Some trick results

[Smokinn]

Hi everyone, I figured I'd come over and share what happened when I tried some of Brian's awesome tricks on some of my friends. I don't have a video camera so it wasn't filmed, I'll have to write it out instead.

I was at dinner with a couple of friends and made them try the coin puzzle (episode 2). While watching them go round and round in circles I had a sudden epiphany as to why it's even hard at all. I think the reason it's so hard is that you have to take 3 steps away from your goal before just swinging back in to end it. Most people get to the second but don't like the perceptions of getting even further away from the goal so they swing back in closer and end up stuck in circles. It took them a long time but one eventually got it.

When we got to the bar I chose a mark and set up a game of nim. I beat him 20 times in a row before he started refusing to play me. So I decided to make things interesting and would occasionally grab a random girl from around the bar and get her to play against him. Of course, I rigged it so that he lost every time. After losing around 30 in a row he swore he'd figure it out the next day at work when he wasn't so drunk. Of course, he still hasn't figured it out yet. I'm actually going out with one of those girls tomorrow night. =)

Finally, the last one I did was the human chimney from episode 1. People were quite impressed but I had to do it a couple of times (never a good idea) before everyone could see it actually happen. Bar lighting generally isn't great for this trick. You should set yourself up in a decently lit area of the bar the first time, not end up like me trying it twice from different angles and then moving a little back to a better lit spot so the final few could see it. After reading the thread on how the military uses phosphorus for chemical weapons though I don't think I'll be doing it again.

I do have one request. Personally, I'd have much more success with social engineering tricks than I would with number tricks and puzzles. Most of my friends are engineers (I'm computer science myself) so counting and math tricks usually fail. For example, the pint glass one. You won't trick any engineer worth his salt with that one. Someone else actually tried to do it once I'd shown the quarters puzzle and didn't fool anyone. This was just before the same trick was aired here. He was a bit pissed that it failed so miserably but said he's tricked so many arts students into free pints with that one that he wasn't too worried about it failing on engineers. And as far as computer science students go, the quarters puzzle would be a totally standard question for a job interview (programming job interviews love puzzles like these, especially ones based on probability) so a lot of us are quite good at them.

One guy I tried the quarters and nim on killed them both. This past thursday one of my friends brought her ex-bf out with us. Both she and he are math majors. I tried nim first. He counted the matches up, saw there were 25, went hmmm ok you start. When there were 5 left he said dude you cheated forget this. Ouch. On the first try.

I then said fine, I'll give you a better puzzle then and explained the quarters. He circled around twice, then he took the quarters, put them in a line and worked it out backwards pretty much immediately. I was quite disappointed.

The moral of all this is that you have to pick your tricks to fit your audience. The mirror always works against my friends because it's so unexpected but I think I'll be keeping the math games for people I don't know.

And never play nim against a math major.

[shwooddotcom]

Great rundown! (and some fantastic observations, too)

Here are some comments:

I was at dinner with a couple of friends and made them try the coin puzzle (episode 2). While watching them go round and round in circles I had a sudden epiphany as to why it's even hard at all. I think the reason it's so hard is that you have to take 3 steps away from your goal before just swinging back in to end it. Most people get to the second but don't like the perceptions of getting even further away from the goal so they swing back in closer and end up stuck in circles. It took them a long time but one eventually got it.

Puzzles are a dicey opener: if everyone gives up, great... you're the hero (or the jerk). But since they can be busted by a lucky guess (or an engineer), I usually save those for after I've done a couple of other tricks (more on that in a bit).

When we got to the bar I chose a mark and set up a game of nim. I beat him 20 times in a row before he started refusing to play me. So I decided to make things interesting and would occasionally grab a random girl from around the bar and get her to play against him. Of course, I rigged it so that he lost every time. After losing around 30 in a row he swore he'd figure it out the next day at work when he wasn't so drunk. Of course, he still hasn't figured it out yet. I'm actually going out with one of those girls tomorrow night. =)

SCORE! Freakin' awesome!

Finally, the last one I did was the human chimney from episode 1. People were quite impressed but I had to do it a couple of times (never a good idea) before everyone could see it actually happen. Bar lighting generally isn't great for this trick. You should set yourself up in a decently lit area of the bar the first time, not end up like me trying it twice from different angles and then moving a little back to a better lit spot so the final few could see it.

