Shell Game

The Shell Game (Thimblerig in Britain) is a con game with roots in ancient Greece. A dealer places a pea under one of three walnut shells, shuffles them rapidly and invites onlookers to bet on which shell hides the pea. In legitimate play it is a genuine game of observation; in its predominant real-world form it is a swindle — the dealer palms the pea, and confederate 'shills' plant the wager to draw marks in. A cautionary staple of street-magic and confidence-trick history.