Three Card Monte

Daniel Roy2 minutes read

Three-card Monte is a classic con game where players must follow the "money card" among three playing cards to win, with famous hustlers like Canada Bill Jones and George Devol using various tactics to deceive their victims. The game has evolved to use one red queen and two black cards in the modern street version, making it harder for players to track the money card due to quick card-switching techniques.

Insights

  • Three-card Monte originated as a deceptive game with three playing cards, where players must identify the "money card" among them, a concept exploited by hustlers like Canada Bill Jones and George Devol.
  • The evolution of the game simplified the cards used to one red queen and two black cards, with modern street operators employing swift card switches to increase the difficulty level and deceive players effectively.

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Recent questions

  • What is Three-card Monte?

    A classic con game involving playing cards.

  • Who was Canada Bill Jones?

    A renowned hustler during the American Civil War.

  • How did George Devol deceive a man on a train?

    Won his money, tricked him into losing more, and forced him off at gunpoint.

  • How has the traditional three-card Monte game evolved?

    Now uses one red queen and two black cards for simplicity.

  • What is the strategy in the modern street version of three-card Monte?

    Operators swiftly switch the money card with a black card to deceive players.

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Summary

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Deceptive Three-Card Monte: A Classic Con

  • Three-card Monte is a classic con game involving three playing cards, where the goal is to track the "money card" among them to win.
  • Canada Bill Jones, a renowned hustler during the American Civil War, used two Queen of Hearts cards and a three of spades as the money card in his games.
  • George Devol, another skilled hustler, once won a man's money on a train, then tricked him into losing more and forced him off the train at gunpoint.
  • The traditional three-card Monte game has evolved to use one red queen and two black cards to simplify the gameplay.
  • In the modern street version of the game, operators deceive players by swiftly switching the money card with one of the black cards, making it challenging to track.
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