In Reply to: Mobbed & Robbed? posted by Daniel on Thursday, 18. August 2005 at 01:05 Bali Time:
I see that the tone of my last post could easily be misunderstood. So, just let me simply say that there is ABSOLUTELY no danger in attending a cockfight event in Bali, and be mobbed and robbed. The only danger is when one of the cock runs away from the fight and into the crowd (if there are no barriers to delineate the fighting area), because the blade on its leg is as sharp as a fine razor blade. Usually one of the men involved will promptly catch it, as this is dangerous.
The betting is, like eveything Balinese, very complicated. So, if you want to bet, just bet "even bet" (double your money if you win)with someone next to you in the audience. You can also make an "even bet" with the "master" of the cockfight (He is in the arena with the cocks), solliciting bets from the audience. However, in this case, one does not bet small amount, more like Rp100,000 or more: that's for a very small fight. In large ones, the "Pot" is many Rpmillions.
Whne the betting starts, the atmosphere in a large fight reminds one of being in the "pit" at the Chicago Future Exchange
Trying to bet with odds, like most Balinese in the audience do, is almost impossible to handle properly, and you do not want to make a fool out of yourself. So, just bet "even," that's lots of fun. Just keep an eye on the man with whom you bet. I have found, with few exceptions, that if you win you'll be paid. The few exceptions were when the guys tried to quitely walk away from me, but I always got paid. If you win, especially in a small gathering, in a small village, the locals will certainly be quite impress, almost as if you had run the 100 meter dash under 10 seconds!