Shell Game 101
The most complex of grifts takes the same form as the most basic, involving common story lines and standardized roles.
Players in this game are:
The Inside Man, or operator.
The Mark, or sucker: the target or victim of the grift.
The Outside Man, or the Mark’s handler, working in tandem with the Inside Man.
The Ropers, responsible for the recruitment and grooming of Marks before handing them over to the Inside and Outside Men.
Shills, plants in the crowd hired to give the false sense of a legitimate environment.
The Store, the cultivated environment, with authentic props and the above-listed characters serving in coordinated, rehearsed roles.
The Fix, when authoritative and enforcement bodies are compensated to look the other way.
The Score, or kick-backs, tax dodges, real estate grifts, access to the endowment, or/and any number of other plays for campus cash!
*Maurer, David W. 1940. The Big Con: The Story of the Confidence Man. Indianapolis/New York: Bobbs‑Merrill Co. (Reprinted New York: Anchor Books, July 20, 1999).
