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From nowhere, you produce billows of smoke out of your mouth...it's like you've manufactured smoke in your lungs!
Effect: a hard-as-balls puzzle, that will drive everyone nuts and win you some free booze!
Effect: Your friend beats his head on the bar repeatedly, to everyone's delight.
For this effect we've dressed up a straight-up old school bar scam. Here's the simple presentation for the classic "you do as I do" effect: Bet a friend he can't copy everything you do.
This clever trick uses a pint of beer and two willing thumbs to handcuff your friend (or enemy) to the bar, while you take his keys, wallet, girlfriend and more.
Effect: Defying all laws of leverage, you summon a ridiculous amount of strength.
Effect: Bet your friend that you can drink 2 pints of beer before he can drink two shots of his favorite liquor.
Effect: Play a game with your friend that you can always win
Placing a lit match inside your mouth, you do a very convincing impression of a grinning jack-o-lantern...all without burning yourself.
This episode tests your visual perception. Which is more? The circumference of the rim of a pint glass, or the height of the pint glass from the bottom to the top?
Effect: Despite being an insulator, Brian is able to charge a match with static electricity which then causes another match to jump into the air.
Effect: Amaze fellow bar patrons by picking up two straws using only one other straw.
This one's like a playground dare gone too far...
.Brian opened for the live Diggnation show in New York, and we have it here for those who missed it!
This is the second and final half of Brian's opening act for Diggnation in NY.
A guaranteed, never fail way to get the hottest girls at the bar to talk with you for at least 20 minutes.
Effect: Surprise your friends by telling them you have X-ray vision
Watch the Master finally get beat at his own game!
Apply high school physics to amaze your friends and win free drinks.
It's Magic 101. Can you mimic the master?
All you need is a match, two pint glasses and a quarter, and you'll be drinking free all night!
This game goes by a bunch of names: "fast and loose," "pricking the garter," "the endless chain," "the strap..." The object is simple: a chain is laid in a figure-eight configuration. One of the holes is the true center of the chain and will hold "fast," while the other will not hold, and is instead "loose".
Effect: Let an entire cigarette burn without the ash falling.
This week Brian steps out of the bar, and into the Revision3 studios to deliver an episode straight from the Forums!
Effect: This card trick is quite possible responsible for more free beers than any other in history. It's not just a magic trick, it's a cleverly-laid trap guaranteed to win you a frosty cold one.
A stumper of a puzzle‚ using only 4th grade math.
As you know by now, we here at Scam School pride ourselves on giving you only the very best bar scams. Today we break our streak, and instead present you with four stupid beer gags.
A brand new illusion that will trick your friends into believing in MIND CONTROL.
A new take on an old-time match trick
We've taught you how to scam, swindle, and steal... but we have yet to give you any actual talent. That all changes in this episode. We're going to teach you not only how to control a card to the bottom of the deck, but how to use that talent for a sweet little card trick.
What's better than a card trick? Predicting the FREAKING FUTURE, which is exactly what you'll do in this scam. We call it Pigment Prediction.
If you liked the four-quarter puzzle from Episode 2 (appropriately named, "The Puzzle"), you're going to LOVE the 11-Cent Slide. It's every bit as diabolical and unsolvable as the 4-quarter puzzle, but it has an added twist that should net you TWICE the beers of any other puzzle.
This week Brian is back in the Revision 3 studios another "From the Forums episode"!
This week we've got another puzzle with a setup that sounds absolutely impossible.
We present the atomic bomb of sucker gags: The Funnel!
As a conversation starter, Brian shows you how to use two toothpicks to detect a pulse.
Memorize a few configs and you'll hold the key to another unbeatable game and loads of free drinks!
No matter what the setup, the very best scams are the ones that let the mark think they're on top, only to get punked in the end. That's what makes the penny prediction so great!
Remember Brian sticking a 4-inch nail up his nose? This time he shows you how it works!
This episode, we're turning to the dark side and learning actual CRIME. Remember, the following is for INFORMATIONAL AND ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY!
A while back, we taught you the importance of using easy, beatable puzzles to keep girls talking to you at the bar. Our Holiday gift to you is another set of "getting the girl" routines!
The tables are turned on Brian, as he is the student learning from the ultimate master of strength!
We've covered a few magic tricks, and we've covered a few street crimes. This episode we're going to combine the two and get a magic trick that acts as a smokescreen for an actual crime.
It's true: you can never have too much money, have too many friends, or know too many ways to predict the freaking future.
We're back with another dirty trick, designed to teach you how to FAKE your way into (almost) duplicating the feats of the world's strongest men.
Brian introduces a new diabolical coin puzzle to stump your friends.
Watch Brian scam Olympic gold medalist Jonny Moseley with a few coins, and some algebra!
Watch Brian make you think he can use his bare hands to bend a horseshoe and to roll a frying pan!
It's rare to find a trick that you can actually fool yourself with...and that's exactly what you get with this episode!
We made it! 50 episodes of Scam School! YEE-HAW!! You learn fake ESP powers and we show you the Mind Control trick from outer space!
And to reward you for sticking with us for almost a year now, we're giving you a double-stuft episode, featuring our first intergalactic scam school student AND a diabolical method to fake telepathy between you and a friend:
Welcome to graduation! This is your senior year of Strength School, co-hosted by world record holder and supreme bad ass, Dennis Rogers!
In this episode, you'll learn FOUR feats of strength, designed to prove you're stronger than everyone else in the room put together!
The Human Link/Tug of War Watch as Dennis Rogers legitimately uses his grip strength to take on two pullers in a game of tug-of-war...then see how Brian fakes his way to the same feat.
Fists of Fury Learn a simple contest of strength that you'll ALWAYS be able to win
Payback Learn a trick that will let you get in the first shot if things turn into an ugly bar brawl
Make everyone believe you can move an object with your freakin' mind!
SCIENCE FRICTION
EFFECT: a straw is placed on a salt shaker, and moved with your mind
Watch Brian open for Diggnation with an unforgettable live show from Austin, TX at Stubb's Bar-B-Q!!
Brian took the stage to approximately 2,200 audience members while opening for Kevin and Alex's Live Diggnation. You won't believe what he's about to do this time around!
Brian performs some magic tricks in front of some big wig web celebs!
Remember those awesome days of elementary school, when your teacher would blow off homework in favor of some kind of special "game time"? that's what we're doing today: a special edition of Scam School, where Brian performs for some of the biggest web celebrities.
Learn how to make a card vanish and land in the most unlikely location.
Effect: A card is randomly selected, vanishes from the deck, and appears inside your shoe!
It's crazy to say it, but we're a year into Scam School, and only now are getting around to addressing one of the biggest, most popular items in any bar: the pool table.
Brian's Disclaimer: I'll be honest, I'm not the best pool player. Hell, I'm not even what most would call "acceptable". But I have learned a couple of cool tricks and sucker bets to use at the pool table.
line up three pool balls right in front of a side pocket. About 6 inches back, place the 8-ball. Finally set up the cue ball behind the 8-ball, and make the following claim: with only a single tap of the cue ball, you'll be able to sink ALL THREE pool balls, WITHOUT anything touching the 8-ball.
Let them try it as much as they want. They'll try jumping the 8-ball or banking off the side rails, all to no avail. And once they've declared it "impossible", prove them wrong...
This week, a card effect that requires no dexterity or skill whatsoever, and (best of all), uses only 10 cards out of the deck!
Effect: 5 pairs of matching cards are shuffled and thoroughly mixed...yet by the end, they've all been properly matched with their mate.
From Scam School fan "Cowboy" in the UK, comes the most insidious, diabolical, GENIUS prank Brian has seen since the quarter-on-forehead scam!
Brian has loved this one since the moment he first tried it, but be warned: you'll need to pick the right person to pull this one on.
Get a box of matches that has striking surfaces on each side. Pull out three matches, and have your victim hold two of them (match-head side down) pinched against each side of the matchbox. Balance the third match across the tops of the two pinched matches.
THE CHALLENGE: promise your friend that you'll buy him a beer if he can "karate chop" the balanced match, using just one finger.
If you're comfortable with taking a little risk for a chance at a HUGE reward, you're going to love this week's episode.
We've got two impossibilities that rely on people's inherent misunderstanding of probability.
First up: 5-card mind control: In front of your friend lay down (in this order) the King of Hearts, the Seven of Clubs, the Ace of Diamonds, the Four of Hearts, and the Nine of Diamonds. Ask him to mentally choose any card. 80% of the time, they will choose the Four of Hearts. Try it!
This week, we've got a simple puzzle with an impossible-sounding setup.
Cap #1: you can touch, move prod, and play with. No restrictions, except you can’t pick it up (though you won’t need to, to solve the puzzle).
Cap #2: (the right-side up cap in the middle): pretend this guy is totally rooted to the ground. You can touch it and poke it all you want, but it can’t move anywhere.
Cap #3: This guy’s tricky. Imagine he’s radioactive, and some kind of antimatter version of Cap #1. You can’t touch him, and (worse yet) Cap #1 touches him, it’ll cause an antimatter explosion and the world will end.
The Challenge: within those rules, start with the caps in a row of #1-#2-#3, and end with them in the order of #2-#1-#3. In other words, within the above restrictions, get the first cap between the other two.
Brian hangs out with the crew from CO-OP and schools them on how to uncover a conspiracy theory!
Effect:No matter how secluded your location, no matter how fairly a card is selected, a mysterious third party can be called and will immediately reveal the selected card.
Get ready to learn how to scam your way into anything, or anyone!
Here it is! The first half of Brian's standing-room-only panel at South by Southwest Interactive, titled "Social Engineering: Scam your way into anything or from Anybody".
In this first half, you'll learn about:
Fixed Action Patterns
Three psychological "back doors" that leave us open to manipulation: How to use above to steal, cheat, defraud, and get out of speeding tickets.
You'll see demonstration using psychological manipulation, verbal duplicity, and outright deception to manufacture a specific outcome (translation: really kick ass ESP trick)
And most importantly, you'll learn how to take advantage of Fixed Action Patterns including "Liking", "Reciprocation", and (later on) "Authority".
If you're interested in learning more about these topics, make sure to check out Dr. Robert Cialdini's excellent book, "Influence", which covers many of these ideas in detail.
The second half of Brian's "Scam your way into anything" panel record from SXSW Interactive!
In tis second half, you'll learn about:
Openers, Tweeners, and Closers: the three types of scam school effects, and how to use them with the "Liking" and "Reciprocation" Fixed Action Patterns from last week's episode.
You'll learn about the "Authority" fixed actionpattern, and how to take advantage of it without saying a word.
You'll also learn how to (hypothetically) get past a bouncer and into a bar, how Brian scammed his way into a SXSW panel, and you'll get to see a demonstration of using situational awareness to get inside someone's mind.
