So you finally made it to Paris now that the pandemic is waning, and you are in a vacation mood. Regretfully, this makes it very easy for hustlers to take advantage of you. One of the common tourist scams is the cups and ball “trick”. I will teach you how to beat that so-called shell game.
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Table of contents
Intro to the shell game in Paris
Are you planning for “revenge travel” to Paris? Or another big city? Likewise, hustlers are preparing how to release you from your money. Find out how to their shell game!
What Scam?
Before the pandemic, we were on vacation in Paris and in a happy vacation mood. The sun was shining, the birds singing and we were walking to the Eiffel tower. On our way, we noticed a group of people around a hustler hiding a ball under three cups. The guy then challenged the public to guess which cup had the ball.
To me, it clearly was easy to play and win. Tom told me that he had tried betting on this in New York City once, and lost $10. I laughed at him and his follies and continued to watch the game. So easy! Why didn’t these people get it right?!
I admired the skill of the hustler. He would draw people in, and quickly change cups when they weren’t watching, subsequently pocketing their money. There were a lot of people watching and inevitably some were drawn in.
As was I. He singled me out and was like “You there! Where is the ball?” “I will double your money!” Dollar signs were flashing in front of my eyes. Eagerly and confidently stepping up to him I said “I would love to play but I only have 30 Euros.” “Hey, no problem, ma’am, what about your husband?” Tom showed a 20 dollar bill which was happily accepted by our friend the hustler. The scene was set.
This particular scam is commonly known as the shell game, and has been derived from the cups (or shells or walnuts) and balls magic trick. The hustler has a piece of carpeting or cardboard and three upside down cups (or other containers) and one ball.
Spewing a seemingly endless stream of commentary and offering to double your money if you can point to cup hiding the ball. When you first start watching it, it seems obvious how to beat this shell game.
But beware!
You Can NOT Beat the Shell Game!
The scammer is good at what he does, pulling in people. You will see some people lose, but that is only because they stupidly chose the wrong cup. As a bystander, your friendly neighborhood hustler will convince you that you could do so much better than those “losers”. Spectators always see more than the players do.
After I lost 50 Euros to that Paris hustler (hurting my self esteem even more than my wallet!) I did what any self respecting person would do. I asked my friend Google about the shell game experience. Google quickly reassured me that it is almost impossible to win the shell game.
The con artist will portray the game as a gamble, a game of skill, a straightforward win, but in reality it is a confidence trick, used to make good money. So the quick and easy answer on how to avoid this scam is “Don’t play!” It is not possible to beat the shell game. That is why it is so popular with the average trickster, they make a lot of money.
They Cannot Trick Me! I See Exactly What is Happening!
Overconfidence for the win! Seeing the “winners” walk away with one hundred Euros assured me that of course I could do that. My degree in Computer Science proves that I am smart! I know everything!
That is why the shell game is a so-called confidence trick. Human nature makes us consider ourselves better than average. The combination of our greed (Money, money, money!) and our vanity does make us obvious targets for the crook. Here are a few of the strategies they might be employing to gain your trust.
Tourist Scam Strategies Used in the Shell Game
- Having “shills” or helpers to pretend to be playing and winning. When you see “random” people winning, this will boost your confidence that you could do it too.
- Letting some players win, randomly, so that you know it is possible. Seeing the shark hand over money to “winners” makes you start dreaming. “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one”. They play upon the optimistic nature of their spectators.
- Using sleight of hand (I told you they are talented) to disappear the ball from all three containers, so whichever you choose won’t have the ball. Yet another way they make it impossible to beat that easy-looking shell game.
The Long History of the Shell Game
Unsurprisingly, this game has been around for a long time. It seems that in any given period of time, there were people willing to bet on an simple win. Or at least on what they expected to be an obvious win. As well as people who were good at convincing other people to part with their money in exchange for, well, nothing.
Gaming from Ancient History till Modern Days
According to the Encyclopaedia Brittanica, both the Greeks and the Romans played this game. In Great Britain, the game is called thimblerig and was played with three thimbles and a pea or button. It first showed up in the early 1800s, from thimble + rig (obsolete for a trick, scheme).
The game is illegal almost everywhere, but it also is a simple enough game to pack up and disappear. Usually a group of people is involved and some of the members will be posted as look-out to warn everyone when the police shows up.
How to Beat the Shell Game
This game is a popular tourist scam not only in Paris, but also in New York City, Barcelona, Amsterdam, London and even Las Vegas. So how do you beat the shell game?
The ONE way to Beat this Tourist Scam
Do NOT fall for the shell game, do NOT try to beat it, and do NOT show your money. I repeat, do not play! Even when you think you can win easily. Especially not when you think you can win. Remember, it is a confidence trick. And the trickster is better at it that you are.
The internet is full of stories by people, self-declared smart people, taken by this tourist scam. Do not become one of them. Instead spend your money on a good dinner at the Bistrotters. Or hang out at Hemingway’s favorite haunt: La Closerie des Lilas.
Did you Fall for It?
Have you fallen for the shell game or other tourist scams in Paris or other tourist destinations? Share your story in the comments so we can learn from it.
