's my pick for this one.

Saturday 18th August -

5. Cardiff v Newcastle - Under 1.5 goals at 2.65 on cloudbet.com

6. Everton v Southampton - Everton Over 1.5 team goals at 2.02 on sportsbet.io

7. Leicester v Wolves - Over 3.5 total goals at 3.60 on sportsbet.io

8. Tottenham v Fulham - Tottenham win and both teams not to score at 2.03 on sportsbet.io

9. West Ham v Bournemouth - West Ham win and under 2.5 total goals at 5.00 on sportsbet.io

10. Chelsea v Arsenal - Arsenal to have the most corners at 3.45 on sportsbet.io

-----

Edit 1.

Nice start yesterday with a clean sweep of winning bets. I quite fancy Mo Salah scoring 2 or more, but going to move straight onto the Arsenal Manchester City game later this afternoon.

Man City are expected to carry on where they left off at the end of last season, but away at Arsenal isn't the easiest one to kick off the season with. I can see them winning, but they won't have it all their own way, and they might slip up along the way. One thing this game almost guarantees is goals, and that's where I've been looking for value. Over 1.5 goals in each half is where I've ended up, and it's available at 3.75 on sportsbet.io

Sunday 12th August -

4. Arsenal v Manchester City - Over 1.5 goals in both halves at 3.75 on sportsbet.io

-----

I was a bit late to the party for the opening match earlier tonight, but guessing there's a few happy punters out there. BTTS, O2.5 goals, Man Utd win, and a 2-1 scoreline were probably all popular bets. Anyway, on to tomorrow's games, and a few decent bets stand out.

First one is the early game between Newcastle & Tottenham. I can see Newcastle keeping it a bit tight, seems to be their current style against the 'bigger' teams, but still reckon they'll grab a goal on the break as Spurs push forward to break through. Spurs are too good not to get the ball in the net though, and they need to start the season off well, as they'll be moving into their new stadium next month. My money will be on BTTS and a Spurs win at 4.40 on cloudbet.com

Second up, it's Huddersfield v Chelsea. Huddersfield managed to prove many pundits wrong last season by staying up for another season, but this year is going to be another tough one, even with the new signings they've brought on-board. Chelsea aren't exactly lighting fires and the opening day normally throws up a surprise result or two, but still think they'll be too much for Huddersfield. Keeping my options open for the scoreline though, as I'm not sure whether Chelsea will be able to put too many away against a team that will probably be defending for most of the game. A Chelsea win with under 3.5 total goals covers most of the likely scorelines for a Chelsea win (1-0, 2-0, 3-0 and 2-1), and it's available at 2.10 on sportsbet.io. If I was going to go for a correct score, it would be 0-2 (7.35 on cloudbet.com).

And last but not least, the late game between newly promoted Wolves and Everton looks like it could be one for goals. Wolves won the Championship last season by 9 points and fell just 1 point short of 100 in a very competitive league. Everton had a tough start last year, before climbing into the top half with a better finish to the season. Another tough one to call, and both teams will be fighting to get a good start. Over 2.5 total goals is where my money will be going, at 2.09 on sportsbet.io

Saturday 11th August -

1. Newcastle v Tottenham - BTTS & Tottenham win at 4.40 on cloudbet.com

2. Huddersfield v Chelsea - Chelsea win and U3.5 total goals at 2.10 on sportsbet.io

3. Wolves v Everton - Over 2.5 goals at 2.09 on sportsbet.io

I like playing around finding new ways and styles of posting. Anyone got any idea how I can get text or images to move across the screen? I found a way on another forum, but it doesn't work here 

I happened to notice a massive spike in one of the coins I follow and did a bit of research to find out why. Apparently it was as simple as a fat fingered trade by an eager investor, and the price jumped by 900% for around 2 hours. Not a huge amount of volume, so guessing the damage was reasonably limited, but somebody's wallet is considerably lighter today.



Just goes to show the importance of checking your zeroes, not so important if you add an extra one, but a killer blow with one less.

[Tournament Bets:To make it interesting, I'll allocate a 1 BTC starting pot with 0.02 BTC per bet (unless stated otherwise) and keep a running total throughout the tournament. No guarantees on winners unfortunately, but hopefully can have a bit of fun throughout the tournament.]

Tournament Bets:

To make it interesting, I'll allocate a 1 BTC starting pot with 0.02 BTC per bet (unless stated otherwise) and keep a running total throughout the tournament. No guarantees on winners unfortunately, but hopefully can have a bit of fun throughout the tournament.

Open:Winner:Loser

No. of completed bets: 108
No. of winning bets: 40
No. of non runners (stake returned): 1
No. of losing bets: 67

Status of completed match bets: 2.16 BTC staked - 3.2278 BTC returns = 1.0678 BTC current profit

I'll edit the post daily as the tournament progresses, both with new bets and with the result of any completed bets. Feel free to add your own predictions.

