A glimpse into the world of sports handicappers. Pacino vehicle, good cast

Rating: 6/10 (10 October 2005)

The acting was good, the cast was good, but I don't think that world really exists. I mean, there are touts who sell picks for the season and touts who sell games, but do they care whether their picks win? They have their money. They don't sell their picks; they sell their ability to make picks. With most of them, they lie about their percentage anyway. The real gamblers tell you if you're hitting 60%, your doing as well as anyone can. I don't think any tout would go "12 to 2" like in the movie; they select two or three key games. No one can hit a good percentage if he chooses every game. The Armand Assante character is good in theory, but whales like to control the action--baccarat, roulette, blackjack--even if they lose. Sports betting is too much about winning. And where to you place a bet of a million a side? Who's going to take that action? The top casinos in Las Vegas might take a $55,000 side. I would have liked to have seen a movie about Las Vegas and sports bettors--the guys who bet their own money, go from casino to casino to make sure they have enough down, who can go from a hundred bucks to a hundred grand and back in a week or two.amber3056@netzero.com