The Art of the Con

by R. Paul Wilson

  Another way to switch cards is a more blatant method that somehow fools the eye and is used in other versions of monte with rubber or leather discs. In this method, a losing card is held in the hand and the winner picked up under that card, then immediately flipped forward, revolving face up onto the table. This can be performed fairly or used to switch the lower card for the one already in the hand by releasing the uppermost card in the flipping action and retaining the card that was just picked up. Both versions can look identical but only fool people when done quickly and in rhythm with the game.

  The Shell Game

  The three-shell game works in a similar manner to the monte, allowing the mob complete control over the location of a pea or small ball that’s being followed by the crowd. Using a sponge or rubber peas combined with soft surfaces like pieces of carpet or rubber-backed pads, the operator is able to steal these with an imperceptible sleight as the shells are being moved around. So clean is this move that magicians often cover a shell (that has the pea underneath) with a glass and can still steal the pea right under the noses of an eagle-eyed audience.

  Bottle caps and matchbox drawers are just as effective, but the latter allows for a powerful “accidental peek” where the near end of the box is tapped so the end nearest the crowd lifts up, permitting them to see the ball underneath, which is then immediately stolen out! With traditional shells or bottle caps, the operator may let the crowd see the ball roll from one cap to another, where it is quickly—and invisibly—moved to the third shell. I’ve seen illogical versions where a shell is clearly shown empty to concentrate the sucker on the remaining two, but the pea ends in the previously empty shell, just like a magic trick. Incredibly, this still gets the money and that’s all that matters on the street.

  Clearly, if the cards or the pea can be switched before, during, or after they are mixed on the table, it’s impossible to win. Remember this when you see a street game; the purpose of these scams is to make people not only think they can beat the game but that they have an advantage over the operator. To this end, the mob works together to create a trap that sinks their mark every time. In essence, these scams all convince the victim that they can’t lose, and while some suckers will jump in without thinking, most people need a good push in the form of the build-up.

  The Build-Up

  There are two key forms of build-up used to manipulate the mark; these can either be applied directly, as with the Russian girl who openly talks the mark into betting it all, or subtly, by stalling the mark until he is convinced he can beat the game and eager to do so. The former builds excitement while the latter frustrates the victim as he tries to make a bet but is held off until he reaches for his entire bankroll. In both cases, the sequence of events is similar.

  In London, modern street game teams are often Eastern-European families, and it’s comically easy to spot the shills in the crowd since everyone looks similar and closely related. The shills are an important element in a monte mob, and I often look to them to determine how experienced or effective the mob might be. Some operators travel and hire local characters to fill in the crowd, giving them basic instructions and limited responsibilities. I see this from time to time when the operator is trying to do too much and is sometimes openly shouting instructions to his rookie crew members as he tries to fleece his marks. With more experienced mobs, the shills work more efficiently and follow the game operator’s lead almost instinctively.

  It is well known that shills in a crowd are there to bet and win money as part of the show, but they are most effective when they are used to hold off a potential sucker until he’s ready to pop. It’s a simple procedure: the shills start losing! As the crowd watches, members of the mob begin throwing bets toward the wrong cards or shells or matchboxes. The people around them can follow the winner easily, but instead of questioning why the shills are losing, the most common response is to believe that they are somehow much better at this than the losers. The natural conclusion is that if they were to bet, they’d win.

  Eventually, this begins to pay off as outside money is brought into the game. In some cases the operator takes these bets and either switches or steals out the winner, or sees that real money is coming in; he then hypes, steals, or switches during the mixing procedure before taking bets. Either way, if real money lands on the winner, it can easily be replaced with a loser to steal that cash. But there’s a more powerful strategy that keeps the mark playing and encourages him to throw down more money: the over bet. Here, a mark, or even several, might bet on the winner, but a shill, holding out a larger amount, bets on one of the losers. The operator claims he has to take the bigger bet and rejects the marks’ money while showing that the shill has lost. The marks then see that they would have won, and if they stay in the game, chances are good that they’ll pull out more money, especially when they fall for the big steal.

  The Big Steal

  The big steal is where the mark is convinced that he can’t lose, and there are always new ways to manipulate people into thinking they’re on top of the game. It’s not necessarily a subtle ploy, but it is devastatingly effective if the mark is ready to throw down. The bent corner, for example, is the most powerful, and least subtle, part of the monte scam. Just as I saw on the street outside Caesar’s Palace, this clever ploy makes suckers out of almost anyone once they are emotionally committed to the game. Eager to bet and sure they have the upper hand, all a good mark needs is a push to make the big bet and the bent corner almost always gets their money.

  It works like this: The mob orchestrates a reason for the operator to turn away or pick something up, and when this happens, one of the shills reaches for the winning card and openly bends one corner for all to see. The operator returns to the game, seemingly unaware that his money card has been marked. The cards are shown and mixed, exactly as before, except the winner is now obvious; the marks see their chance and make their move. The bent card, however, is no longer the winner because, during the mixing procedure, the operator is able to bend another card, switch it for the winner, and then remove the original bent corner. This can be done so quickly and deceptively that magicians regularly employ this move at the conclusion of their monte demonstration. Ricky Jay has used it to devastating effect on talk shows by employing friends and fellow guests as shills to bend the corner to the delight of the audience. Even under the unblinking eye of the television camera, the bent corner switch is invisible.

