The Ultimate Art of Stage Pickpocketing

Peter in Your Pocket reveals the secrets of an art as rare as it is spectacular: stage pickpocketing.

In this book, Peter Heylands shares the expertise he has accumulated over more than thirty years of performing around the world - on stage, aboard cruise ships, and at prestigious events. His approach combines psychology, advanced techniques, timing, humor, elegance, and a genuine sense of showmanship.

Written with clarity, precision, and generosity, Peter blends mechanics, psychology, and theatrical structure to deliver one of the most comprehensive books ever published on pickpocketing in magic.

A Unique Perspective on Pickpocketing in Magic

This book takes you deep into the heart of a fascinating discipline: its origins, its evolution, and - above all - the fundamental reasons why it still works today.

Peter demonstrates how attention, distraction, human anticipation, and numerous psychological biases can become powerful artistic tools in the hands of a magician.

You will also learn how to build an irresistible stage presence: choosing the right spectator, mastering your attitude, using music, lighting, and microphones to your advantage, and establishing a rhythm that makes every steal feel natural, invisible... and inevitable.

Mechanics & Techniques: A Professional Treasure Trove

Peter goes far beyond teaching the techniques used by the world's greatest professionals - for the very first time, he reveals his own methods, closely guarded and refined over several decades.

Discover how to approach, engage, and execute with exceptional fluidity and confidence:

watch steals (leather straps, metal bracelets, smartwatches...)
inside and outside jacket pockets
front and back trouser pockets
stealing glasses, ties, belts, and suspenders
and countless subtleties never explained anywhere else

Every explanation comes directly from his stage experience, with practical advice that can be applied immediately.

The Stage Pickpocket's Toolkit

Peter also reveals secrets that most performers keep to themselves:

how to select and manage volunteers on stage
the crucial role of music, sound, and lighting
how to adapt your act for close-up, stage, cruise ships, or television
how attitude, style, and overall appearance influence the success of a steal

A true professional manual in which every stage detail matters.
A Complete Arsenal of Professional Routines

Far from being limited to a handful of effects, this book brings together a complete repertoire of stage pieces - all tested before thousands of spectators and refined over more than thirty years of professional performance. Each routine has been carefully conceived, structured, and polished to serve the character, strengthen the narrative, and maximize impact.

The Lucky Chip

A funny, interactive, and perfectly structured routine built around a signed casino chip.

Combining humor, impossible choices, a ball of wool, and multiple watch steals, the effect builds steadily toward a brilliant theatrical crescendo.

Ring in Yarn of Wool

Peter analyzes the classic version, identifies its weaknesses - predictability and pacing - and then proposes a modernized approach based on psychology and surprise. His personal handling uses a signed chip, strengthening the misdirection and breathing new life into the routine.

Peter in Your Pocket by Peter Heylands

Name: Peter in Your Pocket by Peter Heylands
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Illegal Business

A narrative reinvention of Easy Money, combining humor about "dirty money," dramatic logic, and Robin Hood-style symbolism. The finale features a powerful transformation that fits the character perfectly.

The Robbery Trick - A Complete Reinvention

Peter presents an entirely reimagined version of this great classic - modern, coherent, theatrical, and genuinely astonishing.

A routine that does more than entertain: it consistently fools the audience.

Miser's Dream - A Completely New Method

Peter presents a version of the Miser's Dream that is:

ideal for introducing pickpocketing within the first few minutes of the show

based on a completely original method

supported by a smooth and brilliantly constructed stage structure

The Egg Bag - An Explosive and Original Finale

Peter revisits the Egg Bag with a revolutionary idea: making the egg appear in the spectator's pocket.

The routine ends with the production of multiple eggs from the assistant's pockets, creating a hilarious, surprising, and unforgettable finale.

The Underwear Gag

Producing a piece of underwear between two knotted scarves is an old classic.

However, this traditional gag - often used by stage pickpockets - generally produces only a weak reaction, both from the assistant and from the audience.

Peter's method is brilliant: it guarantees a natural and spontaneous reaction from the assistant, generating genuine laughter and a much stronger comic impact for the entire audience.

All of these routines are genuine professional pieces, tested and perfected over thousands of live performances.

Peter's Complete Act, Explained in Detail

For the very first time, Peter reveals his complete act in every detail.