1. Colombia to win Group H on nitrogensports.eu at 2.37

2. Egypt total tournament goals over 3.5 on nitrogensports.eu at 2.066

And a prediction for the opening game.

Thursday 14th June - Russia v Saudi Arabia

3. Traditionally the first game of the World Cup is a low scoring one, so I'm going for under 2.25 goals on cloudbet.com at 1.95.

Edit 1:

Friday 15th June - Egypt v Uruguay

4. Over 2.5 goals and both teams to score on sportsbet.io at 3.10

Friday 15th June - Morocco v Iran

5. Morocco over 1.5 goals on sportsbet.io at 2.90

Friday 15th June - Portugal v Spain

6. Both teams to score on sportsbet.io at 2.10 (2.02 on cloudbet.com)

Random Double

7. Spain & Portugal to advance from Group Stages (1.40) & Panama to finish bottom of Group G (1.50) on sportsbet.io at 2.10

Edit 2:

After Day 1 and Day 2 done it's 1 from 4, but think I'm warming up. Looking ahead to Day 3, mostly goal scorers. Was looking at France win and both teams to score at 2.95, but think Australia might struggle to make an impact in their first game (no doubt I'll be proven wrong).

Saturday 16th June - France v Australia

8. Griezmann to score anytime on cloudbet.com at 1.98

Saturday 16th June - Argentina v Iceland

9. Messi to score first on sportsbet.io at 3.45

Saturday 16th June - Peru v Denmark

10. Eriksen to score anytime on cloudbet.com at 3.39

Saturday 16th June - Croatia v Nigeria

11. BTTS on sportsbet.io at 2.13

Edit 3:

Well it's not getting any better, should have stuck with the France win and both teams to score, at least would have got a better return on the one winning bet. Only two winners from eight so far, anyway, onto Day 4.

Sunday 17th June - Costa Rica v Serbia

12. Serbia to win on cloudbet.com at 1.85

Sunday 17th June - Germany v Mexico

13. Germany to win and over 2.5 match goals on sportsbet.io at 2.03

Sunday 17th June - Brazil v Switzerland

14. Brazil to score in both halves on sportsbet.io at 2.24

Edit 4:

Another tough day, with both Germany and Brazil failing to live up to pre-tournament favourite status. First round of games almost finished, so trying to do a bit of catching up.

Monday 18th June - Sweden v South Korea

15. Sweden to score over 0.5 goals in first half on sportsbet.io at 2.24

Monday 18th June - Belgium v Panama

16. 2nd half total goals over 1.5 on sportsbet.io at 1.95

Monday 18th June - Tunisia v England

17. Over 9.5 total corners on cloudbet.com at 1.99

18. England over 1.75 total goals on cloudbet.com at 2.07

19. Alli anytime goalscorer on sportsbet.io at 2.80

Edit 5:

Trying to recoup some losses with an outside bet on the Russia v Egypt game, think Egypt will be more adventurous knowing that a loss will likely send them home.

Tuesday 19th June - Colombia v Japan

20. Colombia over 1.5 total goals on sportsbet.io at 2.07

Tuesday 19th June - Poland v Senegal

21. Over 2.5 total goals and BTTS on sportsbet.io at 2.75

Tuesday 19th June - Russia v Egypt

22. BTTS in second half on sportsbet.io at 4.40

Edit 6:

Finally a decent selection and managed to recover some losses, second half goals seem to be the winning combination so far. According to https://www.foxsports.com/soccer/fifa-world-cup/stats there were almost twice as many goals scored in the second half compared to the first (15-27). Second round of games could be different though, as teams that lost in the first round need to be more attack minded, as opposed to the first round when not losing is a decent result...

Wednesday 20th June - Portugal v Morocco

23. Over 3.5 total match goals on cloudbet.com at 3.88

Wednesday 20th June - Uruguay v Saudi Arabia

24. Uruguay to win both halves on sportsbet.io at 2.28

Wednesday 20th June - Iran v Spain

25. Spain 2nd half goals over 1.5 on sportsbet.io at 2.42

Edit 7:

Not an impressive day yesterday, results all went as expected, but goals were in short supply. Some interesting bets for Day 7 though, hoping for more goals as the prices on Argentina and France seem decent. Going to throw in a double.

Thursday 21st June - Denmark v Australia

26. Tim Cahill to score anytime on sportsbet.io at 4.10 - NON RUNNER

Thursday 21st June - France v Peru

27. France total goals over 1.75 on cloudbet.com at 2.29

Thursday 21st June - Argentina v Croatia

28. Argentina total goals over 1.5 on sportsbet.io at 2.31

Thursday 21st June - Argentina v Croatia/France v Peru

29. Argentina total goals over 1.25 & France total goals over 1.75 on cloudbet.com at 4.58

Edit 8:

Another shocking day today, so back to the drawing board once again. The last time Brazil played Costa Rica in the World Cup they beat them 5-0, and I'm expecting much of the same tomorrow, but leaving a bit of breathing room just in case Costa Rica sneak one past them.

