The Dealer has three cards, one of which is a Queen. He shows all three cards to the unsuspecting “Mark,” lays them face-down (“in the hole”) on the table (usually a stack of cardboard boxes which can be pushed over quickly if the police appear) rapidly picks up one card with his left hand and the other two in his right hand, and drops them back on the table in new positions. He repeats this movement several times. It’s then the Mark’s job to bet (traditionally $20) on which card is the Queen. But the Dealer cheats! There are two cards in his right hand. The upper card is held between his thumb and his forefinger, and the lower card is held between his thumb and his middle finger, with a small gap between both cards. The Dealer should drop the lower card first, but his forefinger ejects the upper card first, which causes the Mark to lose track of the target card. The hand is quicker than the eye, and the Mark ends up losing his money every time. Believe me, it’s not a pretty sight. I should know, as I fell for it once, a long, long time ago.
Whatever Happened to Three Card Monte
But since this is not decrepit Times Square, circa (decade redacted) but the beautiful Hudson River Greenway, circa 2010, this cache is a kinder, gentler version of Three Card Monte (minus the cheating Dealer.) Your job, dear “Mark,” is to find the Queen of Hearts, attached to a bison tube. But there are two other Queens lurking nearby as well, and you must choose the right one or lose your bet. You will have three guesses to get it right!
This is a high-Muggle area, so please be as stealthy as a Times Square con-man watching for law enforcement, when retrieving and replacing the container, as well as being very careful not to drop it! Bring your own pen, and be sure to replace the cache and the Queens carefully, so that those who follow you can access them easily. Then stay and enjoy the beautiful view!! And, if you like, let us know in your log how many tries it took before you uncovered the “money card.”
Congratulations to addisonbr for FTF and First to Beat the Dealer!
This Cache was awarded BEST OF MANHATTAN, in the Metro New York Geocaching Society's 2010 Geocaching Awards.
