Introduction

Welcome to Mind Blasters: England Goes Mental. Following the success of England Up Close and Miraculous Minds: Scotland Goes Mental, I decided to embark on a follow-up, the result is Mind Blasters. The enthusiastic response from those I contacted has resulted in a really superb collection of Mentalism, Mental Magic and Bizarre Magick. To navigate this ebook, simply go to the Contents page (next page) and click on a name. The hyperlink will take you straight to the desired chapter. Where a chapter contains more than one effect, you can click on the name of a trick to go straight to it. At the end of each effect & chapter you will see an up-arrow . Clicking on any arrow will return you to the Table of Contents. While this electronic book is copyright © Peter Duffie, each chapter is strictly copyrighted by the contributor. No extracts may be taken from this publication without the permission of the copyright holder. I would like to thank Jeremy Kurtz for designing the excellent cover for this book. So, I will leave you now to enjoy this collection of serious Mind Blasters!

Peter Duffie

Copyright.© Peter Duffie 2008 No part of this publication may be copied, translated, transmitted or re-sold in any

way whatsoever without the permission of the publisher and copyright holders.

Table of Contents – Click on a chapter, name, or trick title.

Chapter 1 Marc Paul AAA Serial Number Divination / Shuffle Challenge Too Chapter 2 John Archer Back to the Future Chapter 3 Wayne Dobson Fluke Chapter 4 Stephen Tucker 58 to 1 / ACAARN Chapter 5 Paul Hallas Still Battling Along Chapter 6 Christopher Williams Ungaffed Entourage / Predictext Chapter 7 Abracadaver Con-Flatulation Chapter 8 Les Johnson Remote Viewing Magic Chapter 9 Harold Cataquet The Knight’s Tour / Seeing & Believing Chapter 10 Andy Nicholls Borderline Location / Out of the Ordinary Chapter 11 Shiv Duggal A Good Year / Frequency Chapter 12 James Ward What’s in a Word? / Sentimental Journey Chapter 13 Stephen Jones 1812 / Titanic Chapter 14 Russell Hall The Blackwood ESP test Chapter 15 Roni Shachnaey The Inquisition Chapter 16 Lewis Jones Concord Chapter 17 Scott Creasey The Eternal Triangle Chapter 18 Barry Cooper Are you a “real” mentalist? / The ABC of ESP Chapter 19 Al Smith Tryangle / Friendly Persuasion Chapter 20 Roger Curzon The Devil Rides Out Chapter 21 Andrew Brown The Living & the Dead / The Clairvoyant Card Chapter 22 Anthony Brahams Cabin Book Test Chapter 23 Dominic Twose Drawing Close Chapter 24 Justin Higham Double Minded Chapter 25 Mike Hopley Two-Person Book Test / A Card in Motion Chapter 26 Roger Ferriby The Ghost of the Ferry Boat Inn Chapter 27 Todd Landman My Ching Chapter 28 David Britland Fooler’s Gold – T. A. Waters Chapter 29 Walt Lees Ring Master Chapter 30 Andi Gladwin Mentalist’s Luncheon Chapter 31 Chris Hare Crab Chapter 32 Chris Wardle P.S. Chapter 33 James Brown Dark / Caught 3 Times Chapter 34 Olly Crofton Three Thoughts Chapter 35 Paul Gordon Twin Peeks / Thought Stealer Rethought Chapter 36 Steve Cook Balls 2 / Barefaced! Chapter 37 Stephen MacRow Brain Fry! Chapter 38 Mark Elsdon Bottle Capped / Best Telephone Trick / Brainwave-2 Chapter 39 John Holt Absolutely Positive Chapter 40 Doug Segal I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Cluedo Chapter 41 David Penn Drawing Duplication – A Video Bonus!

AAA Serial Number Divination (Anytime, Anywhere, Any banknote)

Marc Paul

I have a philosophy that as mentalists we should have in our arsenal of effects some that are what I call “Triple A”. They can be performed at Anytime, Anywhere and without Any advanced preparation or special props. So far I have released my AAA Book Test (a book test with any borrowed book), AAA Phone Mystery (a reworking of Annemann’s classic “Telephone Drama”) and an AAA Lie Detector test called “True Lies”. What follows is a serial number divination that fulfils the triple A criteria. I have always liked the serial number divination and have used many different versions over the years. But I longed to do it table hopping or whilst strolling. The idea of being able to do such a strong piece of mentalism at the tables really appealed and no one that I knew was doing it. And there was good reason why no one was doing it! Most methods involve the switch of the borrowed banknote for one that has had its serial number memorised by the performer. This obviously creates problems in the table hopping world. I couldn’t exactly ask for that note back so that I could use it on the next table! I considered the idea of doing a follow up routine that used the bank note again and in the course of that routine switch it back so that I had my original note back, but this would be no good, what if they looked at the number later? I considered having a different note for each table. I might do 10 tables which would require 10 banknotes and 10 different serial numbers to memorise…no that was not the way I wanted to go. Next I considered some sort of note pad that had all the serial numbers written down and a mini index to ensure I had the right note in play. The index / notepad version worked well but then occasionally some one from another table would watch a performance and when I got to their table they had already got a banknote out and looked at the number…humm. That created another problem. Now I knew why it was never really performed as a table hopping piece! So I threw out everything and started again. What follows solves all of the above problems.

Effect The performer borrows a banknote; he requests that it is handed to him with the Queen’s head facing downwards. Before it is handed to him he turns his head way. He points out that in this position it is impossible to see the serial number that is printed on the queen side of the note as it faces the floor…also his head is turned away! The performer slowly folds the note into a very small packet so that the serial numbers are sealed inside. This is clearly evident to the audience. Now that the numbers are secured from view the performer turns his head back, he gently feels the outside of the folded packet and instantly says “ JD90” The spectators are asked to make a note of this with a paper and pencil or just to remember (each spectator is asked to remember say two digits / letters). The performer gently feels the note again with his finger tips and suddenly blurts out “686….625” The note is handed to a spectator who unfolds it, everyone is amazed to find that the serial number is JD90 686625.

Working There is no difficult memorisation, no indexes and no switches only the one borrowed banknote is used, which pretty much should tell you how it’s done! The numbers are glimpsed in real time. This is a very bold procedure but I assure you it works and it works well. Basically I have discovered a way of folding English banknotes so that an adaptation of Millard Longman’s wonderful Acidus Novus can be performed. The glimpse is performed in two stages so that there is no difficult memorising…in fact you can almost be doing the glimpse as you blurt out the numbers, although it is probably safer to put a bit of time between the glimpse and the reveal. So let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. The fold that I’m about to describe will work for all English banknotes except the new £20 & £50. I’ll talk about them later. All other English notes have two serial numbers (both identical) printed on the Queen’s side of the note the one on the left is horizontal and the one on the right is vertical. The fold genuinely puts the serial numbers inside the note but positions one of them so that the first part (two letters and two numbers) can be glimpsed. The second one is positioned so that the last 6 digits can be glimpsed. This is one of the elements that make it so deceptive for an audience; the packet is so small it appears that there is no way to gain access to the serial numbers. You don’t. You gain access to bits of the numbers. Hold the note so that the queen side is facing the floor. The side facing you is the right way up and is not upside down. See figure 1.

Fig.1

Fold the note in half so that the right side goes under the left. The note should now look like figure 2.

Fig.2

Fold the note in half again but this time fold the bottom half down and under the top half as in figure 3.

Fig.3

Finally you fold it in half again folding the right side under the left side. The note will look like figure 4.

Fig.4

You now have to give the note a quarter turn clockwise. That’s it you’re done. As you can see the folding is very natural and logical. The serial numbers never come into view and are now concealed inside the note, but they are both in very specific positions. If you slide your thumb under the first corner of the note that is facing you, you will see the first part of the serial number. It is vertical but is easy to read. See figure 5. You only need to be able to see the first two letters and the first two numbers.

Fig.5

The second part of the number is even easier to read. Allow the note to naturally spring open as in figure 6.

Fig.6

Now insert your right thumb above the third corner. You will now clearly be able to see the remaining six digits of the serial number (Fig.7).

Fig.7

During performance all you have to do is insert your thumb in those two positions and call out what you see. As I mentioned it is best to make the glimpse and then close the note and delay a moment or two before revealing what you have just seen. The way I have described the glimpse is intentionally crude. Those that are familiar with Acidus Novus will know exactly how to do the move from what I have described. But more importantly they will apply the subtlies that go along with the move. If you are not familiar with Acidus Novus then you should find a copy and study it carefully. Millard Longman’s Acidus Novus was first published in 1979 by Al Mann as part of a manuscript called “Acidus Plus”. Or you can see it performed and explained by Richard Osterlind as part of his watch routine which appears on his Mind Mysteries DVD Volume 1. Please note what the effect is on the audience in this particular version of the serial number divination, it is a “seeing with the finger tips” type of routine. It is NOT a mind-reading effect. It could be performed as a mind-reading effect by asking the spectator to first look at the number, but this I feel would be a serious mistake. This method although practical and solves the problems I described at the beginning has another problem, by its nature the performer has to handle the note a lot. The plot of seeing with the finger tips allows for this. I think that this is crucial. It would be totally inconsistent to have someone look at the note then take it, fold it up and caress it before you reveal what they are thinking! This must be done as “seeing with the finger tips” and as such is enhanced if the performer is blindfolded. And that is your reward for reading this far. By placing a blindfold on, you have all the time in the word to perform the glimpse. The routine is very strong without the blindfold, but with the blindfold it becomes a miracle. Just put the blindfold on before the note even comes out of the pocket, by the way I’m not talking about a special fancy blindfold that only a magician would use, I’m talking about just a simple hanky and a simple down the nose peek. You now have two methods in play that very neatly cancel out all possible solutions. Done in this way the routine always creates a very strong audience reaction.

The New £20 & £50 Note I have a confession to make…I just don’t use the new £20 or £50. If someone starts to pull one out of their wallet I ask for something smaller or I perform a different routine. I have been doing the above serial number divination for quite a few years now and I’m very use to the handling. When the new £20 came out I noticed that the serial numbers were in different positions and they are on the Adam Smith side, not the Queen side! I tried figuring out a fold that would work with the new note and came up with several possibilities; however they all felt awkward to me as I was so use to the existing handling, so I just don’t use them. Of course you are not so set in your ways, so please feel free to experiment. I will tell you that there is a way of folding the new £20 & £50 so that one complete serial number is available to glimpse on the inside of the very first corner. Have fun discovering it.