Whenever possible, I try to avoid doing a trick twice. As magicians say: "once is a trick, twice is a lesson." It's fine to give a lesson... just make sure it's on purpose.

For example, I'll usually open with the chimney. One of two things happen: either it works great and people ask me to do it again, or the amount of smoke is too small to be impressive (due to a draft in the room, weird matches, bad lighting, etc.), in which case I switch over to teaching the effect (which gives me a chance to do it again without trying to hide the inhale). If the first try doesn't impress them, the teaching does.

If the chimney works great, they'll usually start demanding I do it again. I don't. Instead, I'll switch over to the jack-o-lantern. It's a related effect, and satisfies their need to see more without putting them in control of your set. (It also gives them something else to noodle on, that makes them forget about their chimney questions).

Third, I'll usually set up a puzzle (often the four quarters). This switches their attention and gives them something to watch for a bit. It also gives me (#1) a break. and (#2) an excuse to get my first drink out of them. If they've really enjoyed the opening bits, they won't mind "buying" the answer to the puzzle from you... both to satisfy their curiosity and to thank you for the entertainment so far.

I do have one request. Personally, I'd have much more success with social engineering tricks than I would with number tricks and puzzles. Most of my friends are engineers (I'm computer science myself) so counting and math tricks usually fail. For example, the pint glass one. You won't trick any engineer worth his salt with that one. Someone else actually tried to do it once I'd shown the quarters puzzle and didn't fool anyone.

I figured out a while ago: (#1) always do the circumference vs. height for a group (never a single person), and (#2) always hold back your bet until the end. If you keep to that, you don't have to worry about being busted... The worst you'll have to do is split your take with an engineer or two.

One guy I tried the quarters and nim on killed them both. This past thursday one of my friends brought her ex-bf out with us. Both she and he are math majors. I tried nim first. He counted the matches up, saw there were 25, went hmmm ok you start. When there were 5 left he said dude you cheated forget this. Ouch. On the first try.

LOL... you said it: OUCH. We'll be learning some advanced versions of nim that are a lot more complicated, but a lot more clever (including using playing cards, etc.)

I then said fine, I'll give you a better puzzle then and explained the quarters. He circled around twice, then he took the quarters, put them in a line and worked it out backwards pretty much immediately. I was quite disappointed.

Again... the puzzles are a dicey proposition, as they rely on the other party failing to figure them out. I say make sure you have:

#1 - a couple of skill-based, impressive, unbustable bits. These are your go-tos when you need to retreat, or when you need an opener that works all the time. The Jack-o-Lantern, the Chimney, a good card trick (though I don't recommend pulling out cards as an opener...), etc.

#2 - a couple of super-hard puzzles. These are how you start getting free drinks and get yourself a break. When I set up a puzzle, I never start with a "I bet you can't figure out..." opening. I just set up the puzzle, and ask the question. If they figure it out, great: they're super smart and you can compliment them. If they're stumped: make 'em buy you a drink for the answer. Win-win.

#3 - a couple of tricks to teach. Sometimes you'll get someone who just can't enjoy being fooled... so make an apprentice out of them. Give 'em an easy one, and actually teach them a trick. Then make them try it on one of the others in the group. That way he/she will understand how much goes into pulling one of these off. It's not as easy as it looks! (BTW - choose your teaching trick carefully, because once you teach it, you'll never be able to impress them with it again)

The moral of all this is that you have to pick your tricks to fit your audience. The mirror always works against my friends because it's so unexpected but I think I'll be keeping the math games for people I don't know.

And never play nim against a math major.

Well said! Great report.

[delrio]

Excellent stories, and excellent advice from Brian. I'll be sure to keep a lot of this in mind when I go out.

I cannot wait for other versions of Nim. I'm not sure if anyone has played the Pearls before Swine nim games, but doing those could be even more interesting to try. The process is similar for those, just with multiple piles.

Sorry to go off-topic there.

I'll share stories as I get them. Once again, excellent post, Smokinn.

[nextgenxbox]

Lesson of the day: Don't play Mathematicians.

[Smokinn]

Thanks for the great advice I'll definitely make sure I remember it, especially the part if I'm stuck doing something twice.

The pint glass trick *was* done for a group. A group of 8 engineers, 1 comp sci (me) and 3 girls (2 arts and one business). Of course when there are 8 guys that aren't changing their guesses neither I nor any of the girls wanted to either (I freely admit I most probably would've been fooled). Well, one did but then she took it back when everyone else said they wanted to stay.