Paris Fun Things To Do instead of Losing Money
- Paris on a Budget;
- Explore Paris;
- Visit Monet for Free;
- Hang out with the Lost Generation at La Closerie des Lilas;
- Explore the Montparnasse neighborhood in Paris;
- Find out about affordable Michelin restaurants in Paris: Bib Gourmand;
- Find out geeky Van Gogh facts and then seek out some of his paintings in Paris;
- Stay in Paris for free using your Hilton Honors points;
- Or use a free Hilton weekend certificate.
Pin How To Beat The Shell Game
Share the secret of beating the shell game with your friends! Protect them from losing their money in this embarrassing way.
Comments
19 responses to “How to Beat the Shell Game in Paris (Tourist Scam)”
Olá, tudo bem?
Obrigada por compartilhar sobre Paris, eu eeu noivo estamos planejando ir.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
I’ve watched the game from afar but never participated. I don’t like to be sucked into things I know I’m not good at, haha. Thanks for the advice. I’ll keep watching from a distance!
You are clearly a smarter person than I am 🙂 Or a realist instead of an optimist. The thing is, I “knew” I am good at math, so I was easily convinced to try it. You know the “it seemed like a good idea at the time” . Oh well, it was fun to research and write about afterwards. It makes me feel better that I am not the only sucker. And it makes me feel really good that I can educate other people about this and hopefully save their money.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
I think the post is really clever. I’ve never read one on this topic before. Thanks for spreading the knowledge!
Interesting, good to know!
I still find myself thinking “I could beat them!” but after my research I know I can’t ^^ The shell game is evil 🙂
Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
Very thorough details about this so called game!
Thanks! I am still annoyed at myself for being sucked into it, but happy I can prevent others from becoming a victim of the shell game crooks 🙂
Thank you for your advice. I was by the Eiffel Tower today and saw a lot of shell games. Every group I walked by had about 6-10 people. Some lost and some won. So I decided to stop and observe one group, they targeted me trying to give me 200 Euros and asked me to show them 100 euros. I walked away. I knew it was a scam but couldn’t believe they work together in such a big group. I’m surprised the police don’t intervene and protect tourists
Very welcome! I am glad you were able to walk away without being sucked in, I wasn’t so smart 🙂
Yes, when I started reading about it, I found out that there are way more people involved than I ever realized. The way they portray themselves is this one guy trying to make some money with “magic”. In reality it is a big group of people scamming as much money from tourists as they can.
I am pretty sure it is illegal in Paris and most anywhere, but it is hard to catch them in the act. Usually they have some people farther away who look out for police and they will signal and the “players” will quickly pack up and disappear.
Just want to share my experience. My friend got taken for €100 today with this! I’d never heard of it before. As he handed the money over I said “Dude, you’re getting scammed” and he said “Yeah, probably” yet still handed over the cash, blinded by the possibility of some quick money. It was amazing how sophisticated these people were. Here’s what happened:
We saw the group huddled around the scammer. All were laughing, cheering and having a great time. Imagine the stereotypical Vegas craps table when Nick Papageorgeio is on a roll. People were throwing money in left and right, guessing which cup the ball was under, and winning crazy amounts of money. Everytime someone guessed correctly, huge cheers, pats on the back, the whole nine yards. Queue my poor friend.
The scammers even went the exta mile and had someone guess wrong first (it’s my opinion even this guy was in on it). So now there’s 2 cups, and one of them has the ball under it. That’s a 50/50 chance where I come from. Not only that, but it’s extremely obvious that it’s in the left cup! Nope. Lost €100. Just like that. Everyone was in on the scam. All 10 people who were gathered around, the winners, the lookout, everyone. They even went as far as to have someone posing as an American, complete with American currency. When I asked where he was from (at this point I was wise to the scam) he said in a French accent “New York”. When I said, “oh I’m from New York (lie, I’m Canadian) where abouts?” He could not answer the question. Like I said, the sophistication was incredible. Don’t get got by this scam. The OP is right. The only way to win is to move along. Don’t get screwed by these guys!!
Wow, Julian, thanks for sharing your experience! It sounds like your friend was like me, sucked in by the scammer and inevitably losing all his money. 100 Euro is a LOT! Hope his an my experience will save other people from falling for this scam.
And yes, we also saw the “only 2 cups left so 50% chance to win 100 Euros!” approach. I can only say that these scammers are really good at what they do and that human nature leads us to believe we can beat them. As you said: Don’t get screwed by these guys!!!
[…] sure you know how to beat the shell game. There is no scarcity of scammers in […]
This is a great post for anyone wanting to travel to Paris. Although a pretty city, not much is being written about being scammed right on the streets. I had a street vendor force me to buy souvenirs and when I said, “I didn’t have money”, he followed me on the way back to our bus, where I saw our tour guide standing. If the tour guide wasn’t there, who knows what could have happened? I’d never been so scared in my life, let alone in a foreign country.
Yeah, Paris has its share of scammers! That street vendor sounds scary, glad you were able to reach your tour guide before things deteriorated!
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experience, it will hopefully help other people to avoid these crooks!
[…] tourist scam warning: How To Beat the Shell Game […]
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