I have a gambling related question about the final fight scene. Harvey borrowed a total of $500k to bet on Evan to win the fight by having Shawn take a dive. Shawn agreed to take a dive for half the payout.
So my question is what were the odds? Since Shawn ended up betting the $500k for him to win the fight and he ended up giving Harvey a million dollars at the end it appears to be 2-1 odds and Shawn ended kepping $500k for himself and the million he gave to Harvey was the original $500k plus the $500k in winnings hence the 2-1 odds.
I find the odds to be way off on that logic though. Shawn is just an back-alley fighter and he is fighting a professional fighter in Evan. So the right odds should make Shawn at the very best a 4-1 underdog. Now what would be the value in having the underdog take a dive since the smart money would be on the pro to win the fight betting $400 to win $100. By asking the underdog to take a dive at those odds what value would it be for Harvey to risk $500k of borrowed money to win $75,000 and split it two ways minus the vig and minus the fee you have to pay for getting a loan on the money. Harvey would net maybe $12k on this deal if Shawn would have thrown the fight as planned. Making $12k is not worth the risk of borrowing $500k.
So my question is what were the odds? Since Shawn ended up betting the $500k for him to win the fight and he ended up giving Harvey a million dollars at the end it appears to be 2-1 odds and Shawn ended kepping $500k for himself and the million he gave to Harvey was the original $500k plus the $500k in winnings hence the 2-1 odds.
I find the odds to be way off on that logic though. Shawn is just an back-alley fighter and he is fighting a professional fighter in Evan. So the right odds should make Shawn at the very best a 4-1 underdog. Now what would be the value in having the underdog take a dive since the smart money would be on the pro to win the fight betting $400 to win $100. By asking the underdog to take a dive at those odds what value would it be for Harvey to risk $500k of borrowed money to win $75,000 and split it two ways minus the vig and minus the fee you have to pay for getting a loan on the money. Harvey would net maybe $12k on this deal if Shawn would have thrown the fight as planned. Making $12k is not worth the risk of borrowing $500k.