And Finally A Word About Other Currencies I have never used this routine abroad but I feel confident in saying that I’m sure what ever currency you have there will be a way of folding it so that you can glimpse all or part of the serial number, enjoy experimenting. If you are interested in Marc’s other AAA effects please visit www.marcpaul.com

Shuffle Challenge Too

Marc Paul To an audience this appears to be a really impossible mental card effect. The inspiration for it came from an effect in Stephen Minch's book Mind Novas called 'The Sure-Fire Shuffle Challenge'. In the original, Minch used ESP cards and a completely different method, but it was the effect that intrigued me, so here is my version.

Effect The performer shows a deck of cards to be all different. These he then shuffles and sets in front of the spectator, he does not touch them until the end of the effect. The spectator is asked to think of a number between 1 and 52, this number is a free choice and is never revealed to the performer. While the spectator is concentrating on their number the performer makes an open, verbal prediction of a playing card, let’s say the Five of Clubs. The spectator now shuffles the cards and then they deal down to their secret number. When they turn over the card that they randomly arrived at it is the Five of Clubs.

Working Before I reveal the secret, think about it for a second, try and figure it out, the points to remember are:

The performer does not touch the cards until the end. The spectator never reveals the number, and they have a free choice. The verbal prediction seems to prevent any opportunity for 'outs'. The spectator shuffles the cards themselves.

If someone really did this then maybe you would have to consider the possibility that they were genuinely psychic! Of course you don't have to be psychic to do this all you need is a pack of cards consisting of 26 indifferent cards and 26 all the same, in this case the Five of Clubs. All of the Five of Clubs are subtly marked on the back. I use a blue or red ink pen to fill in a small area of white on the back of each card. Start with all the Fives face down on top of the face down indifferent cards.

Working

1. With the cards in this condition you can casually and genuinely shuffle the top half of the pack without changing the order, because they are all alike! You can casually show the faces of the cards to the spectator by cleanly spreading up to half the deck, OR you can shuffle them with the faces towards the audience, they will see loads of different cards being mixed up, this is the subtle approach and the one I tend to use.

2. Place the deck face down in front of the spectator and ask them to think of a number between 1 and 52. At this stage you openly announce your prediction as the Five of Clubs. The spectator is now asked to cut the cards into two approximately even piles and to Riffle Shuffle the two piles together. During your other effects you have observed someone who normally shuffles in this way. The nature of the Riffle Shuffle ensures that the Fives are regularly distributed throughout the pack, it won't be perfect but it will be close. 3. The spectator now deals to their secret number and when they stop you need to observe the backs of the cards, looking for a marked Five. With luck you won't have to do anything. There may be one on the pile of discards or there maybe one on the pile still in the spectators hands. If not you simply may have to do a Double or Triple lift with either pile it all depends on how good the shuffle was - you have to be on your toes at this stage so that you can act accordingly without hesitation. Sometimes you will be able to reveal the card on either side of the five as being different which makes a nice convincer. This effect was originally published in Volume 3, Issue 3, Feb 1998 of the now defunct The Conjurer Magazine. Since then I have had some further thoughts:

What is the effect on the audience?

This is a rather unusual effect. I was never quite sure how to present it. It could be framed as a prediction or even as telekinesis; you mentally move the card to the right place! I perform it now as a demonstration of the power of the spectator’s unconscious mind and the amazing things it can do. I explain that they have just seen me shuffle and display the deck, subconsciously they are now aware of the location of every card (this subtly reinforces the fact that all 52 are different). I get them to riffle shuffle the cards and explain that even though they have just shuffled, their unconscious is still aware of roughly where every card is. I say “Let’s put it to the test. Tell me roughly where you think…say the…Five of Clubs is?” The beauty of this presentation is that if you are unlucky and the shuffle has not been particularly even, you can be a few cards out and the effect still seems amazing to the spectator…after all they did it. This is now my favourite way of performing the effect. It is a clear plot that has an amazing conclusion. Exactly what a good effect should be. Website: www.marcpaul.com

Back To The Future

John Archer An envelope is placed on the table in front of the spectator it simply has the word ‘Future’ printed on it. The magician explains that they are going to take an imaginary journey back to the future. The imaginary bit is easy, they have to imagine that they have a pack of invisible cards in their hands. They are to imagine that the cards are in order ace to king in each suit with the red suits on top and the black suits on the bottom. The spectator is now instructed to follow the magicians actions and place the imaginary deck behind their back (This is the Back bit...) Imaginary cards are now removed behind the back and eliminated. Starting with colour, then suit and finally narrowing the choice down to one imaginary card. The magician then removes one real card from the envelope which matches the imaginary choice. Card and envelope can be examined.

__________________________________ The main thing you need to perform this effect is a lot of guts and a decent acting ability. If you have that you will have a very strong little effect. It was inspired by playing around with possible card index effects and then realizing that no card index is required if the presentation is right. You need to have an empty opaque envelope with the word ‘Future’ printed on it and the flap tucked in. Half a deck of cards (I suggest the Clubs and Spades but Hearts and Diamonds are just as sweet). You also need to be wearing a pair of trousers with two back pockets. Before you begin place the Club cards in one back pocket and the Spade cards in the other. These cards should be in order from Ace to King. Have the envelope handy in a jacket pocket.... Go to drama school for three years then begin the routine.

Working

1. Place the envelope in front of you in full sight but don’t make too big a deal of it, just do it as you begin to explain that they are going to take an imaginary trip back to the future. Don’t miss this out, it is this phrase that justifies (albeit ridiculously) the following actions. You now have the spectator imagine that they have an invisible deck of card in their hands. These are placed behind the back. It is important during this process that you do the same as them as if instructing them at each stage. You must try to make the process look real and ask them to try to be as real as possible too. Later in the routine you will need to be really handling cards behind your back so try and mimic that in the early stages. 2. Cards are now going to be eliminated and the process will appear fair throughout though you are going to force the black cards. So first ask the spectator to separate the cards into reds and blacks behind the back and when they have done that to bring one

half to the front. You ask them what they have brought forward. If they say red say, “Me too, good throw them away and separate the blacks into suits behind your back.” If they say black say, “Me too, good, drop the reds on the floor, put the black cards behind your back and separate them into suits.” As this happens you mime their actions too, and keep it as real as possible. The same process is now used for the choice of suit. One suit (Clubs or Spades) is brought to the front. You must eliminate the suit in the same way as you had to for the colour, either drop the suit brought forward or the ones behind the back. Since it doesn’t matter what suit is chosen you just match the previous procedure. At this point you also say “Me too!” You are giving the impression in a comedic way, that you are matching their actions. 3. The spectator is now left with one suit which is (or should be placed) behind their back. The procedure now changes slightly as you explain that the cards they have behind the back are now going to be thrown away one at a time from the face starting with the Ace - you will do the same they can stop any time they like. At this point when you place your hands behind your back you need to remove the appropriate suit of cards from its pocket. I have found that if you use the opposite arm to the side of the pocket to take the cards out it eliminates the tell tale sign of the elbow sticking to the side too much. So if the cards are in the rear right pocket, reach behind with both hands but remove the cards with the left hand, and vice-versa. So ask them to take the top card behind the back and say, “Do you want to throw away that Ace?” if they say yes ask them to bring it out front and throw it away and you both continue. If they say no you palm your Ace and bring it out (hidden) as you pretend to hold an invisible Ace, again saying, “Me too!” (That’s the gutsy bit I mentioned) Tell them to throw away the rest of the cards behind their back (You actually slip yours back into a rear pocket) You now appear to remove the Ace from the envelope (more on that later). If they do choose to eliminate the Ace, have them place their hands behind the back and take the Two. You place the Ace to the back of your secret packet. Again they are asked if they would like to eliminate the card in the hand (the Two) and if so, it is brought forward and thrown away. This continues until they say, no, they want to keep a card at which point you palm yours off the packet and bring it out as suggested with the Ace. The remaining imaginary cards dropped or in your case secretly placed back into a pocket. 4. Now to load the card into the envelope; actually it doesn’t go into the envelope it is just made to appear to come out of it. So assuming you have the card palmed in your right palm, look up and speak to the spectator as you casually pick up the envelope in your left hand and place it into the right hand covering the palmed card. This is done as the right palm starts to turn palm up. The envelope should now be in your right palm, flap side up with the opening towards the spectator (thumb side). The left fingers now open the flap and then re-grip the envelope on the bottom edge

gripping the palmed card against the envelope from underneath and freeing the right hand (Fig.1 with Fig.2 showing an underview).

Fig.1 Fig.2 The right thumb now goes inside the envelope as the fingers go underneath the envelope and contact the card (Fig.2). The right hand is now drawn away quickly bringing the card with it giving the illusion that it was removed from the envelope (Fig.3).

Fig.3 Fig.4 The above paragraph is done as you explain that they really did match your actions though you did it a while ago and placed your card into the envelope for future use.... It really was an imaginary trip back to the future. Website: HTUwww.john-archer.comUTH

Fluke

Wayne Dobson A red and a blue deck are removed from your pocket, both in their boxes. The red deck is given to a spectator for safe-keeping. You ask this person to THINK of any number from 1 to 52 and then NAME it. Let's assume that they say 27. You open your blue card case, remove the deck, saying that you reversed a card in this deck earlier. You spread the cards face up across the table. One face down card is seen in the middle. Flipping it over it proves to be the Four of Spades. Turning back to the person with the red deck, you ask which number they thought of earlier - he replies that he thought of the number 27. He now removes the cards from the red card case and counts down to the 27th card. Miracle of miracles... the 27th card is ALSO the Four of Spades! This routine first appeared in Wayne’s excellent booklet Dobson’s Choice 2.

______________________________ Before we start, you'll need one red and one blue backed deck of Bicycle cards plus a Bicycle blue/blue double backer.

Set-up Set the red backed deck in the order shown on the playing card sized crib-sheet printed below. Please note that, on the crib-sheet, X represents the value 10. This means that XC represents the 10 of Clubs). Once the red backed deck is set... case the cards.

1 2H

2 XC

3 AD

4 AS

5 2C

6 KC

7 3S

8 9S

9 7C

107S

118H

12 AC

13 JS

14 JD

156S

16 QC

17 XH

18QS

198C

204H

21KD

225C

236D

245S

25 8D

26 5H

27 4S

289C

29 4C

30 JH

317H

32QD

333D

34XD

35KH

36JC

373C

38 3H

39 XS

40 5D

419H

42 2D

43 7D

448S

45KS

462S

47QH

489D

494D

50AH

51 6C

52 6H

Set the blue backed deck in ANY order then insert the blue/blue double backer near the centre. Case the deck then photocopy the crib-sheet, printed below, and glue it to the back of the blue card case. Pocket the cased decks side-by-side so that, when you later remove them, the crib-sheet will be hidden by the red card case.

