Secret Maneuvers Of The 3 Shell Game

The School for Scoundrels Presents

The Shell Game Series Volume I

The Maneuvers By Whit Haydn

© 2004, School for Scoundrels/Tricks of the Trade, Inc. All Rights Reserved

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The Maneuvers I came up with the special moves which I have named “maneuvers” back in the late 1960’s. These are moves that enable the performer to fool even the “wise-ones” who have previous knowledge of the shells, or who have been watching for long enough to assess that the pea is extracted on the forward motion of the shells (or “push”) and loaded on the backward motion (or “draw”). I have kept them secret from other performers for many years, and only because of the encouragement of Chef Anton, have I been teaching them to members of the School for Scoundrels class since 1996. I am convinced that these new ideas are both unique and revolutionary. Over the last eight years, Chef Anton has added many significant ideas and subtleties to this research. The “maneuvers” are circular motions which give pleasing and deceptive patterns to each sequence, and can be used in many different combinations in a sequence. At the same time, they are each capable of stealing the pea, loading the pea, or stealing and loading on the same move. This makes it virtually impossible for even the sharpest and most informed observer to follow the pea in its travels. By layering these maneuvers in sequences, great economy of motion, powerful deception, and aesthetic gracefulness are added to the movements of the shells. Any sequence of maneuvers that starts with the shell covering the pea can be used to place the pea under any of the three shells, as well as to hold it out. A further and significant advantage is that the stealing and loading of the pea under the same shell enables the operator to “prove” that the pea actually travels with the shell, and lands in the place that the observant spectator would expect it to be if it were not secretly stolen. The use of maneuvers greatly simplifies and strengthens the use of two peas under two different shells at the same time. With a pea under each of two shells, and one empty shell, the operator can use the Haydn Turnover and the Sheets Acquitment to make the game completely unassailable. I believe that the use of Bob Sheets’ work on the shells with two peas and his Sheets Acquitment and other related subtleties, combined with my Haydn Turnover and the following maneuvers creates an entirely new system for working the shells that is truly revolutionary. The things that can be accomplished with this system are astounding and are just beginning to be explored. The one drawback of the maneuvers, if it can be considered that, is that the movements of the shells requires a bit more working space than earlier methods. This is hardly a problem, however, since the earlier methods can always be used instead of the maneuvers or in conjunction with them as the situation requires. The School for Scoundrels from the outset has attempted to bring the Shell Game into modern times by making the game more convincing, easier to accomplish and to “get away with,” and at the same time more practical for carrying and performing under all performing situations. The design of our shells, peas, and methodology are all directed toward this goal.

3 The advanced and clever additions to the Shell Game that Bob Sheets has developed over the past few years fooled me and Chef Anton just as much as they have so many of the current experts with the shells. When the three of us compare notes every few months, we are startled at the many new uses and possibilities we have discovered to which these combined techniques can be put. We feel that the advantages of our system are numerous and transparent to anyone who has ever worked the shells. That some or perhaps all of these ideas that Bob Sheets, Chef Anton and I have independently created and developed may have been used before by others is almost certain. There is nothing new under the sun. Although we believe we are the first to recognize the importance of these particular concepts and to publish them as presented here, we admit that we have stood on the shoulders of those who have come before—particularly the shoulders of the three most seminal writers on the shells—Jack Chanin, Eddie Joseph, and Tom Osborne. But it is also certain that no one has ever published a total integrated system of shell manipulation such as that which we have attempted here, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. In future writings and video productions, both together and separately, Bob Sheets and the School for Scoundrels intend to reveal more uses for these techniques, new subtleties and dodges, hooks and come-ons, and performance ideas. We also have some very exciting new gimmicks that we will be bringing to market that make the “work” even simpler and more exciting. Among these are the School for Scoundrels “Sharper” pen and Bob’s “Sheets Stack.” It is our firm belief that the study of the shells has taken vast new strides forward with this research, and that much more is to come. We hope that this will help excite other performers about the shells, and that the net result will be an improvement in the presentations of both the shell game and magic generally. There is much of importance for the magician to learn both from his own performance of the shells and the thinking and methods of the street hustler. We believe that the street hustler is a better allaround model for the close-up magician than the card cheat or “mechanic” that has been such a useful model for most of the last century. We hope you enjoy the following descriptions of the “maneuvers” and that you will study them and explore the many possibilities that they open up.

