How To: Con a bartender out of $20 with a magic trick

Learn how to pull an awesome con in the bar with magician Brian Brushwood. Brian Bushwood is an American magician known for his bizarre magic and bar tricks. Watch this instructional video from Scam School to learn this con/magic trick. This magic trick is a sweet con. All you need is a bartender, a $20 bill, a pint glass, a lighter, a napkin, and a friend. You'll impress your friends with the sheer magic of it, and be $20 ahead.

We've covered a few magic tricks, and we've covered a few street crimes. This episode we're going to combine the two and get a magic trick that acts as a smokescreen for an actual crime.
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We introduce the Magic Bill!

Effect: Being friendly at the bar, you show a trick to your waitress: A Large bill is taken from the register, signed, and then burned to ashes. Miraculously, the signed bill materializes inside the register. You're a hero!

Method: a simple switch of bills is made before the burn, and the original bill is handed off to an accomplice. While you're putting on the show (and taking your time burning the bill), at the other side of the bar the accomplice spends the bill to purchase a drink. This has the effect of not only getting the original bill back into the register, but also getting a large amount of change out of the register (not to mention a free drink, to boot).

Read that again: not only does this magic trick amaze the bartender, it swipes money right out of the register!

This con can be performed with any denomination of bill (even a hundred), though smaller bills (like twenty) will be less conspicuous.

Oh yeah: Plus, it's illegal! Impress your friends with your ability to pull a sweet magic trick and con the bartender out of $20.