Working 1. Remove and show the two decks. Separate them and hold one in each hand, with the crib-sheet toward you. 2. Hand the cased red deck to someone on your left to hold or pocket for the moment. Ask this person to THINK of any number from 1 to 52 and then NAME it. Let's assume that they say 27. As you open the blue card case and remove the deck, you have ample time to spot the card on the crib-sheet which lies at position 27 in the red deck. In this case it is the Four of Spades. Table the card case, crib-sheet side down, to one side. 3. Spread the blue deck face up across the table and point out that you have previously reversed one card and one card only. The double backer shows up in the otherwise face up spread. You should now be looking for the face up Four of Spades. Don't panic if you don't spot it immediately. You have plenty of time, as you prove that there are no other reversed cards in the deck. You do this by separating any small groups of cards to make sure that each and every face up card is seen. Once you spot the Four of Spades, push the reversed card out of the spread, away from you, and scoop up the rest of the cards (starting at the face card of the spread) up to and including the Four of Spades. Pause, and then use these cards to scoop up the rest. The required card (in this case the Four of Spades) is now at the bottom (rear) of the face up deck. Flip the deck face down, pick up the double backer and set it momentarily on top then immediately make a double turnover. The Four of Spades appears to have been the card you previously reversed and the double backer coalesces with the rest of the face down deck, making everything appear as it should. 4. Toss the Four of Spades face up to one side, then case the rest of the cards and pocket them. Turn to the person with the red deck and ask which number he thought of earlier - he replies that he thought of the number 27. Ask him to carefully remove ALL of the cards from the red card case and count down to the 27th card. The 27th card is also the Four of Spades!

End Notes At the finale, when the spectator deals (in this example) to the 27th position, you could ask that they deal the cards into a face up pile (looking all the time for, in this example, the four of spades) as they deal. This not only builds suspense, it allows you to re-set the deck for your next performance as follows... Once the 27th card has been dealt onto the face up tabled cards and the routine successfully concluded, you only have to take back the face down cards from the spectator, pick up the tabled cards and place them, face down, onto the cards in your hand. The deck is now completely re-set! Website: www.waynedobson.co.uk

“58 to 1”

Stephen Tucker Someone thinks of one of the 58 locations, and … you reveal it!

Requirements: A sheet of paper containing 58 different locations from an imaginary land as shown at the end of this chapter (Fig.1) I would suggest that you have this laminated and it will then last you forever. You will see that the letters ‘F’, ‘O’, ‘R’ and ‘T’ run across the top and the letters ‘O, R, T, H, E, S, W, A, G, C, L, I, M, B, U and P’ run down the left edge. By using the normal ‘cross-references’ associated with maps, any location can be represented by two of these letters, one from the vertical and one from the horizontal. You will later call out these letters in the order just given. This can be done by glancing at the map or... memorizing the phrase "FOR THE SWAG, CLIMB UP." Example: The location ‘Ten Fresh Graves’ can be represented by the two letters ‘O’ and ‘W’. In other words, if you trace downward from the letter ‘O’ until it meets the horizontal column ‘W’, the location at this intersection will be ‘Ten Fresh Graves’.

Working

1. Have any location thought of by a spectator and have him copy the name of the location on a piece of paper or card to enable him to easily remember its spelling. Your patter explains that the laminated sheet containing 58 different locations from an imaginary land, and someone is to now imagine that they are hiding at the location of their choice. You will now attempt to pin-point their location.

2. With suitable acting, call out the letters from the memorized phrase in the following fashion: “I can see a letter ‘F’ in the location?” – spectator says, YES or NO. If YES carry on... “and a letter ‘O’?” You continue to call out the letters until you are told that you are wrong. Note you will be told this within the first three letters unless his location is in the ‘T’ column! If you have called out the first three letters and not received a NO reply, you immediately know that his location is one of those in the ‘T’ column. On the other hand, if you receive a NO reply within the first three letters, his location is one of those in the column that received a NO reply!

Note: If they don't call out stop after the first three letters F, O and R, you do not need to call out the letter T, as you know that his location is in the vertical T column. In this instance you can skip "T" and call out H, E. etc. This means that you will only receive one "No!" from the spectator. By the time you reach the 4th column, you should be remembering which of the four vertical columns his location is in. Continue to call out the rest of the letters in the phrase until you receive a 2nd NO reply. This tells you in which of the horizontal rows his location is. Now cross-reference the two NO letters and you have his location! Either reveal it verbally or, if you have had the sheet laminated, circle the location with a dry wipe marker pen then erase it later.

End Notes ”58 to 1” is a version of Stephen¹s own Mind-Map, which was inspired by the late Terri Roger¹s “Word of Mind¹ routine, which, in turn, was based on one of Bob Hummer¹s effects. Mind Map (using a full colour map version of "58 to 1", drawn by an artist) is still available from my website—see end of chapter for the URL.

Fig.1

Stephen Tucker¹s... ACAARN

Any Card At A Revealed Number! Stack your Bicycle deck as shown in Fig.1, but then place a joker and an advertising card on top, and a second joker and a second advertising card on the bottom - giving you a 56 card deck, which will still fit into a card case. The advertising cards should have back designs.

1) K♥ 14) 4♠ 27) 7♦ 40) 10♣ 2) A♠ 15) 10♦ 28) 7♣ 41) 3♥ 3) K♦ 16) 4♣ 29) 6♥ 42) J♠ 4) A♣ 17) 9♥ 30) 8♠ 43) 3♦ 5) Q♥ 18) 5♠ 31) 6♦ 44) J♣ 6) 2♠ 19) 9♦ 32) 8♣ 45) 2♥ 7) Q♦ 20) 5♣ 33) 5♥ 46) Q♠ 8) 2♣ 21) 8♥ 34) 9♠ 47) 2♦ 9) J♥ 22) 6♠ 35) 5♦ 48) Q♣ 10) 3♠ 23) 8♦ 36) 9♣ 49) A♥ 11) J♦ 24) 6♣ 37) 4♥ 50) K♠ 12) 3♣ 25) 7♥ 38) 10♠ 51) A♦ 13) 10♥ 26) 7♠ 39) 4♦ 52) K♣

Fig.1

Table the cased deck and have someone name ANY value from ace to king inclusive. Whatever value they name... multiply it by 4 and write this total on the back of one of your business cards, then table it prediction side down. Next ask them to name any suit... clubs, hearts, spades or diamonds. If they name a club: Remove the deck from its case face down, toss the top two joker/advert cards face up to one side, then have the spectator deal down to the required position as predicted on the back of your business card dealing cards into a tabled face up pile as he does so. The final card will be the one freely named! Drop the face up dealt cards face down onto the undealt cards, replace the joker/advert cards and you are reset. If they name a heart: Remove the deck from its case face up, toss the face two joker/advert cards face up to one side, then have the spectator deal down to the required position - dealing cards into a tabled face down pile as he does so. The final card will be the one freely named! Drop the face down dealt cards face up onto the undealt cards, replace the joker/advert cards and you are reset. If they name a spade: Remove the deck from its case face down, leave the top two joker/advert cards where they are, then have the spectator deal down to the required

position - dealing cards into a tabled face up pile as he does so. The final card will be the one freely named! Drop the face up dealt cards face down onto the undealt cards and you are reset. If they name a diamond: Remove the deck from its case face up, leave the face two joker/advert cards where they are, then have the spectator deal down to the required position - dealing cards into a tabled face down pile as he does so. The final card will be the one freely named! Drop the face down dealt cards face up onto the undealt cards and you are reset.

End Notes The stacked deck does not appear random, but the cyclic H, S, D, C order should not be noticed as they are too busy dealing and counting as they do so. The K, A, K, A, Q, 2, Q, 2 etc. pattern should also not draw too much attention. Memory Hooks: I visualise a CLUB being REMOVED from DOWN a hole, as this reminds me that, for a club, the cards must be face DOWN and the top two REMOVED. I visualise a HEART being REMOVED and lifted UP out of a patient's chest, as this reminds me that, for a heart, the cards must be face UP and the upper two REMOVED. I visualise a SPADE being LEFT DOWN a hole, as this reminds me that, for a spade. The cards must be face DOWN and the top two LEFT in position. I visualise a DIAMOND UP high on a crown being LEFT there, as this reminds me that, for a diamond, the cards must be face UP and the top two LEFT in position. Website: www.stephentuckermagic.co.uk

Still Battling Along

Paul Hallas ‘Battle of The Sexes’ was an effect of mine some may be familiar with from my Mind Stuff’ DVD. Here is the same overall effect which doesn’t require a gaffed alphabet deck as the original did. Of course the price paid means the count procedure is not quite so direct, but for a more intimate performance the ‘examinable’ deck conclusion may be preferred.

Effect The performer proposes an unusual experiment involving names and someone is invited to assist. An alphabet deck is placed on the table and then two packets of cards are shown, one containing female names and one containing male names. It is stressed that no ambiguity will be used, whichever sex the person decides upon, those will be the names used for the experiment and the others will be placed away. Once this is done four people give single digit numbers and each is used to count down to a letter card which is placed to one side. The selected name is now revealed, and the alphabet letters arrived at from the counting are turned over to show that they spell out the selected name.

Requirements An alphabet deck of some kind (usually consists of two alphabets, unless you are using a game such as Lexicon etc.). Two packets of blank faced cards to write your male and female names on (these could even be written on the backs of your business cards).

Preparation Same as with the original, I use names which spell with four letters (other ideas will be discussed later), but you don’t have to think of many since most of the cards are duplicates! Assume there are ten cards for each packet. Let's also assume our force names are going to be Mark and Jill. The male pile consists of eight Mark cards, with a Paul added to the face and a John added to the back (Fig.1). Place an elastic band around this pile.

For the female pile have eight Jill cards with an Anne card added to the face of the packet and a Judy added to the rear (Fig.2). Band this pile.

The alphabet deck is set from the top down: Any ten letter cards, M,J, any ten letter cards, A, I, any ten letter cards, R,L, any ten letter cards, K, L, any remaining letter cards (Fig.3).