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The Hop

Load

Steal L

M

R

Pea

Fig 1 The “Hop” is the simplest and one of the most versatile and economical of the maneuvers. The pea is under the middle shell, and the right hand pushes the shell forward stealing the pea in the classic pinch position. The shell is brought around the left hand shell and drawn back into line with the other shells, just to the left of the original left shell (Fig 1). As the shell is drawn back into line, the pea can be either loaded or held out—we will suppose it is loaded back under the original center shell. This is the “Hop.” We can continue a sequence by “hopping” the other two shells as follows:

M

L

Pea

Fig 2 Next the right hand shell is hopped to the left of the original middle shell as above in Fig 2.

5 Finally, the original left hand shell is hopped to the left of the other two shells, leaving us in the position shown in Fig 3.

L

R

M

L

Pea

Fig 3 At this point, if the shell on the right hand (original Middle shell) is lifted, the pea is revealed to be exactly where an observant spectator would have expected it to be. This would tend to show that the pea actually does travel with the shell, and stays under the shell it started from. This seemingly simple shuffle of the shells is much more complex than it appears. For if the operator holds the pea out instead of loading it under the first shell when the original hop maneuver is made, it can be loaded under either the new middle shell or the new left hand shell. So the pea in a sequence of just three hops can be put under any of the three shells, or be held out and not be under any of the shells. This is very powerful stuff. An extended sequence might continue with the three shells each being moved again with another hop or one of the other maneuvers we will describe below. The pea once again can end up where it is expected, or indetectably be moved to any of the other shells, or be held out. Even the best and most informed observer should be unable to determine the position of the pea. If we started this same sequence with a pea under both the original middle shell and the original right hand shell as in Fig 4, and steal and load on the same move, we would end up with the a pea under the middle and right hand shells.

L

R

M

L

Fig 4

M

R

Pea

Pea

6 The whole thing changes if we move the original left hand shell on the second maneuver to the immediate left of the original middle shell and then moved the right hand shell last—we could end with a pea under each of the outside shells. Shells can be hopped to the right of other shells as easily as to the left. The possible variations are both numerous and deceptively simple.

R

L

M

L

M

R

Pea

Pea

Fig 5

The various other ways of handling these “Hops” should be apparent, and some experimentation will show you just how many possibilities are available depending on the number and location of the peas in the starting position.

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The Heart Steal Load

Pea

Fig 6 The “Heart” is an elegant maneuver done always with the center shell. It is usually the first or last move in a sequence. The center shell is pushed forward stealing the pea, and then the shell is brought around the outside of the left hand shell and drawn toward the operator back to the center of the figure. It continues away from the performer and to the right, and is drawn back into its original position, either re-loading the pea under the shell or holding it out. The movement describes a heart shape on the performing surface. It is an excellent way to demonstrate that the pea travels with the shell and ends up under the shell it started under. The free-wheeling movement seems to prove the ease with which the shell can be manipulated with a pea traveling under it. One of the things I like best about this maneuver is that it looks really nice, and has a hint of deception in its fancy swing. When combined with two Lasso maneuvers as described next, a very powerful and attractive sequence results. It is an excellent move to combine with various sucker steals.

