# 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [June 10, 2010, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677 "2010-06-10T17:32:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 119
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2361 "2010-07-06T20:20:48Z")
Hmmm…Uruguay bundle one in and now it’s 3-2. Umbrella-chewing time for the Dutch. ---
**Author:** ![willthekittensurvive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@willthekittensurvive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/willthekittensurvive)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2362 "2010-07-06T20:24:00Z")
HA! ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2363 "2010-07-06T20:25:31Z")
> [@Isosleepy](#): > > the commentary on ESPN on Holland has not improved. The part where they call them out for being floppers and bullies? I’m assuming this isn’t how the Dutch normally play, and I’m just catching a bad game for them. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2364 "2010-07-06T20:26:01Z")
Spain over Germany…[no doubt](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/europe/10521867.stm). ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2365 "2010-07-06T20:26:11Z")
I was willing Uruguay to grab a last minute equaliser there - anything for the drama (and I’d had a cheeky £2 at 150/1 on Uruguay to qualify when they were 3-1 down with 15 mins to go - stranger things have happened!). Even with almost 5 mins of stoppage time, no dice. Why couldn’t they have scored five minutes earlier? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![grimpixie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@grimpixie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grimpixie)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2366 "2010-07-06T20:26:30Z")
Holy smokes - almost two minutes of additional time after additional time… ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2367 "2010-07-06T20:28:51Z")
That’s not a cheeky bet. I’ve lost £2 coins down the sofa, so the chance of multiplying it by 150 times, however slim the real-life chances were, is well worth the speculation. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2368 "2010-07-06T20:47:56Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > That’s not a cheeky bet. I’ve lost £2 coins down the sofa, so the chance of multiplying it by 150 times, however slim the real-life chances were, is well worth the speculation. 🙂 Yes I thought the odds were pretty good, considering there were still 15 mins plus stoppage time for them to get two goals and take it to extra time. If they had, the odds would have been around 2/1 Uruguay at worst, so I could have hedged for a decent profit. In-play betting on Betfair rules. 🙂 I made over £350 on [this match](http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/sep/20/michael-owen-seals-manchester-united-victory) from an initial investment of £4 or thereabouts. Man United were 3-2 up with a minute to go and something like 1/50 to win, so I laid them. Downside £4, upside £200. City equalised in the last minute and the draw odds went to about 1/25 as there were 4min of stoppage time indicated. I laid that too. Upside £400ish, or upside £184. No downside. Utd grabbed a winner to make it 4-3 in the sixth minute of stoppage time. I cracked open a beer. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2369 "2010-07-06T20:59:39Z")
Wait. United was winning in the 89th minute and somebody gave you 50-to-1 odds that United would win? ---
**Author:** ![Isosleepy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/isosleepy/32/479_2.png) [@Isosleepy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isosleepy)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2370 "2010-07-06T20:59:51Z")
Forlan for man of the tournament. He came close to almost singlehandedly putting his side in the finals, and made it look good. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2371 "2010-07-06T21:06:34Z")
> [@Rysto](#): > > Wait. United was winning in the 89th minute and somebody gave you 50-to-1 odds that United would win? No, United were winning and he gave somebody else 1-50 odds that they would win, which seemed inevitable at the time. Then City scored, and he cashed in big time. ---
**Author:** ![ekweizn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7c8e57/32.png) [@ekweizn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekweizn)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2372 "2010-07-06T21:07:09Z")
> [@Isosleepy](#): > > Forlan for man of the tournament. He came close to almost singlehandedly putting his side in the finals, and made it look good. Suarez definitely also had a hand in Uruguay’s success. ---
**Author:** ![markdash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@markdash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markdash)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2373 "2010-07-06T21:30:15Z")
> [@Ximenean](#): > > No, United were winning and he gave somebody else 1-50 odds that they would win, which seemed inevitable at the time. Then City scored, and he cashed in big time. But he still ended up losing that bet, right? I guess if he wagered a lot on the non-draw scenario, then he was in good shape. Edit: ekweizn: I see what you did there. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2374 "2010-07-06T21:47:14Z")