  In the three-shell game, the tip-up of matchbox drawers has a similar effect. I’ve also seen operators encourage victims to place their foot on the shell they think holds the pea. A flash of the pea convinces the mark he has the right one and placing his foot (or hand) on it convinces him that it can’t be switched out. The operator then acts as if he thought the mark wanted a different shell and plays out a scene where he’s trying to call off the bet, further convincing the mark that he’s made the right choice. In Stockholm, this strategy was even stronger thanks to the pretty girl pushing the mark to “go for it.”

  The lipstick swindle is a relatively novel twist that we employed on The Real Hustle. It combined the Swedish strategy of using a pretty girl to lead the mark and a simple idea for marking the wrong card. We played it in a crowded bar, near the windows so our camera crew could see everything. Jess was chatting to our potential victims as I approached. After a few minutes of chat and couple of card tricks, I offered to play a game for money. Alex stepped in to serve as my shill while Jess proved to the marks that she could always pick out the winning card, and while she whispered poison into their ears, Alex would pick the wrong cards and lose.

  Once the marks were convinced, Jess held up a finger, and as I dealt with Alex, she openly drew her finger across her painted lips, transferring red lipstick to her fingertip. She then used this to mark the middle face down card on the table. When I threw all three cards face up, the middle card was indeed the winner, but I had secretly switched the cards as I turned them over. Jess had marked a loser, but I had switc
hed the winner into the same position as the cards were turned face up. This convinced everyone that Jess had successfully marked the money card.

  I repeated the switch as I turned everything face down, mixed the cards, and called for bets. Sure enough, the mark came over the top with all the money he had and was shocked when he lost. When he complained, I noticed the marked card and turned the tables on him, calling him a cheat! This gave me the chance to walk away and let Jess cool them out. Jess was quick to follow us when the sucker threatened her, proving that, pretty girl or not, when someone loses, it’s best to get the hell out of there.

  Another strategy is to have a shill act as a big bettor in the final round of play, with the operator concentrating his attention on his secret assistant. In this example, the “hype” is used to switch the winning card or rubber disc so that the crowd thinks it’s in the center when it is actually on their left. The shill steps in and asks how much he can bet on the rightmost option, which everyone knows is a loser, and the operator agrees to take all comers. Just like the bent corner scam, the operator drops something and turns to retrieve it as the shill switches the right option for the one in the middle, where the crowd mistakenly believes the real winner was all along. This is a powerful strategy because it causes the onlookers to believe that the operator is the victim of the shill and, most important, that they can capitalize on the situation and join the bet. For people who have already lost a few times, this is a powerful motivator to win back their losses and many people jump at the chance.

  Naturally, they all lose, the winner is shown on the left, and the game suddenly breaks down or the crowd is allowed to walk. From time to time, an honest voice in the crowd will warn the operator of the apparent attempt to cheat him but this is easily ignored; I’ve heard that on one occasion, an eager mark punched someone out for doing this!

  A clever variation on this approach is the newspaper feint, where the winner ends in the middle of the row of three but the onlookers are convinced that it’s on the left or right. Here the newspaper on which the game is being played (on top of boxes or a small table) is spun 180 degrees, apparently sending the winner to the other end of the row. This is played as a secret move that the crowd “catches.” My friend Lee Asher once saw a monte player pick up the newspaper as a tray and return it after turning it slowly. In both examples, the onlookers believe they have seen something they weren’t supposed to see when the opposite is true; since the winner had already been secretly switched to the middle, it never actually moves. Clearly, the purpose of the feint is to make the crowd believe that they have caught out the operator, which motivates them to jump at their chance to beat him.

  These moves, sleights, and strategies are designed to manipulate people, and it is a common mistake to focus on how they manipulate the objects in play. It is fascinating that cards, shells, boxes, or discs can be switched or that tiny balls can vanish or appear at will, but knowledge of exactly how this is done won’t help you if you make the critical error of getting involved in the first place. Monte mobs are prepared for people who know their techniques, and it’s an easy matter to use other, lesser-known methods, or, simpler yet, to just throw or mix the objects honestly while pretending to cheat! With the bent corner, all the operator has to do is leave the bend in place and not switch it at all, while a shill pretends to fall for the original ploy so that a know-it-all mark can jump in and bet on another card, certain that he has the upper hand. If I were to do this, I’d even flash one of the unbent cards so that the mark is convinced that the other unbent card is the winner. A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing and these gangs are nobody’s fool. They can spot a wised-up mark from fifty feet and have no problem letting him play.

  In the end, it’s all about building the victim’s confidence and creating an irresistible opportunity. Just like all con games, it’s more about what’s happening inside the mark’s head, knowing how people react to engineered scenarios, and taking advantage of human nature.