Working 1. The name packets are held up one in each hand with the face of the packets facing the audience so the names can be read by those nearest. One is fairly selected and the other disposed of into your pocket. The remaining packet has the elastic band removed, and turned face down is given a little overhand shuffle, but in reality what you do is shuffle the top card to the bottom and the bottom card to the top. Spread the cards and request someone to pick out one of the name cards but not to look at it just yet. Straighten the remaining name cards and put the elastic band around it flashing the bottom (different) name card in the process. These too, are then placed away. The procedure is the same for either packet selected. Since you KNOW which packet was selected, you know how to proceed with the alphabet deck, or at least, you will when you continue reading. 2. The force used with the deck is Terry LaGerauld’s “Countdown Force”, something I’ve used before, though inspiration to use it in this manner came after reading how it was used in the last Nick Trost book. The spectators are not actually asked to name numbers initially, merely think of a number from one to nine. Though you ask them not to use one as it's too simple (thus, eliminating it from the selection procedure).

Let's assume we are using the female name. You instruct the first spectator thinking of a number you are going to start a countdown , and when you reach his number he is to call out ‘Stop.’ As you start the countdown you deal cards onto the table from the deck until you are stopped. You start the countdown at 10 for the first card dealt, 9 for the second card dealt etc. Assume he stops you on eight (it really doesn’t matter). You confirm his number, “You were thinking of 8? Okay, I will eliminate eight cards and place the next to one side.” Deal the next eight cards - counting as you do so from one to eight then place the next card (it will be the J no matter what number is thought of due to the count back, count forward procedure). The cards just dealt to the table can be left there or picked up and replaced under the deck in hand. The procedure is repeated another three times to give you the remaining three letters of the name Jill. Note, as the cards are dealt to the table to arrive at a number they can be dealt face up, it doesn’t really matter. In fact, it looks more fair. 3. The procedure differs for the male name, there is a fraction more work, after the first letter. For the male name the number thought of is actually used, so you don’t suggest elimination this time. Let’s assume we are stopped on eight in the countdown procedure the same as before. You confirm eight is the number they are thinking of, then say you will count down and remove the eighth card. You do so, this will be the letter M. You are going to use the actual number in this manner for all the male letters. However, this means displacing a card prior to each of the remaining three countdowns so that the cards are positioned correctly. This is accomplished by double undercutting the top letter card to the bottom of the deck. 4. The top card is cut to the bottom as you request a second person to think of a number, since the action is done before the number is revealed it is of no relevance . This is repeated for the other two participants. At the conclusion you recap male or female names might have been used, and yet four numbers merely though of led to the selected name.

Related Thoughts a) You could use three letter names as the force names to shorten the proceedings should you wish, Tom and Sue spring to mind. The non force names could be longer. b) Those familiar with my ‘Fortune’ force might use that as a method for the two name packets so everything ‘could’ be left available for examination. Those not familiar with it, check out my Fortune DVD out late in 2008 or details and ideas for it in Small But Deadly. c) You could use a “Spectator Cuts The Aces” method to arrive at a forced name. Here, the force names would be Gary or Mary. Top of deck is M, A, R, Y, G. If male names are selected lose the top card with a slip cut after a shuffle which has left the top 5 cards in place. Pam and Sam are shorter names which could be used in a similar manner. d) A single packet of mixed male and female names could be used and the well known 10/11 force used to get either the male or female name. e) By using force names that share all but one of the letters like Gary and Mary (or Bill and Jill) the effect can be done as initially described but reducing the double undercutting down so it is only done once. Set up the deck with any ten cards, G,M, any ten cards, A, any ten cards, R, any ten cards, Y, rest of cards. For the female name simply undercut the

top card to the bottom before the initial countdown force (or even leave that card in the card box as the cards are removed). For the male name, do the undercut of the M to lose it after the first countdown force. f) By having four glasses that will each hold a card or a small stand it makes the revelation of the name arrived at more visible.

Email: paulhallas@comcast.net

Ungaffed Entourage

Christopher Williams The four Queens are placed face down between two face up Jokers. A spectator names any one of the Queens. They can change their mind if they want, but they are to settle on one eventually. Once they have one, e.g. the Queen of Spades, they eliminate three of the face down cards one-at-a-time, leaving just one face down Queen between the Jokers. When this card is turned over it is seen to be the freely named Queen of Spades! Proving that you knew this in advance, you turn over the other three cards eliminated to show three Aces! Finally, the Queen of Spades magically changes into the fourth Ace leaving you with all four Aces and no Queens!

_______________________________ Obviously this trick is based on the fantastic Gordon Bean effect ‘Entourage’. I used this for many months professionally. However, as most of my work is bar work and club work, I had repeat viewers. At one stage, I didn’t have these cards on me, and someone remembered it and wanted to see the effect…and completely on the spot, I created this effect, just without the final change, and using the Bilis switch. After a great reaction, I worked on it and worked on it, and eventually came up with what it is now. This routine was first released on my first DVD Bright Ideas and received many positive comments. Soon after this, John Bannon got in contact with me stating that he had also come up with an un-gaffed handling. While our routines had quite a few similarities, the ending of the routine was tackled completely different.

Set up All that is required is to have the four Queens on top of the deck in a known order. I have then CHaSeD order (Clubs, Hearts, Spades, Diamonds), so Queen of Clubs is top. You also need two Jokers in your deck. This isn’t essential, but I find it better than using two random cards.

Working

1. Shuffle the deck, retaining the order of the top four cards. When ready to perform, up jog the two Jokers and remove them, placing them face up on the table. Then, hold the cards up towards you and remove the four Aces, saying “Bear with me for a moment while a remove a few cards…” Don’t let the spectator see what the cards are. Now place the four cards face down between the two face up Jokers (Fig.1). Only at this point do I tell the audience they are the four Queens.

Fig.1

2. With the deck face down in left hand dealing grip, ask the spectator to name any Queen. And if they want, they can change their mind, but finally they are to settle on one of the Queens. Once they name the Queen, e.g. Queen of Spades, you immediately know the position of this Queen from the top of the deck. If they name Clubs, it is on top, Hearts, second from top, Spades is third from top, and Diamonds is fourth from top. You need to get the named suit to the top of the deck. So in this example, Spades, you need to lose two cards to leave the third card on top. We will do this in a moment. Meanwhile, ask the spectator to eliminate three of the “Queens” one-at-a-time by sliding them out from between the Jokers until only one card remains. While they are doing this, casually cut the top two cards to the bottom of the deck as you toy with the cards. There is no heat as no-one will be watching you at this point. 3. You now have the named Queen on top of the deck, and one Ace face down between the Jokers (which the audience assume to be a Queen). You now get the named Queen under the Joker packet, as follows: Obtain a break under the top card of the deck as your right hand scoops the three cards off the table. Square the packet against the left thumb and secretly pick up the broken card. Your left hand now places the deck on the table. Alternative: When I showed this to my friend Tyler Wilson, he suggested cutting the named card to the bottom of the deck, then copping the card off as you place the deck down, and adding the copped cards to the Joker/Ace packet). Position Check: So, you are in the position from top to bottom. Face up Joker, face down Ace, face up Joker, face down named Queen. 4. You now need to get the Queen under the face down Ace, and between the Jokers. Sounds hard…it is sort of, but not in mechanics, more in logic. Many a night myself and friends, including some of the worlds top card men have thought about this, and we have yet to come up with anything revolutionary. Perhaps you can! I do it as follows:

Thumb over the top card and take it into right hand Biddle grip. Then push over the face down card taking it under the first card in right hand Biddle grip, but side jogged to the left for about half an inch.

Fig.2

Now take the remaining double side jogged to the left under the first two for about half an inch (Fig.2).

Now your left hand comes over to take the bottom Joker, and as it does, it pushes/slides the Queen underneath it to the far right, undercover of the spread (Fig.3 shows view from below). Show the Joker front and back in a gesture, saying, “So, there is one card placed between these two Jokers,“ and then replace the Joker where it was and then square up. This places the cards in the necessary position.

Fig.3

5. Now do a mini-Ascanio spread. With the left thumb on top and second finger beneath, apply pressure to the middle of the top and bottom cards, while the right hand holds the cards in Biddle grip at the right edges. If you now pull the left hand back slightly at a 45 degree angle, the two face down cards come out as one from the outer right corners of the Jokers (Fig.4). Leave them in this position very briefly, pinching the two Jokers in the left hand which keeps the face down double squared as the right hand need not be there. Then, raise the left hand up so the spectator can see it is their named card (Fig.5). This should get a big reaction! As the reaction starts to calm down, square the cards up and do the Christ/Anneman Alignment move. Basically:

Fig.4 Fig.5 Holding the cards in left hand mechanics grip, the right second and third fingers are positioned just below the white border at the top of the Joker, and the thumb is resting right on the short edge closest to you of the four card packet. Apply a small amount of pressure to drag the top Joker back about an inch, a face down card will show (Fig.6). The second and third fingers move now to the back of the face down card, as my right hand pushes forward. What will happen is due to the right thumb being at the back, the Joker is pushed square with the rest of the cards, but as I move forward, the right second and third fingers automatically move the face down card forward for about an inch, leaving it out jogged (Fig.7). The spectators believe this is the Queen.

Fig.6 Fig.7 Take the card out, and drop it in a separate pile from the three previously eliminated. 6. Slide the bottom Joker out with your left fingers, showing two Jokers – the right hand is holding a double, including the face down named Queen which the spectator thinks is on the table. The double is dropped onto the face down deck casually, followed by the other Joker. This gets rid of the dirty business! Now all that is left to do is explain you knew they would name that Queen, which is why the other three Queens were really Aces. At this, slowly turn each card over to reveal three Aces. Finally say, “What good are three Aces…let's just try this…” as you pick up the last face down Ace, the one you switched in, and wave it over the other Aces. Turn it over to show it has now changed into fourth Ace. And you are done!

End Notes

If you don’t want to do the kicker ending with the Ace, then you can just use the Bilis switch as I used to…but I just loved the ending of the final Ace, so that is why I use the handling I do. There are so many levels the overall effect plays on. First off, they eliminated three and the one left was their card…reaction number one…secondly, the other three they eliminated were Aces…reaction number two…and finally, the card they named that was between the Jokers, Magically changed into the final Ace!

Predictext

Christopher Williams The Magician sends a prediction to the spectator’s phone. A deck of cards is then shuffled and the spectator takes the deck, cuts it and shuffles it themselves before dealing out four random piles of cards. The Magician has done likewise and the Magician asks if the spectator would be impressed if the top cards of the truly random packets matched…needless to say…they don’t…but! …there was a prediction at the start. The spectator checks their phone and sees you sent the EXACT four cards they would cut, shuffle and deal to! And they now have your business card details!

