Affiliate Interview Series: Leopold | Roulette Zeitung

[GPWA Aaron]

Age: 62
Hometown: Waldershof
Living in: Germany
Favorite Food: Scrambled eggs from happy chickens
Must Read Book: Moby-Dick, by Herman Melville
Site: RouletteZeitung.com

Your site, RouletteZeitung.com, is a German-language roulette site. How popular is roulette in Germany compared to other forms of betting?
Roulette in Germany is by far the most popular game. In second place are slots. Then come poker and blackjack. Sports betting is not available in German casinos.

In addition to affiliate links, you sell a roulette "system" on your site. How does your affiliate revenue compare with the revenue you make selling "The Trick"?
First and foremost, my page is an information blog. Selling a good roulette system for a fair price is no problem. Players lose less, guaranteed, and have a chance to exist in the long term at roulette. The system is a one-off sale. I see revenue from the banners as medium-term investment. There are many websites that promote the Martingale system, carrying him to ruin. And on purpose! That's not my intention. Money is not everything.

Is there really a system that can beat a fixed-odds game with a house edge like roulette? Does beating roulette rely on imperfections in the wheel or the repeated actions of the croupier? If so, is it possible to have a system that could give the player an edge over online roulette?
Between a real casino and an online casino there is no difference. The numbers are the same in the long run. Nobody lives 10,000 years, which is how long it would take to experience the minute differences between RNG and live numbers.

There are many ways to survive roulette. In the 1960s, for example there was a professional player who watched the players much more than he watched the tables. He bet against losers on the even chances I have myself often practiced this with success.

The pitch is stronger then Lady Luck. Science is one thing. Empiricism is another.

OK, so we're not going to pay €100 to learn your system, but can you let us in on a few of the details?
It is a system which attacks the average appearance frequencies. Eight out of 11 days at the casino have little or no extremes. Many play on major trends, but the current approach is more common. This often takes 30 or more spins. The aim is to discipline yourself. You have to be mentally able to finish the day with 1/20 of the capital, maybe after a few spins.

Have you seen the film Run Lola Run (Lola Rennt)? If so, what is your opinion of the roulette scene in the movie, where Lola wins two consecutive single-number wagers to turn 100 marks into 126,000?
I saw the movie a long time ago. The casino scene was shot in the foyer of Berlin's Schöneberg town hall. The casino in the external view in the beginning of the scene is the Berlin Kronprinzenpalais. The casino pit boss in the scene is not an actor. He is now the technical director of Berlin's Casino.

A paroli (Let it ride) on a single number, as seen in the scene you mention, is the crown of the roulette game. Therefore the player must of course be cold like a dog's snout and a lot of money in his pocket. Anyone can experience a paroli on a single number. On average, once in about four years it will succeed if you try it once every day. It could take 30 years, or happen on the first day.

The film is a beautiful interpretation of the Butterfly Effect theme.

In the casino scene, there are of course some things that are not correct. When the movie was made in 1998, German casinos had a strict dress code. Dressed the way she was, Lola wouldn’t have gained admission into a real German casino at that time. Also, Lola was admitted for free; new guests have to pay a fee. And when Lola wins the 100 chip, she does not tip. In Germany there is an unwritten law that a player who hits a number must give 1 piece (100) for the casino workers. After her first hit she bet everything (100 + 3,500). This is impossible in Germany. The maximum on a single numer is commonly between 200 and 400. In Berlin, the maximum on a single number at the high roller table (minimum 50) was 1,000. A single-number bet of 3,600 is impossible. On a normal table you can try of course a single-number paroli. Bet €10, giving €10 for the casino workers and bet again €350. But this is only for fun because nobody knows how long it will take until the lucky day comes.

A very beautiful casino movie for me is The Cooler, with William H. Macy. This movie has more reality than you may think. Unlucky people who can contaminate a roulette table actually exist!

Ane here’s a must see: Owning Mahowny. It is based on true facts. The lead is played by Philip Seymour Hoffman. No other film captures the misery of addiction so closely. The movie is a pearl that will be shown on German television again and again and again.

When did you launch your site?
Last year in June.

How did you become involved in the industry?
Through a friend.

How long did it take for you to start earning money?
One month.

In addition to German, any plans to make your site available in other languages?
My mother tongue is German. I often write very flowery and ambiguous prose. Readers should be made to think. In German I feel comfortable as a writer and can fully express what I think. A translation is therefore not planned.

In your opinion, which scheme is better – CPA or revenue share?
CPA brings nothing but trouble. Both sides lose. If the player loses a lot, thousands, then the webmaster gets too little. If the player loses a little, then the casino loses money. No one is happy in the long run.

