MovieChat Forums > Two for the Money (2005) Discussion > Something I didn't understand ***(Spoil...

Something I didn't understand ***(Spoilers) ***


This is a fun-to-watch movie. Scripts about people doing their job usually are -- especially when we see it from the 'inside', and learn some of the gimmicks used in the business. (Think "The Sting")

Have watched this movie a half-dozen times. OK....Walter's (Pacino's) corporation has had several disastrous weeks, where they went 2 for 12. He's totally bankrupt, borrowing from the shylocks, etc. And the clients went bust, too.

Brandon leaves town after giving them his LAST pick for ONE game. And his pick goes well,...they win with the score and "the over". So, here's the question: How can ONE GAME put everyone back on easy street again? Everyone (even Brandon) acted like they just won the lottery and all past history was wiped out. Did the writers just want a "happy-ending" no matter what? Just didn't compute.

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Walter borrowed money, not sure exactly how much, from the mob then bet a parlay which depending on odds, usually 5 wins 10 on the second bet...so you win the money for the first win, the game, then that money rolls into the second bet which compounds the winnings....that's a parlay bet. In other words, Walter bets the underdog will win and also bets the score will be over the assigned total of both scores at the end of the game....if both bets win...the winnings can go as high as ten times the original amount bet...

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2-team parlays pay 13 to 5, 3-teams pay 6 to 1, it takes 4-teams (or side/total bets) to get 10 to 1.

They messed up the ending too IMHO. They should have had him pick the favorite with the UNDER, 'threading the needle' on single game 2-bet parlay is lot more exciting and difficult to win. You need to cover the Points but still keep the score below the Total to win.

This can make for a helluva game to watch with a bet on it...If your team (fav) is covering and winning with the UNDER, you could then be rooting for the other to play hard defence and stop your team from scoring again.

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It doesn't compute because your logic is correct, they wrote a BS happy ending.

This movie didn't have much truth or reality in it. They tried to show a 1-800-SCAM-CAPPER as a real professional sports handicapper.

Many of those scammers would 'tout' out a free Sunday play to customers, saying it will pay the big cost for Monday Nights MONSTER WINNER pick...But in reality the 'free' pick is a game where (example, Cowboys vs. Giants) they give everyone in the East the Giants play, and in the West they tell you bet the Cowboys. One side will win (unless there is a push/tie ATS). So the next day the scammers will only call the winning side bettors, saying "see I told you, easy winner", then con you into paying for a pick no better than a coin toss on MNF.

They have been doing this scam for decades.

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Walter explained it earlier in the movie. You can do terrible during the weekend on your picks, that's why Monday is the most important game because everyone bets higher trying to recoup their losses. The superbowl is the same thing, it's the last pick, people go the biggest.

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