Oh, and bonus: you'll get to see 20 minutes of picking Brian's brain with Q&A!
Break out of police issued handcuffs!
Wednesday, June 10th, 2009 – running time 09:58
Because sooner or later, every scammer finds himself in a pair of handcuffs.
This week: no lie, we learn how to escape from police-issue handcuffs!
We all know about trick handcuffs that you can get from the toy store... but how hard is it to escape from 100% real, genuine police-issue handcuffs?
It turns out that with a little help from magician and escape artist Daniel Martin, it's not hard at all.
Daniel joins Brian for the first of several episodes teaching the real tricks and techniques used to escape from sticky situations. In this first episode, Daniel explains three different methods to escape from police-issue handcuffs.
Disclaimer: We're pretty sure it's not illegal to know HOW to escape from handcuffs... but we're 100% sure it's illegal to actually escape when detained by law enforcement (just sayin).
Here it is! Our final SXSW episode, where you'll see Brian scam and be scammed by Digg CEO Jay Adelson and astronaut/ubergeek Richard Garriott.
Things to look out for on this episode: performances of two killer close up performance from both Brian and Richard, some nuances and a followup lesson on our "human chimney" premiere episode, and (most importantly) how to fool someone who's already familiar with "the mirror" gag from episode 4
This week a puzzle (involving nails) that stumped Brian!
The Challenge: Grab 10-13 nails. Hammer one nail into any surface (in a pinch, you can just have someone hold it solidly), and challenge your mark to balance ALL the remaining nails on just the head of the first nail. Assure them it can be done, and without any other external apparatus of any kind.
An easy trick that lets you cheat your friends at poker!
The Effect: in three rounds of increasingly fair play, you keep beating the sucker in a simple game of poker.
No locker or bike is safe once you learn this trick!
This week, we're back to learning crime with escape-artist and illusionist Daniel Martin. Our target? Combination and keyed padlocks.
These padlocks are everywhere: on bikes, lockers, trailers, and more, and you won't believe how easy they are to open without any kind of key or proper code. The secret (as Dan explains) is in using a shim, much like the ones explained in the handcuffs episode. Combination lock shims are dirt cheap, and very effective, but most amazing of all, you can make one yourself ABSOLUTELY FREE!
Move a solid object straight through any table!
Effect: After claiming he can send a coin through the table, the scamster instead slams his hand on a large salt-shaker, appearing to slam it down and through the table!
Without looking, peeking, or even cheating, the scam artist can tell who will win in a virtual game of rock-paper-scissors
This week -- they're trickier, harder, and sneakier than handcuffs: we escape from thumbcuffs!
We're back with a little help from magician and escape artist Daniel Martin, who joins Brian for the third episode teaching the real tricks and techniques used to escape from sticky situations. In this episode, Daniel explains how to escape from thumbcuffs.
Disclaimer: We're pretty sure it's not illegal to know HOW to escape from thumbcuffs... but we're 100% sure it's illegal to actually escape when detained by law enforcement (just sayin').
Learn how to read the secret thoughts of three friends!
Effect: straight from the forums comes our most epic mind-reading effect yet...Three volunteers are each asked a fair, random question as the scammer jots down his guesses and hides them in a glass.
After everyone has "locked in" their answers, the scammer shows that he's three for three in his guesses.
A simple game of skill that looks completely fair, but always leaves the sucker short.
Setup: grab a book of wooden matches and make a "game board" consisting of parallel lines covering a wide surface (make sure each line is exactly one full match-length away from the next). Next, explain you and your mark will take turns dropping matches from approximately 18 inches above the board. They can either aim to (a) HIT the parallel lines or (b) MISS the parallel lines. After a run of 20 matches is complete, the winner's the one who hit their targets the most.
This effect has everything: it's fun to do, it looks impressive, it makes you feel like you've got superpowers, and most importantly... it lets you make someone look like an idiot.
Learn how to use a zip tie for breaking and entering!
This week we're back with escape-artist/illusionist/badass Dan Martin, this time playing with zip ties. Not only will we learn how to escape from them, but also how to use zip ties to bust open locked doors!
(safety note: don't be a complete idiot when playing with zipties and cut off your circulation. They'll have to cut off your hand then, and you'll have to explain for the rest of your life that you are missing a hand because you're an idiot.)
A poker cheat that lets you win twice in a row, AND punk your friend at the same time!
Effect: In a totally fair, completely simple contest of "face up draw poker," the Scammer wins not one, but TWO beers off his mark.
This week's scam is perfect in so many ways: you can do it anytime, anywhere, with borrowed items you'd find at the bar, and best of all: it's a totally rigged game that lets you decide who wins and who loses.
Think you're smart? Wait until you see the surprising results of the Memory test...
Think you have a good memory? This week, we've got an interactive experiment you can try at home to test your skills... Warning: the results are going to surprise you!
Cheat at ANY game of cards!
This episode we walk you step-by-step through the process of creating the most powerful tool in your scam school arsenal: the marked deck. Creating one is reasonably fast, easy, and best of all... free!
Once you've made your marked deck, there's literally no limit to the tricks an scams you can pull on your friends. From cheating at poker to busting out an unbelievable mind-reading trick... Anything's possible!
An impossible riddle with an unbeatable payoff!
We've done puzzles here on Scam School before, but never have we had one with such an unfair setup, or such a surprising solution.
Setup: In any restaurant with a tablecloth, set a dime between two nickels, and set an upside-down glass balanced on the two nickels.
The Challenge: get the dime out from it's prison without touching the glass or the coins, AND without touching anything with another object.
Note: I like to add the extra red herring of saying they can use "anything on the table" to make it work. That way, they'll spend more time focusing on random objects, and less time thinking outside the box.
Do you remember "The Heist" from episode 21? Well, the sequel is even more unfair than the original!
The setup: balance a nickel (the prize) on it's side on the table. Balance a wooden matchstick on top of the nickel. Finally, cover the whole arrangement with a plastic cup or pint glass (whichever you discover works best for you).
The challenge:
The math is your security alarm, and as long as the match is balanced on the nickel, anything touching, shaking, or moving the cup will activate the alarm. Your job: disable the alarm system WITHOUT setting off the alarm!
Use this rigged game to cheat your friends twice in a row!
This week we're learning a rigged game that combines principles we learned from both the "nim" and "advanced nim" episodes, and combines them with an added twist that allows you to beat your mark even after he knows the secret!
The fame goes by several names (we're calling it "31"), and both the setup and rules are simple...
The setup: pull out all the aces through sixes in a deck of cards, an set them into piles by value (a pile of four aces, four twos, four threes, etc.)
The rules: each player takes turns picking up cards and adding them to "the pot", increasing it's total amount by the value of each card. The first player to take to pot OVER 31 loses.
This week: a rigged game of skill & a simple sucker bet!
First off, our main event: it seems like everyone makes up goofy little games to pass the time at the bar. This week we've got one with a secret method that will guarantee you the win:
The Setup: lay out a bunch of pocket change (and I mean a LOT of it... quarters, dimes, nickels, etc.) and a small cocktail napkin.
The Rules: take turns laying down coins on the napkin. You can place any size coin you want, anywhere on the napkin, as long as nothing goes over the edge or touches another coin. The LOSER is the one who can't find a proper place to set their coin (... and no balancing coins on their edges!)
With the help of magician Dan Martin, you'll learn the steps to escape from a straitjacket!
We're back with another episode featuring special guest Dan Martin! This week, Brian and Dan explain step by step how to get out of a real straitjacket, as well as debunk some myths and legends associated with the stunt.
First off, it's important to note that straitjackets are rarely designed to be "escape-proof". They're mainly used to prevent psychiatric patients from hurting themselves or others. As such, carefully thinking through the process of the escape (along with having some patience and flexibility) should make it possible to escape from most regulation straitjackets.
In this video, Brian and Dan break down the escape step-by-step, showing exactly how each of them pulls off Houdini's classic stunt.
Look like a complete badass with this simple trick.
WARNING: this week we're playing with matches again. We shouldn't have to tell you that only responsible adults should attempt any of today's feats under proper safety conditions. We should also point out that if you attempt ANY of these tricks, you absolutely WILL GET BURNED.
There. Warning's out of the way. Yes you'll get burned, but man, you'll look badass... Do you have what it takes to light a match with your teeth?
PHASE ONE: grab a box of "strike anywhere" matches, and pick out the ones that have the most white "strike anywhere" material on them.
PHASE TWO: dry off your teeth. When you're first practicing, use a paper towel to make sure they're completely dry. Later, as you get more practiced, you'll be able to just use your fingers to get it dry enough.
PHASE THREE: place the match in the part of your teeth that will have the maximum strike area. For a lucky few, you'll be able to pop the match straight forward and light it. For the rest of us, you'll want to drag the match across the bottom of your incisors to fully ignite it.
NOTE: we have no idea what this does to your teeth long term... but we can't imagine it's good :-0
Quickly and easily teleport a coin!
This week, we're back with Dan Martin who shares with us a quick-and-dirty method to make a coin vanish from one hand and appear in the other.
Learn a trickshot that will make you CASH at the bar!
Sometimes the best tricks are the ones that don't look like one at all... In this case, you'll learn a simple trickshot that's actually harder to screw up than to do correctly... and then you'll use it to score free drinks at the bar!
Blow their minds when you steal the watch right off their wrist!
FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY... and don't keep the watch. That would be illegal.
Dan Martin's back with more crimes and misdemeanors... this time, teaching us how to steal watches right off the wrists of our friends, without them even noticing!
Computer-Generated stack allows your to CHEAT at Texas Hold 'Em!
This week, Scam School reveals a computer-generated stack of cards that will allow the dealer to cheat and always win at Texas Holdem! Thanks to programmer Ben Joffe, who wrote a computer simulation and designed special decks of cards that will always allow the dealer to win, no matter where the deck is cut.
2 pool hall scams guaranteed to win you some cash!
This week, a double punch: one quick-and-dirty way to trick your friends, and a proposition bet that will double your take.
Pool Hall Trick #1
While halfway through playing a standard game of 8 ball, start calling out your opponent. Tell him he stinks. He's got nothin'. In fact, claim that you're so good, he won't sink another ball for the rest of the entire game!
Pool Hall Coin Trick #2
Place a ball on the table's spot, then place a dime on top of the ball. Fire the cue ball forward, knock the ball off, and watch as the dime lands right on the spot.
Read your friends' minds with this easy book test miracle!
Effect: a randomly selected word is selected from a randomly selected book... yet without peeking or cheating, YOU tell them which word they're thinking of!
Easy dice trick lets you read drunk people's minds!
