166 entries in Numbers / Puzzles & Bets
Creators Title Comments & References Year Source Page AA Categories
C. H. Wilson A Few Curious Facts in Figures number oddities
1877 31
Scherz-Fragen gag questions, riddles
Mar. 1895
Die Zauberwelt (Vol. 1 No. 3)
43
Ein Zahlenscherz puzzle about distributing seventeen camels
Also published here
Aug. 1896
Die Zauberwelt (Vol. 2 No. 8)
119
Die 36 Nullen grid of 6x6 zeros, puzzle
Also published here
Nov. 1899
Die Zauberwelt (Vol. 5 No. 11)
174
Ein Zahlenscherz puzzle about distributing seventeen camels
Also published here
1900 10
Die 36 Nullen grid of 6x6 zeros, puzzle
Also published here
1900 28
Ein Zahlen-Kuriosum
Dec. 1901
Die Zauberwelt (Vol. 7 No. 12)
190
Das Piquet zu Pferde number game
Nov. 1902
Die Zauberwelt (Vol. 8 No. 11)
174
E. H. Borden Horses - A Number Quickie illogic puzzle, dividing horses under three sons
Related to
May 1947
The Phoenix (Issue 126)
506
Two Math Ticklers two math, logic puzzles
1953
Ireland's Yearbooks (Issue Yearbook 1953)
19
Mel Stover* Herman the Hobo number puzzle with story about the maximum cigarettes one can smoke
June 1955
Ibidem (Issue 1)
15
Mel Stover* Puzzle Solution: Herman the Hobo
Related to
Aug. 1955
Ibidem (Issue 2)
6
Mel Stover* Betcha bet about multiplying a set of lengths by two, then dividing it by two again
Aug. 1955
Ibidem (Issue 2)
10
Mel Stover* Puzzle: Lewis Carroll puzzle about the length of a walk with general information about speed given
Aug. 1955
Ibidem (Issue 2)
16
Tom Ransom Crazy Tom Ransom Reads Books two number puzzles
  • The Huckster
  • Color Poker
Nov. 1955
Ibidem (Issue 4)
7
Mel Stover* Puzzle Solution: Lewis Carroll
Related to
Nov. 1955
Ibidem (Issue 4)
22
Mel Stover* Puzzle: Sugar Lumps
Related to
July 1956
Ibidem (Issue 6)
3
Mel Stover* Puzzle Solution: Sugar Lumps
Related to
Sep. 1956
Ibidem (Issue 7)
19
Martin Gardner* Puzzle: Smith's Dilemma number puzzle in which the word "smith" is coded into digits
Sep. 1956
Ibidem (Issue 7)
21
Mel Stover* Puzzle: Twin Matching number puzzle about percentages
Dec. 1956
Ibidem (Issue 8)
9
Max Katz A teaser calculation puzzle
1957 23
Mel Stover* Puzzle Solution: Twin Matching number puzzle about percentages
Related to
Mar. 1957
Ibidem (Issue 9)
20
Mel Stover* Puzzle: Bananastand
Related to
Sep. 1957
Ibidem (Issue 11)
5
Tom Ransom A Puzzle From The Future! puzzle about which year a company was founded
Also published here
Sep. 1957
Ibidem (Issue 11)
7
Mel Stover* Puzzle Solution: Bananastand
Related to
Dec. 1957
Ibidem (Issue 12)
3
Tom Ransom Puzzle Solution: Puzzle From The Future!
Also published here
Dec. 1957
Ibidem (Issue 12)
7
Royal Vale Heath Number Challenge two-digit number divided by three, left-over named to performer who then works out the number
Related to
  • "Zangbar Zackelback" (Wallace Lee, Genii, June 1958, p. 364)
Variations
Dec. 1957
Ibidem (Issue 12)
12
Stewart James, H. E. Dudeney, Max Katz Nic's Trick two-digit number divided by three, left-over named to performer who then works out the number
Inspired by
Mar. 1958
Ibidem (Issue 13)
12
Thomas M. Harris On the Mind two-digit number divided by three, left-over named to performer who then works out the number (is this "Tom Harris"?)
