Transcribed
How “Dr.” Samuel Bennett Became the 'King of the Thimbles'
Apr 18, 2023 ·
25m 15s
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How “Dr.” Samuel Bennett Became the 'King of the Thimbles'
Description
You can't talk about confidence artists and their games without talking about one of the classics: the shell game. It's been called a lot of things over the decades, and...
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You can't talk about confidence artists and their games without talking about one of the classics: the shell game. It's been called a lot of things over the decades, and during the time and place we're going to visit in this episode, it was 'thimblerig'. It's often portrayed as a gambling game, but it's actually a con used to fleece unsuspecting bettors. Samuel Bennett was one of the best-known 'thimbleriggers' – perhaps ever, depending who you ask – and he made a fortune scamming passengers on steamboats along America's waterways in the 19th century.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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