The Case of the Three Card Monte Game

Detective Davis walked down the sidewalk. It was a warm, summer day. Everyone seemed to be outside on their way to going somewhere. Three women passed by with their arms filled with packages. Children chased each other and moved in and out between the throngs of moving people. An old lady walked her tiny dog. Three men sipped their coffees as they hurried off down the street. Everything seemed normal as usual.
He noticed a stranger on the sidewalk that day. A dirty, unkempt man was playing a card game on a large crate by a fence. He only had three bent cards, but he was shuffling them again and again as he barked to the crowd.
“Find the lady…find the lady…it’s easy, folks, just find the lady. Left, right, middle. Just watch the cards and you can win! Find the lady…find the lady….anyone can play….anyone can win….it’s you lucky day…you can win…you can win…just find the lady…,” the dealer kept repeating.
Davis watched from a discrete distance as a disgruntled player stomped off without his money. In some ways, the detective thought that it was more fun to watch these games than to play them. There were fewer risks involved. You felt better about seeing someone else lose their money especially when you saw them pick up the same card that you would have picked up. He knew the game was fixed and it was fascinating just the same.
“Sorry, not today!” The dealer said to another sucker as he showed where the queen was hiding. “Find the lady…find the lady…it’s easy, you can win!”
The detective moved a little closer to get a better view of the next game. He wanted to get a good look at the cards, but he didn’t want to get so close that he would be mistaken for being another potential sucker. He continued to observe the dealer’s hands carefully as he quickly learned the moves of the game.
He had to admire the dealer’s ability for attracting attention. There was now a small crowd of about nine or ten guys watching the next game. Most people were walking by with very little interest, however. There were some people who wandered over just to see what was going on. Most of them turned away when they found out. Davis moved up to the front of the group.
“Find the lady…find the lady…,” the dealer kept repeating. There was almost a hypnotic quality to his voice as he continued to shuffle the three cards in front of his audience. He looked at his next mark and smiled. “It’s easy, just find her and win!”
The mark hesitated. The game had seemed so easy just a few minutes before. He had even found the queen a few times without any trouble. But this time, he had money on the line. This time, he wasn’t so sure. He looked at the three cards turned over in front of him nervously.
“I know where the lady is,” Davis spoke up.
“You see? He knows where she is,” he dealer said to the mark. It’s easy if you watch. Left, right, center. Just show me where she is and you win.”
“The lady is right here!” Davis replied as he pointed.

WHERE WAS THE QUEEN?

THE ANSWER
Davis pointed to where the queen was hidden. It was under the dealer’s right hand! That’s how Three Card Monte dealers win. They palm the lady so that their marks can’t possibly win! Then by a little slight-of-hand, they make appear another card that the mark didn’t choose. When this dealer’s cheating was exposed, he looked like he was going to hit Davis. However, the detective quickly flashed his badge and told him to beat it. The dealer snarled and took off.