Set up There are two minor set ups that are needed…first with the phone, secondly with the cards. But, they are highly worth it! This effect came about one day when I didn’t have my Business cards one night whilst performing. I completely forgot them, and when I was asked for my details, I suggested I text them my details. After which, an effect was added to get my details out as well!

Phone set up In the text message section on my mobile phone, and after speaking to a lot of friends etc about this to check, they all have the same folder…called ‘Templates’. Go into Templates, and you will either have the ability to edit or add new templates. In here, you place what you are going to predict. Now, for me and this effect, I have a template set up like this:

4C QH JS 9D

Christopher Williams

Close up Magician

www.magicman13.co.uk

So, this is going to predict the Four of Clubs, Queen of Hearts, Jack of Spades, and Nine of Diamonds. I also have my name, what I do and my website there. I don’t put my number on there as when I text them the prediction, they will automatically get my phone number onto their phone!

Cards Set up You need to get the four cards you are going to predict on top of the deck. They can be in any order. You can set this up before hand, or casually cull the cards whilst playing with the deck. To help this, I usually cut one of the cards to the top, and then spread through and cull the other three, meaning I only cull three instead of four.

That is the set up done. Now onto the performance.

Working

1. First off, I bring my phone out and explain I have a prediction on my phone, that I would like someone else to have. Then I ask if anyone has a mobile phone I can send the prediction to. I don’t ask anyone in particular, I simply ask if anyone has a phone I can send something to. Everyone has a phone these days, and someone will say yes. If they don’t want to, and I have never had this, then open the template and leave it on your own phone and give that to someone to keep hold of without looking at it. Alternatively, save your own phone number on your phone as Mystic prediction, and send yourself the message with your business card details on it. Then when the time comes, open that message up and leave it with someone. However, when someone says they have a phone you can send it to, whilst they are getting their phone, get your phone out, open templates and get ready to send the prediction. When the spectator has their phone, get them to put it on the table or in their hands with the screen facing down. Ask the spectator for their number or to key it into your phone, and then send the prediction. It gets a little exciting for them when they hear the prediction hit their phone, as they know it is there and that they are personally involved. 2. You will now perform Chad Longs shuffleboard effect, but in this version you legitimately shuffle your packet, rather than control the bottom cards. So, give the cards a Riffle Shuffle retaining the top four cards. Then give the cards a Jog Shuffle, ending with a False Cut. Then get the spectator to cut the deck roughly in half. The four prediction cards are on top of the half they are holding. Hold onto the bottom half. Ask the spectator if they can Overhand Shuffle. Even if they can or cant, explain there is an art to it, so to follow you. Run the top card singly in an overhand manner, then the next one, then the next two, running off a total of four cards singly, then run one more. The spectator should have followed you doing this, and this will have placed the four prediction cards on the bottom of the half they are holding. They are setting the trick up for you! How perfect a trick is this! After the first four or five have been shuffled off singly, you can then shuffle off the rest of the cards, as can the spectator. When doing this, it is important that you shuffle off one, then the spectator, then you, then the spectator etc for the first few, as else they will want to shuffle off themselves if they are competent at that shuffle in the first place. This is why usually I pick a woman to perform to. This is not sexist or rude, but I have found females would rather not shuffle, so follow instructions precisely. Males want to show off and do things themselves. Ok, so, now the spectator has shuffled the prediction cards to the bottom. Now comes the strip out shuffle as you call it, where you take a few cards from the middle, strip them out and place them on top. And as long as the spectator doesn’t take from the bottom four, you are sorted. 3. As you are not controlling cards in your packet, you can really concentrate on watching the spectator and make sure those cards don’t get lost. If at any point the spectator does lose them by accident, it is ok. Give them your packet to shuffle, as you take theirs, and casually strip the cards out with faces towards you (Looks like what they are doing to them), and then shuffle them back to the bottom, and then switch back packets. Simple, yet effective. Don’t call attention to them if they do accidentally lose the cards, just pretend the switching of packets is part of it.

4. At this stage the spectator must surely believe the cards are well and truly shuffled. Now you are on the home stretch! With the cards face down, deal out four cards in a row from left to right, and get the spectator to do the same. Then do the same again…and again…and again, until all your cards, and the spectators cards, are exhausted. Now they will have the prediction cards on top of each of their four packets, and you have…you have no idea what you have…but it doesn’t matter. Now ask the spectator if they would be impressed if the cards they freely cut, shuffled and dealt matched mine…I have never had someone say no here…so I turn the top card of each of my packets face up one at a time. Then get the spectator to do to the same…this gets a laugh, as 98% of the time I would say, none match. They think you have gone wrong. The very first time I performed this, and this is not a word of a lie, the first three cards they turned over were the mates of mine! I was more impressed than they were at this stage! But the final one didn’t match…anyway, sidetracking there… 5. By this point, the distractions of the shuffling, dealing, and getting it wrong have detracted away from the prediction. I then make it seem as if I remember about the prediction, and get the spectator to open up the message I sent them…then they look and read out what my prediction says and see they match, as they then become completely amazed! End of routine!

End Notes This has long been a favourite routine of mine. I always loved shuffleboard, but I didn’t like the Kings and Aces ploy, so I used to use indifferent cards that matched. Then I added writing down what indifferent cards would be produced in the end, and this used to get killer reactions. Then I found it was the perfect effect to add to the phone prediction. I used to have a picture on my phone of four packets with the top cards turned over, and send that to the spectator, but there were times when signals were poor and they didn’t received the picture I sent them in time. In this instance, I just had to show them the picture on my phone, so I opted away from this. However, if you get the spectator to use their phone and take a picture, and match the two, that could work as well. If you want as well, you could sketch the prediction, but I really like the use of the phone…here is why. First off, it doesn’t cost anything to print. Secondly, it uses technology which everyone loves, and I use the gag of pulling the Bluetooth out of their phone with blue D’lites at the end of the routine as a throw away. Also, do spectators keep our cards after they have one? Not all of them, and so when they want a Magician, they don’t have our phone number to call us should they want us to perform for them. This way, we know they have their number on their phone, and a reason to keep it there as they were part of it. You can predict anything this way, from just a force, all the way to Paul Vigil’s Sympathetic Cards (Which is the other effect apart from this one that I have set up on my templates). The other neat thing is…you have their phone number! You can add this to a wizard effect or anything you like, or reveal it etc in anyway at another stage.

I was going to release a manuscript at one stage with all my effects and routines I had with this utility, as that is mainly what I want you to get from this. A Utility to know that the spectator has your details and a reason to keep it. With that you can predict anything you like. I have missed some details out with this, but I believe with this you have the standing base to perform one of my pet effects. Any problems or questions, don’t hesitate to get in contact! Website: www.magicman13.co.uk

Con-Flatulation

Abracadaver Abracadaver is a busy professional who, as a successful presenter of mind mysteries, prefers to remain mysterious. Now, over to Abracadaver… Con-flat-ulations you’ve made it to one of my favourite effects in mentalism. The premise is simple enough, but the outcome is very strong. A volunteer or number of volunteers name contributing factors to a story, and would you believe it?! Those same factors are mentioned in a letter sealed away in a wallet or envelope. This effect contains no artificial additives.

No: * Carbon * Double writing * Gaffed pens * Stooges To perform this, you will need the following: * 1 Pack of index cards * 1 Pen * Card to wallet / envelope (optional) * Scissors * An idea for a theme * Balls of steel—if these are unavailable guts will do.

Set up Take your pack of index cards and trim one of them approximately 25mm shorter on a long edge and a short edge. Voila, one short index card. Fold this short card into quarters then open back out, it doesn’t have to be flat. This short card is going to be the second index card in your packet. The first card is a regular blank index card. The third card (the one behind the prefolded short card) is filled with a list of three items, these do not have to be real words just ghtouth sodufu and eohrh for example. This card will be adding to the psychological deception later.

Holding the packet in your hand now, the order facing you and working back through them is.

Fig.1

* Regular blank index card * Prefolded short index card * Pre-filled regular index card * Followed by the rest of the index cards.

I will not stoop so low as to force-feed you a routine for this as it is such a versatile effect that I am sure that you are intelligent enough to construct a premise yourself. For the purpose of explanation our story is simply going to be Animal, Vegetable and Mineral. Your set up now is.... Your card to wallet/envelope ready to go in your pocket. A pad of index cards ready for performance. A pen.

Working:

1. Begin weaving your story. 2. Demonstrate what we are going to do by writing an example list on the first index card. [The regular blank index card] when finished, flash it to the audience (Fig.2). This is creating an anchor in their mind. Now simply discard that example. 3. You now have a prefolded short index card staring at you in the face, this can be filled in leaving blank areas for you to fill with the relevant information in a moment. 4. Tell your story and ask a volunteer for an Animal. Write it down on the prefolded card. 5. Ask a volunteer for the Vegetable, Write it down on the

prefolded card.

Fig.2

6. Ask for the Mineral and write that on the prefolded card also. [Your ‘prediction’ is now filled in completely and staring you in the face.

7. As you reiterate to the audience the items selected you begin folding the card back into quarters. This is done invisibly by using your pen as a pointer. “I asked you for an Animal...you said_____” Your pen now pushing against the top of the next card (Fig.3). 8. “I asked you for a Vegetable, you said_____” Your pen moves downwards, folding the filled card in half. (Fig.4)

Fig.3

Fig.4 Fig.5

9. “And I asked you for a Mineral, you said_____” Your pen moves across, folding the card into a quarter size (Fig 5). 10. You now have a quarter folded card in the bottom corner and have therefore revealed the next card in your prepared packet. The Pre-filled index card. (Fig 6)

Fig.6 Fig.7

11. Remove the quarter folded card and palm, whilst turning the pad in the other hand to flash a list of items. These are the non-descript words that from a distance could be anything. But due to the anchor they must be the items called out by the audience (Fig 7). 12. Load the folded card into the wallet / envelope and you are set for your revelation. What you have seemingly done is,

1st: Demonstrated what the experiment is. 2nd: Had items called out, while you listed them. 3rd: Re-iterated what those items were thus continuing and strengthening the story. 4th: Pulled out your wallet or envelope to find that those items match a prediction sealed away.

