The Golden Shells

The Golden Shells An exhibition routine for the shell game

created by

Whit Haydn & Chef Anton for

The School for Scoundrels Class Magic Castle, 1997

©1997 School for Scoundrels/Tricks of the Trade, Inc.

The Golden Shells Setup: Sharpie pen in front shirt pocket or breast pocket of jacket. Shot glass, straight pea, and two working peas in right side coat pocket. Shells in left side coat pocket. (Optionally, all items can be in a bag that is left on the table throughout the routine.)

Preparation: The right hand reaches in right coat pocket and pinches a working pea between the tips of the second and ring fingers—the “Front Finger Pinch” position (Photo 1, page 6). It then picks up the straight (hard plastic) pea between thumb and first finger and lays it on the front of the mat (toward the spectators). At the same time, the left hand brings out the shells from the left coat pocket and lays them face up in a row on the mat. The straight pea and shells can be offered for examination, though this is not necessary and not recommended—since it wastes time and slows down the presentation. The shells are turned mouth down, and the right hand loads the pinched working pea under the right hand shell as it is adjusted to the right. The three shells are ordered in a straight line. The left hand picks up the straight (hard plastic) pea and the right hand lifts up the center shell so that the pea can be placed under it. The pea is covered by the shell.

Performance: (Patter in Italics)

Part I, Introduction There are two kinds of people in this world—those that can be had, and suckers. A sucker is someone who will bet you fifty bucks he can’t be had. The object of this little lesson is to teach simple honest folk like yourselves how not to lose your hard earned money to some unscrupulous, lightfingered hustler like…ahem…you might run into someday. The ancient swindle of the shell game was handed down from generation to generation with each of its great practitioners adding his refinements. In the 1840’s, for example, the incomparable Doctor Bennett created the “Heart Maneuver.” Doctor Bennett worked the riverboats for decades and was known as “The Napoleon of the Thimble-Riggers.” The “Heart Maneuver” looks like this: Do Heart, then show pea still under shell. Then there is the classic “Circle.” Circle the center shell around left shell, and show pea again. The Figure Eight. Do “Figure Eight” move, show pea. In all these moves the straight pea travels along with the shell, and is not stolen or loaded. In Colorado in the 1870’s, the notorious Soapy Smith developed a slippery move called “The Lasso” with which he took lots of silver from the miners of Denver, Leadville, and Creede. Do Lasso with right hand shell, stealing and re-loading the working pea.

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Of course, each of these alone is meaningless. Show straight pea under center shell, and set shell down behind the pea. It is when they are used in combination that they become so deceptive. Pick up straight pea in right hand, between thumb and first finger. Lift up the center shell with the left hand, and with the right hand use the “Inside Shift” to move the pea between the second and ring fingers—into the “Front Finger Pinch” position. This is accomplished as the right hand moves to place the pea under the shell held by the left hand. It appears that the pea is placed under the shell, but it is actually still finger pinched in the right hand. The right hand reaches into the shirt pocket for a pen, and ditches the straight pea into the pocket as the pen is removed. The pen is used as a pointer numbering the shells (from left to right). This is shell # 1, shell # 2, and shell # 3. Keep your eyes on the one with the little pea. Hey Diddle Diddle, it’s the one in the middle. Do the Lasso with the right hand shell, stealing and re-loading the pea. Then do the Lasso with the left hand shell. Casually wipe hands together (showing them empty). The right hand takes the center shell and does the Heart Maneuver. They say that you always win the first time around. Lift middle shell and show pea is gone. Show both hands empty again. Lift first left, and finally right shell—revealing the working pea. But that isn’t really true…

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Part II Keep one eye on this shell… Put right shell over pea and push forward just enough to steal pea. And one eye on each of these… Shift pea to “Front Finger Pinch” using “Inside Shift,” and then pick up the left and center shells, one in each hand, and show them empty using the “Sheets Acquitment.” Place the shells back down a little forward of the right hand shell, and move them both back “in adjustment” to the position of the right hand shell. Load the center shell using the “Side Load” or use the “Inside Shift” and do the regular “Pinch Load” to put the pea under the center shell. You now have three shells in a straight line. The spectators think that the pea is under the shell on your right. It is actually under the center shell. The Lasso looks harmless enough… Do Lasso with right hand shell. Then do the Lasso with the left hand shell, using the right hand to move the shells. As you return the left shell to its starting position, do a “Sucker Load” move—pretending to put a pea surreptitiously under the shell. And the Heart appears so innocent… They always do… Show right hand empty as you gesture to the center shell. Right hand does “Heart” with center shell, stealing and then re-loading the pea. But even when you’re thinking straight, you’ll find the game is crooked. Show pea under the center shell.

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Part III If you pay really close attention to the glib-tongued mountebank who manipulates the shells, you may begin to catch on… Cover pea with center shell and push forward with a “Sucker Lift Up Steal.” This means that you steal the pea by lifting the back of the shell slightly as you push it forward. The spectators think they see you doing something, as you take the pea into the regular Pinch between thumb and second finger. This is just like a “push” and “Pinch Steal” except that the shell is lifted up slightly to let the pea exit—calling attention to the action. The left hand takes the left hand shell, and the right hand (with pea) takes the right hand shell in the normal grip for loading and stealing. Both shells are lifted, and turned almost completely up. This exposes the pea in the right hand pinch to those on the operators left. (See Photo 2) This move is called the “Pinch Flash.” It confirms to those who are watching closely—especially those on the operator’s left—that the pea was stolen from the center shell, and is now in the right hand. This move has to be done with a certain brazenness of manner, as if you don’t realize the pea is exposed in this action. Both shells are returned to the table at the same time, and are slid back about two inches. The right hand pretends to load the pea under the right hand shell as it moves it backwards with a bit of a bump upwards at the back of the shell. This is what Osborne calls the “Lift-Up Load Feint.” It appears that the shell has been slightly lifted to allow a pea to be loaded into it. The right hand grasps the left shell, and the left hand crosses underneath the right hand to grasp the center (forward) shell. As the arms uncross, the left hand shell is brought to the center (slightly forward) position and the pea is loaded. The left hand pulls the center shell back and to the left. Now the right hand grabs the new left hand shell, and the left hand grabs the far right shell (which the spectators think hides the pea), again crossing the arms, and the as the hands are uncrossed the two empty shells change places. Now the center shell is slightly forward, covering the pea, and the spectators believe that the pea is under the left hand shell.

