Watch out for that short con

Ever been conned at the blackjack table? I’m not talking about being conned by the casino, that happens to millions of people, everyday, right before their eyes. I’m talking about being approached by a regular person who presents an “offer” or a “request.” You know you should tell them to “piss off,” but because you’re weak, you smile and open yourself up to a bad situation. Here’s an example.

The most popular con I’ve heard about (never experienced, luckily) is the attractive woman coming up to you and asking you to put in a bet for them. It’s really a nasty tactic, as most of these women couldn’t pass for Freemont street strippers, but the guys punishing the blackjack stools couldn’t tell the difference, and are just shocked a woman is talking to them. For as smart as these guys are at the table, none of that usually transfers to their other head when a pair of breasts come bouncing by.

Just take a second, guys, one second, to assess this here. A woman you don’t know at all is asking you to make a bet for them with your money. What exactly you get out of this should be perfectly clear. A) Nothing, or B) an invitation from a call girl looking to make more than half the winnings of the $10 bet you’re placing for her. They’re not interested in you, they’re either interested in your wallet or your stack.

Not that stack.

It’s a con, most likely. If you lose the bet, the woman will be gone and blended into the crowd before you can even turn around to apologize. If you win, she gets her half or all of the winnings, and maybe rides it a few more times until you lose. But you can bet you’ll continue to bet with your money, not with her winnings.

So what do you do? Well, you can still smile. In fact, if it is a call girl, the last thing you want to do is be rude and give her or her employers a reason to find you after you leave the table. So be polite, and just say sorry, no. Then return to the game. Don’t prolong eye contact, don’t give her the idea that you’re interested. If you are playing behind a large stack of chips, she’ll likely be persistent. At which case you repeat “no thank you.” And just keep repeating it. You’ll eventually get loud enough that a pit boss will take notice and take care of the nastiness for you.