There you have Con-flat-ulation: An easy but deceptive routine with a killer climax. Email: info@abracadaver.co.uk

Remote Viewing Magic

Les Johnson A packet of eight cards depicting different scenes is shown and then Charlier shuffled face down. A spectator has a completely free choice of one of the cards and he keeps this hidden from anyone in the audience so a confederate cannot be used. The backs of the cards are not marked as in a marked deck where you can tell any card. You talk to him about "remote viewing" which has been widely publicised over the years. You place the rest of the cards back into the box and leave it in full view. You now turn your back and ask him to look at his chosen card and concentrate on the picture on it. You then ask him to place the card in his pocket so you cannot see it and then turn around. You say you can now divine his card by means of "remote viewing". You describe the scene and then get him to show the card around to the audience. This routine was inspired by an effect called 'By the Numbers' from Leo Boudreau's excellent book Psimatrika'

Working This uses a binary principle where the backs of the cards representing Ones are minutely marked but the Zeroes are not. They are set up in 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0 sequence (Fig.1) and 5, 6, 7, 3, 1, 0, 4, 2 sequence on the faces but the pictures are keyed to you by these numbers as will be explained next.

Fig.1

Having noted whether the chosen card represents a one or a zero, you note the next two cards and add the numbers in the binary system order of l–2–4. So if the chosen card is a One, the second is a One and the third is a Zero (1–1–0), this represents one plus two plus nil and gives you a total of Three (Fig.2). I suggest you make up a rough set with the numbers on so you can practice learning the system.

Fig.2

Another example: The chosen card is a Zero, the second is a One and the third is a One (0 – 1 – 1), this represents nil plus two plus four and gives you a total of SIX (Fig.3).

Fig.3

I prefer using blank backs rather than patterned ones but it is up to the individual how you mark the backs of the cards but the comers could be trimmed differently or the cards could be laminated and be on a slightly different slant and so on. Some performers who like the idea may decide to use post card size or even larger on stage. Most people know a little bit about snooker and therefore can associate each coloured ball by its score number. White is 0, Red is 1, Yellow is 2, Green is 3, Brown is 4, Blue is 5, Pink is 6 and Black is 7. See figure 4. However, instead of coloured numbers, you substitute pictures.

Fig.4

The type of picture can be recalled by the equivalent colour but you must not mention the colours as this could give a clue to your method. For example: White can show a snow scene. Red can show a hospital scene (recalled by Red Cross or Blood). Yellow can show

a sunlit sandy beach. Green can show a picture with grass and trees. Brown can show a brownish car (a car has four wheels). Blue can show a seascape or lake with a boat on it. Pink can show a celebration party because of pink champagne. Black can show a storm and so on. Obviously this is down to your individual choice and the pictures should have various details on them so you can describe them in a number of sentences. You now proceed as outlined in the effect above.

The Knight’s Tour

Harold Cataquet

This effect is not for everyone, and certainly not for every venue. But if you choose the right time and the right place, this is an amazing feat of mental calculation. Or at least that’s the way that I present it; others de facto seem to present it as a thinly disguised memorization of 64 numbers. If you turn to Step 3 (Mnemonics and Mental Systems) of Tony Corinda’s Thirteen Steps to Mentalism, you will find his knight’s tour path. Every mentalist that I have asked uses this tour as the basis of his presentation. I find this fascinating, because there is nothing special about Corinda’s chosen path. There are better paths and in this note, I present what I think is the best. If you are not familiar with the effect, the performer displays a chess board. For simplicity, the squares are numbered from 1 to 64 as shown in the left side diagram below. Technically, the exact numbering method isn’t that important – you can rotate and reflect the board to arrive at 16 equivalent numberings. A spectator is then invited to choose any number between 1 and 64, and the performer places a knight on that square. The performer then proceeds to call out numbers which are a knight’s move away from the current square. The procedure continues until the knight has travelled to all 64 squares. Most importantly, the knight never lands on the same square twice.

The Numbered Board Corinda’s Path Corinda’s path is shown in the right diagram above. If a spectator were to name a number – say 53 – the performer simply repeats the next number in the row. Starting at 53, the performers next moves are 43, 33, 27, 44, 61, etc. When you finish one row, you move on to the next. When you get to the bottom of the table, you go back up to the first row. Because the path is closed, if the spectator chose 53, the last move in the sequence will be the previous number (38). Alternatively, you could go backwards, and read the table from right to left instead of left to right. So, after 53, the performer could have chosen 38, 28, 13, 30, 36, 26, etc and finish with 43. In 1862, Carl Friedrich Andreyevich Jaenisch wrote his seminal Treatise on the Mathematical Applications of the Analysis of the Game of Chess. In that three volume masterpiece, he documented many tours, but the most important of these is shown on the following page.

520

3529

1934

17 5448 11

15 32 22 39 56 62 4560 50 33 43 26 9 3

52 58 41 51 57 42 3630 13 7 24 14 8 23

25 10 4 21 6 16 3146 40 55 61 44 59 49

2 12 27 37 47 6463 53 38 28 18 1 Jaenisch Tour (1862)

The path is closed, so after square 11, you go back to square 5. You will notice that 10 numbers are in red. These are the key numbers. If the spectator chooses one of these numbers and you follow the sequence, then the resulting tour is a semi-magic square. In a semi-magic square, the rows and columns sum up to 260, but the diagonals do not. No tour exist which is a magic square, so semi-magic squares are the best you can generate. Jaenisch’s tour is the best tour because it has the most number of possible starting squares (10) that generate a semi-magic tour (the next best only has 8). If any of you are interested in the knight’s tour, then it is sufficient that you memorize the above table. You have a 7.8125% change (5/64) that the spectator will choose one of your ideal starting squares. However, if you really want to impress, then you can take this to a much higher level. Specifically, with the Jaenisch tour, you only have 10 starting squares that produce a semi-magic square (shown below on the left). However, by numbering the board after the square has been specified, you can get 48 starting squares that end up producing a semi-magic square. The possible starting squares are shown below on the right. In my impromptu presentation, I dismiss the four corner 2x2 squares by telling the spectator not to choose a corner square because that makes it too easy. If they do choose one, you can still use the sequence, but the resulting tour isn’t semi-magic.

Starting Squares Possible Starting Squares The secret to getting the extra squares is to use rotations and reflections. If we rotate the board 90, 180, and 270 degrees, and/or flip the board vertically, then you get a total of eight different boards (sixteen if you number them backwards). These eight mathematically equivalent boards are shown on the next page. I have kept the numbers in their original positions so that you can see how I arrived at them. Given that there are 10 starting squares, and the board is rotated and/or flipped to create 8 different boards, you may notice that some squares can be valid starting squares for more than one board. For example, square 11 on board 1 is also square 54 on board 3… I admit that memorizing all

eight boards is incredibly difficult, but if you did, you could perform a magic square from virtually any freely selected starting square (albeit some of the numbering sequences might appear unusual to the audience). One solution is to simply rotate the board before you start writing the numbers, so that effectively you only have to remember two boards (board 1 and board 5).

Board 1 Board 2 Board 3 Board 4

Board 5 Board 6 Board 7 Board 8

The Eight Possible Board Numberings However, I do it a different way. I will only briefly mention my method, as when I have explained it in detail to others, they think that it’s easier to memorize the two different boards, and rotate the board before you write down the numbers. Nonetheless, the benefit of my approach is that I don’t have to memorize two different boards; I just memorize the moves and then remap the interpretation. As a result, the board can be numbered as in board 1 from the beginning (i.e., the board is numbered before a square has been selected), and I think that is a much more streamlined presentation. What I do is remember the moves from a given position, not the number of the next square. From a central position, the knight can move to one of eight squares (the diagram on the left below).

Possible Moves The Memorized Sequence Let’s assume that we start at square 5 on the chessboard, the next moves in the Jaenisch tour are 15, 32, 22, 39, 56, 62 and 45. These moves correspond to 4, 7, 4, 4, 6, 8 and 5 in

my mapping. The memorized sequence illustrated above matches the original Jaenisch list, and to make things easier to follow, I have added the red labeled squares to the right/left of the equivalent position. The yellow squares just mark where the valid starting squares are on the board. I mentally overlap the above map onto the board, and I rotate it and/or flip it until I get the selected square to coincide with one of the valid squares. As I do so, I keep track of what I am doing to the board. So in performance, I just mentally apply the transformation that I just did (to the board to get the selected square to be a valid square) to the map on the left (the set of possible moves). In other words, the chart on the right stays the same, but the meanings of the individual numbers change. For example, with just a 90 degree rotation, the mapping becomes

1 – Down 1. Right 2 2 – Down 2. Right 1 3 – Down 2. Left 1 4 – Down 1. Left 2 5 – Up 1. Left 2 6 – Up 2. Left 1 7 – Up 2. Right 1 8 – Up 1. Right 2

Let’s turn to the presentation. I used to carry a chess set with a tube of double sided discs numbered from 1 to 64. When the spectator chose the start square, I would have him mark it with disc 1. As I called out the next sequence of moves, he placed the appropriate disc on the named spot. With my mapping system, I can call out the moves as directional instructions (“Down 2. Left 1”) or in proper chess notation (I simply do the calculation in my head, so if we’re at D4, “Down 2. Left 1” means the next move is B3). Years ago, they was a game called “Conquest” (see picture below) which allowed you to practice the knight’s tour. It came with a wooden knight and a tube of chips to mark the squares. I just bought one of these, and numbered the chips on both sides with a magic marker.

I used my approach from the beginning, so I never remembered the move sequence as suggested in Corinda’s book. That is, I never used mnemonics for this sequence; I just memorized the 64 numbers and the map. For me, the sequence is just eight 8-digit telephone numbers, and the mapping (the yellow squares) can be remembered as positions on the board (the way I remember them), or as an additional sequence of 10 numbers - 5, 11, 17, 19, 20, 29, 34, 35, 48, and 54. I am convinced that anyone can memorize the move sequence in an afternoon, but the valid starting squares will take a bit longer. However, once you have learned the sequence, you have to master mentally repositioning the 10 valid positions to fit the selected square. That is the real challenge!

Once the first chip has been placed, I call out the next moves at a steady pace making sure that the spectator has time to place the correct chip on the correct square. Theatrically, I would love to speed up the calling out of the numbers as the board is populated, but the spectator has to place the chips on the squares, and they aren’t always the fastest of markers… That being said, as the last chip is placed, I get the automatic applause for completing the tour. As the applause starts to wane, I reveal that the sum of the rows and the sum of the columns are 260. From the audience perspective, if the spectator chose square 5 as the starting square, the board would end up looking like the illustration below (ignore the green marks – those are just valid starting squares). I leave it to the reader to confirm for themselves that every row and every column adds up to 260.

