I just discovered that the game watchdog incorporate a shell game mini game.

While the operator plays fairly most of the time, the choregraphies used are interesting: https://youtu.be/YK3EnopXdVU

Very nice, without being too exposing. I really like it!

Although, in a game like Watchdogs, you could really bring in the whole crew and have the entire gang scripted up, with all of the roles filled. Do they do that, or is this just a minigame with this one dude operating alone?

It's a minigame and the game has no slight of hand, no shills, nothing. The video game 'The Darkness' has a very similar minigame (although it's impossible to win unless you complete a side mission), and it is what intrigued me to research into how the game worked, and was what got me into magic/gambling cons etc