Friday 22nd June - Brazil v Costa Rica

30. Total match goals over 3.5 on sportsbet.io at 3.30

Friday 22nd June - Nigeria v Iceland

31. Iceland 2nd half goals over 0.5 on sportsbet.io at 2.05

Friday 22nd June - Serbia v Switzerland

32. First half highest scoring on sportsbet.io at 3.40

Edit 9:

This World Cup must be a dream for the bookies, can't be the only one on a losing streak. Anyway, trying to get a bit back today. Looking forward to the last round of group games when everyone knows what they need to progress, everyone seems to be playing it safe at the moment.

Saturday 23rd June - Belgium v Tunisia

33. Hazard to score any time on cloudbet.com at 2.60

Saturday 23rd June - South Korea v Mexico

34. Son Heung Min to score any time on cloudbet.com at 6.37 (sportsbet.io only 4.70)

Saturday 23rd June - Germany v Sweden

35. Over 2.5 match goals and BTTS on sportsbet.io at 2.27

Edit 10:

Finally a day that went according to plan, even though it took two injury time goals to bring it in. On to another one, and going for a few on the England game. Hoping for a big win, and John Stones scoring a header from a corner for the outside bet.

Sunday 24th June - England v Panama

36. England total goals 3+ on cloudbet.com at 2.42

37. England to win both halves on sportsbet.io at 2.60

38. Asian Handicap England -1.75 on cloudbet.com at 2.07

39. John Stones to score anytime on cloudbet.com at 14.5

Sunday 24th June - Japan v Senegal

40. Sadio Mane to score anytime on cloudbet.com at 3.52

Sunday 24th June - Poland v Colombia

41. Colombia to win and BTTS on cloudbet.com at 4.79

Edit 11:

Another good day, mainly thanks to John Stones grabbing a goal; could've been better if England had held off the gas in the first half and spread their goals out a bit more - but what to do, I'll take it, in the green for the first time since Day 1.

Monday 25th June - Saudi Arabia v Egypt

42. Egypt total goals over 1.5 on cloudbet.com at 2.02

Monday 25th June - Uruguay v Russia

43. Suarez to score first on sportsbet.io at 5.60

Monday 25th June - Iran v Portugal

44. Portugal highest scoring half - first half - on sportsbet.io at 3.40

Monday 25th June - Spain v Morocco

45. Total bookings over 3.5 on sportsbet.io at 2.60

Edit 12:

Shame Salah couldn't bring it home with a hat trick, would've added another couple of winners. Ah well, not complaining, goal scorers are padding the pot nicely, so going to mostly stick with that for today. Don't want to jinx it, but I'm on a roll   Not the most sensible of bets, but I like a bit of history, so going to give Tim Cahill another chance to score at his 4th World Cup in a row too. If he doesn't play, it's money back, and if he does...

Tuesday 26th June - Australia v Peru

46. Tim Cahill to score anytime on cloudbet.com at 4.71

Tuesday 26th June - France v Denmark

47. Christian Eriksen to score anytime on cloudbet.com at 5.10

Tuesday 26th June - Iceland v Croatia

48. Gylfi Sigurdsson to score anytime on cloudbet.com at 4.99

Tuesday 26th June - Nigeria v Argentina

49. Penalty to be awarded on cloudbet.com at 2.78

Edit 13:

Wasted bet on the Cahill score, but sticking to penalties and/or penalty takers proved to be profitable once again. Should have known that Denmark and France would be a bore draw, but wasn't expecting it to be quite as boring as it was. Onto the penultimate day of the Group Stages and I doubt there'll be any bore draws in these 4 games, could well see Germany or Brazil on an early flight home unless they follow Argentina's example.

Wednesday 27th June - Republic of Korea v Germany

50. Mesut Ozil to score anytime on sportsbet.io at 2.38

Wednesday 27th June - Mexico v Sweden

51. Granqvist to score anytime on sportsbet.io at 7.80

Wednesday 27th June - Serbia v Brazil

52. Coutinho to score anytime on cloudbet.com at 3.40

Wednesday 27th June - Switzerland v Costa Rica

53. Xhaka to score anytime on cloudbet.com at 12.4

Edit 14:

So Germany are heading home for an early bath, and Brazil made relatively easy work of Serbia. I'll take the win on Granqvist scoring a penalty, more than covered the others. Last day of the Group Stages on Friday and it's a bit tough to spot winners. Senegal v Colombia looks to be the match to watch, could be a few goals in that one.

