Haven't read the books myself but I've heard quite a bit about how the TV show actually does a pretty poor job of portraying him properly and has essentially created a bit of a Mary-Sue. In other words -- most TV show exclusive followers will favour him naturally, but that's apparently somewhat in conflict with the flaws his character is meant to have. I like Mance Rayder myself.
He's uglier in the books but so far from what I've read (on book 2 now) he's at least as awesome as the TV show.
No way. You'd actually be paying around 3-1, I suspect, but I figure wagering less than one beer is a bit cheap.