Derren Brown: The system (on Channel 4)

[selectabet]

Conman or Genius? Discuss.

[selectabet]

Just watching this on C4. So far he's contacted some random member of the public anonymously via email and given her 4 winners on the trot including an 18/1 shot. Why didn't he pick me!

[jbgb007uk]

Conman, how can you select winners the day in advance and GUARENTEE it!! What a load of old tosh, great tv mind.

BTW I had all three of his british winners so far when they raced, coincidence!!?

[Beanie]

This must be a case of him starting with a huge sample of people, emailing each a different horse in the same race, doing the same with the winners from the first race in a 2nd race, etc etc until left with one punter who seems to be following a tipster on an apparently guaranteed system.

He will probably add in some sort of twist at the end, but I'd be fairly certain that's how he gets to this point. I think.

[selectabet]

OK, now he's just flipped a coin 10 times and they've all landed on heads. Says he'll explain how. Keeps going on about how The System 'guarantees' a win - this'll be good!

[selectabet]

jbgb007uk
- you're a genius too!

[selectabet]

Nice theory Beanie. God, I'm so gullible!

[DAN DAN]

He isn't a conman, he is an illusionist, mind suggestionist etc. For instance when you go to see him on tour he does a contact the dead bit then states that it's all bull. So he's not trying to say there IS a system, just that he is a great entertainer.....I think.

[DAN DAN]

What was more amazing and useful was the time he made the bookmakers at the dogs pay out on losing tickets....that would be a good skill to have.

[Beanie]

The bookies will be loving this too - they know there's no system, but by morning time there might just be a few hundred thousand first time punters that now believe there is.

[Wittmann 44]

This must be a case of him starting with a huge sample of people, emailing each a different horse in the same race, doing the same with the winners from the first race in a 2nd race, etc etc until left with one punter who seems to be following a tipster on an apparently guaranteed system.

Is that how it worked Beanie? The missus is downstairs watching some guff with her sister so I won't be watching it. This is incidentally what many sham stock tipping agencies do to convince gullible folks to subscribe to their tips.

[Beanie]

Not revealed yet, but dare I say, I'd put money on it?

[jbgb007uk]

me too

[Beanie]

And so it is. But hey, he still had me watching for the last 45 minutes and actually presented it in a fairly straightforward way, and it is a lesson worth learning. There is no perfect system(except ODMs )

[selectabet]

Hey Beanie, have you seen this before or are you Derren in disguise?

Turns out it's a pyramid scheme thingy. I'll bet her last horse still wins!