Three dice are dropped into a glass, covered with a coaster, then shaken up. The mark lifts up the glass just enough to peek at the bottom sides of all three dice, then adds all three dice to get a total value. Without peeking or cheating, the scam artist is able to divine the secret number in the sucker's mind!
Cork trick is nearly impossible for them to copy!
This week we've got a combination puzzle and magic trick, and the best part is that even AFTER you show them how it's done, they won't be able to pull it off!
Place 2 wine corks in the crook of each of your thumbs, pinched against your index fingers.
The challenge is to get each of the corks pinched between the thumb and forefinger of the OTHER hand, and pull your hands apart simultaneously.
Bottle bet makes 'em look goofy AND win you a free drink
We've said it before: you just can't know too many ways to win a free drink. This time, the setup is simple: fold a bottlecap in half and place it inside the lip of a bottle set on its side. Tell them all they have to do to win a free drink is blow the bottlecap into the bottle. However, once they start, every puff of air only blows the bottlecap out of the bottle!
Math paradox lets you cheat your friends
The Setup: First, make yourself a set of "non-transitive dice". These are dice that are completely ungimmicked, but they have a different set of values on each side of the die than you would normally find. All you'll need is 6 dice and some model airplane paint. Paint 2 of the dice completely green, 2 completely red, and 2 completely blue. Next, assign number values as you see here:
Red: 1 4 4 4 4 4
Green: 2 2 2 5 5 5
Blue: 3 3 3 3 3 6
...if you don't want to spend the time to make your own, google "non-transitive dice" and you'll be able to buy some pre-made online. Just make sure they're the same style as the ones we're making here.
3 simple matchbooks for a mental miracle and an easy free drink!
Effect: three matchbooks are set in front of the mark. While you turn around (or even leave the room!), he's invited to grab any matchbook and sneakily remove one match from anywhere, and replace the matchbook on the exact same place.
Once you turn back around, you pick up each matchbook and weigh it in the palm of your hand. After holding up each one in turn, you boldly (and correctly) reveal which matchbook is missing a match!
This week: a killer card trick, complete with a twist at the end... this card trick works BETTER because it screws up!
It's a real-life Vulcan mind-meld!
For our 100th episode, we've got a statistical scam that sounds impossible.
Get two puzzles for the price of one!
Use leverage to make your friends look dumb!
Amazing trick reads minds with NO trick coins, NO secret helpers... and no cheating!
While you look away, your friend flips over a bunch of coins to a random assortment of heads and tails. Next, she covers up one coin and thinks about whether it was "heads" or "tails" side up... and you tell her exactly what she's thinking of!
Easy trick fools magicians!
Hurl playing cards 50 feet at a time! Fling them hard enough to break water balloons, or even embed them into aluminum sheeting!
Check out Brian's live show from Austin, as he opened for Diggnation!
Physics scam creates IMPOSSIBLE result!
Use some sneaky statistics to win free beers off of your friends.
How to pick locks for FREE!
Use this mental miracle to keep your friends from betraying you...
Win free beers by taking advantage of their bad judgment!
How to read minds over Twitter, on the phone, or in person!
This week we've got a double punch: not only will this trick make you look like a card-dealing badass, but there's an quick, easy, and (most importantly) impressive card trick to learn with it!
This week we've got an unbelievable stunt that allegedly comes from no less than the Texas State Prison system! Thanks to Chuck Savage who sent in the following:
Easy Card Trick Fools 3 people at once!
Cheat your friends with an unbeatable game!
This week, it's a super short-and-sweet puzzle that'll stump any smoker.
EASY new Mind Reading trick from Seth Rover.
Use MIND CONTROL to force a game of tic tac toe!
Be like Rain Man with the Magic Square!
Create an unbelievable coincidence!
The lucky cork!
Cheap Trick to Scam her Phone Number
How to use the sugar packets at your table to drink for free!
This week we've got a boatload of pool hall favorites!
This week we've got two quick and easy tricks with matches.
This week we're back with another collection of pool hall favorites.
CHICO MARX'S FAVORITE SCAM! Swindle your friends with this easy rigged contest.
Learn this quick and easy disappearing trick to scam yourself into a free beer and amaze your friends!
The Setup: place 2 napkins a decent length apart (even better, have them on different tables!). Grab a brandy snifter and an olive.
The Challenge: without touching or moving the landing pads, use the snifter to pick up the olive from launchpad A, and safely deposit him onto launchpad B. No touching anything except the snifter, and the olive must take off from the one pad, and land on the other.
The Setup: using a totally fair quarter, you and your friend will place bets on which sequence of coin tosses are most likely to come first... while it looks totally fair, you'll have up to a 7 to 1 advantage over them!
The Scam: This is an old math problem called "Penney's Game". In this game, each player chooses a 3-digit sequence of coin flips... a coin is flipped over and over again, and whomever's sequence of heads and tails comes first, wins. in other words, player 1 may choose HTH (heads, tails, heads) as his sequence, while player 2 would choose HHT. when the coin is flipped, the results may be: TTHTTHHT, in which case, player 2 would win.
The Setup: grab two straws and an empty beer bottle. On the straws, mark a "no man's land" of about 2-3 inches in the middle.
The Rules: Neither you, nor anything else is allowed to touch anything in this "no man's land" area on either straw. Each independent side of each straw can touch either you (your fingers), or the beer bottle... but no one side can touch both you and the bottle at the same time.
The Challenge: Staying within these rules, use the straws to pick up the bottle off the table, carry it over the wall, and land it safely on the other side.
If cards is your game than Card Swap is one for the players. Ever do a card trick and have everyone sweat it out only to discover the way to win is not in the cards at all. Enjoy this week's episode of Scam School you won't want to miss!
Card Swap: The Setup
Brian plays card swap with 2 lucky subjects! Lay 13 cards out, from Ace to King. Below, lay 13 more cards from King to Ace.
Trying it Out: The Game
Brian watches the guys play card swap to see if they can figure out how it's done. Each turn, a player can swap any two cards they like. Whenever a card from the top layer lines up with its match on the bottom layer, the cards are "locked in" and cannot be moved again. Winner is the LAST one to lock in a card.
Think you are good with words? What if I took a bunch of letters and ripped them away from the alphabet could you still spell words? Let's find out?
The Setup: Find any two people at the bar, and find out which of the two is the better wordsmith. Give them both 90 seconds to think up as many words as they possibly can without the letters A, B, C, or J, K, M, or P.
The Bet: After the wordsmith takes his turn, offer a twist: not only will you bet that Ms. not-good-with-words will win, but that she'll be able to come up with 50 words in less than 90 seconds. You'll help her only by contributing five words to her list.
No matter where you are, it helps to know a couple of sweet tricks you can do with totally borrowed objects... and this week we've got one on loan from world champion magician Michael Ammar!
The Setup: borrow two hair bands from any two girls, and hook them onto your index fingers and pinkies.
The Effect: after reaching forward and rubbing two bands together... your mark is shocked to find the two rubber bands completely linked! the effect is repeated and both bands are shown to be completely ungimmicked.
This week we're joined by an expert in microexpressions, lie detections, and negotiation: Clark Freshman of UC San Francisco. Find out how to tell when someone's lying, when they're hiding something, or when you're secretly annoying them at the bar!
Find out more about Clark's work at http://clarkfreshman.com
This week we've got two super simple, killer matchstick puzzles!
This week we've got two super simple, killer matchstick puzzles:
For starters, set up matchsticks to make the roman numeral expression "seven equals one". Obviously no matter how you read it, this equation is wrong... But by moving just one match you can make it true.
Next up: Use matchsticks to create a grid of sixteen squares (as seen in the video)... The challenge is to remove just 9 matches, and end up with absolutely no squares)... Watch the episode for the solution!
This week we complete our interview with an expert in microexpressions, lie detections, and negotiation: Clark Freshman of UC San Francisco. Find out how to tell when someone's lying, when they're hiding something, or when you're secretly annoying them at the bar!
Find out more about Clark's work at http://clarkfreshman.com
So by now you've got well over 100 kick-ass tricks you're learned from scam school, and I get a LOT of letters from people asking how to hone their skills as a performer. Everyone's different, but I know that for me, street performing was an invaluable experience. It forced me to learn how to build a crowd, how to recognize when people were getting bored, and gave me an opportunity to hone my skills without having to book a "real" show. In this episode of Scam School, we take it to the streets and try to discover the ins and outs of street performing.
This week, we've got a quick and easy kickass trick that has two straws (or dollar bills... or really any two flexible tube-like objects) penetrating each other.
This week we've got two match puzzles that should leave them stumped!
Puzzle 1: You've got two pieces; a bucket filled with a couple of matches, and a "tent" made from the unwrapped outer cover of a matchbox. The Challenge: get the tent over the matches without touching anything, and without leaving your seat.
Puzzle 2: start with a simple 2x2 square made of matches. The Challenge: to cut the square into two, perfectly equal sides with exactly the same shape... using 4 matches.
Puzzle 1: draw 9 dots in a 3x3 grid, surrounded by a box. The goal: by drawing just 2 squares, get each dot (rattlesnake) in its own, complete separate "cage"
Puzzle 2: Bite the heads off of 2 matchsticks, and arrange them in the shape of a "T" (as shown in the episode). The question: which stick is longer, the horizontal, or the vertical?
This week we've got special guests from PC Gamer magazine and we're learning a killer mental trick.
This week we've got a bar room classic-- learn it now so you don't get punked at the bar!!
Setup: Pour about a shot of water into a saucer or small plate. The challenge is to use a few standard bar items to get as much water into the glass, in as little time as possible. (warning: make sure you don't have a ton of napkins around... They'll just soak everything up and throw it in the glass)
Brian scams YouTube sensation Adorian Deck with his math and origami mastery!
The effect: by thinking of a random number and doing some more randomizing, your friend will think of a totally random animal, which he will keep secret from you.
Behind your back, you start folding a bill into an animal origami shape, trying to guess the animal they're thinking of. Amazingly, not only do you fold it into a perfect origami animal, but it perfectly matches the animal they're thinking of!
This week we've got two easy tricks guaranteed to get a reaction from your friends:
WARNING: both of these involve fire, so be CERTAIN to take proper safety precautions!
Straw Rocket: Take a bottle of tequila, gin, or vodka, and leave only about a half teaspoon of alcohol in the bottom. Seal the bottle and heat it up (for example, in a dishwasher). SLOWLY open the cap and insert a straw that's been cross-pierced with a toothpick (as seen in the episode). finally, drop in a match and... WHIPOW!!! Instant straw rocket!
Napkin Rocket: This one's super simple... fold a napkin into four vertical segments, and "roll" it into a triangular tube. Set this tube up vertically on the table and light it from the top on all 3 sides. After it burns down to the bottom, the rising hot air will cause all the ashes to rise 10-15 feet toward the ceiling!
