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Reference.org
Shell game
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<p>The shell game (also known as thimblerig, three shells and a pea, the old army game) is a public <a href="/facts/Gambling/Hgw4a9DH">gambling</a> game that challenges players to follow the movement of a marker hidden under one of several covers (shells). In practice, the game is almost always run as a <a href="/facts/Confidence_trick/1XNPz6wR">confidence trick</a> that uses <a href="/facts/Sleight_of_hand/K1UlJDvg">sleight of hand</a> to transfer the marker between covers. In confidence trick slang, this swindle is referred to as a <i>short-con</i> because it is quick and easy to pull off. The shell game is related to the <a href="/facts/Cups_and_balls/HRdn5vzg">cups and balls</a> conjuring trick, which is performed purely for entertainment purposes without any purported gambling element. </p>