Card decks are cheap – and sometimes, so are the tricks that con artists play using them.

Confidence tricks are often used to scam unsuspecting people out of their money. Sometimes, confidence tricks are pulled off using cards – and if you ever encounter any of these common scams, it would be wise to stay very far away from them. These types of tricks and cons are always rigged in favor of the dealer, who has a 100% chance of winning because every confidence trick is meant to fool, swindle or rob.

Here are 3 dirty confidence tricks using cards.

Don’t trust them. 

#1: Finding the Lady 

This confidence trick is known as “find the lady”, though also called “three-card-monte” or any number of other names. The premise of it is familiar to most people: cards are put face down, and the player attempts to find the designated card. 

It seems like a fair game from further away. 

It’s not.

The dealer always has a way to rig the position of the card. Usually, sleight of hand. 

You might see a few others win. You might even win a small bet. (It’s still rigged.) 

Avoid any instances of finding the lady, especially where combined with any form of street card game not too far away.

#3: Pick a Card

People know the phrase “pick a card” from card magicians or people practicing to learn how. 

If you ever hear the same phrase anywhere else and there’s money staked on the game, run. Run fast and in the other direction. It’s likely a confidence trick.

Much like finding the lady, the scammer holding the cards know that the game is rigged – and then invites you to stake money on it. (Can you see where this is going from here?) 

#4: Winning (Once) 

One of the first signs of a confidence trick or scam isn’t losing. It’s winning once. 

It might seem contradictory for someone who is trying to scam you out of money, but this is the real trick behind most confidence tricks. When you win once (or when you see someone win once or twice), you’re more likely to think that the odds are stacked in your favor.

What happens once you’ve won the game once or twice? You get more confident, and then you’ll stake more money.

That’s when you lose.