three-card monte

2 definitions found

three-card monte - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Monte \Mon"te\ (m[o^]n"t[asl]), n. [Sp., lit., mountain, hence,
     the stock of cards remaining after laying out a certain
     number, fr. L. mons, montis, mountain.]
     A favorite gambling game among Spaniards, played with dice or
     cards.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     three-card monte a gambling game using playing cards, in
        which a dealer shows a bettor three cards face up and
        specifies one to be identified, and after the cards are
        turned face down and moved around quickly, the bettor must
        identify which of the three cards is the specified card.
        It is sometimes engaged in by dealers on the streets of a
        city, with bets made by passers-by.
        [PJC]

three-card monte - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  three-card monte
      n 1: a gambling card game of Spanish origin; 3 or 4 cards are
           dealt face up and players bet that one of them will be
           matched before the others as the cards are dealt from the
           pack one at a time [syn: monte, four-card monte,
           three-card monte]