> [@MD12](#): > > But he still ended up losing that bet, right? > > I guess if he wagered a lot on the non-draw scenario, then he was in good shape. Man Utd were 1/50 (“50 to 1 on”) to win. I effectively offered that bet to someone else - they thought it was a sure winner and staked £200 to win my £4. Man City equalised and now the draw was a huge favourite, so I could use some of my (potential) £200 profit on the draw to offer someone else a cheap bet on the draw winning. So they staked £400 to win my £16 (at odds of 1/25). In the event Man U did win, so I lost my original £4 (and the first punter, after a change of underwear no doubt, picked up their £4 winnings for a £200 stake. However, the person that backed the draw at short odds lost, and I got to keep their stake, which (much) more than covered my £4 loss on the original bet. It sounds complicated when you try to explain it, but it’s simple really 😉 ---
**Author:** ![markdash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@markdash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markdash)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2375 "2010-07-06T22:36:57Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Man Utd were 1/50 (“50 to 1 on”) to win. I effectively offered that bet to someone else - they thought it was a sure winner and staked £200 to win my £4. > > Man City equalised and now the draw was a huge favourite, so I could use some of my (potential) £200 profit on the draw to offer someone else a cheap bet on the draw winning. So they staked £400 to win my £16 (at odds of 1/25). > > In the event Man U did win, so I lost my original £4 (and the first punter, after a change of underwear no doubt, picked up their £4 winnings for a £200 stake. > > However, the person that backed the draw at short odds lost, and I got to keep their stake, which (much) more than covered my £4 loss on the original bet. > It sounds complicated when you try to explain it, but it’s simple really 😉 I do understand. I guess it wasn’t clear exactly how much you had wagered on your hedge (regarding the draw). Had Man City won the game, you would have had to replace several pairs of underwear, correct? ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2376 "2010-07-06T23:04:40Z")
> [@MD12](#): > > I do understand. I guess it wasn’t clear exactly how much you had wagered on your hedge (regarding the draw). > > Had Man City won the game, you would have had to replace several pairs of underwear, correct? Not as I read it. If Man City had won then **Colophon** wins his initial bet (200) but loses the second (16). Still a handy win. Basically he took some of the (potential) profit on the first wager to cover the other (two) sides. Man U wins, he wins the second bet - any other result he wins the first. ---
**Author:** ![markdash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@markdash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markdash)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2377 "2010-07-06T23:19:05Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > Not as I read it. If Man City had won then **Colophon** wins his initial bet (200) but loses the second (16). Still a handy win. > > Basically he took some of the (potential) profit on the first wager to cover the other (two) sides. Man U wins, he wins the second bet - any other result he wins the first. Well his first bet was AGAINST ManU winning the game. His second bet was AGAINST a draw, which also would not have happened. So he would have won both bets. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2378 "2010-07-06T23:20:24Z")
> [@RedFury](#): > > [**NASA confirms: Jabulani ball is unpredictable**](http://lanval.com/news/nasa-confirms-jabulani-ball-is-unpredictable/7141336/) I’m not impressed with this without seeing comparisons with other balls. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2379 "2010-07-06T23:33:20Z")
> [@MD12](#): > > Well his first bet was AGAINST ManU winning the game. His second bet was AGAINST a draw, which also would not have happened. So he would have won both bets. You’re right. I took your comment to mean that he would have lost if Man City won the game. :smack: I’ll leave the gambling to the pros. ---
**Author:** ![markdash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@markdash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markdash)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/2380 "2010-07-06T23:34:41Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > You’re right. I took your comment to mean that he would have lost if Man City won the game. :smack: > > I’ll leave the gambling to the pros. And so will I with jokes regarding soiling one’s underpants. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677.md?page=118) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677.md?page=120)