But isn't that assuming that the short is almost i

But isn't that assuming that the short is almost immediately buying back -- covering on the drop caused by the short? I'm sure that's true for many of the real pros, but I'll bet a lot of bashers are hoping for a sizeable, extended drop. And if they're invested other places they might not have cash to cover immediately.

Still say the max a short can gain on a short "investment" is 100%, while a long can gain thousands of percent.