I've never come across a pack of matches that didn't fall before me, whimper, and succumb to this trick. It makes a just plain dandy trick if you're in a bar or at a party and someone tasty comes up to you and asks for a light.
1. Open the book.
2. GOTO 10... no wait
3. Supporting the pack with your index finger, slide your thumb behind a match and slide all the way to the bottom so as to have the match bent at 90 degrees straight from the bottom.
4. Now, while holding the match flat, flip the matchbook so that you end up bending the match over the bottom of the pack. If you have done it properly, the match head is now lined up perfectly with the ignition strip.
5. Holding the pack with your fingers again, use your thumb to quickly strike the match into flames over the strip. The result should be a lit match still in the pack.
If you really want to make a spectacle and you have a bit of heat tolerance in your hands you can try this:
Once the match is lit, bend it back around the pack into its original position. This will light the other matches in the pack on fire. Light the cigarette, joint, cigar, smoked salmon, or whatever in question and then, put the matches out by making a fist around the book. Now this sounds more painful than it really is. Use the book cover to protect your fingers as you shut them over the matches. Be careful when doing this! If you are not careful or you are not very heat-tolerant, you will get burnt! Only do this if you think you can pull it off or if the person you're trying to impress is that damned smart/sexy.
Practice makes perfect. After you've done this a few times, you can do it in a second, sometimes beating people who have lighters to the punch. If you do the last part as well, you can hand the person the matchbook you've just used after you've put it out. It makes for a great demonstration of dexterity IMHO if you can do all this and still be holding onto your beverage in the other hand.
Remember, only fools like me should play with fire.
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