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Free
Gambling Tips - The Psychology of Contest Prize Winning
If
you want to win, start with an advantage. You must know the basics!
Ceaseless
as the surge of the sea, wave after wave of prize contests sweeps
across the nation, engulfing millions in the constant struggle to
win wealth and fame at a single stroke. By television, radio, newspaper
and magazine come the startling announcements of ever-growing awards
by the contest sponsor. Fortunes that would mean retirement, life
time annuities, trips around the world and an innumerable host of
lesser prizes are the targets at which the millions aim. And with
the flood of announcements comes a universal plea from the vast
majority of participants: "Where can we get help to assist us in
winning?"
Contesting
has grown into a national pastime, and with its growth the suspicion
that the so-called contest experts have the inside tract to wining
and that the amateur or beginner is hopelessly outclassed. And to
a certain extent it is true. The records of contesting are full
of stories about men and women who have accumulated fortunes, not
through one big winning, but from successive contests. There are
women who have furnished their homes and built up their bank accounts
through contest checks. There are men who abandoned their former
means of earning a livelihood to devote all their time to contesting,
which they found more profitable. In nearly every contest of considerable
size, it is a certainty that the entries from these "repeaters"
will be included.
Their
skill, accumulated by years of contesting, adds to the odds which
the average person encounters when entering a contest. But the task
is by no means hopeless. For the law of averages, unswerving and
unbiased, proves that the vast majority of prizes won every year
go to the so-called beginners in contesting. All men were created
equal, but nature put an individual set of brains in all our heads.
and that means that anyone, at any time, is likely to get the idea
that means prize winning checks.
The
prize winning idea may come at a most unexpected moment; again,
it may be the result of painstaking effort and research. In either
case, the prossessor is just as apt to be the beginner as the veteran.
The first entry seldom brings a prize. Failure to win must not bring
despondency and a shrug of the shoulders attitude. Instead, it must
serve as a stimulus to greater effort. Ingenuity seems to grow with
practice. The law of averages stays the same and if ingenuity shows
an improvement then the chances of winning become much greater.
Without ingenuity the entire case becomes hopeless, because the
casual entry, without any special preparation or serious thought,
is usually a waste of time and postage.
There
are many things which might be listed as among the requirements
of a contest entry, but because the types of contests are so numerous
it could be impossible to give one word that would be descriptive
of the entire lot. So the contestant himself must decide when he
enters the contest just what the nature of his entry should be.
The
first lesson in contesting might fittingly be described in these
words: "Are you entirely positive that you understand the rules?"
The slightest doubt should be erased before actual work on the entry
is started, provided of course, that a brilliant idea hasn't struck
simultaneously with hearing or reading the contest announcement.
The
records of prize contesting show that a terrific percentage of entries
in every contest is ruled out because of failure to comply with
the rules. The percentage in some contests is so great that the
average contestant would be amazed if he learned the true figures.
Strict adherence to the rules, no matter how simple the contest
may be, is the first lesson which every prize contestant must learn.
The prizes cannot be awarded to entries which do not conform to
the rules and nobody knows how many excellent entries have been
cast aside simply because of some infraction that made it impossible
for the judges to consider its merits.
Next
in importance might be ranked some of the tools, which every profession
and trade requires. There are hundreds of persons who follow contesting
with all the determination a profession or trade requires and that
is the most certain road to success in this fascinating "profession."
Hit or miss methods are not conductive to repeated winnings. Careful
methods, sometimes brain-testing determination and constant alertness
for progress are all required.
the
contestant must have a good dictionary, and a thesaurus and also
to be recommended are good publications on the subject. I do not
hesitate to recommend subscriptions to some of the outstanding magazines
in the field, which can be procured at newsstands. These magazines
are filled with hints and suggestions and they change from time
to time, for the contest picture is like a kaleidoscope - constantly
changing. Also, a number of good books on the subject can be found
at your local library.
Likewise,
a file which contains as much information about contesting as can
be procured should be started at once and kept up with unfailing
devotion. Here should be kept records, copies of all entries, winning
entries from every contest where procurable, and similar data. The
contestant who wants to enter seriously into the field must be on
the alert constantly with paper and pencil to jot down anything
that might have a bearing on any angle, from bright and unusual
sayings to unexpected comments of friends and associates. These
must all be filed away in the proper place where they are instantly
available.
It
might also be said that if a person is determined to become a contestant
he can have no other hobby because this one will require his entire
spare time - and there are thousands who devote their full time
to it. This thought should serve the purpose of showing the importance
of careful consideration of every angle in contesting. the slightest
detail must be considered as important if success is to be achieved.