63

14

49

34

11

20

47

22

50

35

62

13

48

23

10

19

15

64

33

52

17

12

21

46

36

51

16

61

24

45

18

9

1

26

37

32

53

8

59

44

38

29

4

25

60

41

56

7

27

2

31

40

5

54

43

58

30

39

28

3

42

57

6

55

The Final Board

Using a board isn’t practical for a large audience. I experimented with demo boards (a vertical chess board used for displaying positions to a large group), but these were even more fiddly than using a board with chips. So, with computers and LCD projectors available at virtually every venue, I developed a piece of software that allows me to have the computer keep track of everything (even playing music when the feat has been accomplished). I find this takes a huge burden off me, as I don’t have to worry about whether the spectator has placed the right chip in the right place and oriented them in the right direction (so that they can be summed up quickly at the end). I am still deciding whether to release the software to the fraternity, but a screen shot is shown on below.

Monster Knight The green numbered circles are the completed moves, and the transparent circles are the possible next moves. In the position illustrated, the knight only has 6 possible moves as two of them have already been taken away by the first 7 moves. By showing the possible next moves, and the moves so far, the board makes it easier for a non-chess playing

audience to see what it going on. Moreover, if a printer is available, I can print out the final board as a souvenir. I have worked on the Knight’s Tour for over 30 years, and I have figured out a way to perform the knight’s tour from any starting square and (apparently) any finishing square with the resulting tour being a semi-magic tour. In my case, I have always wanted the semi-magic tour finish, but I should point out that it is possible to perform the Knight’s tour from any specified starting square and any specified finishing square without any memorization. The starting and finishing squares must be opposite in color, so once you specify the starting square (a choice of 64 squares), you only have a free choice of 32 squares – 2,048 possibilities. There are many methods of deriving the path (I prefer Roget’s Method), but if you are interested in performing this feat, I highly recommend that you go to Scott Cramer’s site (http://members.cox.net/beagenius/knighttour1.html ) and follow his very detailed instructions. He uses a Squares and Diamond approach which is easy to learn, and has more flexibility than he mentions in the write up. In closing, the knight’s tour has always been presented as a difficult feat, but the fact of the matter is that there are over 13,267,364,410,532 closed knight’s tours! Obviously, you don’t want to tell this to your audience, but is has always surprised me that with so many possibilities, a random series of moves doesn’t arrive at a tour.

Seeing & Believing

Harold Cataquet

Effect The performer writes down a prediction, and tables it. A note is borrowed, and the note is shown to have the same serial number as the prediction. The note is returned to the original owner, but the serial number has changed. The prediction that the performer made is now blank. This effect is a walk around magic (or mentalism) effect that I developed for a Dr Who party. It can easily be altered to suit your particular style… For example, when I first started performing this effect, I would go up to a table and ask to borrow a note. I would then proceed to fold it (in preparation for a note switch), but all the time, my head was looking away from my hands. As I folded the note, I would explain to the audience that I have very sensitive fingers, and that I could feel the print on the note and “read” the serial number even if it was folded three or four times. After the note was folded, I would make the switch (under the guise of feeling the print), hand the note back to the person I borrowed it from, and announce the serial number. In dimly lit rooms, this effect works great, because they struggle to read the number, when they are looking right at it. The fact that at the end of the trick the audience starts feeling the note to see if they can read the numbers is proof that no one suspects a switch… The problem with this approach is that you can’t just go to another table and perform the effect because you’ve just given away the note whose serial number you know. So, I wanted to design a way to perform this effect in walk around. What follows is the result… It’s mentalism, but not as you know it.

Requirements

In order to perform this effect, you will need :

• One Sonic Screwdriver (with sound effects and pen heads) • One pad of square white Post-It notes • One note (whose serial number you know)

I perform this trick regularly, so I carry 4 notes in my pockets. The two in my left pocket are an old and a new style £20 pound note. The two in my right pocket are a £10 and £5 note. The old £20 and the £5 note are worn notes, while the others are crisp new notes. Thus, I can easily feel the difference between the notes when I go into my pocket. I also have a pad in each pocket... The Sonic Screwdriver with the ink pen head attached is in your inside pocket. If you haven’t got a Sonic Screwdriver, you can get them at Toys R Us. In this effect, you are going to write on the sticky side of the Post-It notes, so peel off the backing sheet. Now take one sheet and stick it upside down on the front of the pad about 1/3 of the way up, and fold it back over the top of the pad onto the former back of the pad (which is where you will be writing). After you have done this, remove the sheet and turn the folds in the papers into sharp creases... The purpose of this sheet is to cover the sticky back. The sticky on the sheet and the sticky on the pad will keep this sheet in place... Before you replace the cover sheet, very lightly write the serial numbers of the notes on the underside of the covering sheet. In performance, you will have to lift the cover sheet

slightly to write the serial number (like lifting the cover on a matchbook). At this point, it’s easy to glance at the numbers as your write them down. The Sonic Screwdriver comes with two heads – a normal pen head, and a UV pen head. Take the UV head, and write the words

SINGLE USE

PSYCHIC PAPER (Variable Quality)

on the sticky side of the Post-It note, and fold up the sheet into a triangular packet (see next section). To make life easier, I just bought a UV pen (with a thicker nib) and did same. You want to make up a bunch of these as you will be leaving them with the spectators at the end of the performance. I put about a dozen of these in each pocket.

Triangle Packet Instructions Take a square piece of Post-It note, with the adhesive facing you. Fold the lower right corner up and to the left so that the former left edge of the paper is just below the glue line (Fig 1). Repeat with the right side (Fig 2). Remove the sheet from the pad, and fold the glue edge down over the entire packet (Fig 3). Fold edges around the ends (Fig 4). You should now have a tight triangular packet.

Adhesive

Fig 1 Fig 2 Fig 3

Fig 4

Working 1. Ask someone for a note. Needless to say it should match your note in both value and wear. As they start to bring it out, ask them to wait a second. Reach into your pocket for the pad (bringing out the matching note at the same time), and take out your Sonic Screwdriver (with its pen attachment). The pen attachment is a loose fit, so I just super glued the pen head into position. As you remove the Screwdriver, most people will recognize it, and you’ll get a laugh. Some of you my prefer not to attach the pen head, as the fact that the head falls off (or doesn’t come out of your pocket in the first place) gives more comic opportunities.

2. Write down the known serial number on the pad, fold steps 1 and 2 of the triangular fold, peel off the sheet from the pad, complete steps 3 and 4 of the fold, and place the packet on the table... I usually place the pen in my breast pocket after I finish writing. If you table it, someone will pick it up and start playing with it (and press the sound effect buttons)... Now take the note, and fold it into the packet required for the switch you are using. My commentary here is something along the lines of, “I love folding paper, there’s something very therapeutic about it.” Hand the switched note, and the packet with the serial number to someone (not the owner of the note) to confirm that they match. As they start to read the serial number, you pick up the pad, stick it in your pocket and retrieve one of the prepared triangular packets. 3. After the spectator confirms the number, take them both back. Both the note and the prediction will be opened. Take the prediction, re-read the first four letters/numbers, and then fold up the prediction, and table the prepared packet (switching triangular packets in the process). There is no heat on you, as everyone thinks the effect is over. However, the timing of the switch is crucial. When you take back the note and Post-It, make sure that the prepared triangular packet is hidden by the note. As you re-fold the Post-It, you will be doing so on top of the note. What the audience will see is that you moved the note to the opposite hand, and tabled the folded Post-It. In reality, as you pass the note from one hand to the next (with the Post-It on top), you turn the bill towards you (hiding the Post-It), and push the previously hidden triangular packet to the fingertips as the other hand turns palm down to table the packet. My commentary here is a deep sigh and then I say, “Did you know that XXXX is the astronomical reference number for Gallifrey?” 4. The note is open, and you are again going to fold it. Take the note and fold it, as you do so, the commentary is, “Did you know that there are people with finger tips so sensitive that they can read the serial numbers on notes, even when they are folded?” Now as you feel the note, you look confused and then say that there is something wrong – the serial number is not XXXX! If you can remember it, recite the entire serial number; if not then just the first bit will do! Hand the original note back to the owner, and have him call out the serial number on the note – confirming that the number is different. Turn to the spectator who read out the numbers, and say, “Are you sure that you saw XXXX on both the note and the paper?” The spectator will always reach for the triangular packet, and open it. I guarantee that they will gasp as they open the packet and see that nothing has been written. Now take the Screwdriver, slide the light up, and activate the light and sound effect, and point it at the sheet. The spectator will see “Single Use Psychic Paper (Variable Quality)” written on the sheet, as the UV light reveals the secret writing. Your commentary here is, “Just as I expected, you believed it would work, so you saw that the two numbers matched. I’m surprised that you didn’t see that number (pointing to the note), but saw the astronomical reference for Gallifrey.... Ah, it must be a faulty sheet.” The familiar sound of the Sonic Screwdriver, and the lights revealing a message will give you another chuckle, and start a round of applause.

__________________________________ To reset, place the pen back in your pocket (ditching the triangular pocket with the serial number on it), and reach into your outside pocket as though you are going to retrieve something (dumping the note with the known serial number back in its original pocket). If

you can, remove the next effect from that pocket. Or, act as if you changed your mind about what to do next, withdraw your hand and then move on to your next effect. Needless to say, this effect works best with a large table as you want the person who reads the note and the numbers off the note and the owner of the note to be far enough apart so that the owner doesn’t see the known serial number note and his note at different times. If he does, then he will suspect/know that the notes have been switched. Finally, I didn’t mention anything about the mechanics of the bill switch. I just do the folds of the standard $100 bill switch, but without a thumb tip. There is no heat on the note, and no one is suspecting a switch. So holding out a triangular packet and/or a folded bill is no reason to panic. However, the timing of the switches is very important. I switch the notes the first time as I reach for the triangular packet, not in the turnover of the folding normally associated with the bill switch. I switch the notes the second time as I reach to give the original owner his note. Also, remember that you have the Sonic Screwdriver, so you can use that to hide any unnaturalness in your hand position. Email: cataquet@ntlworld.com

Borderline Location

Andy Nicholls I’m not sure if this principle has been thought of before, but I’m at a loss to find a source. Apologies to anyone who has published a similar idea previously. I first came up with the idea about 5 years ago and have toyed with it since. The following idea and trick exploits a one way principle thanks to the inaccuracy of playing card manufacturing techniques. After explaining the principle, I’ve given you some ideas and techniques to work with and a basic routine that works well for me and has fooled some experienced card guys over the years at sessions and meetings. Firstly I’ll explain the principle, then some techniques for managing the selection and finally a trick with a few extra ideas thrown in.