Here's a trick you can do anywhere, with anything! - The Criss-Cross.
This week we've got one of the most versatile puzzles we've ever shown: The Criss-Cross. All you need are six... things. These things could be coasters, matchbooks, iguanas, whatever.
The Puzzle: Designate 7 spots on the table. Put 3 of your things (we used matchbooks) on the far left 3 spots. Put the other 3 things (we used sweetener packets) on the far right spots. The goal is to get all 3 of the matchbooks to the far right, and all 3 of the packets to the far left. Thus, Chris-Cross. The Rules:
This card trick is seriously addictive!
The trick: have your mark pick a card. Shuffle the deck, and have them cut the deck into three piles. Show them the bottom card on each pile and put it on the table face down. Tell them that they did not cut to their card. The bottom card on the 3rd pile will be their card, but don't let them tell you that it is. Ask them to pick a number between 1 and ten. Bet them that their card will be that number of cards from the bottom of the deck. Since they know that their card is on the table and not in the deckl, they'll take the bet. Then count out cards and show them that the card that they picked has somehow ended up back in the deck.
Puzzle The First: Starting from 100, get CAT by moving only two matchsticks.
Puzzle The Second: Split a very unsymmetrical shape into two equal halves using one continuous (though not necessarily straight) line. This one broke Brian's soul, so you'll have to watch the video for the oh-so-simple answer.
Suck at darts? you can still make BANK with this simple scam.
Here's the scam: Pin a $20 to the dartboard, and offer it to whomever can hit it 3 times following your simple rules. The first toss must be from the line. The second toss must be from one step in front of the line. The third toss must be from one step behind the line. Charge a buck a turn. Watch the Washingtons roll in as your trusting dupes fail over and over at this deceptively hard challenge. Eventually, odds are that someone will win the twenty, but we're betting that you'll be well in the black by then.
Here's the scam: get two marks. Tie the first one's wrists together manacle-style with a rope. Tie their wrists loosely "for their comfort," but tell them they can't take the rope off their wrists. Tie the second mark's wrists together, linking his rope with the first one's. Challenge them to unlink themselves without untying the ropes.
With any luck, your marks will try all sorts of Twister-style moves to get themselves unhitched. With a little more luck, a large crowd will gather and laugh at their tomfoolery. Bonus points awarded if someone videos it and uploads it to Youtube.
How to scam anyone with this card trick based on a simple mathematical principle.
Got a friend with an iPhone? Here's how to scam an easy free drink off them.
This week's trick caomes to us all the way from Argentina! It's a simple yet baffling trick you can play on anyone who has an iPhone or an Android phone. First, write down a prediction. Then as your marks for a string of numbers: their birthdate, address, dress size, anything numeric. Multiply them all together. Hit equals, and show them the result. Then show them your prediction: the very same number. Baffling!
Watch this before you buy one of those "power bands" you see on latenight infomercials.
Those special power bands you see in latenight infomercials and on the wrists of sports stars everywhere? Well, we can't say for sure that they don't work. Mostly because we don't enjoy getting sued. But we have some fake placebo bands that we put through some tests, and you know what we found? They work just as well as the real deal. Dan 3.0's Dan Brown joins us on this expedition of science, my6stery, and drunk people falling down.
Brian takes on Dan Brown in an impossible challenge. Impossible unless you have a tasty kosher snack handy.
Dan Brown joins us once again to try to solve an impossible puzzle. The puzzle: Supply 3 "houses" on a 2-dimensional surface with 3 "utilities." Houses 1, 2, and 3 must all get power, gas, and water without crossing any lines. On paper, this looks impossible. And guess what? It is!
Learn how to fool even the toughest audience with this easy "memorization" trick.
At first, this one looks like the same old "pick a card, any card" key card scam you've seen before on Scam School. Your mark picks a card, looks at it, and puts it back, and cuts the deck. Then you look at the whole deck, "memorizing" it in a mere 10 seconds. At this point, ask the mark to move his card somewhere else in the deck. Then you shuffle the deck, which means it couldn't possibly be a key card trick! Unless...
This week we have a three, count 'em three tricks for the price of one. And they are all better than anything we've done before. In fact, they are new and improved versions of some of the best tricks we've ever shown.
First, we have The Static Shot. A viewer wrote in to tell us that this amazing feat is possible even when your shot is blocked by a pint of beer!
Next up, The Jack-O-Lantern. A particularly evil viewer suggested doing this trick as a contest. Without telling your mark how it's done. Ouch!
And finally, The Hot Seat. Add some appearing ink to this disappearing ink trick for added applause!
It is a well known fact in high-end theoretical topology that you cannot tie a knot in a rope without letting go of one end at some point. But don't let those high-falutin' topologists tell YOU what you can and cannot do! With this simple trick, learn to simulate a perfect overhead knot with a few simple maneuvers... and a bit of cheating.
There exists in this world a secret order, a legendary group of intellectuals and savants known as the Potentates of the Rose. Their ways are shrouded in mystery. All that we can know for sure is that they know something you don't know. And for once, we're not going to spoil it for you. Watch the video and figure it out for yourself. Cheaters will be stoned.
This week, we have two family-friendly gags. For the first, we challenge our marks to guess how many dimes can fit in a shotglass full of water. Hint: it's way more than you'd think.
Our second gag definitely won't win you any free beer, but it might work as a pick-up line. Take a dollar bill and fold it down the center of George Washington's face. Then make vertical folds at the corners of his mouth. if you look at it from the right angles, George will either frown or smile.
Hate math? You'll hate it even more after you try to solve these impossible puzzles!
This week, we have 3 unbeatable math puzzles... that don't involve math! Well, maybe just a little math.
-Puzzle the first: Add one, and only one, line to the equation 5+5+5=550 and make it true.
-Question B: Use one number 3 times to add up to 60. The solution CANNOT be 20+20+20=60.
-The last one: Make a true statement using the following numbers and symbols once and only once: 2, 3, 4, 5, +, =
Assignments are due at the end of class. Please show your work.
Two classic scams made EVEN BETTER! Plus: toxic smoke!
This week, we take the wayback machine all the way back to The very first episode of Scam School 3 years ago to re-examine The Human Chimney. Ah, to be young again and able to huff toxic match fumes without a care in the world. What could be better? Our friend Daniel Garcia has a suggestion: pair The Human Chimney with a great trick called The Homking match for a truly mind-blowing effect.
Jumping forward a year and a half, in our Ultimate Card Cheat episode, we said it was possible to make an opened deck look like it was never opened. But did we show you how? No, that would be too easy! Finally, here are the simple instructions on how to re-seal a deck without anyone being the wiser.
LIVE! at Stubb's Bar-B-Q for SXSW 2011, Brian performs his infamous nail-in-the-eye trick, smashes a concrete block over his head, proves that time travel is possible, and breaks not one, not two, but THREE World Records!
What's better than card tricks and math? Card tricks, math, and free beer! Check out today's episode for another amazing trick from Brian.
Friend of the show and amazing mathematician James Grime has given us another incredible Pi Day trick: The Fitch-Cheney Five Card trick. For this one, you and a friend can astound others by using four cards to guess a fifth card. Can you figure out the secret?
This week we show you how to make 4 rows of 10 coins add up to some serious mental perturbation. Use this trick right, and you will:
A.) Convince your friends that you are a sleight of hand master.
B.) Use the power of math for sinister purposes.
C.) Have people begging to give you free beer just to know how you did it.
This trick may be a little confusing at first, but watch the show a couple of times, practice for a bit, and in no tome you will be able to watch your friends' brains oozing out their ears in befuddlement
Have you always wanted crazy Rain Man math skills, without the annoying People's Court fetishization that comes with it? This week, we teach you a card trick that will make your friends think that you are a card-counting genius! Definitely a genius.
Shuffle the deck, and deal out two cards face down, one for you and one for your mark. Tell them to open their mind as you quickly run through the remaining cards. Let them try to guess your card. Look at your card, and give them one more quick peek at the other cards. In just those two quick peeks, you can easily determine what their card must be. Alcohol-induced autism? Nope, it's just simple arithmetic. Watch the show to find out the solution!
Can you solve the mystery of the Soggy $20?
This week, we have two tricks, both of them involving potential inundation.
Trick 1: A $20 bill, stuck in two glasses of water, one on top of the other. It's all yours, if you can get it out without spilling the water.
Trick 2: Once you have the $20 out, remove the water from one of the glasses, WITHOUT touching the glasses.
Can you guess WRONG all the way through the deck?
This week, a probability conundrum: if you go through the whole deck guessing what card will be next, will you be wrong or right more often? Obviously, you have a better chance of being wrong. But how much better chance? Could you go through the the whole deck without guessing right once? The odds might shock you!
Can YOU figure out the secret behind this trick? It looks like sleight of hand, but look again!
This week, we teach you how to predict not one, but TWO cards at once. Is it sleight of hand? No. Darkest black magic? No. Cunning card manipulation? Maaaaybe... Plus, a bonus coin trick!
Fool your friends into thinking you're a math whiz! With this simple trick, you can add up 10 numbers in your head way faster than a calculator.
FAKE looking like you're SMART!
This week you're going to look like you're brilliant, when in fact you're nothing but a big, fat liar.
Let's get started!
THE SETUP: Have your friend pick two one-digit numbers, and write them above each other at the top of the page. Have them add up those numbers and write the sum underneath. Now add up the 2nd and 3rd number to get a 4th, and so on until you have a list of 10 numbers (none of which you could have known in advance).
THE CHALLENGE: He's armed with a calculator, and you're armed with nothing but your mind. Propose a race. Whoever can add up the numbers fastest gets a free beer. Imagine your friend's surprise when you get an answer almost instantly, SMOKING him in the challenge!
Challenge your friends to a drinking race you're guaranteed to win. It's all about physics, man!
-The Setup: grab a couple of bottles of beer (or soda) and a bendy straw that's at least as tall as your bottle. Set pint glasses next to them and set up the following challenge!
-The Challenge: without moving the bottles (imagine they're glued to the table), the object is to be first to get all the beer from your bottle into the pint glass, and you must use the straw.
Think you have a good memory? Put your brain to the test with this psychology experiment. Listen to 24 sentences read out loud to you, then see if you can correctly remember what you heard.
Try to figure out how high a stack of quarters is by just eyeballing it. It's a guessing game that fools them all! Bonus trick: how many drops of water can you fit on a nickel?
This week we've got two ingeniously simple scams, both of which take advantage of awesome and strange gaps in our perception:
For the first one, stack 10 quarters and place them on some kind of pedestal (like your cell phone). Then in front of them on the table, place (in order) a 50-cent piece, a quarter, a nickel, a penny, and a dime. Ask your mark which coin, when placed on its side, will be as tall as the stack of quarters.
