A conjurer can be secretly 
placing a ball under a cup.

But a conjurer can also 
look like 
he’s secretly placing a ball under a cup.

In the clip below, the magician Teller, from the magical duo Penn and Teller, talks (yes, he does talk) about how a magician fooled him. Since the other magician knew he was performing his cups and balls trick for a magician, he pretended to make his secret moves by making all the motions, but not doing the moves. He fooled Teller because Teller could "see" the secret moves… except the moves weren’t being done.

This is what happens when you’re too smart, and this is how magicians and con men of all types fool you.


Teller tells how he was fooled in Egypt

– The video is a clip from Penn and Teller’s magic special Penn & Teller’s Magic and Mystery Tour>>
– Illustration is from Indian Conjuring by L. H. Branson, Project Gutenberg>>