Thursday 28th June - Japan v Poland

54. Lewandowski to score anytime on cloudbet.com at 2.56

Thursday 28th June - Senegal v Colombia

55. Colombia win and over 3.5 total goals on sportsbet.io at 5.00

Thursday 28th June - England v Belgium

56. Over 2.5 total goals on sportsbet.io at 2.31

Thursday 28th June - Panama v Tunisia

57.  Khazri to score anytime on cloudbet.com at 3.02

Edit 15:

A few surprise entrants into the last 16, but no real shockers.  Reckon about 6 of 8 are 'predictable', so going to go for a couple of bets before I move onto specific games. Europe are dominating the last 16 but I don't see the same picture once we get to the quarter finals. First day of the last 16 and I think South America will get a clean sweep. France still not impressed me and Portugal relying on Ronaldo too much. Looking forward to a couple of high scoring games.

58. Uruguay, Spain & Croatia all to win on sportsbet.io at 8.62

59. England, Brazil & Belgium all to win on sportsbet.io at 4.53

Saturday 30th June - France v Argentina

60. Over 2.5 match goals and BTTS on sportsbet.io at 2.80

61. Double chance Argentina/Draw and BTTS on sportsbet.io at 3.20

Saturday 30th June - Uruguay v Portugal

62. Uruguay win and BTTS on cloudbet.com at 7.59

63. Over 3.5 match goals on sportsbet.io at 5.80

Edit 16:

Two out of four wasn't bad, and a decent return especially on the Uruguay win. Shame to see Messi and Ronaldo heading home on the same day, but to be honest, they were both playing in teams that didn't perform. France stepped it up a gear and, in my opinion, have established themselves as one of the favourites for the tournament. Onto the second day of the last 16 and the hosts are in action today, unfortunately for them I think they'll be going 'home' too. At least they won't have to go far.

Sunday 1st July - Spain v Russia

64. Spain win and BTTS on cloudbet.com at 3.89

65. Cheryshev to score anytime on cloudbet.com at 8.11

Sunday 1st July - Croatia v Denmark

66. Rakitic to score anytime on cloudbet.com at 7.70

67. Croatia v Denmark full time result - draw - on cloudbet.com at 3.46

Edit 17:

Missed today's games, didn't get time to get on before they started. Thinking I probably would've lost on the Brazil game as I would've taken Mexico to score at least one, but might've snatched a winner on the Belgium game with the high score. Anyway, it's all irrelevant, onto Tuesday's games. A decent England win should bring in a few winners and that's my call.

Tuesday 3rd July - Sweden v Switzerland

68. Rodriguez to score anytime on cloudbet.com at 8.85

69. Sweden draw no bet on cloudbet.com at 2.06

Tuesday 3rd July - Colombia v England

70. Maguire to score anytime on cloudbet.com at 20.60

71. Harry Kane to score first on cloudbet.com at 4.48

72. England total goals over 1.5 on sportsbet.io at 2.50

73. England to win on cloudbet.com on cloudbet.com at 2.13

Edit 18:

Couple of days break and it's back on for the quarter finals. Had a mixed bag of results the last couple of game days, so looking for a good return over the weekend. The first two games look like being absolute crackers, so going to go mainly for goals and sneaking in some decent value long shots.

Friday 6th July - Uruguay v France

74. BTTS on cloudbet.com at 2.34

75. Over 2.5 goals and BTTS on sportsbet.io at 3.05

76. Griezmann to score anytime on cloudbet.com at 3.00

Friday 6th July - Brazil v Belgium

77. Philippe Coutinho to score anytime on cloudbet.com at 4.09

78. Over 3.5 total goals on sportsbet.io at 3.50

79. Kompany to score anytime on sportsbet.io at 17.00

80. Over 2.5 goals and BTTS on sportsbet.io at 2.17

Edit 19:

Disappointing one yesterday, plenty of close calls for some good returns, but none of them came through. Kompany almost grabbed a goal, Uruguay should have scored, Brazil had more chances to put another goal away in the second half than I think Belgium have had in the entire tournament. Anyway, onto the second quarter final day, and I'll be backing England and Croatia to join Belgium and France.

Saturday 7th July - Sweden v England

81. England total goals over 1.5 on sportsbet.io at 2.39

82. Correct score Sweden 0 England 2 on cloudbet.com at 7.81

83. Harry Maguire to score anytime on sportsbet.io at 17.00

84. Total corners over 9.5 on cloudbet.com at 1.94

85. Harry Kane to score first on cloudbet.com at 3.91

Saturday 7th July - Russia v Croatia

86. Will there be a red card - yes on sportsbet.io at 5.00

87. Rakitic to score anytime on cloudbet.com at 6.62

88. Croatia corner handicap -1.5 on sportsbet.io at 2.19

Edit 20:

Managed to get some nice winners on the England game, defenders coming up for set pieces has netted me a few throughout the World Cup, and Maguire didn't disappoint. Both semi finals are very tough to call for winners, but starting with tonight's game.