Casual methods do not succeed. Thoroughness is the mother of winning
entries.
Another
angle which should be touched upon is the often repeated doubt over
the honesty of contests and the judges. Any person can rest assured
that a contest by television or radio, or scanned in the daily newspapers
and reputable magazines will be fairly conducted, without bias or
prejudice. The powerful weight of Uncle Sam's authority alone is
enough to protect against frauds, but equally as great is the value
the sponsor places upon good will. There is absolutely no basis
for the often repeated statements that contests are not conducted
fairly, and most generally these comments come from disgruntled
contestants who didn't win anything.
The
true contestant does not spurn a contest because the prizes are
comparatively small. On the contrary, for these smaller contests
hold the power of revealing just where the contestant's strength
lies. There is just as much of a thrill in winning small contests
as there is in many of the larger ones. And if the technique of
winning can be developed, these smaller contests prove a profitable
source of investment in the matter of time.
Because
many of these smaller contests are conducted locally the winning
entries usually are announced. Comparison can then be made and the
reason determined why somebody's offering won. In virtually every
instance where this happens the contestant who lost will admit,
if he is fair, that the better entry won. So it's always easy to
profit from our defeats in the struggle for prize contests.
And
because it's a local contest, or a small-prize contest, the contestant
must not assume that slip-shod methods will win. The same painstaking
care for ingenuity, brevity, force and vitality that is desired
in the larger contests must be present here. The contestant can
have this proven for his own satisfaction after several unsuccessful
entries are submitted.
In
many ways contesting can be compared with running a race or any
other kind of physical or mental contest. An athlete must keep in
shape if he wants to compete at his best. A bowler, baseball player
or football star must keep in practice if he isn't going to slip
before his time. and in contesting you likewise must practice and
keep in shape, but happily there is no set time in life when retirement
is forced upon you. You can start early in life and keep at it until
the end.
The
author is reminded of the manner in which a close friend, who since
has won consistently in contests of many types, was started in the
field of contesting. His wife was handed, about 10 years ago, an
entry blank for a contest sponsored by a nationally known maker
of detergent. The prizes were a number of items valued at from $100
to $5,000. The contest consisted of writing an entry blank furnished
by the sponsor, a brief statement indicating the part the wife plays
in the management of the home.
This
friend happened to be employed by a newspaper and was regarded as
a writer of considerable skill. When his wife handed him the entry
blank and suggested that he write the brief essay he immediately
started for his portable type- writer and dashed out what he considered
a fitting entry. Then he prepared to copy his effort on the entry
blank when his wife intervened.
She
explained that she had heard how more experienced contest winners
prepared and submitted entries to various contests. She suggested
that he take more time with the entry, consider the situation from
all angles and then put the result of hard concentration and thought
on paper and perhaps revise and condense until it was considered
perfect. The newspaperman thought the suggestion over and complied.
In fact, it was several days later before he believed he had the
necessary thoughts in the proper sequence. The entry was posted
and it wasn't long before his wife was awarded a prize of considerable
value. This started the contest mania in that home.
Just
a few days later the newspaperman noticed a local contest in which
a large beverage company offered as a prize a year's supply of their
product for a brief letter stating why the writer liked their product.
Again he concentrated, made actual test with the product in comparison
with others and was one of the winners.
Since
that time he has won scores of contest prizes. He is regarded as
one of the authorities on contesting in the city where he resides.
But his methods have changed greatly since that day when he started
to dash off a statement with hardly any thought and without any
preparation.
Today
his den is a store of contest information. He subscribes to contest
services, contest magazines and is constantly filing clipped contest
information, advertisements, copies of winning entries, and much
similar data. The time he has spent in accumulating the information
has brought dividends of great value.
CONTESTANT'S
READY RECKONER - Taken from many national contests.
Average
percentage of entries disqualified for violation of rules - 30%
Average number obviously too inferior for final consideration -
37% Average percentage received after closing date - 3% Average
number of replies bearing no name or address - 1% Average number
disqualified for illegible handwriting - 4% AVERAGE NUMBER ACTUALLY
PRESENTED TO JUDGES AFTER PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION ONLY - 24%
Before
you seal the envelope, be sure that you haven't made any of the
mistakes listed in the table above. One final check should always
be made before the envelope bearing the results of many hours of
labor is sent away on its way to the contest judges, bearing the
hopes of the contestant under its flap.
And
be sure that your entry has the right label, boxtop or similar requirement
firmly attached or neatly enclosed. Although the announcement always
includes "or a facsimile." It's better to buy the product.
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