For your next scam, grab the nickel from scam #1 and ask them "how many drops of water can I place on this nickel before the water overflows?"
This week we're joined by total badass Rich Ferguson (creator of the awesome iPhone calculator trick in episode 153) with an unbelievable trick you can do anytime, anywhere... even surrounded!
The Setup: Grab a business card, playing card, or coaster and fold it in half. Place a bill from your wallet inside, pulling the outer flap down. Finally, place a pen, knife, or any other stabby implement in the center of the bill.
The Trick: Have your friend stab the pen down, all the way through the bill and card... pull it though and show the hole right through the middle of the bill and card. Finally: open up the card to show the bill totally restored, while the card remains torn!
Watch Brian go from scammer to "scam-ee" as his pals Andrew Mayne and Justin Robert Young try to predict how many cocktail napkins he can stuff in his piehole.
This week special guests Andrew Mayne and Justin Robert Young of the Weird Things podcast join us with a killer 2-for-1 trick. Not only do you get to punk your friends, but you'll totally fool them as well!
Setup: challenge your friend to stuff as many napkins in his mouth as possible (while still being safe). Before they begin, promise you're going to make a prediction of what the final number will be by sending your friend a text (which they can verify has arrived either by tone or vibration). With their phone still face down, let them run wild and stuff as many as they can...
Effect: ...when they finally run out of steam, take note of how many napkins they ended up with and then reveal your texted prediction: "You will have a very dry mouth." They'll probably be pissed and feel like a fool, but their annoyance will turn to amazement when you turn over the very next napkin to reveal a handwritten prediction "you will stop on number 27"...the exact number they stopped on!
How do you dupe five people into thinking you can read their minds? By correctly guessing which card they've MENTALLY chosen! Watch and learn...
This week we have an amazing 5-way miracle from MisMag822 on YouTube! Make sure to check out his new website: thecardtrickteacher.com.
Effect: a pack of shuffled cards is dealt into 5 poker hands. Each player shuffles up their cards and mentally selects one of them. As the cards are returned, they're shuffled together, then re-dealt into five face up hands. Each player then picks up a hand containing their mentally-chosen card, yet our scam-artist correctly guesses EACH of their mentally chosen cards!
Can you guess what card your friend picked out of a deck by putting them through a bizarre interrogation? Maybe - or you can try this much easier and much more devious method!
The Setup:
Couldn't be simpler. A borrowed deck of cards is totally shuffled, and a random card is selected. There's no marked cards, no forces, and the sucker truly does have a free choice of their card. Next, you begin asking a series of questions about their card, about which they can choose to lie or tell the truth... amazingly, it doesn't matter what they say, as you're ALWAYS able to tell when they're lying!
Brian scams the Hak5 crew! Watch them learn this classic trick where three objects are stolen and three thieves are rightfully accused.
The Setup:
Grab 3 random friends and 3 random objects (we'll refer to the random objects as A, B, and C here). Dump out a container of exactly 24 Tic Tacs, matches, or coins (it's important that you have exactly 24 counters, but it's equally important that you act like you don't even know or care how many there are). Next, pass out a few of the Tic Tacs so one of your players has 1, one has 2, and one has 3. Next, turn your back and ask that each of your players "steal" one object and hide it somewhere you won't find it.
The Ice Breaker himself - aka Rich Ferguson - is back with a card trick that even fooled Brian!
This week Rich Ferguson is back with a KILLER card trick, guaranteed to melt the brains of even talented magicians... and the best part? It takes no sleight-of-hand skills, whatsoever!
The Setup:
Start by pulling out all the 6's and 7's from your deck, and set up the top of the deck so that every other card is a 6 or a 7. Have your friend cut the cards into two piles. Spread the bottom pile and ask him to choose any card. As you spread through, count off six cards and keep them in your right hand. Wherever they pick their card from, make sure it's returned in the gap underneath the six cards in your right hand (so it's 7th from the top).
Square up the cards in this pack, and have your friend sit on them... here's the part where it gets good.
Pick up the top half of the deck, and begin to deal face down, one card at a time. Let your friend tell you to stop any time he or she likes. Now here's the important part: as you deal down, keep track of whether the card you're setting down is a random card (nope), or a 6 or 7 (yep). ...This should be easy to do since every other card is a 6 or 7.
Brian's "Weird Things" podcast cohort Andrew Mayne is back with the sweetest trick - how to make sugar disappear before your very eyes and then REappear on your iPhone.
This week we're back with Andrew Mayne and Justin Robert Young of the WeirdThings.com podcast, with a quick-and-dirty way to use your iPhone to make objects vanish from inside your hands. The setup couldn't be simpler, and the phone plays an integral part in really selling the trick!
Minds will be blown when you orchestrate a crazy, coincidental reveal using matches and a shuffled deck of cards!
This week you create an amazing coincidence -- grab two buddies and have them totally shuffle up a deck of cards. Meanwhile, dump out a matchbox full of matches, a fist-full of coins, tic-tacs, or anything else that can be used as counters... just make sure you have exactly 21 of them.
Have your friends divvy up the counters between them (they can have any number of them each, as long as none are left over), then deal out the cards from the shuffled deck in a face-up pile, counting off each card as you go through them (the first card is "one," second card is "two," etc.). By the time you reach the mid-twenties, each of them should have a card that corresponds to the number they picked earlier. THAT's the card each of them need to remember.
Finally, scoop up the face-up cards and place them back on the deck. Run off 10 cards and place them in your left hand, then cut the remaining cards in your right hand into two piles on the table. Place the 10 run-off cards on top of the bottom half.
Now: tell each of your volunteers to watch for their card, as you flip over the two top cards of each pile simultaneously, one at a time. If you've followed the directions correctly, no matter what number or card they picked, both of their hands will shoot up at the same time, as both of their cards are turned over simultaneously!
Figure out who stole your cash with the simplest interrogation ever!
Trap a liar!
Read minds to catch a thief.
This week we have an unbelievable logic trap that comes from the genius mind of one of the worlds leading mentalists, Banachek. In this incredible game, both players can lie or tell the truth... Yet just by asking two simple questions, you'll be able to figure out who is who.... And who stole your 20 bucks!
Rich Ferguson is back with two more gems from his bag o' tricks! All you need is some toothpicks, a playing card and a pair of scissors to blow your friends' minds!
This week we're back with Rich Ferguson and more bar tricks from his book "Tricks to Pick up Chicks." You'll learn not only how to pass two matchsticks through each other, but an impossible-sounding trick with the simplest props! Make sure to visit Rich at www.theicebreaker.com to get his book and learn more.
What's Brian's second favorite card trick of all time? Watch and learn!
Two brainteasers -- one diabolically simple, the other mathematically impossible.
This week we've got 2 puzzles that are PERFECT to take down your most competitive friends. One of them is really, really hard, and the other is simply IMPOSSIBLE. The best part: they won't know which one is which! Check out this week's video, and take the challenge: after you learn the puzzle, press pause and take on Brian... see if you can figure out which is the impossible puzzle, and how to solve the other one.
Belly up to the bar with your smartphone at the ready! In this episode, Brian is joined by Hak5's Shannon Morse, as he shows you how an obscure statistical principle can be used to score free drinks!
Brian gets tons of trick submissions every week, but are they any good? Find out as he performs a few of them before a panel of judges, including Tekzilla's Veronica Belmont. Tune in next week for Part 2!
In this episode, we get 5 tricks for the price of 1! And all of them were submitted by Scam School viewers. Try these out on your friends and let us know what you think.
Tricks 1 & 2: These might be fun to try simultaneously. First, grab an ordinary wooden kitchen match and place it just beyond the first joint of your index, middle and ring fingers (middle finger on top, and the index and ring fingers below the match). Try to break it using ONLY the strength of these 3 fingers - no leverage alllowed! Second, grab a rubber band and stretch it over just your pinky and index fingers and try to get it off your hand WITHOUT using your thumb or rubbing it on anything else.
Trick 3: Grab 9 notecards and write the letters I, E, G, P, E, C, Y, A, and T on them. Try to spell three words horizontally and three words vertically using only those letters. Give your friends a time limit of 5 minutes to solve the puzzle.
Trick 4: Grab 7 notecards and write the numbers 1 - 7 on them. Arrange the numbers so they add up to 12 horizontally, vertically and diagonally. Again, set up the challenge with a time limit.
Trick 5: Using 10 sugar packets, try to arrange them into 5 rows of 4 packets each. See how long it takes for friends to solve this one!
This week, it's more viewer-submitted Scam School ideas! Join Brian Brushwood, Tekzilla's Veronica Belmont and Brett Rounsaville as they continue to find out which scams make the cut.
Get ready to impress your friends! This week's trick requires no sleight of hand, elaborate math-magicry or fancy moves. It's so easy, it even fools the performer! Watch Brian and learn.
You can try to guess how many cards are in a stack based on how thick it is, but there's an even better way to do it. Watch this episode and learn about a clever deck-stacking method used by magicians for centuries!
Leave your friends utterly confused and amazed! All you need is a partner in crime and a few random objects to trick them into thinking you possess the power of black magic and the ability to read minds. Plus, a bonus trick that Brian calls "Sticks" - see if you can figure out the rules and the results!
In this episode, we've got two new tricks to add to your arsenal. The first involves a book of matches that reveals a secret number when burned. The second is a coin puzzle; see if you can divide 10 coins into 3 glasses, with an odd number of coins in each glass. BONUS: a mind-blowing card trick from Brian!
With this easy peasy trick, you'll make spot-on predictions every time and fool your friends into thinking you're a mind-reading wizard, when really you're just a dude who's prepared for all the possible outcomes. Watch Brian lay down the basics and see if you can perform this yourself, with your own unique twists!
How do you make a playing card magically appear out of your iPhone? Watch Brian's buddy and fellow magician, Daniel Garcia, teach Mark Watson this badass trick!
Visit http://revision3.com/scamschool/icard for the tool necessary to pull this trick off.
Okay, these are not card tricks. BUT you will need a deck of cards to perform them! First, can you build a house of cards sturdy enough to balance a wine glass full of water? Sounds impossible, but there is a solution! Next, balance a quarter on a card on your index finger. See if you can remove the card from under the quarter (while keeping the quarter balanced on the tip of your finger!) by touching only one edge of the card.
Brian matches wits with the Stanford Chess Club to put one of his favorite chess scams to the test! It's based on a classic tale where a con man tells a room full of chess players that he'll play each of them simultaneously and manage to win or draw at least half of the the games. Can a Stanford chess whiz pull this off or is it just a theoretical puzzle? Watch and find out!
A trick so nice, we did it twice! Blow the minds of your friends when you show them that the cards chosen out of a shuffled deck perfectly MATCH the serial number on a dollar bill! It's super simple to learn this one! Watch two different groups get scam-schooled by Brian's buddy and fellow magician, Daniel Garcia.
