The con (also referred to as the art of the con) is the name given to the methods, skills etc that the team in Hustle, as well as other grifters use within the series to con the mark out of there money.
Rules of the con:
- You Can't Con An Honest Man
- . Feed The Greed
- . Always Give The Mark An Out
- . Never Give A Sucker An Even Break
- . It's All In The Detail
- . Don't Have Anything In Your Life You Can't Walk Away From In A Second
- . Always Look Out For Number One
- . It's Not Just About The Money
Con Jargon[]
- 'The mark' is the intended victim of the planned con.
- A 'short con' refers to taking 'the mark' for all the money he has on his person. It's an opportunist scam that isn't pre-planned to any great deal.
- A 'long con' or 'big con' refers to a more complex, planned con, whereby 'the mark' is sent to get more money or used to get more money than is just on his person.
- 'The Roper' is the 'Outsideman' - the man who identifies with 'the mark' (the victim) and gains their confidence.
- 'The Insideman' is the key player, the member of the con mob who stays near the 'big store' and receives 'the mark' (the victim) whom 'The Roper' brings.
- 'Roping the Mark' refers to steering him to meet the 'insideman' who will eventually fleece him.
- 'Giving him the convincer' refers to the process of allowing the victim to make a substantial profit on the first scam, thereby gaining his trust.