A Confidence Game relies on human emotions, senses and behaviors to work. A Grifter attempts to take advantage of a person’s greed, fear, naïveté, arrogance and compassion. A mugger will come up and stick a gun in your face and demand your money. A Con Game is much more subtle. They have the same goal, though, they want to steal something. Since a Con Game is a game, oftentimes The Grifter is caught up in the competition. The goal is to make easy money, but The Grifter may also run the con to try to humiliate someone, or to see how much he can steal, or to take from another thief.
One of the oldest Con Games is THE PIG IN THE POKE. The Grifter needs a young pig, a cat, a couple of heavy bags. The Con can be run by just The Grifter or with a Shill. The Grifter appears to be selling young pigs. The Grifter assumes the disguise of a country bumpkin. As The Mark comes near, The Shill will ask The Grifter the price of a young pig. The Grifter will quote an extremely low price. The Shill readily agrees to the sale. The Grifter will hand the Shill a bag with a small pig in it. The Shill makes sure to show the pig to the mark and perhaps tell him that The Grifter is a real easy touch. Now, an honest farmer would know that the price for the pig is too low and that is suspicious. The Grifter is counting on The Mark’s greed to overcome his caution. The Mark agrees to buy a pig from The Grifter, and the Grifter makes the sale. There will usually be some kind of a reason for The Grifter to leave (”Oh, there’s my Dad!”) and The Grifter is off. The Mark gets home and opens the bag to find a cat inside. The Grifter and The Shill meet where the money is divided and the next con is planned.