Here's a gag that will either make you totally bad ass, or totally wet! The challenge: using only one hand and no outside assistance, see if you can drink the water out of an upside down pint glass, spilling no more than 10% of the water inside. Check out Brian's elegant solution, or try to come up with one on your own!
We're still hung over from celebrating the New Year, so we're taking a break from the bar. This week, Scam School is back in session at one of the martest universities in the country! Watch the Stanford Chess Club take on the "Eight Queens" puzzle.
Mark Watson, aka SoldierKnowsBest, is BACK to be scammed once again by Brian and Daniel Garcia! Learn how to rock your friends into thinking you've "programmed" them to think about a specific person or object...
Why handle a bunch of cards when you can sit back, drink and let your friends do it all for you? In this episode we learn an awesome card trick where you barely even have to touch the deck.
It's our third and final installment with the Stanford Chess Club. This week, we challenge these geniuses to solve three "Chess Minsesweeper" puzzles.
Our final episode with Daniel Garcia involves a simple yet amazing trick where your friends line up some coins in random order and you predict the order they choose!
Are you a topology whiz or a total dumbass? Put your brain to the test with these awesome napkin folding puzzles!
It's another kick-ass trick from the magical mind of Daniel Garcia! In this episode, we use FIRE to find a card in the middle of the deck. Watch and learn.
What you don't know about eggs will blow your mind! Watch Brian and special guest Anthony Carboni of New Challenger test out some common egg myths and misconceptions.
In this episode we stump our guests with a puzzle that requires the simplest of props! All you need are some matchsticks and either a coin, a paperclip, or in this case, an Altoid.
This week we give you the first in a series of episodes guest starring Brian's pal, the award-winning badass magician Diamond Jim Tyler! Be like Diamond Jim and explode your friend's brains with an easy-to-learn newspaper prediction trick.
Diamond Jim Tyler is back with another awesomely simple trick! In this episode, we learn how to figure out what number your friend rolled on a pair of "invisible dice." You'll have to do some basic math, but it's guaranteed to work every time and blow everybody's mind.
This week we've got two good brainteasers. One is tough, but the other is a real stumper! First, see if you can arrange six cigarettes (or pencils, or straws...) in a way so that each one is touch the other five. Next, try the same thing with SEVEN!
Diamond Jim Tyler is BACK with another trick up his sleeve. Using basic math and a smart phone calculator, he'll show you how to get a girl's digits. Guaranteed to impress the ladies! Or maybe creep them out a little..
Discover the perfect trick for office parties. All you need is a bowl of water and some paper clips. Question: Will they float? Answer: Yes! But how? Watch this episode and find out.
How do you get your friends to correctly guess the color of every card in a deck, face down? Wish ESP! Okay, not really. Just watch this episode and brian will show you the secret to this mind blowing card trick!
Can you hold an open beer bottle upside down without spilling it? Diamond Jim Tyler can! Watch this episode and learn how to amaze your friends!
You probably have a bunch of rubber bands lying around anyway - why not turn them into tools of trickery? In this episode, we'll learn some easy peasy lessons in rubber band magic!
If you want to perform advanced card tricks, you've gotta learn your fundamentals first. In this epsiode, Brian teaches four basic card flourishes that you should know before you go pro. All it takes is a little practice to nail these down!
In our final episode with Diamond Jim Tyler, we learn an awesomely simple card trick that requires no skill! It's based on Jim Steinmeyer's famous nine card trick, which you might remember from a previous episode of Scam School as the "Spelling Bee" trick.
In this episode, Brian teaches an earlier version of the "fast and loose" con game we've learned on Scam School before. This one's known as "pricking the garter" and instead of a chain, we use a rolled up belt.
WARNING: The ONLY safe way to learn fore eating is under the personal training of an experienced professional... which is exactly what our Revision3 hosts Veronica Belmont, Anthony Carboni and Max Scoville do in this week's episode!
Here's the first in a series of episodes where Michael blows our minds with an amazing performance and teaches us a thing or two about magic. This week: the card on the ceiling trick, followed by a lesson on how to break, then UNbreak, a rubber band.
In part two of Brian's fire eating lesson, our Revision3 hosts learn one of the advanced moves that makes fire eating look super badass! Watch Max Scoville, Anthony Carboni, Veronica Belmont and Andrew Bancroft attempt the vapor trick.
This week we're back at the bar for a poker trick that is almost brilliant in its simplicity! You can perform it anywhere, anytime and you don't even need a special deck for it. It starts with a prediction and an easy setup..
We're back at Misdirections Magic Shop in San Francisco to witness the wizardly of Michael Ammar! In this episode, we watch him rip and restore a torn card. Plus we'll learn how to fake our friends into thinking their phone screen is busted. Psych!
Counting cards isn't illegal, but you might get your butt kicked if you're caught. Don't let that stop you from trying! In this episode, Brian shows us a card counting method you can do on the sly.
In honor of the Fourth of July, we bring you more fire shenanigans! We literally toss and transfer fire! Get ready to be wowed.
In this episode we head back to Misdirections Magic Shop in San Francisco for another mind-blowing performance from Michael, PLUS he'll show you how to freak out your friends with a self-folding dollar bill.
In this episode, we'll see Rev3 Host Anthony Carboni learn advanced maneuvers - like the fire finger transfer, the pants on fire trick and the most visually stunning of all - the fire floor transfer! (Don't try this at home!)
You may have seen a variation of the cup and ball trick before, but in this episode our special guest, Michael Ammar takes it to a whole new level. Even Brian's mind was blown!
Be prepared to get messy because you're about to learn how to rip out people's guts using the precision of a mad scientist - with your bare hands!
Brian and guest Michael Ammar are back with even more quick and simple maneuvers guaranteed to impress anyone who asks you, "Can I have your card?" Plus watch Michael pull a scarf through a solid object!
You don't have to plunge the ocean depths to celebrate Shark Week. On Scam School, all you have to do is belly up to the bar with the lovely ladies of the Bite Club Show!
This week we attempt to answer the age-old question: Is pro wrestling real or fake? Watch the master become the student as Brian finds out the trade secrets behind this pre-determined "sport" from a wrestling school graduate.
Sometimes one short trick won't do on its own, but a bunch of them in a rapid succession can have awesome results! Watch Brian and guest magician Robert Strong run through a few fun little gags you can do with pencils or straws.
This week challenge your drinking buddies with a couple of fun brain teasers.
This week it's time to test the limits of your imagination! We've got two matchstick puzzles you can try out on your friends and see how you can improve them.
Brian's pro-wrestling schooling continues! This week, watch him learn some final advanced maneuvers before it's all choreographed into a final showdown between the teacher and the student.
In this episode, we follow Brian on his journey to "Mahakarya Magician" in Jakarta. The we go backstage before the show to meet two of Indonesia's most famous magic superstars and get a glimpse at their magic powers...
This week we're at the bar again with Brian and his fellow magician Robert Strong, who shows us a card prediction trick that's totally unbustable!
This week we show you more of Brian's Indonesian adventure. Follow him to Jakarta as he prepares for one of the biggest live televised magic specials in the world, get a glimpse of some of the onstage "Mahakarya Magician" performances...
Playing with fire never gets old! This week we learn how to create amazing jets of flame using ordinary matches and some powdered coffee creamer. BONUS: Another Scam School devotee gets his own personal fire-eating lesson from Brian.
In this episode, Brian harnesses the power of coffee creamer to create magnificent pillars of fire! In other words, Brian teaches a couple how to ignite animal fats in powdered coffee creamer. It results in a stream of combustable coffee creamer and you end up seeing a long line of fire! Plus, Brian personally teaches yet another Scam School devotee how to eat fire!
Brian's Indonesian adventure comes to a close as he and strongman/magician Dennis Rogers hit up a bar in Jakarta. Plus, see Rogers true strength at work and learn an amazing coin trick.
In this episode, we show you how to make some pretty gnarly flutes out of the plastic straws you'd typically find at your local bar!
In this episode, we show you how to make a stripper deck to perform a variety of card tricks, with the help of San Francisco magician Ryan Horsfall.
DON'T TRY THIS TRICK AT HOME!! After watching the look on Anthony Carboni's face, as he attempts to eat glass from an incadescent light bulb, you probably won't want to try it anyway. Brian Brushwood lays down the strategic way to "chew glass". DO NOT USE FLORECENT LIGHT BULBS!!!!
DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! DO NOT USE FLORECENT LIGHT BULBS!!!! Fluorescent lights contain small amounts of mercury, a poisonous substance. The phosphor coating on the inside glass is also harmful. If a human or pet is cut, the phosphor will prevent blood from clotting. Once again, DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! Enjoy though, as Brian shows you a dangerous sideshow trick that's been done for years.
In this episode, we show you how to have people read YOUR mind with this simple card trick!
So you can read people's mind in a card trick? That's child's play, get people to read YOUR mind to really blow them away. It's not that hard either, you'll just need a little help from a... ehem.. marked deck.
Today on Scam School, it's a two for one special! Two beautiful girls and two awesome scams all in one episode!
If you have four able bodied people and four chairs, then you can perform this awesome hypnotic levitation trick!
There's nothing more awesome than the ability to amaze people with little to no props. On today's Scam School, you'll learn how to weave your friends together as if they were one big sleeping pretzel, with nothing more than four chairs.
Suckers who don't see how pieces of toilet paper suddenly disappear while everyone else is in on the joke. Oh yeah... you also get a bonus hypnotizing switcheroo bonus trick today!
Learn how to warp a card and defy logic in this episode of Scam School.
You can't turn a card inside out. Right? Turns out you can and Brian Brushwood blows some minds by doing so under the cover of darkness. Learn the logic behind this simple card folding (and cutting) scam.
The only thing you need to pull off these two scams is a few dice. That and a few suckers with money in their pockets!
Learn how to scam your friends in this week's Scam School with just a few dice. The first trick involves a bit of dice-on-finger physics that will stump everyone. The second trick is a variation of the previously played "Nim". It's a race to the number 50!
It's like jazz improv, but for card magic!
This week we're joined by mentalist Jonny Zavant as we learn a simple technique that requires no sleight of hand, yet allows you to make up your own magic tricks on the fly. Check out Jonny Zavant's full stage show over at http://jonnyzavant.com
Ever wonder how Fakirs and daredevils pull off the walking on glass stunt? We find out! Remember, this is for informational and entertainment purposes only, and whatever you do, DON'T TRY THIS ONE AT HOME! Watch for the secret! The glass is genuinely 100% sharp, but very, very brittle. Performers take advantage of this face to "rough up" the glass right in front of you before they walk on it.
Brian shows you how to take a bill, destroy it and then teleport it back!