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Who knows where the pea is hiding? I’d let you guess, but I want you to save your money until you’ve got a sure thing… Turn over the shells one at a time, starting at right, then left, then revealing pea under forward center shell. Show hands empty. Push the two shells on either side up into line with the center shell. From the operator’s left to right we will call the shells 1, 2 and 3 during Part IV.

Photo 1

“Front Finger Pinch” Position

Photo 2

The Pea is “Pinch Flashed”

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Part IV You can’t trust your eyes, but you can trust a con man not to make any stupid mistakes… The right hand reaches into the pocket for the shot glass, as the second working pea is “Front Finger Pinched” in right hand. Set shot glass to left side, then turn down shells using both hands, keeping pea pinched in right hand. The center shell is replaced over the visible pea. The right hand shifts its pea to the regular “Pinch” or “Thumb-Pinch” position (Photo 2) as it takes hold of the center shell (Shell 2). The left hand takes the left shell (Shell 1). For example, you may see an obvious goof… The left and right hands drag their shells back and to the right at the same time. The shells are lifted slightly to allow the pea to roll out of the right shell (Shell 2) and be covered by the left (Shell 1). The right hand loads its second pea under Shell 2 as it comes to a stop at the rear corner of the mat behind Shell 3. Shell 3 is “Hopped” to the left of Shell 1. Then Shell 2 is “Crooked” around Shell 1 (stealing and re-loading the pea), leaving the three shells in a row in the order from left to right—3, 2, 1. Shell 3 is empty. There is a pea under each of the other two shells. The spectators should be convinced that the shell on the right, Shell 1, contains the pea.

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Part IV - Illustrations Shells are lined up from operator’s left to right:

1

2

3

Operator has pea in right hand thumb pinch. He takes Shell 2 with right hand and Shell 1 with left hand.

1

3 1 Pea travels visibly from 2 - 1

2

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3 3

1

2 Second pea is loaded

3

2

1

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But it could be a setup… Turning to the spectator on the right. Where do you think the pea is?

Left Shell: If the spectator picks the shell on the left (empty), Pick up left shell in left hand and right shell in right hand, and turn up both shells simultaneously with “Haydn Turnover,” stealing pea in right hand. Then show left hand empty, and pick up the center shell (Shell 2) revealing pea. The left hand places the shell on the table, and the right hand takes it and moves it to the right rear corner of the mat, loading its finger pinched pea in the process.

Middle Shell: If the spectator picks the middle shell, the right hand lifts up the right hand shell to reveal pea, and the sets the shell down to right side of pea. Take left shell in left hand and center shell in right hand, and turn both shells over using the Haydn Turnover—stealing pea with right hand. Both shells are then turned back down using the Haydn Turnover, but the pea is kept finger pinched in right hand. Right hand takes center shell and places it to the right rear corner of mat, loading pea.

Right Shell: If right shell is picked, lift center shell to reveal pea and place shell behind pea. Then left hand takes left shell and right hand takes right shell and both are turned over simultaneously in the Haydn Turnover. The right hand steals the pea. The right hand shell is placed to the right rear corner of the mat (loading finger-pinched pea). That was a good guess! You were so close, I’m glad we weren’t betting on it!

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Part V Now let’s do this one last time, but under conditions so stringent, so obviously fair, that you just can’t lose. We’ll use only these two shells… Point to the two shells on the left. And you (pointing to spectator) put one of those shells over the pea. Fine. Now, I’ll put this shot glass over the chosen shell. Put shot glass upside down over shell. Pause, and look up at spectator. Then push shot glass toward spectator, stealing pea in right hand. (It will slide out from under both shell and glass just as easily as if from only the shell.) On second thought, the way things have been going, you should put your finger on top of the glass just to make sure we don’t get confused. Spectator places his finger on bottom of upside down shot glass. The shell under the glass is empty, but the spectator is convinced the pea is there. Pick up the other shell with the left hand and place it down next to the upside down shot glass. At the same time, go to shirt pocket for Sharpie pen with right hand, and ditch pea. We know the pea has to be there… Point to shell under the shot glass with pen. And it can’t possibly be there. Point to the second shell next to the shot glass. Return the pen to the pocket. But if some nimble-fingered grifter simply bumped the shell against the glass like this… Bump shell into glass and quickly pull away to the right and release shell, and then show both hands empty.

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Then where would you guess? Without giving the spectator time to answer, lift the glass and set it aside, turn the shell over showing it empty. Turn the shell next to the glass over showing it empty. And finally lift the shell at the rear right to reveal the pea. Make sure during all of these moves that your hands are held with the fingers wide apart and obviously empty. That’s why they say “Never bet on another man’s game.” There’s only one condition that will guarantee that you can’t lose—if you don’t bet money on it, you can never lose. End.

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