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See, now you all are making stuff up.

Alec Hardison, The Underground Job


We're gonna sell the guy his own mine.

Nathan Ford, The Underground Job


The Skagway Shuffle is a Long Con used in the television series Leverage.

Premise[]

Most likely named after the town of Skagway, Alaska, the home of famous historical con man Soapy Smith. The town was a mining town and Smith went there to swindle money, having a crew of inside men to do so. According to Nathan Ford and Sophie Devereaux, the scam is similar to The Fiddle Game. It is possibly also a reference to an old time con, the Kansas City Shuffle.

Application[]

In "The Underground Job", the "fiddle" was the coal mine owned by Daniel Blackwell. In a shuffle of the Fiddle Game, the first patron (Nate) approaches Blackwell, with an unbelievably high offer to buy the mine. The mark refuses, then learns why the first patron was so interested. The second patron (Sophie) approaches with an offer to explore a new mineral right, which is too good to be true (because it isn't). After some convincing tests, the mark is led to believe he is on the cusp of a profitable mine. The only catch, he needs to buy new technologies from the second patron to exploit it. Fortunately, the cost of the technology is much less than the potential yield.

In the end, the mark pays the second patron the money, and the mark is left with his original mine, and is out the money he invested.

Roles[]

Aftermath[]

When Blackwell tries to pay Sophie's price, he realizes that his mine is worth more dead, than alive. So he plans to demolish the mine and collect on insurance money. Knowing this, the team has to change strategies, and eventually Nate reveals the con to Blackwell so they can con him a different way.

Notes[]

Trivia[]

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