This week we give you one of the strongest effects yet: A borrowed bill is identified, and the serial number memorized. Despite being destroyed right in front of their eyes, the bill restores itself anywhere you want!
Details of how to pull this off are in the video, but if you want to get pre-made bills to pull this off, make sure to grab them this week at http://scamstuff.com
This week we've got an awesome challenge from Dr. James Grime from Cambridge University, as seen on his stellar YouTube channel "singingbanana."
In this challenge two people must avoid both being right at the same time successfully through 26 trials in a row. A feat that defies the 2000 to 1 odds against it! Your challenge: guess our system and then tweet Brian at @shwood BEFORE we reveal the answer.
There's no communication between the two players, and no peeking of any kind. Our system works no matter how many trials there are, too!
Mentalist Jonny Zavant shares his psychic powers to read our minds and our auras... but it's all a sham.
Brian shows you a technique to stack a deck that magicians have used for hundreds of years!
Brian shows you the most powerful principle in card magic!
Brian shows off a safer alternative to create a dramatic fire blast.
Brian unleashes some good ol' riddles to puzzle your brains. All you need is a pen and paper to release you inner mathlete!
Light it up! Watch as Brian brings this hypothetical riddle to life.
Brian rips up 5 random cards and uses trickery to match them back up. It's the simplest card miracle ever!
Amaze everyone with your mental math wizardry!
Create your own trick at the bar IN SECONDS! Magician Peter Boie joins Brian to teach you this simple trick and show off some sly MacGyver skills.
5-sided stars and triangles! Let's see if you can solve Brian's super simple puzzle in this week's episode of Scam School.
Match your wits with Brian and the crew to become a memory master!
This gravity defying card trick just may melt your brains out of your nose - in a good way!
The amazing Diamond Jim Tyler joins Brian to show us 3 simple scams to score free drinks using ordinary forks and spoons.
Check out two challenges using one simple box of matches and see if your friends can figure out the secrets to these tricks!
One is easy, one is hard, and one is super hard (but actually easy once you know how). Can you figure them out?
Are you really tripling your lung power, or is it a trick? Here's a way to always win this trash bag inflation trick.
This just might be the hardest puzzle we've done on Scam School.
Both of these matchbook challenges are difficult, but while one is solvable, the other is COMPLETELY impossible.
Sharpen your matchsticks and grab a beer, it's the Scam School Mid-Terms!
Check out this simple numbers game that can make you look very smart, but it's actually totally easy to win. Can you get to 15 before your opponent?
We learn a card manipulation trick that's so simple ANYONE can do it.
Jonny Zavant joins Brian to teach us this mind reading miracle.
Brian shows us a super simple card trick you can do anytime, anywhere.
Brian shows us how to focus our inner dragons to split matches in two - with a shout.
You'll need 10 cards for this logic puzzle. Can you split them up into two even piles each with the same number of face-up and face-down cards - without even looking?
LEMON ATTACK!! Diamond Jim Tyler joins Brian to share myths, legends and bar tricks using the mighty lemon.
Can Brian get outsmarted by Diamond Jim Tyler? Watch to see Brian get crushed with this amazing card puzzle.
John Maverick puts everyone in physical danger by showing off this classic super strength stunt for free beers. Freak out your friend with your fingers of steel!
Chalk up those cues, we're playing some pool and drinking beer! Diamond Jim Tyler joins us with a couple of gags to punk your friends.
Which beer is safe for Brian to drink? Get ready for this cringe-worthy scam.
Watch as strongman Dennis Rogers shows off his world famous skills. Yes, he actually did just roll up that frying pan. THEN! Brian matches Dennis's strength with his wits with some puzzle action.
Magic creator Marcus Eddie joins Brian to show us this sleight of hand technique you can do anytime, anywhere - and will FREAK people out. Have you had your tetanus booster... 'cause that's a big splinter.
Not for the squeamish! Dennis Rogers is back with a crazy stunt: driving a nail through a big board... with his hand. This feat takes lots of training and super-human strength, but Dennis shows Brian a few tricks that could make it a bit easier - maybe.
Magician Marcus Eddie is back with a simple coin trick that will have you labeled as a sorcerer.
Brian calls for a battle of wits by throwing down these puzzle challenges.
Greg Rostami joins Brian to amaze us with his telekinesis trickery and shows us how to move a ring with some ingenious psychic powers!
You can never have enough card tricks in your arsenal. David Rangel joins Brian to drop some heavy dice science to deliver a kick-ass card prediction trick. You'll be a wizard of cards!
You're likely already holding a magic trick in your pocket. Greg Rostami joins Brian to help folks turn their smartphones into modern day magic wands.
Card wizard, David Rangel, joins Brian to teach us another elegant and easy trick.
You will always win this dartboard game that you can play anywhere. Plus an iPhone trick that you got to see to believe.
Get ready to learn some life skills - Brian teaches us a bunch of different ways to escape from handcuffs.
Here's a simple riff on a traditional card technique brought to you by David Rangel!
Learn the art of introduction! Magic is not always about the trick, it's also about the ability to start a conversation and get someone on your side.
We're back with a sequel to our most popular puzzle challenge. Brush up on your order of operations and get ready to face the Four 4s!
Brainteasers abound! Dating coach, Adam Lyons, is back to share some tricks to meeting people.
In magic, Brian calls these puzzles tweeners, devices to engage your audience, frustrating them a little bit before the close!
We've had a blast these last 300 episodes and Brian has saved one of his favorite tricks for lucky 300.
We are joined by David Rangel to show us the sweetest, easiest card trick that takes no skill - it's the Free Choice Hand. Keep winning those free beers!
David Rangel is back with a card trick AND a game that will screw them out of a free drink.
Brian shows off 3 puzzles using napkins. No need for any fancy equipment here... and they're absorbent for all that free beer you may spill on yourself.
Let's face it, your coin vanishing skills need some help. Brian, and his Magic Boy Band, has the fix!
Here are some sleight of hand fundamentals so you can vanish that coin like it's second nature.
Brian shows off one of the oldest and most used magic principles.
Particle physics? Not quite, but you'll feel like a genius with this string and ring trick.
Always win at the world's worst board game with this mind-reading, future-predicting original effect. You just need some napkins and a pen.
Melt brains with the BEST closeup rubber band trick you'll learn.
You won't need a full deck for this one, predict the future with 8 random cards!
They will ALWAYS choose the card that came from a different deck.
It's the challenges that win you the free drinks. Here are 3 triangle puzzles that will get you all the beer.
It's the power of teleportation! And a little misdirection.
Fire always helps too.
It's a math challenge that's a game and a lie. But it's no lie that you shouldn't miss Brian and Zak's beard growing contest for Dollar Shave Club!
Everyone loves a prank. Here are two super easy tricks that will make them look dumb and have everyone laughing their ashes off!
Here the "black box" is a fez. Fezzes are cool.
Are your scam senses able to guess how David picked the right dollar bill? There are always shenanigans at play.
THEY shuffle the cards. THEY pick the coin. YOU provide the unbelievable coincidence. David Rangel workshops a card trick that fools all three magicians at the table.
Try this at home! Pause at 2:30 to play along. Advance the numerical value of the card you choose starting from the first line. Play until you don't have any more moves. What card do you end on? (Face cards = 5; and the Joker = 1).
Perform a mind reading miracle using magazines with hardly any preparation. AND a special cameo appearance by a special guest you can't miss!
Brian is using imaginary money to show off two real puzzles.
Can you figure out these games?
Annoy everyone at fancy restaurants!
Brian shows off a version of Cards Against Humanity with a twist of wizard powers on the side.
Add up numbers like a whiz! Or is it a trick? It's probably a trick, guys.
Pete Boie joins us to show off a matchbox trick that is half magic and half SCAM.
Brian has 2 puzzle challenges for you - can you solve 'em?
Behold the nimble hands of Diamond Jim Tyler who stops by to teach us these matchbook scams (plus one good ol' jerk move).
Who'll buy the drinks? Not you! Pete Boie stops by to show an old gag to score a drink.
Big thank you to Pete Boie for stopping by and showing us some simple choice manipulation.
This week, Brian shows off puzzle tricks that could very possibly melt your brain. Check out the latest Scam School and see if you can master these tricks and maybe even score free beers from your friends!
Manipulate time and space to create this impossible object - from a simple post-it note.
From a random assortment of objects, always isolate the chosen one!
Don't be fooled by this seemingly simple cork flipping trick!
Nate Staniforth performs two impressive illusions, and Brian sets the crowd against a difficult coin challenge.
Go from fool to cool with this, the best worst card trick.
Diamond Jim gives us a new look at an old trick, and Justin Willman busts out the balloons!
Pete Boie helps you get ripped (cellophane) by posing a simple challenge that's harder than it seems!
Nate Staniforth reveals his brilliant card swap trick!
Rig any game using dice by process of elimination!
Ripping up a folded napkin might not be as predictable as you would imagine.
What could be more fair than spinning a nickel? A lot of things, apparently.
Nate Staniforth returns to read the finest of details from just the tips of his fingers!
Diamond Jim Tyler simply asks, "Can you get Abraham Lincoln to face the other way?"
When it comes to cards, Brian has unbeatable memory techniques!
Diamond Jim Tyler returns not only to defend his title for most badass guesting and to extract numbers from brains!
Brian reverts to his childhood and blows bubbles all episode! Oh, also his childhood is possessed with the drive to burn things. Who could've known?
There's a sudden outbreak of infectious disease, but inspection gloves are outrageously expensive! What is the most cost-effective inspection protocol?
Brian formulates his way to beer with three tricky equation-based puzzles!
Choose any card, shuffle the deck and IT'S GONE?! Into the void of unimaginable emptiness you might presume, but that's not necessarily the case. Brian shows you how.
Armed with a fistful of keys, Brian sets out to erect the world's TALLEST KEY STRUCTURE to keep his precious cork out of reach from the laypeople.
Matt Dillahunty uses a standard calendar to discern far more than is logical.
Tipping is usually a well received practice, but maybe not if you do it like this.
Brian explores a form of wordplay that doesn't involve puns in a game that he can't lose.
Brian warps minds with his mystical object phasing fires.
These 6 numbers have a common trait among them that are shared by absolutely no other numbers!
With this knot tied around scissors, the solution to unraveling it only takes a couple steps and yet still evades everyone who tries it.
Tipping is usually a well received practice, but maybe not if you do it like this.
You are given all the tools you need to succeed, but can you do it?
How do you get the same deck of cards that conceals a chosen card, to in turn reveal it?
Catching a pile of salt on the blade of a knife seems nearly impossible, right?
Only using the number 5 and the operation symbols, how efficiently can you get the calculator to show 17?
These 6 numbers have a common trait among them that are shared by absolutely no other numbers!
