How To Outwit Carnies
- June 13, 2008
- 88,026 Views
Writer
Rosemarie_Lennon
Music
Jonathan Roberts
Voice Over Artist
Gina Limbrick
Tired of spending $20 at the carnival to get a teddy bear worth $2.99? Here’s how to beat the carnies at their own games.
You Will Need
- Knowledge of the most common scams
- The determination to beat them
Step 1: Prove your strength
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.
Step 2: Sink a basket
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.
Ask the carnie to sink a bucket before you waste any money. Sometimes the scam is that the basket is too small, the ball is overinflated, and/or the hoop is bent or misshaped.
Step 3: Pop the balloon
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.
If the carnival is crowded and the carnie is distracted, heat the tip of the dart with a lighter, or quickly sharpen it with a stone.
Step 4: Land the coin toss
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.
Step 5: Knock over the milk jugs
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.
Step 6: Shoot out the star
Shoot out the red star by completely shooting around the edges of the star—in a circle—rather than aiming for the center.
Watch others use the gun for a while; the sight is manipulated to be off-center, but by closely observing others you can compensate for the skew.
Step 7: Break the beer bottles
Break the beer bottles by choosing the baseball that looks the most used; it will be a tiny bit heavier than a newer one.
Step 8: Blow up the balloon
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.
The word “carnival” partly derives from the Italian word for “meat,” as it originally referred to a festival that took place before Lent, a time of fasting.
Something wrong? Report this How-To
Video is in Games (27 videos)
How To Make a Salt Shaker Vanish
- 17,576 views
- vinzfeller
How To Throw a Frisbee
- 13,799 views
- jmac
Comments (7)
great video. now they should make a video for token arcades.
over 3 years ago by sarge657
That was great!
over 3 years ago by BowlingBallOutofHeaven
My teen son's goal is to get over on these guys... now he can.
Thanks!
over 3 years ago by doulakk
Oh my goodness, I wish I'd seen this when I was actually on location at a carnival. Scary carnies...
over 3 years ago by luvongo
Just read this hilarious book by Harmon Leon where he goes out and tries to live the American Dream by walking in many different groups shoes.
In one chapter he went undercover and lived as a carnie in rural Indiana for a month, sleeping in a trailer behind the Tilt-a-Whirl. All the carnies thought he was an undercover cop.
Check it out on Amazon, Really funny and insightful stuff.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1568583524/ref=s9sdps_c1_14_at3-rfc_g1-frt_p-3237_g1_si4?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&;pf_rd_s=center-1&;pf_rd_r=1NAPHTKC1Q3Y88FH1S6K&;pf_rd_t=101&;pf_rd_p=463383351&;pf_rd_i=507846
over 3 years ago by Jess1234
very good. not only how they rig their games, but how you can turn the odds in your favor. Good Job!
over 2 years ago by braddenis
carnies can be real creepy sometimes...........................
over 2 years ago by nikkipie
cant wait to try these out
about 1 year ago by HVA2015
Sign in or create an account to post a comment. Or, sign in using your Facebook to comment
and share your activity with your friends