How To Outwit Carnies

Win the “test your strength” game—the one where you swing a mallet to make a weight shoot up and ring a bell—by focusing more on landing the mallet in the center of the target than on how hard you’re hitting it. But beware—some machines are rigged by the operator, who controls who wins simply by putting his foot on a cable.

Sink a basket by aiming for the basket to the right or left of the one in front of you. Shoot in a high arc and hope for a swish. If you miss, the angle might make the ball spin around the rim, causing it to drop in. Beware—some carneys won’t let you to shoot this way.

Pop the balloon with a dart by arcing it rather than rifling it. But even this might not work, because those balloons are underinflated and the dart tips are hopelessly dull.

Land the coin toss—where you throw a dime or other coin toward a glass plate and hope it sticks—by spitting on it (discreetly!) before you toss it in a gentle arc.

Knock over the milk jug pyramid by aiming for the bottom of the bottom two jugs rather than the center of the stack. The bottoms of the jugs are weighted, so you’ve got to take out the pyramid at the base.

Shoot out the red star by completely shooting around the edges of the star—in a circle—rather than aiming for the center.

Break the beer bottles by choosing the baseball that looks the most used; it will be a tiny bit heavier than a newer one.

Blow up the balloon above the clown’s face by choosing the water pistol that won the last time. A new balloon will pop more easily than one that’s already been stretched out several times.