I find it amusing that so many automatically assume Joe is actually serious about pursuing cons and swindles as a vocation.
Had he asked how one becomes Pope would you automatically assume that he actually aspired to
be the Pope? Give me a break...
Why can't a guy ask a question about a subject without so many snap decisions being made about the nature of the inquiry itself?
Secondly, let's not assume that just because certain members remain essentially quiet about what they know, that therefore they aren't here. Case in point:
I don't think anyone on theory11 can really help you with this.
Think again.
Now that the formalities are out of the way, Joe, here is a real answer to your question.
Start with Darwin Ortiz's excellent
Gambling Scams. You won't find a better overview of basic cons and scams anywhere, in addition to the great cheating material for both casino and private games.
Then move on to things like the Gambler's Book Club's series of small reprints that were published in the late 60s and early 70s. Titles like:
The Bunko Book by Walter Gibson
The Rich Uncle From Fiji by M. P. Adams
and
The Little Secrets by Frank Bonville
All three of these books (pamphlets, really) are excellent sources of information on both short cons and long cons from the turn of the century, many of which are still around today in some form or another.
Other classics in the field include:
The Unsinkable Titanic Thompson by Carlton Stowers.
The Big Con by David Mauer
Yellow Kid Weil: The Autobiography of America's Master Swindler as told to W. T. Brannon
Any of these three books will give you plenty of insight into the nature of cons and conmen. I recommend them all.
Additionally, although not strictly "cons" in the purest sense, I'd be sure to track down and read:
The Change Raisers by W. M. Tucker
Road Hustler by Robert Prus
Keeping Carnies Honest by Lindsay Smith and Bruce Walstad
Gambling and Gambling Devices by John Phillip Quinn
and of course,
Scarne's New Complete Guide To Gambling by John Scarne.
These five books all give some interesting insights into small cons or related concepts (like carnival games, which are/were sometimes run as cons, essentially). Most of them are fairly easy to track down and are not terribly expensive.
Also, be sure to rent
House of Games, written and directed by David Mamet. It's a fun movie that gives a basically accurate, if inflated view into the lives of conmen running a big con.
But the granddaddy of them all of course, is
The Sting. If you haven't seen this movie, start here. It's great, it's accurate, and it's a hell of a lot of fun. Redford, Newman, and Darth Vader's Dad all in one movie! How do you go wrong?
Hope this helps.
Jason England