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.
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.
