Scam School

Hosted by Brian Brushwood. New episodes Wednesdays.

If Harvard offered a PhD in deceit, this would be it. Award-winning magician Brian Brushwood takes viewers on an inside tour of bar tricks, street cons and scams. If you watch carefully, you'll never have to pay for a drink again! Read More

The Puzzle

Monday, April 7th, 2008 – running time 05:29

Effect: a hard-as-balls puzzle, that will drive everyone nuts and win you some free booze!

Start out with four quarters set up in a diamond pattern.

The mark's goal is to get the quarters in the correct pattern...WHILE FOLLOWING THESE RULES:

#1: Only slide one quarter at a time, using only one finger.

#2: no picking up, pushing, or stacking of coins (only operate within the two dimensions of the table... and no using one coin to push another)

#3: hardest of all: each time you let go of the coin you're moving, that coin must be touching at least two other coins.

Secret: The REAL secret to this trick? The real secret is to wait. Set everything up, tell everyone the rules, and... wait. Wait as long as it takes. If you've already done the match trick,, then you've captured everyone's attention... this is where you translate that momentum into a free drink. This trick IS SO unbustable, that you can let people work on it all night, until finally, in a fit of desperation, one of them will BEG you for the solution. Tell them that you'll be HAPPY to share the answer with them... but you're just... so... darn... thirsty!

Before you know it, you'll have a free drink in front of you, and you'll have established a precedent of "pay for play"... you'll be happy to do your tricks, as long as the free drinks keep coming.

(oh... want to know the answer to the puzzle? Well, then: watch the video!)

Connect with Scam School

  • about 2 hours ago

    @RaymundoGuezz Thx for following!

  • about 2 hours ago

    @john_laird Aw, thanks for the compliments. Glad you're enjoying the show!

  • yesterday

    RT @BeSocialMusic: Tricks are a great social ice breaker - heres 2 fast & EASY matchbox #puzzles - big up @ScamSchool @shwood - http://t.co

  • 6 days ago

    This week, @shwood shows you a puzzle that will either make you look really smart or.... http://t.co/9AxhPQ0Hv8

  • 8 days ago

    @Shwood shows off the Rogue Ring in the latest episode of Behind the Scam: http://t.co/3npbKfXEDP

  • 12 days ago

    Scam School is five years old! Watch as @shwood shows the six greatest scams of all-time: http://t.co/7zlqw32rHQ

About the Show

Details
Show Title:
Scam School
Description:
If Harvard offered a PhD in deceit, this would be it. Award-winning magician Brian Brushwood takes viewers on an inside tour of bar tricks, street cons and scams. If you watch carefully, you'll never have to pay for a drink again!
Categories:
Know More
Launch Date:
Apr 6, 2008
Episodes:
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