Tuesday 10th July - France v Belgium

89. Over 2.5 total goals on sportsbet.io at 2.10

90. Griezmann to score anytime on cloudbet.com at 2.85

91. France over 1.5 total goals on sportsbet.io at 2.40

92. Kompany to score anytime on cloudbet.com at 20.00

Edit 21:

Not the classic I was hoping for, although the result I expected. One goal proved the difference in a tight game between two evenly matched sides. Defenders were the key, with France's back line limiting Belgium to mostly half chances. Griezmann should have put his chance away, which would've brought in two of the bets, but unfortunately it wasn't to be. Now England v Croatia to see who will join France in the final on Sunday. England should be strong enough to tie it up, but a moment of magic from one of Croatia's talented midfield could see Croatia making life a bit difficult.

Wednesday 11th July - England v Croatia

93. England to win on cloudbet.com at 2.34

94. England over 1.5 total goals on sportsbet.io at 2.60

95. England win and over 2.5 goals on sportsbet.io at 4.10

96. Harry Kane to score first on cloudbet.com at 4.30

97. England to score in both halves on sportsbet.io at 4.10

Edit 22:

Shocking run on the two semi finals with not one winner, England decided not to show up after 45 minutes and it basically killed any chance of them getting to the final or any bet getting a return. Two games left to increase the pot, so it's onto England v Belgium on Saturday. Bookmakers are wise to the fact that the 3rd place play off normally sees plenty of goals, so a bit tougher to find a winner there too. Not expecting to win the correct score bet, more of an optimistic (stupid?) punt.

Saturday 14th July - England v Belgium

98. Over 3.5 total goals on cloudbet.com at 2.56

99. Correct score Belgium 2 England 3 on cloudbet.com at 25.9

100. England total goals over 1.5 on sportsbet.io at 2.15

101. Sterling to score anytime on sportsbet.io at 3.55

102. England to win the most corners on sportsbet.io at 2.28

Edit 23:

Finally managed to sneak a winner, but another disappointing display by England put the rest out with the trash. One more game to go to decide who becomes the new World Champions and how much my tournament profit will be. I'd be happy with a small profit on the final day, but going to go for a couple of long shots to boost the pot too, can't resist it. Think it might buck the trend of low scoring finals, so goals are once again the inspiration.

Sunday 15th July - France v Croatia

103. Over 2.5 total goals on cloudbet.com at 2.83

104. France total goals over 1.5 on sportsbet.io at 2.40

105. France win and BTTS on cloudbet.com at 5.31

106. Griezmann to score first on cloudbet.com at 5.29

107. Varane to score anytime on cloudbet.com at 10.60

108. BTTS in first half on cloudbet.com at 7.11

Edit 24:

Well at least it finished on a high after the semi finals took an unfortunate chunk out of the overall profit. One of the best World Cup Finals in recent years, and as expected goals did indeed prove to be the winning ticket. Over 92 units profit after 108 bets in 64 games. Not a bad return for a month's 'work'.

I invested in one pre-ICO back in November (Heardbeats), I liked the concept and it seemed like a promising project at the time. Unfortunately they folded recently as they couldn't get the partnerships they needed to move the project forward. On the upside, they did return the original investment, albeit at the current dollar value, so lost almost 50%. However, I did respect their honesty and commitment to returning as much as possible to the early investors.

Another project I invested in also folded a couple of months back, and I received an email from them saying they were going to return the investment. Still waiting for that one.

Anyone else have any experience with refunds (or not)?

[40 loaves of Sara Lee White Bread (enough for more than 600 slices of toast)]

Using this Cost of Living website, here's what you could have bought with $100 back in 2010.

40 loaves of Sara Lee White Bread (enough for more than 600 slices of toast)
or
192 lbs of Russet potatoes (approximately 580 large portions of fries from McDonalds)
or
35 gallons of milk from Prairie Farms (Ben & Jerry's could rustle up 3 gallons of ice cream for you)
or
31 lbs of Hormel bacon (over 600 generous thick cut bacon sandwiches if you wanted to use some of that Sara Lee bread)
or
73 dozen eggs (that's one boiled egg a day for 876 days)
or
343 cans of Coke (3773 grams of sugar would be enough for 150 days of the recommended daily limit for women, or 100 days for men)
or
100 Scott toilet rolls (depending on your dietary habits, these should keep your bathroom visits sorted for over a year)
or
48 tins of Campbells Cream of Chicken Soup (these'll get you through a winter season's worth of cold weather)
or
33 large boxes of Kellogg's Cornflakes (that's a bowl of Cornflakes every day for 594 days)
or
34 Jack's Pepperoni Pizzas (that's Monday Night Football snacks sorted for a few months)
or
26 lbs of Ground Beef (invite the neighbours over and get the BBQ going for the 83 burgers you're going to be cooking)
or
36 Gallons of Gas (that would get your Mini Cooper from Vancouver down to Tijuana for an epic road trip - don't forget your passport)

And just for sh*ts and giggles, 2010 was the year of the Bitcoin pizza, when Laszlo Hanyecz bought two pizzas in Jacksonville, Florida for 10,000 Bitcoin on 22nd May.