  LIFE IS SHORT

  Do another one!” demanded the bartender as the applause faded.

  I put my cards away and shook my head, smiling as the crowd joined in. I had been performing for about ten minutes—small miracles and “betchas” for an audience that had grown considerably in that time. I had successfully won a few drinks and performed the seemingly impossible. Nearby, the owner of the bar watched with interest but kept his distance as I agreed to one last trick.

  “What’s the biggest bill you have in the cash register?” I asked.

  The bartender turned, opened the register, and pulled out a one-hundred-dollar bill.

  “Okay, that’ll work,” I said, removing a pen from my pocket. “Here’s the bet. You sign this bill—any way you like—and I will wrap it up in this paper napkin. Then, I’m going to make it vanish and reappear—with your signature—inside the register!”

  Everyone looked at the cash register behind the bar, behind the bartender, and against the back wall. It seemed impossible for me to gain access without being seen, but I continued, “If I can do it, I keep the hundred. If not, I give you another hundred-dollar bill. Fair?”

  It took a few minutes for him to agree. He verified all of the conditions several times until, egged on by the crowd, he finally conceded to the bet. Using my pen, he signed the bill and watched carefully as I folded it, taking great care not to do anything suspicious. I then placed it under the napkin and pinched the top to hold it in place. No one blinked as I did this; they were all eager to catch me out if I made a single false move. To verify that the hundred-dollar bill was inside, I let the barman reach under the napkin and feel it. A few other people did the same until everyone was certain of where the signed bill really was.

  With a dozen pairs of eyes watching closely, I folded and rolled the napkin into a tight ball, then set fire to it! The bartender panicked but I assured him that it was all part of the act and that there was nothing to worry about. I took another hundred from my pocket and slid it under a glass to reassure him. Meanwhile, everyone continued to watch as the napkin burned and slowly turned to ash.

  When the flames died, I reached into the ashes and rubbed them between my fingers before looking up at the bartender, saying “It’s gone!” Everyone laughed, but I wasn’t kidding. I looked the bartender in the eye and told him that the signed bill was now inside the cash register.

  Turning, he slowly walked to the machine, perhaps expecting me to try something at the last moment. He knew that there was no way the signed c-note could be inside, but he’d already seen me perform miracles with pocket change and was clearly nervous. His hand trembling, he hit a button and the drawer popped out to reveal the signed hundred-dollar bill in its original compartment. Shocked, he showed the bill to the crowd. Everyone checked the signature, utterly baffled. I quickly reminded him of the bet and he grudgingly handed over the money.

  As I left I reminded the audience to tip my victim generously before walking over to my friend, the owner, who was laughing his ass off. Seeing this, the bartender realized he’d been set up; but he still had no idea how the trick was done or how much I had actually stolen from the register.

  The term “short con” refers to a confidence trick played for fast money—whatever the mark has in his wallet or can obtain quickly. They are usually hit-and-run ruses that target all walks of life, from small businesses and stores to unwary tourists. Simple scams such as short-changing, dine and dash, or thefts by distraction can be regarded as short cons. Some swindles can be more complex, as in the magic bar bet I just described. Most of the time, they happen quickly, often in a single interaction designed to trick people into giving and losing their money or possessions.

  Short cons tend to rely on predictable behavior, where a grifter simply takes advantage of a situation in order to steal from his or her victim. The hook or the line might be small or even nonexistent as these scams are all about getting the money quickly. Once caught in the middle of a short con, the mark can only
escape by breaking social conventions and walking away or by confronting the hustlers directly. But short con artists are not easily dissuaded. Once they have someone in their sights, they will keep going after the money, trying any tactic to bring down their mark.

  Like hyenas, they can be relentless. One of the clearest illustrations of this was a piece of video footage I saw several years ago from an airport parking lot. A couple had arrived with several suitcases and were carefully protecting their bags in the waiting area when a group of distraction thieves approached them. The gang attempted several tactics to get the couple to take their hands and eyes off of their luggage . They asked for directions, they dropped change, and offered to help carry the bags. Each time, the couple politely refused but the thieves were relentless, continually circling their targets, looking for an opportunity. The couple did a great job of protecting their property—until their friend arrived to pick them up. The man and woman both embraced their driver and, in that instant, the gang simply grabbed the bags and ran. I wouldn’t call these thieves con artists, but it clearly shows how determined and shameless a criminal can be when they think something is worth taking.

  There can be a cleverness to more sophisticated distraction scams. On The Real Hustle, we had Jess enter a cafe with a bag from a nearby clothing store. She placed the bag on a chair and asked a businessman who was sitting nearby if he would mind watching it while she went to the bathroom. Who could say no to Jess? Nearby, I watched the mark follow Jess with his eyes, and when the moment was right, I walked by, picked up Jess’s bag, and pretended to go after another woman who was leaving the cafe. Supposedly, I thought the bag had been left behind by the woman who was leaving, and as I chased her outside, the mark followed quickly and took the bag from me. I apologized, explained my mistake, and walked away as the mark returned to find that while he had been chasing after me, Alex had stolen his jacket and briefcase.