[Toddsterpatriot]

I loved the gripe against Goldman, "They sold these crappy investments to clients and then bet against them"!

Ummmmm.....they were synthetic CDOs. When you sell one to a "client", of course you're betting against them. You're the other side of the trade.

It's like calling your bookie and placing a $10 bet on the Cubs and then whining after the Reds win and saying, I didn't know he'd be cheering for the Reds. Doofus, that's what bookies do, take the other side of the trade.

[HereInTheHeartland]

Don't confuse us with facts. The “big banks” are just plain evil. They cast mind control spells over consumers and steal their money.

[DuncanWaring]

It's like calling your bookie and placing a $10 bet on the Cubs ...

Except that in this case, when the bookie took the bet on the Cubs, he knew that the entire team had gastroenteritis and wouldn't even make it to the dugout, much less play the game.

[Lancey Howard]

Doofus, that's what bookies do, take the other side of the trade.

???

Umm... No they don't.
Bookies couldn't care less who wins and loses. That's why they spend a fortune coming up with a "line" that attempts to even out the bets on both sides. That's also why "the line" moves when the betting gets too heavy on one side.

Bookies make their money on the "vig". It's their commission for handling the bets.