This treasure alone would justify purchasing the book.

A Book for Performers Who Want to Stand Out

Peter in Your Pocket is intended for magicians and performers who want to:

give their magic more character and impact

introduce elegant and surprising moments of pickpocketing

understand spectator psychology and audience management

transform raw technique into genuine theatrical art

develop a strong, funny, and memorable stage identity

Whether you are an ambitious beginner or an experienced professional, you will find within these pages a solid framework and a rare source of inspiration.

Table of Contents

ABOUT THE AUTHOR - p.9

I - GETTING STARTED
Introduction by Carlos Vaquera - p.12
About the cover and title of the book - p.15
Why another book on pickpocketing? - p.19
George Barrington, the legendary pickpocket - p.21
Pickpocketing as entertainment, a brief history - p.25
Who can do a pickpocket act? - p.29

II - THE MECHANICS - WATCH STEALS
How to learn and practice a watch steal - p.53
Stealing a leather strap watch - p.55
Trouble watches - p.61
The Apple or Smart watch - p.67
Repetitive watch steals - p.71
The metal clasp watch - p.73
The expansion metal band - p.77
The Z fold band - p.79

III - THE MECHANICS - PICKING POCKETS
Picking pockets - p.85
The inside jacket or coat pockets - p.87
The drop steal - p.93
The back steal - p.99
The patchwork - p.101
The outside jacket or coat pockets - p.105
The outside breast or shirt pocket - p.109
The front pants or trousers pockets - p.111
The hip or back pockets - p.113
The pickpocket setup - p.117

IV - THE MECHANICS - MORE ACCESSORIES
Stealing a necktie - p.123
Stealing eyeglasses or reading glasses - p.133
Stealing suspenders or braces - p.135
Stealing a belt - p.137

V - THE MECHANICS - YOUR HELPERS
How to choose your helpers - p.145
The first secret to success - p.147
Choosing the wrong helper - p.149
Disarming your helper - p.153
Flashing the stolen goods or not? - p.155
Call backs - p.157
Your first performance - p.159
Getting caught - p.161
The helper who felt everything - p.163

VI - YOUR STAGE ACT
Creating your stage act - p.169
The opening, middle and end for a stage act - p.175
Writing your script - p.179
Creating a full show in character - p.181
Adapting magic to fit your character - p.185
My version of the trick - p.189
More examples of my bag of tricks - p.197
The egg bag - p.203
The robbery trick - p.231
Many ideas for my show came thanks to the audience - p.241
Other tricks used by pickpockets in the past - p.245
Too little to steal - p.251
The use of a confederate or stooge - p.257
Humor - p.265
The power of music - p.271
Stage lights - p.283
Performing at events - p.287
Performing pickpocketing in close-up or strolling - p.291
Performing on television - p.295
Lecturing for law enforcement departments - p.299
Interviews - p.301
Languages as a weapon - p.303
Can pickpocketing be performed as a silent act? - p.305
Performing on cruise ships - p.307
Working for and with diverse cultures - p.321

VII - MY PICKPOCKET ACT EXPLAINED IN DETAIL
The challenge game - p.327
Techniques used for my routine - p.329
Preparing the act - p.331
My script and handlings - p.333
The complete pickpocket set up - p.335
Summary - p.347

VIII - TRIBUTE TO DOMINIQUE
Why this great homage? - p.355
The story - p.357
What I had witnessed - p.359
What did I learn? - p.365
His story begins - p.373
The great American adventure - p.377
A chronological list of Dominique's main successes - p.385

IX - TO CONCLUDE
My final words - p.401
The bibliography - p.405
With a special thanks to... - p.411

Highlights

Expert analysis of real techniques used in professional conditions, both on stage and aboard cruise ships

Rich historical context that gives depth and perspective to the discipline

Practical, immediately applicable advice drawn from real-world performing experience

A strong emphasis on showmanship and ethics, the pillars of stage pickpocketing

Original, highly entertaining routines built around psychology, misdirection, and humor

Clear, structured, mature writing shaped by several decades of experience

These strengths make Peter in Your Pocket an essential work for anyone wishing to master this rare and spectacular art.

Peter in Your Pocket by Peter Heylands

Peter in Your Pocket by Peter Heylands

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