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The Lasso

Load

Steal

Pea

Fig 7 The “Lasso” is done with either of the outside shells. The shell is pushed forward, stealing the pea if one is present under the shell, and the shell is drawn around the opposite outside shell as shown, brought over the top of the center shell and drawn back into its original place at which point a pea can be loaded or held out. It is as if the opposite outside shell is captured in a “Lasso.” If there is a pea under the center shell, and the operator makes the Heart maneuver and then a Lasso with each of the outside shells, apparently nothing has changed position, but the pea can now be under any of the three shells. If left under the original shell, the sequence seems to prove that the pea travels under the shell it started from. This sequence of the Heart and two Lassos is great as a sort of “warm up movement.” It looks as if nothing is happening, and that the operator is merely snaring the attention of the crowd. But the pea can be secretly moved to any of the three shells. Then a series of normal moves with the push and draw can be extremely deceptive, since the pea does not start under the shell the audience assumes it does. It is much like the “hype” in Three-Card Monte. If the pea is under one of the outside shells at the beginning of the sequence, the Lasso is done first, and then the Heart, finishing with a Lasso with the opposite outside shell. Alternatively, two Lassos are done finishing with the Heart. These are lovely, deceptive sequences, and work extremely well with a pea under more than one of the shells.

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The Crook Load

Steal

Pea

Fig 8 The “Crook” (above), and the “Hook” (below) are very similar. The Crook is shaped like a shepherd’s crook and moves the shells away from the performer and toward the spectator. The Hook is shaped like a fish hook, and moves the shells back toward the performer. By combining sequences that feature one or the other of these moves, the three shells can be kept moving across the table and back without resetting them to the center for the beginning of a sequence. The clever sequencing of Hops, Hooks, and Crooks can keep the shells moving all the time, without having to pause to relocate the three shells on the center of the working surface before starting the next sequence. These two moves work extremely well in combinations with the simple push and draw moves. The center shell containing the pea can be pushed forward, for example, and the other two shells Crooked to either side of the forward shell.

10 If the Heart/Lassos sequence has been done just prior to this, and in the process the pea that should be in the center shell is moved to the left hand shell, then the operator can push the empty center shell forward, pretending to steal the pea. The right hand shell is crooked to the left of the forward shell, as the operator pretends to load a pea. Now the operator gestures with his obviously empty hand before moving the rearward left hand shell (containing pea) in a Crook maneuver to the right of the center shell. It seems obvious that the pea has to be under the left hand shell. Much can be accomplished by “Hook and Crook”

The Hook

Steal

Pea

Load

Fig 9

11

The Criss-Cross

Load

Steal

Pea

Fig 10 The “Criss-Cross” maneuver is accomplished as the arms are crossed—with the hand that steals and loads the pea crossing under the other hand. In Fig 10, the right and left hands push their respective shells, and begin moving at the same time. The right hand steals the pea and as it moves in front of the forward center shell, it crosses under the left hand and back down to the left as the left hand crosses to the right. The two shells exchange positions, and the right hand can either reload the pea or hold it out. The maneuver ends with the two hands each holding a shell and the arms crossed right under left. This is a great position for many slick moves, and the pea can easily be exchanged on the table from one hand to another as the arms are uncrossed. Also, the middle shell, if it originally contains the pea, can be pushed forward from the line of shells and the pea stolen. The back two shells are shown empty with the Sheets Aquitment and the pea loaded under the right hand shell as it is Criss-Crossed to the left position.

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The Criss-Crook

Load

Steal

Pea

Fig 11 The “Criss-Crook” is done exactly the same as the “Criss-Cross” except that the two moving shells land even in line with the shell in the forward position.

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Circle Your Partner & Circle Two

Steal

Load

Pea

Fig 12

These two are fairly self-explanatory. Any shell can be moved in a circle around any other (Fig 12) or any other two shells (Fig 13) and the pea stolen and loaded.

Load

Steal

Pea

Fig 13

14

Figure Eight

Load

Steal

Pea

Fig 14 The center shell is pushed forward and circled around one of the outside shells and back into its original position before being drawn backward to circle the other outside shell. Both outside shells are circled in the same direction, either clockwise around both shells or counter-clockwise around both shells. In figure 14, the center shell is shown circling both outside shells in a clockwise motion, stealing the pea as it starts around the right hand shell, and re-loading the pea as it finishes circling the left hand shell. This is very similar to the Heart and can be used in the same ways.