INTRODUCTION
By Thomas McShane - FBI retired
(Author of Stolen Masterpiece Tracker)
"G man beware of this C (Con) Man!" was the caveat that was an FBI mantra when I tried to tackle Simon Lovell! Of all the world's con men, Simon Lovell was, for many years, on the top of the G Man's List. In my some 26 years as the number one FBI undercover Art Expert, Simon was always on the radar screen and my FBI career targeted this extremely gifted, talented, and prolific genius of the "Con" for years.
His evolution from Con to a Bon Vivant who has transformed himself from the Dark side to the good guy's side is greeted with glee in his new opus. I'm also delighted that the transformation has allowed us to become great friends and we spend many a session swapping stories of those crazy days when he was like a ghost apparently able to, at will, evade the clutches of those like myself who were trying to track him down without success! Now that we are friends I can understand why. Under the consummate charm and humor lies an almost machine like ability to spot situations way ahead of time and to manipulate them to his advantage. It really is quite uncanny to see him in action.
Today, whether he is acting in brilliant movies like Hotel Genius or Misdirection's, coaching and acting in the hit USA White Collar TV series or authoring another great book (21 total to date!), he truly is a Con Man's Con.
This new book is an amazing journey into a world mixed with extraordinary bets, suspense, excitement, and all the talent Simon manages to muster to let us in on his many secrets. Like his Off-Broadway hit show, Strange and Unusual Hobbies, this new book is also a knock out and a must read. It is like the "Con Father" meets the "Godfather". Follow Simon's advice and you may never have to pay a bar tab again. Trust me I have never seen Simon pay for drinks unless he wanted to! I have to admit that I've even paid my more than my fair share of his bar bills myself; he really is that good!
Within these pages Simon shows you how to lure somebody into the games, how to keep everything safe and friendly, and how to become a fun person that everybody will be happy to pay the price for to learn a new trick or two. Just don't try to go to mad and be like the old Simon. I'm sure you don't want people like me breathing down your neck waving handcuffs and an arrest warrant! Just buy the book and have some fun with your family and friends.
Actually buy two of this book because someone is sure to try to "Con" you out of one!
Thomas McShane
(FBI retired)
CONTENTS:
So Just What Is a Proposition Man? ... 12The Golden Rules of Setting Up a Bet - Part One Finding the Mark ... 12The Golden Rules of Setting Up a Bet - Part Two Befriending the Mark ... 12The Golden Rules of Setting Up a Bet - Part Three The Hook, The Line and The Sink ... 12The Cool Off ... 12Good Advice ... 12Ready to Bet? - Here's The Real Work For You! ... 12Math Can Be Fun! ... 29Three (or even four) Drinks for a Dollar! ... 32A Knotty Problem with a Cigarette! ... 35A Quickie for $10! ... 37The Great Match Toss! ... 39Can You Follow Me? ... 41The Incredible Impossible Object! ... 43A Collection of Quickies - Part One! ... 45Lucky Ole' Lincoln ... 45Ten Plus Four ... 45The Escaping Olive ... 46Holy Coin! ... 47Holy Beer Can, Batman! ... 48A Heady Hole! ... 49
B-LIME-Y! ... 51Get The Wine in the Glass! ... 53Oopsy Doopsy! ... 56The Floating Paper Clip! ... 58Uncorked! ... 61Darts Drama! ... 63Whiskey and Water! ... 65Pepper Problem! ... 67Remy's Beer Transpo! ... 69Watery Bill! ... 71A Collection of Quickies - Part Two! ... 73Six Plus Five Quandary ... 73Shot Surprise ... 74Shots Away ... 75The Classic Three Glass Turn ... 76An Icy Problem ... 77Aqua-Match ... 78
Circular Logic! ... 80Horse Race Fun ... 82Next Card I Turn! ... 862 Cute Bets on the Pool Table! ... 89The Great Nine Times Fold! ... 91NIM ... 93The Infamous Game of 31! ... 97A Collection of Quickies - Part Three! ... 103Tissue Tear ... 103Escaping Bill ... 104Another Escaping Bill ... 105Acrobatic Glass ... 106Triangular Matches ... 107The Flying Olive ... 108Curious Coins ... 109Corked! ... 110Dime Dilemma ... 113Birthday Boys and Girls! ... 116Gravity Versus Inertia! ... 118Hexagonal Hell! ... 120Grab and Snatch ... 122Drippy Dropping Knife! ... 125Burnt Fingers! ... 127Ten Card Poker ... 129$1.50 for a Matchbook? ... 131Number Naming! ... 133Spoof! ... 135Impossible Drawing ... 140A Collection of Quickies - Part Five! ... 143
Puzzling Cigarette ... 143
Dominoes Dosh ... 143
Coin Tossing ... 144
Aces Wild ... 145
Court Cards ... 145
1,000 Drops of Wine! ... 146
Over Full Stables ... 146
The Seven-Match Lift! ... 147
Salty Sixty Seconds ... 148
Air to Air! ... 148Some Extra Odds Bets with Cards! ... 150
The Seven-Card Hustle ... 150
The Nine-Card Hustle ... 151
Elusive Queens ... 151
Twin Decks ... 152
Together Cards ... 153
Cutting for Chumps! ... 153
Lucky Three Piles! ...153Fun with Matchboxes! ... 155Dollars for Pennies ... 158A Final Collection of Quickies! ... 160
Full Bottle Blow ... 160
Acrobatic Cork ... 161
Impossible Knot ... 161
2 + 1 = 4 ... 162
Black Ball ... 163
A Very Odd Object! ... 164The Last Bet - Pain For Gain! ... 165End Words ... 167 
