Scam School
Season 2009
TV-PG
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!
Where to Watch Season 2009
53 Episodes
- Fake Telepathy and Scam School in SPACE!E9
Fake Telepathy and Scam School in SPACE!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: - Be a Strongman and Learn Four Feats of Strength!E10
Be a Strongman and Learn Four Feats of Strength!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! 1. 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. 2. Fists of Fury Learn a simple contest of strength that you'll ALWAYS be able to win 3. Payback Learn a trick that will let you get in the first shot if things turn into an ugly bar brawl - Brian Live and Direct from Austin and SXSWE12
Brian Live and Direct from Austin and SXSWWatch 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! - Watch Cali Lewis, Tony Hsieh and Jay Adelson get scammed!E14
Watch Cali Lewis, Tony Hsieh and Jay Adelson get scammed!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. - Be a Pool Shark!E16
Be a Pool Shark!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... - A Mix Match Card Trick Revealed for BeginnersE17
A Mix Match Card Trick Revealed for BeginnersThis 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. - Learn the Kung-Fu Match Trap Scam!E18
Learn the Kung-Fu Match Trap Scam!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. - Get lucky, ridiculously lucky with two new card tricks!E19
Get lucky, ridiculously lucky with two new card tricks!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! - Three caps, one beverageE20
Three caps, one beverageThis 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. - Crack the Government Conspiracy!E21
Crack the Government Conspiracy!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. - Scam your way into anything! (Brian's SXSW panel part 1)E22
Scam your way into anything! (Brian's SXSW panel part 1)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. - Scam your way into anything panel (part 2), plus bonus Q&A!E23
Scam your way into anything panel (part 2), plus bonus Q&A!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!E24
Break out of police issued handcuffs!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). - Two killer close up performances from Brian!E25
Two killer close up performances from Brian!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 - The House of Nails TrickE26
The House of Nails TrickThis 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. - How to open most padlocks WITHOUT the combination or keys!E28
How to open most padlocks WITHOUT the combination or keys!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! - How to get out of Thumbcuffs!E31
How to get out of Thumbcuffs!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'). - Read minds with Mental Mastery!E32
Read minds with Mental Mastery!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. - Win The Match Drop Trick Every Time!E33
Win The Match Drop Trick Every Time!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. - Zip Tie EscapeE35
Zip Tie EscapeLearn 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.) - Tip-over Box: The Perfect Impromptu Rigged GameE37
Tip-over Box: The Perfect Impromptu Rigged GameThis 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. - Brian vs. Revision3 and the Memory Test!E38
Brian vs. Revision3 and the Memory Test!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! - The Ultimate Card CheatE39
The Ultimate Card CheatCheat 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! - Fine Dining scam!E40
Fine Dining scam!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. - The Heist IIE41
The Heist IIDo 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! - '31' - The Ultimate Rigged Card GameE42
'31' - The Ultimate Rigged Card GameUse 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. - Napkin Chess - another unbeatable puzzle!E43
Napkin Chess - another unbeatable puzzle!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!) - How To Escape From a StraightjacketE44
How To Escape From a StraightjacketWith 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. - How to light a match with your teeth!E45
How to light a match with your teeth!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 - Best Worst Pool Trickshot!E47
Best Worst Pool Trickshot!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! - The Watch StealE48
The Watch StealBlow 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! - Cheat at Texas Hold 'Em!E49
Cheat at Texas Hold 'Em!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. - Pool Hall ScamsE50
Pool Hall Scams2 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. - Psychic Dice to Punk the DrunkE52
Psychic Dice to Punk the DrunkEasy 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! - Get Cork'd! Stump The Drunk With An Easy CorkE53
Get Cork'd! Stump The Drunk With An Easy CorkCork 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.