TWO DECISION MAKING TOOLS

(borrowed from Google images)

I would like to share with you, two of the tools I use for making quick decisions. I call them THAT LITTLE VOICE and RISK VS REWARD.

In a nutshell, THAT LITTLE VOICE is the voice in the back of your head that says, "Whoa, wait a minute! This is a bad idea!" or something similar. That's the voice of reason, intuition, common sense, and a lifetime of experience. It's best to listen to THAT LITTLE VOICE at least 90% of the time.

RISK VS REWARD goes something like this: You need to make a decision quickly so you weigh the risks (what could go wrong) against the reward (what do you have to gain).

Here are two real life examples that happened to me:

EXAMPLE #1
A few days before Christmas, two little girls came to my door carrying an ice chest. They asked if I would like to buy some tamales. I had a decision to make. THAT LITTLE VOICE said, "Whoa, wait a minute! You know nothing about these girls or the conditions under which the tamales were made. You could get food poisoning very easily if the food was not prepared and stored properly."

So I did a quick RISK VS REWARD analysis. 
RISK-
I could get very sick.
REWARD-
I love tamales.

The REWARD was not worth the potential RISK. So I had to go along with THAT LITTLE VOICE. I politely said, "No thank you." It was the smart move. I will never know if the tamales were good or bad, but I tend to trust my intuition.

EXAMPLE #2
I bought a new digital camera before going on vacation in Florida a few years ago. While I was there, I spent a lot of time with a woman I met online. We went to the beach and took turns taking pictures of each other with my new camera. A young man approached us and offered to take a picture of both of us together. I had a decision to make. THAT LITTLE VOICE said, "Whoa, wait a minute! You don't know this guy! You just bought that camera! I've heard stories of this exact con, where the "nice young man" runs away with the tourist's camera."

So I did a quick RISK VS REWARD analysis. 
RISK-
I could lose my camera.
REWARD-
It would be nice to have some pictures of both of us together.

Again, the REWARD was not worth the RISK. I listened to THAT LITTLE VOICE and politely turned him down. I will never know if he was a thief, but I think I made the right decision.

Your comments are always welcome.

Now go take on the day!

Peace, out.



Check out Duane's Youtube Channel

RISK A LITTLE TO WIN A LOT

I borrowed this pic from the Internet ;)

It might shock you to know that I play Keno when I go to the casinos. Most people know Keno has very poor odds. And it can be very boring sitting there, watching the ping pong balls bounce around as the Keno person draws the winning numbers one by one. But I know a secret. This is stress-free gambling. I will either WIN BIG, or lose very little.

THE GAME OF KENO
The game of Keno is similar to state lotteries. They draw the winning numbers from a hopper filled with numbered ping pong balls. The balls are numbered 1 through 80. Air is forced into the hopper which causes the balls to bounce around wildly, making the drawing completely random. In each game, they draw 20 numbers. 

Your task is to predict which numbers will be drawn in the next game. The top Keno prize in my local casino is $50,000. To win the top prize, you have to pick 8 numbers and hit all 8 of them. That doesn’t happen very often. You can also win smaller amounts for hitting 5, 6, or 7 out of 8 numbers. Can you imagine placing a $1 bet and winning $50,000? I can! That’s why I play this crazy game! LOL

There is a waiting period between games to give people time to turn in winning tickets and buy new tickets for the next game. Tickets are only $1. There are about 12 drawings per hour. So if you play every game and never hit any wins, you will lose $12 per hour. Not bad, considering you can easily lose $12 PER MINUTE in a slot machine. 

KENO ADVANTAGES
Keno has several advantages over other casino games. 
1.) Very small risk for a huge possible payoff. 
2.) The Keno lounge has very comfortable seats. 
3.) The drink girl will come around and bring you free drinks. 
4.) You can get up and move around freely.
5.) You don’t have to play every single game. 
6.) You can text or play games on your phone while you are sitting there. 

HOW I PLAY
When I enter the casino, I walk around, do some people watching, use the restroom, get a free cup of coffee from the self-serve drink station, and then find a seat in the Keno lounge. I watch two complete games without making a bet. Instead, I record the numbers that come up (20 numbers each game). Then I am ready to play. I pick my 8 numbers from the winning numbers of the two games I just recorded. My theory: These numbers are hitting now, so I will GO WITH THE FLOW. 

I pay for 5 consecutive games. If you only play 1 game, you must collect any winnings before the start of the next game. That’s less than 5 minutes! No exceptions! But where I play, and in most casinos I’ve been to, you have 24 hours to claim your prize if you pay for 2 or more consecutive games. When you play this way, you can get up and walk around as much as you like since you have 24 hours to claim your prizes. Just take your ticket back to the Keno desk before you go home and they will scan it and pay you if you have won. 

I will sit in the Keno lounge and watch the 5 drawings I’m playing. After that, I will get up and go for a walk. If I'm there with other people, I will find them and see how they are doing. If I’m spending a few hours in the casino, I will repeat this routine; play 5 games, then go for a walk, etc.

MY RESULTS
I haven’t won any big prizes yet. However, I lose less than anybody I know. In a normal 4 hour casino visit, I will lose $20 or less. But I have the prospect of winning $50,000! What a rush! 

SUMMARY
You won’t kick Keno’s butt very often. Honestly, most days you will lose, but it will be very little, much less than the average gambler. And one day, when everything lines up perfectly and all your numbers come up, you’ll be a BIG WINNER!

REMEMBER: RISK A LITTLE TO WIN A LOT

Now go take on the day!

Peace, out.



Check out 
Duane’s YouTube Channel