Effect: Play a game with your friend that you can always win
Secret: This is a game called "Nim," and it's a con-man favorite. There's a million variations (we'll learn more later), but here's a super-simple starting one:
Lay down 17 pennies, matches or any other tokens. Explain to your friend that you'd like to play a game where each of you take turns removing 1, 2, or 3 pennies from the pile. The object is to NOT take the last penny.
To win, all you need to do is make sure your friend goes first and watch how many pennies he takes. If he takes 1, you take 3. If he takes 2, you take 2. If he takes 3, you take 1. In other words, for you to win, the total pennies taken each round should be 4.
As long as you follow this rule, you can't lose!
Note: If you want to get maximum enjoyment out of this trick, make sure that when you teach the rules to your friend, you lose the first few games, just to get his confidence up. Later, once he feels comfortable with the game, you can start betting lunches, drinks, or anything else!
BONUS: Sooner or later, your mark will get suspicious, and ask YOU to go first... no problem! Just keep one extra token palmed in your hand the whole time you play. Whenever you go first, reach in and grab a token while you release the one in your palm. Now you've gone first, yet the total count is still 17 tokens (and now it's their turn).
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Posted by rabidbadger on 06/29/2008 at 01:17:50 pm in Scam School
"
OK, this is driving me nuts, (I should take the steering wheel out of my pants :D)
sure, the north pole is the obvious one, but Masher is insinuating there are more than one. can't be the south pole, cause you can't walk south...
Is time involved? maybe anywhere on the equator? Or just anywhere? walk a mile south. hover in place for 6 months. walk west, hover 6 months, walk a north, and the earths rotation has caught up with you. Ugh. that's just stupid.
Is the North pole different from true north? Magnetic north? Is that the second spot?
OK masher. sneak me the answer in PM or chat, damn you.
;)
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Posted by Johnosullivan on 06/05/2008 at 04:07:30 am in Scam School
"I was off-duty.
I also have a collection of brain teasers that people usually get wrong and a game involving connecting the dots in a lattice.
Question: How many points on the surface of the earth can you walk a mile south, a mile west and a mile north and end up at the same spot you started. The obvious , but wrong, answer is one, and after a beer or two, a person will often wager a drink that answer is correct."
So what is the answer? I heard a variation of this before, but cant remember the answer!!! (Unless its the North Pole?)
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Posted by Proof on 06/04/2008 at 06:22:52 pm in Scam School
"Wait... wouldn't that only work if during the 2nd game he just happened to respond each move exactly as you did in the 1st game?
The way I heard the hustle was to play 8 games simultaneously against 8 players, and win or draw at least half of them. Then the con man's just playing postman, ferrying the moves from side A to Side B and vice versa.
Maybe that would be a good SS episode... Brian plays chess against the entire staff of Rev3..."
Someone did that on the Discovery Channel once, requires a lot of memorization, but a really neat thing to watch.
Back to topic at hand, first time I tried nim I got caught. Granted my friend was sober, but he asked how many matches I was starting with one game, and noticed the 18th match the second game. Luckily there was no wager on the line.
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Posted by xibalba on 05/15/2008 at 11:33:40 am in Scam School
If you think about it too much you start to get confused. I believe I understand it.
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Posted by masherscf on 05/15/2008 at 10:47:04 am in Scam School
But if the person reacts to Game #2 differently than you react to Game #1, couldn't that make replicating his moves from Game #1 impossible?
Game #1 Player is White, you are black.
Game #2 You are White, player is black.
Game #1 Player moves white piece.
Game #2 You move white piece as player moved in game 1
Game #2 Player moves black piece to respond.
Game #1 You move black piece as player moves in game 2
Seems like people would answer randomly seeing as they are drunk.
0,1,and 2 be choosen the most though.
The correct answer isn't finite. Unless the drunkard makes the logical leap that includes infinite possibilities, any answer he gives is wrong.
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Posted by speed on 05/15/2008 at 10:00:28 am in Scam School
"The idea is you play the 2 games simultaneously. He plays white in game#1 and black in Game #2, you always replicate his move.
Do you have a email to accept submissions? I have a numbers based trick that not only has netted me a few free beers, it actually inspired my career."
But if the person reacts to Game #2 differently than you react to Game #1, couldn't that make replicating his moves from Game #1 impossible?
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Posted by shwooddotcom on 05/15/2008 at 09:40:10 am in Scam School
"
"scam
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): scammed; scam·ming
"
I see where both you guys are coming from. Of course, the very word "scam" does mean to cheat, and we'll certainly have a lot of episodes where we do just that.
But if you're pulling a fast one at the bar (and actually want to enjoy the free drink), then the prof's right: a good bar bet should be like a good riddle... all the elements should be right there in front of your face, so as soon as you lose, you should have this total "I shoulda seen that coming!" moment.
There's a lot of different material we're teaching in scam school: some are bar bets, some are magic tricks, and some straight-up street cons. Nim's in the latter category, but don't worry, we've got PLENTY more bar-bets coming.
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Posted by xibalba on 05/15/2008 at 07:36:04 am in Scam School
scam
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): scammed; scam·ming
1 : deceive, defraud
2 : to obtain (as money) by a scam.
scam
Pronunciation: \ˈskam\
Function: noun
: a fraudulent or deceptive act or operation
cheat
Pronunciation: \ˈchēt\
Function: verb
transitive verb
1: to deprive of something valuable by the use of deceit or fraud
2: to influence or lead by deceit, trick, or artifice
3: to elude or thwart by or as if by outwitting
intransitive verb
1 a: to practice fraud or trickery b: to violate rules dishonestly
2: to be sexually unfaithful —usually used with on
3: to position oneself defensively near a particular area in anticipation of a play in that area
cheat
Function: noun
1: the act or an instance of fraudulently deceiving : deception,
fraud
2: one that cheats : pretender, deceiver
Sounds pretty close to the same thing...
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Posted by bigshotprof on 05/15/2008 at 05:00:40 am in Scam School
"The point of a scam is to cheat someone somehow is it not?
Not really a scam if you can lose some how..."
I politely disagree. The great scam is the one where after you've been had you realize you should have seen it coming--like the race or the one Harry Anderson used to do where he would put his hat over the shot and pretend to drink it through the bottom of the bar. With the exception of the match trick, this is the only one yet on scam school that actually cheats the chump.
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Posted by xibalba on 05/14/2008 at 08:31:57 pm in Scam School
Seems like people would answer randomly seeing as they are drunk.
0,1,and 2 be choosen the most though.
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