Penn & Teller - Smoking/Sleight of Hand Trick

This is not intended to glorify smoking. That said, looks simple, doesn't it? But when you're dealing with a master of sleight of hand like my partner Teller, even the simplest activity may be a complex deception. Let's watch that routine again. Is he really crushing out his cigarette? Is he really adjusting his hat? Is he really pulling out a fresh cigarette? Is he really bothered by that itch in his left eye? Is he really just lighting a cigarette? To understand the complexity of Teller's life, you need to know the seven basic principles of magic. One: Palm - to hold an object in an apparently empty hand. Two: Ditch - To secretly dispose of an unneeded object. Three: Steal - The opposite of Ditch. To secretly obtain a needed object. Four: Load - To secretly move the needed object to where it's needed. Five: Simulation - To give the impression that something that hasn't happened has. Six: Misdirection - To lead attention away from the secret move. And Seven: Switch - To secretly exchange one object for another. Teller needs nothing but a pencil, one lit cigarette and a flashlight. Let's watch that original routine again, but this time, from the other side. He palms the cigarette. He simulates crushing it out. He steals the palmed lit cigarette and ditches the lit cigarette in his ear. He exhales smoke to misdirect from the smoke coming out from around his hat. He steals the pencil. He simulates taking the pencil, which is simulating a cigarette from the non-existent cigarette pack and puts the simulated cigarette in his mouth. He rubs his eye to misdirect as he loads the burning cigarette from his ear. He simulates a lighter with a flashlight and switches the lit cigarette for the unlit pencil under cover of misdirection from the flashlight. Palm. Simulation. Steal. Ditch. Misdirection. Steal. Simulation. Misdirection. Load. Simulation. Switch. Misdirection. Looks simple, doesn't it?

Channel: Dincorta

Views: 8,924,023

Rating: 4.8759327 out of 5

Keywords: Penn & Teller (TV Personality), fool us, smoking, cigarette, bass, misdirection, trick, magic trick, Penn Jillette (TV Writer), raymond teller, how it's done, how, done, magic, jonathan ross, palm, simulation, steal, ditch, load, song, smoke, Teller (TV Writer), stage, vegas, Sleight Of Hand, Comedy (Theater Genre), Magic (Literature Subject), Card, Tricks, Revealed

Id: y4U-kHdXgz0

Length: 3min 43sec (223 seconds)

Published: Wed Sep 23 2015

Reddit Comments

[u/TheSemiTallest]

I've seen this many times in the past, and always love seeing it again. What I truly love about this act (and many others by Penn & Teller) is that it changes it from being about trying to figure out how it's done, and allows you to just admire the phenomenal performance.

[u/_Wilfred_]

I recently heard Pen talking on a radio show over my lunch break. I have heard him talk about magic before and am always blown away by his ability to make it sound so simple. He has a great grasp on the subject and is a great teacher. He also knows so much about a ton of other stuff. I would kill to sit down for lunch with him and talk about whatever.

[u/charliekim94]

Not familiar with these people, but is the act supposed to be irony? Just from watching, and watching in real time, I could see him put a cigarette behind his hand into his mouth, while replacing another one in his mouth, as well as his moving the red ball into his vest?

Wiki says theyre a 'legendary' duo, but am I just really mistaken?