How do big city shell games and three card monte games work?
These games have actually been around in some form for hundreds of years, but they still rope people in today. Both games are based on the same basic idea: Keep your eye on the target, while the dealer — called the tosser in this sort of game — mixes it up with two duplicates. In three card monte, the tosser uses playing cards, typically the red queen and two black cards. The cards are creased down the middle, so they form a shingle shape. The tosser shows the player all three cards, face-up, and then drops them face down on a table. He or she slides the cards around on the table, switching their positions rapidly. The player tries to track the position of the queen as the tosser moves it around. When the tosser stops, the player makes a bet and guesses the position of the queen. In the shell game, the tosser lays three half shells or cups face down on the table and slips a ball or pea underneath one. Then he or she slides the shells around while the player tries to track the shell w