Inspired by
Related to
  • "Zangbar Zackelback" (Wallace Lee, Genii, June 1958, p. 364)
Sep. 1958
Ibidem (Issue 14)
5
Tom Ransom Puzzle: Big Casino
Related to
Mar. 1959
Ibidem (Issue 16)
13
Mel Stover* Puzzle: V. A. Hospital
July 1959
Ibidem (Issue 17)
19
Mel Stover* Puzzle Solution: V. A. Hospital
Related to
Oct. 1959
Ibidem (Issue 18)
10
P. Howard Lyons Stuff Page
  • proposition bet in which spectator writes nine different numbers on nine cards and turns them up one at a time, performer calls stop before the highest number is turned up
  • 5x5 magic squares
Oct. 1959
Ibidem (Issue 18)
18
Mel Stover* Puzzle Solution: Big Casino
Related to
Oct. 1959
Ibidem (Issue 18)
22
Mel Stover* Puzzle: Junior Chemist puzzle with weights
Dec. 1959
Ibidem (Issue 19)
31
Mel Stover*, Leo Moser, P. Howard Lyons, Martin Gardner* A Short Shot proposition bet in which spectator writes nine different numbers on nine cards and turns them up one at a time, performer calls stop before the highest number is turned up
Related to
May 1960
Ibidem (Issue 20)
19
Tom Ransom Puzzle: Ounces & Mugs number puzzle with number of ounces that fit in mugs
June 1960
Ibidem (Issue 21)
4
P. Howard Lyons Puzzle: Smart Magic: Seven from Eleven a number puzzle from Hull & Hahne's "Smart Magic"
Related to
Oct. 1960
Ibidem (Issue 22)
27
F. William Kuethe, Jr. Number Puzzle writing eight eights in a dozen different ways to represent 1000
Apr. 1963
Ibidem (Issue 28)
1
P. Howard Lyons, Mel Stover* On Various Puzzles
Related to
Aug. 1963
Ibidem (Issue 29)
22
Mel Stover* Kiss number puzzle with weights and a scale, four pages long
Nov. 1964
Ibidem (Issue 30)
23
Max Katz Arithmetical Progression series of number, missing one has to be figured out
Related to
Nov. 1964
The New Jinx (Vol. 3 No. 31)
129
Max Katz Solution to Max Katz's Progression series of number, missing one has to be figured out
Related to
Dec. 1964
The New Jinx (Vol. 3 No. 32)
133
Norman Houghton Letter: Gambling Proposition (previous stage name: Lorne DeBlois), probabilities of "Maybe Make Three"
Related to
Dec. 1965
Ibidem (Issue 31)
4
John Benzais Sandstorm Die Hard 3 math puzzle, see p. 160 for solution
June 1965
The New Jinx (Vol. 4 No. 38)
157
L. Vosburgh Lyons, Thomas Alan Waters Mathematically Inclined ten digits used for longer calculation, making a pyramid of numbers according to rules, result instantly seen by performer, for credit discussion see reference
Also published here
Related to
Sep. 1966
The Pallbearers Review (Vol. 1 No. 11)
54
Mel Stover* Penny Pick-up
July 1968
Ibidem (Issue 33)
16
Will Ayling The Story Teller oriental story
Inspired by
Variations
1969 289
Alan Holoch Paradoxical number puzzle
Related to
Aug. 1970
Talisman (Vol. 1 No. 23)
108
Paradoxical Revisited solution to Holoch's number puzzle
Related to
Sep. 1970
Talisman (Vol. 1 No. 27)
140
Age And Pocket Change Number Gag No. 520, calculation with age an pocket change, performer divines both from the result
1972 146
Ken De Courcy Only Heaven (and Einstein) Knows! mathematical puzzle with three chosen numbers at the points of a triangle, three sums end up to be equal
1973 4
, Alex Elmsley, Tony Faro, Ed Schuman Festive Fun a coin puzzle by Alex Elmsley and by Tony Faro, logic puzzles, making smoke powder by burning a striking surface, match problems by Tony Faro, medium card revelation, a number puzzle by Ed Schuman and how to stick a bottle on a wall

Dec. 1975
Pabular (Vol. 2 No. 4)
192
Peter "Cartier" Struppler 3+4+5+6=28 mathematical problem
1975
Hokus Pokus (Vol. 36 No. 1)
15
Ken De Courcy Sheik a Leg distribution puzzle in testament of a sheik
Related to
1975 11
Ken De Courcy Sheik Another Leg puzzle about placing ten people in nine beds
1975 13
Odd-Even Bet spectator cuts part of deck in piles, "there will be an odd number of heaps containing an odd number of cards"
1975 16
Gerald Kosky Sholim Ali Kim mathematical problem, camels divided to sons, using jewels
Inspired by
1975 196
Charles T. Jordan A Pair of Mathematical Diversions
1975 267
Ralph L. Erlewine The Seven Dwarfs dividing 28 diamonds through seven dwarfs
Variations
1976 9
E. Leslie May The Charlie Chronicles different presentation for division puzzle