If you had decided to buy Bitcoin with your $100, you would have been able to buy around 25,000 of them, worth almost $187 million today.

There's no denying it, I love a gamble, always have done. To be honest, it's why I got involved in crypto. I have slowly tamed myself over the years and am starting to follow advice regarding proportional investments, but given a chance, I reckon I'd risk everything on a 50/50 shot. I guess impatience (and being an ex-Gamblers Anonymous member) probably plays a part. Still like to think I do my research, but wish I was a bit more cautious.

Cocktails can be expensive to drink when you're out and about. Stock your cupboards and start creating at home. Here's one which will knock your socks off, the Bullfrog cocktail, born and raised in the Middle East.

Ingredients
25ml Vodka
25ml White Rum
25ml Gin
25ml Tequila
25ml Blue Caracao
150ml Energy drink (Red Bull or similar)
10ml lemon juice (optional)
Slice of lemon for garnish
Ice

Preparation
Fill pint glass with ice, add the spirits followed by lemon juice, and top up with energy drink. Garnish with the lemon.

As a native (UK) English speaker, and through laziness/procrastination/beer I do not speak any other languages (apart from a few phrases here and there - dos cervezas por favor, zwei bier bitte etc. etc.), I feel lucky to have grasped the ridiculousness of the language from an early age. I have no idea how people learn English with all it's idiosyncrasies. I'm sure these examples exist in other languages too, but it must be so confusing when trying to learn.

I struggle to read this poem myself, but it is a funny and clever (possibly even slightly demoralising) way of demonstrating the challenge that faces people trying to learn English as a second language. It is by Dr. Gerard Nolst Trenité, a Dutch 'observer of English', and was written almost 100 years ago. Try reading through it first and then click the YouTube link at the bottom for the audio.

Dearest creature in creation,
Study English pronunciation.
I will teach you in my verse
Sounds like corpse, corps, horse, and worse.
I will keep you, Suzy, busy,
Make your head with heat grow dizzy.
Tear in eye, your dress will tear.
So shall I! Oh hear my prayer.

Just compare heart, beard, and heard,
Dies and diet, lord and word,
Sword and sward, retain and Britain.
(Mind the latter, how it's written.)
Now I surely will not plague you
With such words as plaque and ague.
But be careful how you speak:
Say break and steak, but bleak and streak;
Cloven, oven, how and low,
Script, receipt, show, poem, and toe.

Hear me say, devoid of trickery,
Daughter, laughter, and Terpsichore,
Typhoid, measles, topsails, aisles,
Exiles, similes, and reviles;
Scholar, vicar, and cigar,
Solar, mica, war and far;
One, anemone, Balmoral,
Kitchen, lichen, laundry, laurel;
Gertrude, German, wind and mind,
Scene, Melpomene, mankind.

Billet does not rhyme with ballet,
Bouquet, wallet, mallet, chalet.
Blood and flood are not like food,
Nor is mould like should and would.
Viscous, viscount, load and broad,
Toward, to forward, to reward.
And your pronunciation's OK
When you correctly say croquet,
Rounded, wounded, grieve and sieve,
Friend and fiend, alive and live.

Ivy, privy, famous; clamour
And enamour rhyme with hammer.
River, rival, tomb, bomb, comb,
Doll and roll and some and home.
Stranger does not rhyme with anger,
Neither does devour with clangour.
Souls but foul, haunt but aunt,
Font, front, wont, want, grand, and grant,
Shoes, goes, does. Now first say finger,
And then singer, ginger, linger,
Real, zeal, mauve, gauze, gouge and gauge,
Marriage, foliage, mirage, and age.

Query does not rhyme with very,
Nor does fury sound like bury.
Dost, lost, post and doth, cloth, loth.
Job, nob, bosom, transom, oath.
Though the differences seem little,
We say actual but victual.
Refer does not rhyme with deafer.
Foeffer does, and zephyr, heifer.
Mint, pint, senate and sedate;
Dull, bull, and George ate late.
Scenic, Arabic, Pacific,
Science, conscience, scientific.

Liberty, library, heave and heaven,
Rachel, ache, moustache, eleven.
We say hallowed, but allowed,
People, leopard, towed, but vowed.
Mark the differences, moreover,
Between mover, cover, clover;
Leeches, breeches, wise, precise,
Chalice, but police and lice;
Camel, constable, unstable,
Principle, disciple, label.

