Anybody got a match?

Welcome once again to “How to con your friends and have them love you for it.” This month, we’ve got another two great bets guaranteed to lighten your pals’ wallets or win your tip back from the server. So without further ado, let’s get straight to the scams.

As you read this, I can actually hear you uttering, “There is no way it will work,” but just give it a try and never underestimate the greatest human weakness – Greed.

All you need is 20 bucks and a box of matches. I know this might be asking a lot of any student readers, but trust me; it will be well worth the investment

Borrow a $20 bill from the mark. Take out your $20 bill. Fold them into a small bundle and slowly put them into the matchbox. Show both your hands are empty as you close the box and put it on the table.

Sit in complete silence and stare intently at the matchbox for twenty or thirty seconds. This not only builds dramatic tension, but also slightly unnerves everyone present — a perfect start to any good hustle.

Next, start firing the following questions in rapid succession at whoever owns the bill:

Have I touched the money since I put it in the box?

Are you sure?

Did you see my hands empty after I closed the box?

Is there any way I could have got the money out of the box without you seeing?

How do you know?

Would you like to see the money once more?

How much money is in the box?

And the clincher…

If I offered to sell you the box for $30 would you buy it?

When they say yes (which 90% of the time they will), take their money. You’ve just made the easiest ten bucks of your life.

So how does it work?

Although only on a small scale, this is a fine demonstration of psychological manipulation and the perfect example of what makes a confidence game. Let’s examine your friend’s train of thought, and how you manipulated it, before relieving him of his cash

Is this guy on medication?

Initially he’s only interested in the fact that you’ve got his money. By staring for an uncomfortable period of time at the box, you shift his attention to the possibility that you may be on medication and have a helper he can call. This is the first step and all that matters is that you’re changing his area of focus.

Then, by firing questions at him in rapid succession, he becomes self-conscious, particularly if there are other people around to whom he might look foolish. He is now preoccupied trying to recall what he saw and what exactly happened.

The promise of easy money…

When you finally combine the promise of easy money with the possibility of an end to this otherwise uncomfortable situation, he jumps at the opportunity, completely overlooking that half the money in the box is actually his.

Try it. You’ll be very surprised.

There are few bets so visually impressive that people will actually admit it was worth losing just to see. This is one such scam and can only be described as bubblegum for the eyes. All you need is an empty bottle and, to make it worthwhile, a friend whose wallet is arguably bigger than his brain.

Completely fill the bottle with water. Break the heads off three matches and drop them into the bottle (see Figure 1). Propose to the sucker — sorry, spectator — that you can make one of the match heads sink to the bottom of the bottle and the second one sink to the middle, while the third one remains on top... all at the same time.

When he’s decorated the table with whatever princely wager you’ve demanded, place your thumb over the mouth of the bottle creating an airtight seal and push down hard. If nothing happens put your other hand on top of your thumb allowing you to push harder still.

Watch closely as the match heads begin to drop – the first to the bottom, the second to the middle while, the final match head remains on top.

You can alter the speed and depth to which they sink by adjusting the amount of pressure you apply to the mouth of the bottle with your thumb (see Figure 2).

On the rare occasion it doesn’t work, check it’s not for either of the following common reasons:

You didn’t fill the bottle to the very brim.

You’re built like Ronan the Librarian and are just too physically weak.

To Avoid Humiliation..

OK. On a serious note, always make sure the exterior of the bottle is dry and its standing on a beer mat or bar towel so that there is no way it can possibly slip. Otherwise, you may find yourself in the humiliating position of having to buy your friend the drink, in the hope that he’ll be generous enough to drive you to the ER.

I’m not exactly sure what scientific principals are at work here. I think it’s got to do with atmospheric pressure or something. All I know is it’s a crowd-pleaser and gets the money, but if you’re sufficiently interested in finding out, look up your old physics teacher and ask him. If he doesn’t know, rip him off with it.

Now that would be a satisfying beer. Until next time, Jack Wise