Inspired by
1976 11
E. Leslie May Discount Coffee addition puzzle in which money ends up missing in total
1976 15
Word-Number Puzzle
1976 19
Missing Ten Pounds Puzzle
1976 29
Where There's A Will There's A Way distribution puzzle
Related to
1976 32
Eight Eights Equal Thousand
1976 34
L. Vosburgh Lyons Vosburgh Lyons Puzzle number theory puzzle in building pairs of numbers
Variations
1979
Interlocutor (Issue 29)
113
Sam Schwartz From Sam Schwartz solutions to problem
Inspired by
1979
Interlocutor (Issue 31)
120
Verschiedenes collection of eleven bar bets and puzzles with various things and numbers
Mar. 1980
Intermagic (Vol. 7 No. 1)
24
Edmund Rowland Zifferntricks twelve puzzles and tricks with numbers
Also published here
  • Abracadabra #576-579, Feb. 1957
Nov. 1980
Intermagic (Vol. 7 No. 3)
106
Karl Fulves* The Academy's I.Q. Test layout puzzle with number chips
1982 16
Jules Lenier Ten Penny Impromptu Quickie math puzzle with ten pennies, spectator picks ups some pennies in both hands and does calculations
1982 97
Mark of the Beast No. 8, calculation and final number is always divisible by 666
1983 11
L. Vosburgh Lyons Mathematically Inclined No. 24, making a pyramid of numbers according to rules, final number predicted, Pascal's Triangle
Also published here
Related to
1983 38
Add and Subtract No. 40, puzzle with number pairs
1983 64
The Root of the Problem No. 43, puzzle about a root equation
1983 73
Haunted Hotel No. 44, puzzle about the payment of a hotel room with tip for the bellhop
1983 73
Arithmetrick No. 45, number puzzle about length of fish
1983 74
Contrary Clock No. 46, finding out how to set clock that goes wrong
1983 74
Mountain Time No. 47
1983 75
Significant Digits No. 48, getting someone to write a certain number
1983 75
Unwritten Rule No. 49, calling out a number that is difficult to write down
1983 76
Unequals No. 50, getting wrong equation right by making small adjustment
1983 76
What's Next No. 51, continuing a series of letters
1983 76
Cryptarithms No. 52, letters replace numbers in equations and must be substituted back to numbers
1983 77
Eve Did Talk No. 53, letters in equation must be substituted with numbers, cryptarithm
1983 77
Orderly Transition No. 54, using all nine digits in order for an equation to get 100
1983 78
Naming Numbers No. 55
1983 78
Zebra Algebra No. 56, puzzle involving speed of a zebra
1983 78
L. Vosburgh Lyons Fidget Digits No. 57, puzzle with digits from 1 to 8 with kicker
Related to
1983 78
Strange Symbols No. 58, digits written out with mirror image, problem of continuing the sequence
1983 79
Catch Questions No. 59
1983 79
Scrambled States No. 60, puzzle about states name
1983 80
Puzzle Parts No. 61, puzzle with the digits from 1 to 9
1983 80
Six Quik No. 62, puzzle with matrix of digits
1983 80
Who Pays? No. 63
1983 80
The Monkey and the Coconuts No. 64, puzzle, how many coconuts?
1983 81
A Dollar You Can't No. 75, bet concerning the serial number of the bill
1983 99
A Dollar I Can No. 76, bet concerning the serial number of the bill
1983 99
The Fortune 100 No. 77, bet about the numbers from one to hundred which do not contain eight specific letters
1983 100
Bamboozled No. 78, percentage bet concerning the letters in spelled-out numbers
1983 100
Portable Poker No. 80, poker without cards but written numbers instead
1983 101
Telefooled No. 82, percentage bet about last two digits in phone numbers
1983 104
License-Plate Showdown No. 83, percentage bet about license plate numbers
1983 104
Geldschwindel coin short change sucker gag
Aug. 1983
Intermagic (Vol. 10 No. 2)
61
Ernest W. Brady Die Erbschaft mathematical problem, camels divided to sons, illustrated with cards
Also published here
Variations
Jan. 1984
Intermagic (Vol. 10 No. 3 & 4)
115
Martin Gardner* Dollar Bill Game game/puzzle about auctioning off a dollar bill
Also published here
  • Metamagical Themas (Douglas Hofstadter)
1985 20
Karl Fulves* Counting "Penny Papers"
1985 37
Karl Fulves* How Much "Penny Papers"
1985 53
Karl Fulves* Crypto Coins "Penny Papers", letters in an equation stand for letters or coins
1985 70
Karl Fulves* Improbable "Penny Papers", probability question