Petal, panel, and canal,
Wait, surprise, plait, promise, pal.
Worm and storm, chaise, chaos, chair,
Senator, spectator, mayor.
Tour, but our and succour, four.
Gas, alas, and Arkansas.
Sea, idea, Korea, area,
Psalm, Maria, but malaria.
Youth, south, southern, cleanse and clean.
Doctrine, turpentine, marine.

Compare alien with Italian,
Dandelion and battalion.
Sally with ally, yea, ye,
Eye, I, ay, aye, whey, and key.
Say aver, but ever, fever,
Neither, leisure, skein, deceiver.
Heron, granary, canary.
Crevice and device and aerie.

Face, but preface, not efface.
Phlegm, phlegmatic, ass, glass, bass.
Large, but target, gin, give, verging,
Ought, out, joust and scour, scourging.
Ear, but earn and wear and tear
Do not rhyme with here but ere.
Seven is right, but so is even,
Hyphen, roughen, nephew Stephen,
Monkey, donkey, Turk and jerk,
Ask, grasp, wasp, and cork and work.

Pronunciation -- think of Psyche!
Is a paling stout and spikey?
Won't it make you lose your wits,
Writing groats and saying grits?
It's a dark abyss or tunnel:
Strewn with stones, stowed, solace, gunwale,
Islington and Isle of Wight,
Housewife, verdict and indict.

Finally, which rhymes with enough --
Though, through, plough, or dough, or cough?
Hiccough has the sound of cup.
My advice is to give up!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_FBhIcg95M

And a tweet from David Burge to sum it up...

https://twitter.com/iowahawkblog/status/594168269759623168

Just wondering how I can get one of my own threads locked - or if it's even possible? I started a thread a while back to see what exchanges people were using and what they thought of them, but it has become (a while ago to be honest) a spam thread with people just posting the same stuff over and over again. Is there any way to lock it myself, or if not, can I get an admin to lock it somehow? If I can't do anything about it, then I guess I'll just ignore it. This is the thread I am talking about, and if anyone bothers to look, they will see it has been useless for a while now.

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=3091826.msg31903285#msg31903285

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Getting to the squeaky bum end of the season in the English Premier League, and there are still 10 teams who could mathematically face the drop. Currently West Brom, Stoke and Southampton are occupying the bottom three spots, but there's another seven teams that could find themselves in the Championship next season. Personally my votes go to West Brom (no brainer), Stoke and Swansea (think the Swansea v Southampton fixture could see Southampton leapfrog Swansea). As a West Ham fan, I am hoping that they can sneak another three points in their last four games and make it to safety, but no guarantees 

I've managed to reach a nice round number of sMerits to give away, so thought I'd try and help some of my fellow members bump up to the next rank. 10 Merits on offer, so going to give away a maximum of 2 Merit per post I find interesting. Just as a heads up, boards I normally find interesting are the following (not that I will necessarily ignore posts made in other sections):

Bitcoin Discussion, Economics, Trading Discussion, Politics & Society, Beginners & Help, Altcoin Discussion.

No need to post links, if you indicate you want to take part, I will just have a look through the first page of your post history and distribute it accordingly (might go further if I have the time). Going to leave the thread open for a week (till midnight next Friday forum time) to give people a chance to take part. I'll be checking throughout the week and shortlisting as I go along. This is for Member rank only, want to help out people in the same boat as me. I will merit the posts directly after Friday next week, and post links to all posts I have merited on this thread.

NB. If I spot any marinecoin posts in any post history, I will automatically ignore any of that user's posts.

[1. Media FUD (definition here)]

Anyone in this forum has (probably) already weighed up the risks of investing in Bitcoin, but 'we' are still just a drop in the ocean compared to the number of potential investors. So what is putting them off investing? Here are a few of the reasons that investors are either delaying their involvement or (and this - regrettably - applies to many of my friends and family, although I am winning some of them around slowly!) currently have the opinion that they wouldn't touch it with a ten foot barge pole.

1. Media FUD (definition here) - most people only read headlines, and with the number of negative articles about Bitcoin compared to the positive ones, they are being scared away without bothering to look at the whole picture. This article is just one of a flood of negative articles about cryptocurrency.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jan/15/should-i-invest-bitcoin-dont-mr-money-moustache

Until the media changes it's stance on cryptocurrency, they will still be able to steer millions of potential investors away. Only a matter of time.

2. Market Volatility - traditional investors tend to veer to towards steady investments, a yearly return of between 10-20% is a healthy addition to a pension fund without risking losing the lot, especially for those looking to retire in the next 10-15 years. A cryptocurrency investor (at least in the current market) is much more of a risk taker, willing to take a gamble on new technology. The following article states that the volatility is a result of liquidity (specifically lack of), an argument that probably holds a decent amount of water. This is especially paramount for the institutional investors to get involved, but has a knock on effect for the average investor.  

