The Setup

So here is the scenario, whilst out at the pub with your friends subtly edge the conversation around to asking how quick everyone thinks they can down a pint. Nine times out of ten one person will proudly exclaim that they can down a pint in under 30 seconds, a this point you have just found your victim! After they have told you how easy it is you then challenge them that you will buy them a pint and give them a tenner if they can drink it in 30 seconds as you make it obvious that you think they are talking BS and want to see it for real. At this point say just to make the bet fair, tell them that if they cant “rise the the challenge” they have to buy you a pint and give you a tenner!

So the scene is set, you start your watch and everyone watches as your victim downs his pint in the fastest time ever, well under the thirty second mark. This is where you deliver the dishartenign blow once you tell you friend that thy have lst the bet. You bet your friend that they couldnt down a pint in “thirty seconds“, not under thirty seconds. At this pint you should swiftly take your winnings and get the next round in!

The challenge is, is to remove the coin from underneath the glass in the quickest time possible, but as in all pub tricks and proposition bets like this there are a couple of rules. You can only move the glass once it is empty and the only way to empty it is by drinking the soda through the straw! At this pint someone will try and drink the soda as fast as they can which at anyone’s standards will be very slow considering the amount of fizz the straw creates. As you watch your challenger (victim) try and slurp down the soda casually remark that you can do it in a tenth of the time. At this pint simply scratch at the table cloth in front of the coin and the coin will slowly edge its way out from under the glass! Easy when you know how. For a visual tutorial checkout the video below.

The Setup:

You Ask a spectator to choose a card from the deck, they look at the card, remember it and place it on-top of the deck. They then cut the deck into and put the bottom half of the deck on top so their card is now lost somewhere in the middle of the deck. They can do this as many times as they like or until they get sick! Once the spectator is happy that their card is lost in the deck you take the deck, riffle through them (see video) and immediately locate their card!

How it is done!

This is a great card trick hack which can be done on any deck of cards in under a minute and similar techniques were used by gamblers to cheat at cards. One of the easiest ways to find a card lost in a deck of cards is to use a key card. A key card is generally a card which you know, or are able to find the location of in a deck of cards. And if you discretely make the spectator place their card next to the “key card” then by locating the key card you can find the chosen card too! On of the best types of key cards i have personally found to use is a “short Card” this is a playing card which has been cut to be a couple of millimeters shorter than the rest of the deck.

Remember to round the corners too!

Comparison with another card

By having one short card in the deck you are able locate this card quite easily just by running your thumb up one end of the deck, and once you have found the “key car” you can then locate the spectators card. For a short demo please take a look at the video.

First of all, grab yourself a small coin to start with, its easier starting with the smallest first as you will soon see. Place the coin on the back of your hand and make a fist, depending on the position of the coin this will be more tricky so try and place the coin just between your first two knuckles . Then with your leading hand click your fingers above the coin eventually getting closer untill the “clicking finger” actually makes contact with the coin and flicks it up your sleeve. Here is a short video which should demonstrate it better.

So here is the scenario, you are sitting in a restaurant, pub or anywhere where there is something you can use as a table and you ask someone if they have four equal size coins you can borrow. You lay the coins out on the table in a cluster as shown below in the first picture and the challenge is, is to rearrange the coins into the pattern shown in the preceding picture (demonstrate this just buy rearranging the coins into a straight line and then putting them back into a cluster as shown in the first picture.

Starting Position!

End Position!

At this point a few people will cut in and say “that’s easy”, or “whats the catch” etc……There is no catch just a few simple rules as follows.

1. You can only move 1 coin ant a time and must not use it to nudge other coins
2. You may only slide the coins on the table and cannot pick them up
3. The coin which you move must always end up touching 2 other coins when you have finished moving it (this may sound tricky but it will become clear once you see the pictures)

Make sure the coins are arranged in the starting position and offer people to have ago, and make sure they follow the simple rules. Most of the time people will give up and say that it is impossible as you cant do the final move and have the coin you just moved touching two other coins or words to that effect. At this point this is an ideal opportunity to make a small bet if you are feeling cheeky (or thirsty!). To up the stakes even further say that the entire trick is possible in four moves! Now this is what you do, from the starting position move the first coin as shown in the picture below.

MOVE 1: Move the lower left coin to where the arrow is pointing and you can see the coin you have just moved finishes touching two other coins!

MOVE 2: Now take the middle of the top 3 coins and follow the arrow in the picture above, once again the coin ends up touching two other coins.

MOVE 3: And once again, move the lower left coin around so it is on the other side of the two coins.

MOVE 4: And now for the killer move, move the only coin out of line into the perfectly sized gap and once again the coin comes to a rest touching two other coins!

Now sit back and wait for your drink, or money or even just a pat on the back! Immediately after people will want to try this but will probably get it wrong quite a few times before they get it right. This takes a little practice to remember the moves but is definitely worth it! To see a video if the trick follow this link: The greatest pub-coin trick

Make a bet with your friend telling they you are going to ask them 5 questions, but for each question you ask they must answer each one INCORRECTLY! If they manage to answer each question WRONG you will buy them a drink, but on the other hand if they answer even one of the questions right they have to buy you a drink! Start off by asking some simple questions like the ones below.

1. What color suit does santa clause wear?
2. What is traditional when two people stand under mistletoe?
3. In what month is Christmas celebrated?
4. How many doors are usually on an advent calendar?

at this point stop and ask..”are we on question 3 or 4″

Most of the time they will answer “four” and at this point try not to let an enormous grin appear across your face when you reply “that is correct, you owe me a drink!”

Occasionally some people be aware that you are trying to catch them out and will answer wrongly (correctly) to the last question. If this happens, look disappointed and deflated and say “have you played this before” at this point most people will have let their guard down and answer Correctly and at this point you have scammed yourself a drink.

If after all of this they still haven’t “cracked” buy your friend a drink, they deserve it!

Untill then stay tuned!