1985 104
Karl Fulves* Another Quarter "Penny Papers", probability question about having another quarter
1985 104
Karl Fulves* Gypsy Swindle "Penny Papers", swindle with dollar bill in handkerchief
1985 123
Rudolf Braunmüller Kuriositäten
  • 1. Einsteins Theorie
  • 2. Das Siebener-Problem
  • 3. Das 7-Streichhölzer-Problem
Oct. 1987
Intermagic (Vol. 13 No. 1)
22
Mel Stover* Answer to Stover's Equation Puzzle see page 546
Sep. 1989
Epoptica (Issue 12)
547
J. W. Sarles Spin Out five coins with a number on each side, they are spun and bottom sum never loses to top sum, gaffed coin
Related to
1991
Swindle Sheet (Issue 4)
42
Karl Fulves* Fixed Bets eleven bar bets involving numbers, nail
1991
Swindle Sheet (Issue 5)
54
J. W. Sarles Spin Out five coins with a number on each side, they are spun and bottom sum never loses to top sum, gaffed coin, suggestions
Related to
1991 1
Philip T. Goldstein* Calcium calculation oddity with nine digits, done with nine cards
1994 74
Bob Farmer The Unbreakable Bank word-play bet about the amount of money one has in the fist
Related to
July 1994
MAGIC (Vol. 3 No. 11)
60
Bob Farmer Through a Glass Markly bet about distributing ten coins on three glasses so all have an odd number of coins
Aug. 1994
MAGIC (Vol. 3 No. 12)
65
Bob Farmer The Four Sevens number puzzle
Nov. 1994
MAGIC (Vol. 4 No. 3)
75
Roy Miller Borderline Genius mathematical puzzle, conversion rate, buying cake
May 1994
Vibrations (Vol. 16 No. 11)
12
Karl Fulves* Funny Money
  • pulling the safety strip out of bill
  • where is the hexagon on the dollar bill?
  • number bet, serial number cubed is almost divisible by seven
Related to
1995 26
Mel Stover* False Odds bet about odd/even number of coins in hand
Apr. 1995
MAGIC (Vol. 4 No. 8)
86
Bob Farmer A Penny For Your Thoughts proposition bet with head/tails triplets
Oct. 1995
MAGIC (Vol. 5 No. 2)
80
Bob Farmer The Third Scam... A Column To Honor Martin Gardner
  • Flim-Flam
more on the referenced proposition bet with head/tails triplets
  • Irwin Stern Calls Flim-Flam's Bluff
  • Debruijn Doublets
  • Hustler TH, Mark HH
  • Hustler XX, Mark YY
  • It's Triplets, Mr. Farmer
  • The Secret Formula
Related to
Jan. 1996
MAGIC (Vol. 5 No. 5)
80
Karl Fulves*, Derek Lever, Ralph W. Hull, Nate Leipzig Dot Com... "Tricks and stunts with numbers"
Variations
1997 123
William P. Miesel A Square Deal
  • "Dot Com - Tricks and stunts with numbers"
solution to "What number divided by one third of itself equals 9?"
Inspired by
  • problem in Linking Ring, October 1961
1997 162
Milton Kort Seven Come Eleven
  • "Dot Com - Tricks and stunts with numbers"
solution to Hull problem "Make 11 out of four 7s"
Inspired by
Related to
1997 165
Eddie Fields Where Can I Get A Cheap Cigar? number puzzle
1997 82
Johnny Riek, The Upside-Down Man number puzzle
  • An Egg-traordinary Dilemma
1997 103
Mel Bennett Quiz Whiz
  • "Dot Com - Tricks and stunts with numbers"
getting as close to 100 as possible
1998 204
Karl Fulves* The Sevens Puzzle
  • "Dot Com - Tricks and stunts with numbers"
making all numbers from four sevens
Related to
1998 205
Word Ways
  • "Dot Com - Tricks and stunts with numbers"
word/number puzzle
1998 246
Matching Matches
  • "Dot Com - Tricks and stunts with numbers"
equation with matches
1998 246
Mel Bennett More Sevens
  • "Dot Com - Tricks and stunts with numbers"
making numbers from four sevens
Related to
1998 249
Robert K. Stevenson Still More 7's
  • "Dot Com - Tricks and stunts with numbers"
Related to
1998 288
Rätsel gefällig? number puzzle about four numbers, multiplied same result than added
1998
Intermagic (Vol. 22 No. 1)
31
Rätsel gefällig? three number and one liar/truth-teller puzzles
1998
Intermagic (Vol. 22 No. 2)
69
Karl Fulves* Short Cons with calculator
  • Digits From Digits
  • Ciphers Deciphered
  • 625 Bets
  • PIE In Sky
  • A Memorable Date
1998 77
Karl Fulves* Bet A Hundred making a number from 101 to 115 appear on display without touching the number keys, with variations:
  • A Hundred Numbers
  • Rapid Numbers
  • Decimal Dilemma (posed as a problem)
  • Masked Memory (posed as a problem)
  • What's Next?
