Best Magic Trick Ever, Can You Figure It Out?

[Flench]

I never 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdYujVios84&feature=player_embedded

[Tac]

He does something with his index and middle finger... but how he makes the cigarrete 'pass through' each other is just freaky. I'd love to figure out that trick.

[maddafinga]

Hint:  In magic tricks, sleight of hand specifically, a large movement covers a small movement.  For example, a large movement of your entire hand makes a small movement of your fingers unnoticeable.  Also, consider that he grips one cigarette differently from the other, any reason for that do you think?

[Tac]

Yep. I watched that video frame by frame and regardless of where his fingers are I still cant figure out how the center of one cigarrete goes through the center of the other... its not that he is passing them from one side to the other through the tips. The middle sections actually cross.

Best guess so far is that its an optical illusion... the cigarrates never cross and he's just hovering one hand above the other to mess your depth perception.

nm :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RF9sCAhoNlo&t=2m55s

[Soulyss]

Got it, the cigarettes are attached in some fashion at one side, either moisture, some sort of adhesive or maybe just pressure.  If you pause the frame right at 0:30 you see the right thumb going in from of the left index finger and the cigarette passing behind.

Never catch it in real time though.

Most of the transitions he does the right thumb blocks the cameras view of the left thumb.

[Blooz]

Good trick!

Good thread to add this one.

Penn and Teller teaching the skills.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXGr76CfoCs

[kotrenin]

Yep. I watched that video frame by frame and regardless of where his fingers are I still cant figure out how the center of one cigarrete goes through the center of the other... its not that he is passing them from one side to the other through the tips. The middle sections actually cross.

Best guess so far is that its an optical illusion... the cigarrates never cross and he's just hovering one hand above the other to mess your depth perception.

nm :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RF9sCAhoNlo&t=2m55s

In a couple passes you can frame by frame and see him grip 1 end of the cigarette between his index finger and his middle finger.  He releases his "grip" at the thumb end slightly on 1 cigarette and passes the other through the gap quickly. As maddafinga pointed out, it is all about selling the trick with timing, distraction, viewing angle and lighting. In the very first pass through you can see his thumb is in the way an you can't actually see the cigarettes pass, in this case he is tacking advantage of angles. He uses the white of the cigarette the lighting and quick movements to make it appear he had just pulled them through each other.  He also uses a smooth twisting motion in later passes that would appear to be more "theatrical" but is actually an essential mechanical element to the trick.  At the 14 - 16 second mark if you go frame by frame you can see the middle finger on his right hand flex and extend and come next to the index finger for the pass through then you can see it extend away from the index finger slightly after the maneuver is completed.

He is very good and really makes this trick fun. I wish I had the dexterity to do some of those kinds of tricks.

[Kazaa]

Pause at 0:29, there's your answer.

[PFactorDave]

Pause at 0:29, there's your answer.

Yup, good catch

[saggs]

I can do a similar trick with matchsticks, though not nearly as well as this guy.

With matchsticks you moisten the striking/red end and it will stick to your thumb, when they "pass through" each other you merely relax your grip on one stick and it will snap past the other with a gap in between your forefinger and the plain end of the matchstick.  The elasticity of your skin (where the match is stuck to your thumb) will make the match snap instantly back to position on your forefinger.  Done at the right speed and right viewing angle they seem to pass right through one another.

With this guy and cigarettes, I think he is shifting his grip on one of the cigarettes to do kind of the same thing.  If you look at one hand he has his forefinger and middle finger very close together (not on the other hand though)  I'm guessing so he can quickly grip the cigarette from the end and release the thumb as that cigarette "passes through" the other.

[Dadsguns]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RF9sCAhoNlo&feature=related

I figured it was this easy, but with cigs its pretty tough

[Flipperk]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_244216&v=MhReElss1KA&feature=iv

Also watching this video of the same trick, when they do the slow mo of it at around :39 you can see that the end of one cigarette goes under the other really quickly.

[Flench]

That's just slick ..

[Gh0stFT]

the trick is realy good! i started to practice, but it looks like it will take a few weeks until it looks so easy,
i allready destroyed lots of Ciggs ;p