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/21/bitcoin-volatility-how-digital-currency-can-overcome-wild-reputation.html

3. Fear of legislation (this factor can vary depending on location) and government's knee jerk reaction to cryptocurrency. A majority of people, unfortunately, still blindly trust their government, even though this is proving to be an unwise tactic, proven by the growing number of scandals exposed as the internet removes previous impenetrable  screens that hid multiple dodgy activities by governments around the world. That said, it is inevitable that further regulations and legislation will be implemented; and once there is more clarity in this area, it will open the door for many new investors, as well as bring much needed clarity to current investors. Some governments have already laid out their position, at least for the time being, but many are still on the fence with the details.

https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/cryptocurrency-regulation-2018-where-world-stands-right-now/

4. Ponzi scheme rhetoric is an undeniable factor, painting Bitcoin as a huge bubble, ready to burst at any time and screw over the newest investors. This theory gets publicized every time the market experiences a drastic drop, but then disappears as it rises again with the naysayers muttering away. If you google Bitcoin Ponzi scheme, the first page contains only one positive article stating Bitcoin's case (actually a decent article by Miguel Cuneta - link below), the rest are all shouting as loud as they can about how it has all the tell-tale signs and should be avoided.

https://decentralize.today/bitcoin-is-the-total-opposite-of-a-ponzi-scheme-heres-why-4d795f0ed

5. Is it a real currency? Majority of people still see Bitcoin as an investment, not as an actual currency. Although growing, the number of businesses that accept Bitcoin as payment for their services/products is still tiny. As the number of investors increases, the volume of businesses accepting it as a form of payment should organically rise with them. Here is a worldwide map of businesses that accept cryptocurrency as payment, updated by the community, you can pinpoint businesses in your local area where you can spend your Bitcoin on regular purchases. The latest count on the website is over 12,000 businesses. There are other links available for multinational companies, but I thought this one was more interesting.

https://coinmap.org/

6. Difficult to purchase without having some knowledge. It is still daunting for the majority of regular folk out there, with too many hoops to jump through; and when the slightest mistake can cost you money, it is a risk that many are not willing to take. This is definitely an area which has to improve before the era of mass adoption can begin. As purchasing becomes less complicated, the number of people on board the the train will undoubtedly increase. It hasn't been helped by regulations restricting how/where/who can purchase it, but this should improve rapidly over the coming months/years as the process becomes more streamlined. Whether this will mean less verification documents required, or possibly even a new international form of identification aimed specifically at this area, is another question. Either way, it is definitely an area that needs work.

7. Lack of knowledge about the technology behind it. It is common sense, and I guess not really arguable, you shouldn't invest in something you don't understand. Unfortunately this is something that is unlikely to change for many people, as they do not have the inclination to put in the time to research it. As the other concerns are alleviated, this will gradually change, and for the younger population - maybe the under 30's? - the learning process should slot nicely in with the massive advances that technology has made during their lifetime. With babies navigating iPads, and pre-teens hacking government websites, cryptocurrency is a natural progression.

8. Hackers and security in general. This is probably the most relatable concern, as it affects old and new investors alike. Security of investment is an essential element when consumers are deciding where and how to store their assets. Houses and cars have alarms, but still get ransacked or stolen. Stores and banks have security guards, but still get robbed. Basically, there will always be someone out there trying to steal 'our' hard earned money, the key is protecting it as much as humanly possible. Obviously the method of protecting our cryptocurrency investments is completely different to the way we protect our physical assets, but the basic theory behind it is the same. This is where the average Joe gets confused, they don't see it as a direct comparison, but once these fears can be allayed (or at least seen as similar to protecting other assets), it will be another tick in the box. Heavy investment and improvement in cyber security by the industry itself, especially for exchanges and online wallets, will be an ongoing issue that will not be slowing down any time soon.

I'm sure there are more reasons people choose not to invest, but the list above likely covers the majority.

  

According to this article, Bank of America is planning to use the blockchain for data storage. With the patent originally filed back in 2016, it has been on the table for a while; makes sense and shows just one of the advantages in using blockchain technology within financial institutions.

https://www.coindesk.com/bank-of-america-sees-blockchain-as-way-to-replace-internal-ledgers/

I've put together a simple guide to crypto terminology. Not exactly an original idea, but think it's a decent enough selection for a beginner. Any factual corrections gratefully received. Cheers.

https://steemit.com/cryptocurrency/@cryptothief/learn-the-lingo-the-baby-steps-guide-to-understanding-cryptocurrency-terminology

I would say that for every 10 threads I look through, at least 2 or 3 will have one or more random links to marinecoin, often with no relevance whatsoever to the original post. What's the best way to report these, and how can we get rid of them if they post in a thread where it is 'sort of' relevant, e.g. What should I invest in?, Which ICOs are you interested in? etc. I'm tired of seeing the same copy paste post all over the place, especially as I know the only reason it's there is to earn the poster some coins. Any tips, or should I just get over it and ignore them?