Claritech Labs - The Second Income Experiment (1) - Introduction

In a recent conversation, a friend of mine introduced the game of blackjack to me. He said it was possible to win at it if you “play long, play deep and play patiently.” When I asked what he meant, he explained that “playing long” refers to approaching the game with a long-term mindset rather than seeking short-term wins; “playing deep” means taking time to understand the game and make informed decisions; and “playing patiently” is about staying disciplined and not rushing into bets. I thought it was a lovely way to put it.

That conversation made me think about online trading and whether this strategy could apply to generate a second income. In my experience, that has not happened – trading runs, while they start strong have always ended in more losses than gains. Looking back, perhaps I could have “played patiently.”

Statistically, I’m not convinced it’s possible to win consistently at blackjack without some form of edge (or “luck”) since the house always holds the odds. The more hands played, the more likely it is that negative variance will catch up. In that sense, online trading shares some uncomfortable parallels: making more trades doesn’t necessarily improve your odds of success. I may be wrong—but I’d like to test that theory.

This series is a journal of the second income experiment on a real trading account.

I’ll be using a real trading account starting with $10,000 (or its GBP equivalent), focusing primarily on Futures and Options on Indices and Stocks. For each trade, I’ll share:

·       The analysis that led to the position,

·       Entry and exit points (targets and stop losses),

·       And whether it was intended as a quick scalp or a longer-term play.

I’ll post regular updates on account performance, including returns, drawdowns, and key risk metrics. The goal isn’t to showcase success or failure—but to document the journey with honesty and transparency. In the end, the fact remains that this blog is subjective, it is my experience and may differ vastly from anyone else.