A pile of beers, a scale, and the absolute necessity to know all of their relative weights walks into a bar.
Blow minds when you "sense" their card out of the deck!
These three riddles come straight from the mouth of the Sphinx, but like if the Sphinx came from outer space and spoke another language but then rewired your brain. They're tough is what I'm trying to say.
You are given all the tools you need to succeed, but can you do it?
It looks simple, but the infinite loop will have them scratching their heads! Get free drinks AND look like a genius!
After more than 3 years, Rich Ferguson returns with a killer condom trick!
They count the cards and you look like a wizard. A beer wizard.
Rich Ferguson drops by to teach everyone how to perfectly balance a quarter on the edge of a dollar bill!
Only using the number 5 and the operation symbols, how efficiently can you get the calculator to show 17?
Make peace in the kingdom and regale yourself with free beers!
A pile of beers, a scale, and the absolute necessity to know all of their relative weights walks into a bar.
You don't have to know what you're doing, to look like you know what you're doing. You'll be rolling quarters across your fingers in no time!
These three riddles come straight from the mouth of the Sphinx, but like if the Sphinx came from outer space and spoke another language but then rewired your brain. They're tough is what I'm trying to say.
It's so simple--just a bicycle and string! Or is it? (It is.)
It looks simple, but the infinite loop will have them scratching their heads! Get free drinks AND look like a genius!
Just how secure is a written secret inside a security envelope?
After more than 3 years, Rich Ferguson returns with a killer condom trick!
Give them psychic powers (no vigors or salts needed!)
A round of drinks quickly turns into a balancing act.
A round of drinks quickly turns into a balancing act.
Rich Ferguson drops by to teach everyone how to perfectly balance a quarter on the edge of a dollar bill!
Their mind's on the money and their money's on your mind!
Make peace in the kingdom and regale yourself with free beers!
We cover the definitive method to opening popular builds of padlocks.
You don't have to know what you're doing, to look like you know what you're doing. You'll be rolling quarters across your fingers in no time!
Alms for your palms with this advanced coin vanish!
You don't need any tools, you just need the lock and some fingers. This method is scary simple.
Can you beat the cosmic number and crossword puzzle?
You're all out of excuses, people trying to get out of handcuffs! Also, it should go without saying, but don't break any laws.
You don't have to know what you're doing, to look like you know what you're doing. You'll be rolling quarters across your fingers in no time!
Read their mind and give them the business. Business of giving them the business. And business is good.
You've heard the classic, but this perturbing take complicates things. Can you figure it out?
Leave them scratching their heads with this puzzler!
The gnome wizard demands to know what his magical dragon eggs's ultimate bearing capacity is in the unit of building stories. It's a logistical thing.
Don't get it confused--he's not a mad hatter!
MONEY is in the bag of holding! But can you figure out specifically what denomination is left in the bag?
Bwoo sound effect optional.
You are given a pool of letters, but can you resolve the perfectly aligned solution?
All the smooth with none of the criminal
Choose some cards, put them back into the deck, and with the flip of the wrist your cards jump out of the deck!
David Rowyn returns to steal all our quarters!
Things start getting a little wild and Brian lights things on fire at the bar.
You sure can pick 'em!
Defy gravity with this card stacking technique!
Picking noses not covered.
Houdini's rope escape feat is a classic -- here's how you can perform it!
Requisition this!
Surprise card tricks, deducing selected cards (sort of), and a bonus performance!
A fool-proof formula for this classic game
A fool-proof formula for this classic game
This one is a classic, just let the egg drop in the glass.
No bones about THESE skeleton keys
Diamond Jim Tyler is back and he ushers forth the power of pennies!
Proof in the form of pudding not accepted
Dan Martin joins us to show you how to remove an Apple watch without the person knowing. Also, don't do illegal crimes please.
Dan Martin joins us to show you how to remove an Apple watch without the person knowing. Also, don't do illegal crimes please.
Potatoes a-plenty in this paradox
Couldn't be simpler, just pick a card out of a deck and predict EXACTLY what was chosen.
Twice the brain-bending!
Brian unboxes the exclusive Arcana deck and teaches a simple one-handed card reveal!
Also works on non-smug geniuses
There's a mystery afoot, and only the saltiest PIs can track down the missing person.
Time is not on your side! Nor is fire!
A shuffled deck gets cut into four piles, and somehow each pile is cut directly to an ace!
A shuffled deck gets cut into four piles, and somehow each pile is cut directly to an ace!
One Pinky Man is my favorite superhero.
Brian sets up a math puzzle with variables and demonstrates an important lesson when things don't go as planned.
Crikey! Didgeridoo sold separately.
Brian is joined by Chris Jones (America's Got Talent) and they discuss and demonstrate hypnosis.
Chris Jones is back to teach the fundamentals of hypnosis!
Allison returns to reprise her role as a most formidable guest, but Brian has the ultimate caret on a stick.
The scam doesn't bother you anyway
Dennis Rogers is back! He reveals how to cut corners on snapping a wrench in half, and the secret to uncrushable handshakes.
Is that logic in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?
Tribal King knows no mercy. Do you have what it takes to save your life and collect all the treasures?
You ever get twisted?
Brian brings three deceptive match puzzles to the table, can you triumph?
Be careful, the bottle black belt has sharp edges.
Brian was sent a domino stacking technique from the far-flung past of 1905!
This gauntlet is anything but pint-sized!
The Puzzled Pint is BACK! Can you solve this puzzle, or will you fly too close to the sun and meet a most tragic fate?
For external use only.
A deck is shuffled, cut, and a card is pulled at random. Brian calls up a friend, but can he guess the card?
Stab! Stabbity stab!
Puzzled Pint is back with our toughest challenge yet!
You'll always shock them with this!
Put a seven on the bottom, it'll come out of the top. Put it on top, it'll come out of the middle?
Wear your seat belt, you don't get a second chance! This episode brought to you by U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Click it or ticket!
Only from the candy cup does one king of candy color every couple candies.
I say neigh!
Brian's ring gets put under Diamond Jim's spell of unconditional evasion.
Dominate your domino dominion!
Diamond Jim Tyler is back with a seemingly impossible balancing act.
If x, then free beer.
Pantalooney, Deborah, and Hannibal enter the fold--but who is being looked at, is where the mystery lies.
It's less impossible than you think.
Alan Paoletti drops by to revisit a classic!
Don't worry, fear is not a factor.
Diamond Jim Tyler puts a nefarious twist on a classic bar bet.
It's dead simple to look this cool.
No scams or tricks this week, just raw skill... that pretty much anybody could do.
Las Vegas legends show us two loveable straw goofs.
Two stacks, and one never fails to snitch on the other.
Between shooting episodes, Brian decided to find out if he could perform the coin swap Jean-Claude Van Damme pulls off in Bloodsport.
Mac King makes a mess! Mmm, creamy!
This is one of the simplest coin vanishes out there!
We give you all of the variables, and the final answer. Can you figure out how to get from one to the other?
Your body gives it away!
It's time to step up your game, rubber band slingers.
Any card can join this team!
Welcome illuminati initiate! Your first order of business is to predetermine the sequence of kings and queens, the future is in your hands. Choose wisely.
With two buckets and a cannon ball, can you save the day?
Learn how to perform one of the most iconic card flourishes, the card spring!
You won't believe how easy this card control is!
Ever wanted to be a Globetrotter of card flourishes? This is a good place to start.
Get free drinks with these two timezone head-scratchers!
Sometimes it's the trick that falls apart that sticks the best landing.
Shuffle the deck and you can still reliably out-predict your participant with which cards are dealt in what order.
It's just a simple gag, right?
This one's an all-time classic that honestly does let you guess where any chosen card is in the deck.
To clarify, the deck is arranged in CHaSeD order: Clubs, Hearts, Spades, Diamonds -- and each card increases by a value of 3. We have a few other episodes based around this principle.
This is an all-time Scam School classic which lets you get away with showing the answer and still stumping the participant.
A game of chance, but is there something more to it?
Most of the tricks we teach are really old (not just the ones you've heard before!), here are 3 riddles older than you are.
Btw, Brian's mic fell off during the last riddle, so if you notice his voice being weird that's because it's dubbed.
No, but seriously, is it ESP, bro? Still no.
You have 1000 bottles of wine, but one is poisoned! With only ten... test subjects, how do you guarantee which bottle is poisoned?
Tips and trick to assemble an airtight magic routine. You could even fool Brian!
These cards can't keep a secret!
A group of people, a group of bills, pick one and divine its serial number.
Brian and friends discover a winning strategy to Tic-Tac-Toe by turning the rules on their head.
Tetrahedron 7's take on Plato's allegory of the cave, plus a Diamond Jim Tyler performance!
Diamond Jim Tyler shows us how to harness the power of pain transference!
It takes a complete coin compiler to cause such a concentrated chaos of coinage.
Given almost nothing to work with, can you logically deduce a solution?
Once you pop...free drinks are yours!
Two guests, two cards, two minds blown.
Daniel Garcia is a master of telekinesis in this mind and metal bending trick!
My guests today are Alex and David Rangel of the 816 podcast.
All I wanna do is (paper fold) (paper fold) (paper fold) and a (paper fold) and drink your free beer.
Thanks to Justin Robert Young for slumming with us!
This one might look a bit ridiculous to any and all bystanders, but if you're in the hot seat you'll be none the wiser.
Can YOU predict the future of this diabolical Tic Tac Toe card puzzle?!
They pick the number, but you always come out on top!
Predict the right number of switches and go free but if you guess wrong, you'll never leave this prison puzzle!
Can you solve either of these mind-wreckers?
One hundred gold-thirsty pirates are looking to get paid. Can you satisfy their greed or will you end up in Davy Jones' Locker?
A sort-order magic trick in short-order!
There's a simple solution to this fiendish cipher, but can you see it?
These cards do more than read the future!
Will you master this labyrinthine loop and win free beer?
Get over 700 dates right from your own home (hi-oh!)
Can you escape this terrifying tower using only a rope, a knife, and your wits?
Calculators are no match for you!
You'll need all of your mathematical skills to figure out whether this dice game is better for The House or The Player!
Nate Staniforth shares the hands-down easiest coin vanish ever!
You'll be the master of matches once you perfect this super simple illusion by Nate Staniforth!
Try as they might, you'll find their card!
You'll never lose their card again once you learn the ropes of Magic Jazz.
They won't even see it coming!
Two popular games come together to form the ultimate mathematical puzzle!
You don't want to go into this light either.
Matt Gramlich is back to test Brian with another cunning illusion!
Sniff out their lies and truths every time! Thanks again to Nick Trost and Martin Gardner.
They wont' believe their eyes when you make their card appear with a puff of magic smoke!
With a pinch of fire, you can make their card show up anywhere...even your flesh!
