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100 Ways to Win a Tenner

By: Paul Zenon
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Carlton Books Ltd
ISBN: 1842229230
ISBN-13: 9781842229231
Released: 07 Jul 2003
RRP: £8.99
Average Rating:


Customer Reviews

proven beyond doubt - By: S. Fox, 14 Jun 2008
This is a good little book filled with loads of top tips on bar/party scams, you wont be earning a wage off of what is offered but you can get a reputation as man who can raise a laugh.

I use many of these in pubs/bars before i go into my card routines, it helps people relax when you can gently ease them into a humourous situation before producing a pack of cards encouraging them to ask see another trick.

Proof that the better scams work is evident by the free drinks i have received through working one of the card trick's that i knew originallly as the 'circus card trick', i cant remember its no. now, but the book even teaches a further addition to the scam to be pulled after relieving the mark of his drink/money. i once had someone so convinced that i would'nt produce his card that he refused the original bet of one drink,then two drinks then twenty pounds before he raised the bet to two hundred pounds shaking me by the hand in front of a whole room of people. another time we used the gamblers swindle of changing the ten pound note for change in the course of a magic trick, producing the supposedly burnt ten pound note from the till.
unfortunatly for me because of my morals, both got their money back, but both tricks/scams proved their worth. these two tricks alone are worth the asking price because of the reputation it build afterwards.


The book itself is the biggest scam - By: J. Sterling, 14 May 2008
It should be entitled '101 Ways to Win a Tenner', as the book itself costs 9.99. You may think it is worth a gamble to pay the 10 quid, as you will potentiallly learn another 100 ways to get it back, but you would be wrong. You would be the sucker (like I was) for having spent the money.

Out of the '100 ways', there is only one genuine scam (number 20) in the book.

The rest of the book is comprised of the following:-
a) puzzles - such as well-known matchstick ones. (One of which - number 70 - gives a wrong answer. Arrange six matches to give as many triangles as possible. The solution given is to make a 3D tetrahedron, giving four triangles. Whereas a more obvious 'Star of David' would produce six.)
b) Some 'stunts', a couple of which are interesting (but these can be found easily by doing a quick search on the Internet), but many are well known (such as not being able to touch your toes (or pick up a tenner, as changed to in the book) whilst standing with your back to a walll.)
c) Annoying word-play. For example, 'I bet you a tenner you can't pick this matchbox off the top of this glass in twenty seconds with two matches' - the catch being the glass is turned upside down, so you claim that they picked the matchbox off the 'bottom', not the 'top'. Ha! Ha! Unfortunately a high proportion of the '100 ways' are of this nature.

The 'amusing' characters within in this book, are nothing of the sort, & are merely there for padding.

With the exception of the previously mentioned #20, none of these '100 ways' are good enough to actuallly win a tenner, without making yourself look like an annoying pedantic (for the word-play) or a skin-flint.

The few interesting stunts are just that, interesting stunts. You should not be effectively charging a tenner to show a cheap stunt.

If you follow these methods (and insist on receiving 'tenners' for your efforts), you will soon lose your friends, & get an 'annoying' label.

The quotes on the book cover refer to the magician himself, & not to his book. That alone should be a warning.

I feel so conned about this book, that I felt compelled to write this review - my first time on Amazon - to warn others.

I would have given this book 'zero stars' if that option were available.

Please don't be the next to 'lose' a tenner.

Fantastic! - By: Sam, 10 Oct 2007
The absoloute bible for the would-be conman. You can make a fortune while being the life-and-soul at the same time. All the tricks/stunts/scams are easy to do & your 'victims' won't even mind parting with their cash as they'll have been entertained in the process. They can then go on to fleece their friends with the same bets - in effect they're paying for an education!
Gem of a book - By: Jack Hobartson, 19 Jul 2007
I can honestly say this is one of the best books I have ever read. I found some of the tricks absolutely brilliant, & you don't need to be a magician to do them. I don't actuallly intend conning anyone out of £10 or even 10p, I think these tricks are more fun as sportsman's bets with friends.

One reviewer said the writing style was irritating & immature. I found that rather odd, because I found that not only was the material fascinating, but the writing style was genuinely funny too.

Thoroughly recommended.
Good if you are new to this sort of thing - By: Mr. A. J. Sutherland, 31 Dec 2006
I have seen Paul Zenon perform & consider him to be one of Britains foremost 'street' magicians. 100 ways to win a tenner is a useful reference for those of you (like me) who have forgotten more of these types of bets than they care to remember. A word of warning to those of you who want to use these bets within your circle of friends, they will soon become wise to your trickery & their willingness to part with tenners will soon wain. The best way to put the information contained in this book to good use is to wait until someone offers you a bet from it & take them up on it.