How important is good content to the success of your site, and in your opinion, what constitutes good content?
Good content is the measure of all things. Good content can be seen immediately. If it is unique, well written and interesting, readers will come back for new articles to read. Content that is only for SEO is worthless to readers. This can be seen immediately, and I think Google sees it also. Unfortunately, there are many sites with stolen, rewritten or cheap content and only a few with good content.

What traits do you look for in an affiliate manager? How about in an affiliate program?
An affiliate manager should remember that affiliates are humans and not toys to be played with. It is clear to me that the manager’s job is stressful, but a job at an animal shelter is also exhausting, and the animals should not be made to suffer because of that.

Money is nice, but if it’s only about the money, then the atmosphere and partnership are sterile. I personally do not like that. Generally I would say that female managers are more empathetic.

How are things between you and 888 these days?
888 is known in Germany, and not in a good way. For many years, there have been substantial problems. As a roulette player I'm always on the side of other players. If an online casino player’s account is locked because the player wants to make a profit, then that is in my opinion very poor. Why should a player be playing? If in addition the roulette or poker software proves to be defective, we’re in the realm of the criminal. These are things that are unacceptable. Arrogant silence about the abuses completes the picture. My rule of thumb is clear: Where players are treated badly, webmasters will fare no better.

If you had to pick five keys to success as an affiliate, what would they be?

1. Have the mental toughness to live for months with little income, because otherwise you'll make unnecessary changes.
2. Always be alert and question everything, because you never know what's coming.
3. Do not copy from other sites, because that's pathetic.
4. Do not invest your income in cigarettes, alcohol or loose women.
5. Do not trust in the goodwill of other affiliates, because unfortunately this is a rarity.

What prompted you to join the GPWA? How has it helped you?
Actually, it was pure coincidence. My wife was the trigger. But it is like with a delicious soup. Once tasted, you cannot stop. The GPWA forum is just something special. People write what they think, in their own words.

What do you like about the industry?
If I'm honest, the money. And the few nice people behind the phone, who I've gotten to know.

If you could change one thing about the industry, what would it be, and why?
All affiliate programs must have a phone, and affiliate managers must be contractually obliged to answer the phone when it rings. Why? Because issues are resolved faster and more honestly over the phone.

What surprised you most about the industry?
The huge sums of money that travel through the world.

What do your family and friends think of your work as an affiliate?
Not all of them know. Gambling in Germany is regarded as wicked.

How long do you give yourself for answering e-mail? What e-mail tips can you offer?
If I'm not sick or on the road, one day. My advice is simple: Do not write e-mail back when you can call back. The personal voice is the crown of communication. The Facebook generation has forgotten this. Many people write a text message, even if the recipient is only 10 meters away.

How do you manage your “to-do” lists? Do you use any special software to help you out?
No, absolutely no software! I'm very conservative. An adhesive label is all I need. Perhaps you’re familiar with the term "digital dementia." Computers have not only a good side.

How much time does it take to keep your site updated?
I write an article every two to three weeks. For that I need 30 to 45 minutes.

How much time do you devote to SEO and/or social networking in order to drive more traffic to your site?
Three hours a week, maybe. That must be enough. I do not want to end up like a lot of people, checking out the Google keyword positions every five minutes and making myself crazy. No, thank you!

If someone were visiting you, what’s the one place you’d definitely take them to see?
A vast and lonely forest. Without humans or road noise! The visitor will see and feel that life without human progress is wonderful.

What’s your favorite vacation spot?
Caithness in Scotland. The people are wonderful, and the nature is uniquely diverse. You can smell the history.

If you could have one “superpower,” what would it be?
Telekinesis – let’s move the roulette ball just a little bit. . . .

What’s your all-time favorite movie?
Citizen Kane, because it shows how only one word can change everything.

If you could invite any five people, living or dead, to dinner, who would they be?

1. My grandmother, to dip biscuits in tea with her.
2. Henry Fonda, because he's my favorite actor.
3. Stephen Hawking, to ask him if he believes that aliens are on their way to attack us.
4. Lee Harvey Oswald, to ask him if he knew that Carlos Marcello was behind everything.
5. Uri Geller, to bend spoons together and then eat mushroom soup without making a mess.

What are three things that nobody knows about you?
If I tell you now, everyone will know. A man needs his little secrets. This distinguishes us from shiny stones on the floor.

[faststeady]

Nice read,

you have a very humourous way of speaking Leopold