  • Nuthin
Variations
1998 87
Martin Gardner* Five x Five
  • "Dot Com - Tricks and stunts with numbers"
number puzzle with equation
1999
The Fine Print (Issue 10)
345
P. Howard Lyons Sevens from Elevens
  • "Dot Com - Tricks and stunts with numbers"
1999
The Fine Print (Issue 10)
345
Karl Fulves* Passing The Buck
  • handshake combinatorics puzzle in which a bill is transferred
  • on the bill-catching bet, thread
1999
Charlatan (Issue 1)
12
Rudolf Braunmüller Ein Liebestest
2000
Intermagic (Vol. 24 No. 1)
18
Number Puzzle see p. 333 for solution
Inspired by
  • "Satan, Cantor, and Infinity" (Smullyan)
2003 289
Crap Game Puzzle see p. 333 for solution
2003 322
Mel Bennett Jailbird Jack number card total to the same number repeatedly in a puzzling way, puzzle adapted to playing cards
2004
Discoverie (Issue 9)
123
Karl Fulves* Pilgrim's Progress procedure to find out on which days Thanksgiving fell in spectator's birth year using just the day of his birthday
Related to
2004
Discoverie (Issue 9)
126
Norman Beck Hotel Bills mathematical puzzle is illustrated with bills, one dollar vanishes at the end, using double-faced bill, see reference for credit information
Related to
Aug. 2005
Antinomy (Vol. 1 No. 3)
24
Martin Gardner* Four by Martin Gardner 1. number puzzle
2. word/letter puzzle
3. pencil puzzle
4. letter puzzle
2007
Prolix (Issue 3)
158
Roberto Giobbi Hand and Finger Puzzle
Oct. 2007
Genii (Vol. 70 No. 10)
19
Karl Fulves* Estate of Mind number puzzle/story about dividing a estate
2008
Prolix (Issue 5)
302
Juan Tamariz How to Win Impossible Bets several bar bets
  • The "I"
  • Smoking without Consuming a Cigarette
    • Making a knot into a cigarette
  • Tying a Knot in a Rope without Releasing the Ends
  • Eating without Touching the Hat
  • Tearing a Deck of Cards
  • The Flat Match
  • Steel Bridges
  • To Catch a Thief
  • The Multiplication of Bread
  • Flying Food
  • Trip to the Moon
Related to
2008 107
Roberto Giobbi Four Number Problems
2010
Secret Agenda (Issue Aug 15)
244
Number Puzzles
2010
Secret Agenda (Issue Sep 29)
291
Karl Fulves* Double-Digit Dice challenge to arrange six dice so the total is divisible by three
2010
Prolix (Issue 7)
489
Román García El Juego que Yo no le Haria a Dai Vernon puzzle illustrated with cards, finally a coin appears under a card
2010 111
Karl Fulves* Ledger-demain expanded number puzzle about how much is spent and saved
2011
Prolix (Issue 9)
610
The Beer-Drinking Puzzle "Who paid for the beer?"
Also published here
  • "Mathematics And The Imagination" (1940)
Related to
2012
Prolix (Issue 10)
693
Gregory Wilson Missing Dollar Swindle
  • The Almighty Dollar
logic-defying mathematical puzzle is illustrated with dollar bills
Sep. 2012
MAGIC (Vol. 22 No. 1)
74
Michael Weber Self-Service Lunch paper money counted by spectator to a story presentation in which the waiter wants to cheat three customers (verbal puzzle), a dollar vanishes and appears in wallet
2012 [1]
David Regal The Secret presentation about "secret to happiness", disposable deck vanish intro gag, math puzzle in which with fake dollar bills two beers are bought
Inspired by
  • item in "Maurice Fogel - In Search of the Sensational" (Chris Woodward & Richard Mark)
  • item in John Fisher's Magic Book
2019 505
Chris Wardle Coin Conundrum number puzzle of dividing a certain amount equally amongst people is illustrated with coins, amount changes
Jan. 2022
Genii (Vol. 85 No. 1)
78
Roberto Giobbi The Problem of the Seventeen Card Camels number puzzle of seventeen camels that have to be distributed amongst three sons, illustrated with cards
2024
Unexpected Agenda (Issue Dec. 22)
369