MovieChat Forums > Snatch (2001) Discussion > Why did they want mickey to go down in t...

Why did they want mickey to go down in the 4th round?

posted 9 years ago by thegoon459
1 reply | jump to latest

Just watched it today and it was an amazing movie. Just have one question though which i couldnt understand at all.

Why did the bookies want mickey to lose in the 4th round? They clearly knew mickey is a bare knuckle boxing champion. So why didnt they just bet on him winning? Why did they want him to go down specifically in the 4th round especially after seeing how good of a boxer he is after seeing his performance the first time? I just dont understand that.

I dont know how these illegal gambling works and have little to no knowledge about gambling.

[–] mikeyg24 9 years ago

It's not just illegal gambling it's gambling in general. Sports betting isn't just about simple win or lose. In essence the more unlikely the result the more money you win if you predict it. It's all based on the odds.

The odds represent the probability of various outcomes and are used to calculate the return on your stake (In simple terms how much you win for every pound you bet).

For example:
Mickey to win, very likely, short odds.
Odds: 2-1, Bet: £10,000, Winnings: 2*£10,000 = £20,000.

Mickey to lose, unlikely, longer odds.
Odds: 20-1, Bet: £10,000, Winnings: 20*£10,000 = £200,000

Mickey to lose in the fourth, extremely unlikely, very long odds.
Odds: 80-1, Bet: £10,000, Winnings: 80*£10,000 = £800,000.

So in this case if Bricktop fixes the result he'll win much more than if just put money on Mickey to win.

I've had a lot of sobering thoughts in my time Del Boy, it's them that started me drinking!