Principle

You’ll need a deck with white borders such as the oft used bicycle brand or similar. If you look closely at the borders on the long sides of the cards, you may see that one side is slightly wider than the other due to the cards having been cut off centre Figure 1 shows a graphic example of one possibility where the back design is offset to the one side. All 52 cards are cut from the same sheet that has them all printed on, so if they’re not aligned correctly with the cutting die then the whole deck will be affected in the same way. This makes a subtle and very effective one way back that can be used in many ways. Despite the obvious advantage over “normal” one way backs of it appearing less obvious, it also allows you to spot the reversed cards quickly when spreading through the deck and only exposing a small amount of the

back of the card (Fig.2 shows a partial spread example).

Fig.1

Fig.2

Decks vary and you may have to look through a few till you find a suitable one with a noticeable difference in border widths. I’ve not found it difficult to find several decks that

work fine, but aim for one where the difference is fairly easily spotted as you don’t want to have to squint at the cards and study them too much. To test to see if a deck will work well, go through all of the cards and orientate them the same way so that the wider edges are all on the left. Look at the top card and note its value. Then rotate it 180 degrees and replace it back on top before giving the deck a few overhand shuffles. If you now spread through the deck you should be able to spot the reversed card fairly easily without studying the cards too closely, and as you know its value you can check your accuracy. Repeat this a few times and make sure you rotate the deck every so often so you get used to looking for a wider border as well as a thin one as in performance the deck may end up either way. Also try locating the card by using a tabled ribbon spread, scanning the cards and trying to quickly spot the reversed card. You’ll have to have a fairly good and even spread technique to use the principle this way, but it’s not too difficult to quickly acquire the knack of an even spread that exposes the back of every card sufficiently.

Selection techniques The spectator’s selection has to be replaced or somehow controlled to lie in the opposite direction of the rest of the deck. Here are some ways you can achieve this: 1st Start off with the deck set up with the cards all aligned the same way and hand the deck to the spectator for shuffling. Make sure they don’t displace any cards as they shuffle as this will obviously ruin the set up. Be particularly wary of riffle shuffles. Have the deck returned and spread through the deck asking for a card to be selected. As the card is being noted, turn the deck face up by gripping it from above in right hand Biddle grip, the thumb going at the rear and fingers to the front. Turn the hand palm up, lifting the inner end and rotating it forward and face up. Partially spread the cards, commenting that they’ve shuffled them well and then square up and use the right hand fingers to flip the deck face down sideways into the left hand. This is a subtle way of rotating the deck (and a way of leading magicians down the garden path as they think you’re glimpsing the bottom card as a key). Extend the left hand and ask that they lift up part of the deck with their free hand. This prevents them from passing the card from hand to hand and possibly changing its orientation. Have them place the selection onto the packet remaining in your hand and replace the upper one they’ve just cut off. If all has gone well, their selection will now be orientated the opposite way to the rest of the deck. As soon as they have replaced the upper packet, offer them the deck for shuffling, (again watch that they don’t mess with the orientation of the cards). 2nd If you’re worried about keeping track of the orientation of the cards or spectators fluffing the trick up with the above method then this one may be preferable. Spread the deck and have a card touched. Out jog the selection and place the left hand thumb on top of it clamping it in place against the cards below it. Separate the spread between the hands above the out jogged card. You should now be holding the upper half of the deck in your right hand and the lower half in your left with the selection out jogged on top held in place by the left thumb. Rotate the left hand palm down exposing the selection and then use the right thumb to hold it on top of the right hand packet face up. Rotate the left hand back palm up but leave the selection face up on top of the right hand packet. Square both packets and thumb the selection over to the left so it hangs over the side of the packet.

Use the left hand packet to flip the selection over face down sideways onto the right hand one and perform a one handed spread of the left hand cards. Thumb over the selection on top of the right hand packet and run it over the left hand spread asking the spectator to say stop. Stop when asked and insert the card into the spread leaving it out jogged. Lift the left hand to show the selection again and square up placing the packet with the selection still out jogged into the right hand one via a Charlier cut. Raise the deck again flashing the selection and square it into the deck and hand it out for shuffling.

Routine 1. Use method 1 detailed above (you don’t want to have seen the card for this effect) and retrieve the deck after the spectator has shuffled it. The selection will be somewhere in the deck orientated the opposite way to the rest of the cards. 2. As you explain that their card could be anywhere in the deck spread down and locate the card as quickly as possible. Do this as sloppily as you can as you emphasize that finding the card will be very difficult as you recap on the how fair the selection process was. You need to get the selection to the approximate centre of the deck. If it’s already there, fine. If not, then cut an appropriate amount from the top or bottom of the deck to compensate as you gesture. Square the deck and say you’ll need a little help locating the card due to the difficulty of the trick. Explain that you’ll stand a better chance of finding their card amongst only half of the deck as you spread down to the selection. Flip all of the cards above the selection face up and say you’ll eliminate half of the deck to make things easier. 3. Tell the spectator that you’ll show them the face up half of the deck and they should wait till they’ve seen all of the cards before telling you if it’s there or not. (This prevents them from giving you clues you explain, as they may confirm it’s there as you spread through hinting as to its location in the spread). Spread through and have them tell you that their card is not present. Act that this part is really important and spread through again to make sure they are not mistaken. (This is all bluff of course as you know full well that their card is not there). Make sure that when you reach the end of the face up cards you also spread over the top 2 or 3 face down cards to facilitate a move in a moment. When they reaffirm that their selection is not there, square the spread and steal the top card of the lower face down half (the selection) as you lift the face up cards in right hand Biddle grip. Retain this half and hand the lower half to the spectator as you patter that if it’s not in the face up half, then it must be in this one. 4. Have them shuffle again if they want to and then tell them to deal the cards into a face down pile on the table. After they’ve dealt 4 or 5 cards, tell them that they should stop at any point they choose. As they contemplate this, Bottom Palm the face down selection from the packet you are holding and table the face up packet you retained. When they’ve stopped you’re going to add the selection you’re holding out onto the dealt packet.

5. The transfer happens like this. After they‘ve stopped, immediately approach the dealt packet with the hand holding the palmed card (Fig.3). As the hand moves forward and is above the pile, curl the middle finger so its tip contacts the top of the palmed card (Fig.4). The middle fingertip pushes against the card applying a little pressure causing tension in the card. As the hand lowers over the pile, extend the middle finger so it propels the card onto the dealt pile the middle fingertip pinning it on top and in the same motion sliding it forward. It should appear that you merely slide the last card dealt forward off the pile towards the spectator with the palm remaining above the pile and only the finger descending onto the pile (Fig.5),. Do not hesitate during the sliding forward. If you stall the illusion is not as good. Say nothing as you do this but then leave the card on the table in front of the pile and look at the spectator and ask which card they selected. After receiving their answer, look at the tabled card and ask them to turn it over.

End Notes There are multitudes of ways you can go after the card has apparently been lost. Pulse reading over a tabled spread, controlling the card to specific position and spelling to it, culling it as you spread the deck or just using it as a start to an existing routine you like where a card is selected. There are many easy revelations you can immediately perform but I like this trick as it smacks them between the eyes and even if magicians spot the transfer, (which I humbly have to say they rarely do) they should be

scratching their heads over the selection and replacement process. See how it fits in with existing one way ideas and have a play with it and see what you can come up with.

Fig.3

Fig.4

Fig.5

Out of the Ordinary

Andy Nicholls

A spectator predicts the colour of cards as they are removed from the deck. A prediction placed aside at the start of the trick details how many the spectator got correct and lists the incorrect guesses.

________________________________________ This is (yet) another variation on Paul Curry’s prototypic effect “Out Of This World”. This does not improve on the original trick or premise but varies it somewhat to produce a slightly different effect. I hope it may open a new door or two when you start thinking about and toying with the idea. This version adds an extra prediction element to the separation effect which can be varied in many ways. It’s also impromptu and owes a lot to J.C. Wagner’s “Prediction Out Of This World” from his Commercial Magic Of book by Mike Maxwell. In this trick, J.C. uses a method that cleverly predicts the number of cards that the spectator gets wrong. I thought about this and realised that if you can influence this, then why not make the incorrect cards specific ones. A tip of the hat must also go to Harry Lorayne’s Impromptu Out Of this World from My Favourite Card Tricks and U.F. Grant’s Nu Way Out Of This World also as these use a similar approach and also helped to inspire this version. I’ve stuck with J.C’s idea of using only part of the deck to streamline the trick and in this context it adds a little more mystery to the procedure when the spectators go back and review the proceedings.

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Preparation

On a piece of paper write:

Fig.1

“Well done on getting the 9 black and 10 red cards correct. Too bad about the Four of Clubs, Nine of Hearts, Seven of Diamonds and Queen of Spades.” This will be used as a prediction. See figure 1. Control the cards named on the prediction to the top of the deck (the 4, 9, 7 and Queen in our example). Make sure the rest of the deck is well shuffled (a good distribution of red and black cards) or things may get awkward later.

Working 1. Place the prediction onto the table in plain sight or have the spectator place it into their pocket. Palm (at least) the top 4 cards and hand the deck out for shuffling. Retrieve the deck adding the palmed cards to the top in a squaring motion and extend your left hand asking the spectator to cut off about 2/3 of the cards. When they’ve done this, place the remainder still in your hand to one side as these are not needed. Tell them that they can shuffle the packet they are holding again if they wish and that you’re going to use the cards for an experiment. This packet will contain the four force cards. 2. Retrieve the packet and spread it in front of you so that the spectator can’t see the faces. Remove a black and red card (not any of the force cards) and table them both face up, the black to the left, red to the right. Explain that these will be used as markers and that you are going to remove cards from the packet they’ve chosen and ask them to guess the colour. The guesses will then be placed onto the appropriate marker. 3. You’re now going to add in a bit of bluff to sell the notion that you’re going to remove varied cards when in fact in a moment you’re not. Explain that you’ll have a practice to ensure they know what’s going to happen. Remove a red card (again, not a force card) and hold it up with the back to the spectator, asking them if they think it’s red or black. Place it face down onto the corresponding marker and then remove a black card again asking for their opinion on its colour and finally another red card. Place each onto the coloured marker they nominate and then show the 3 cards as an assessment of how they’ve done. Place these cards back into the packet at random intervals and announce that now they know what’s going to happen you’ll do it again “for real”. 4. It’s now that you control the selections by removing 10 red cards singularly, asking their colour and placing them where designated by the spectator. As these cards are removed, you need to contrive to leave at least 10 black cards and the two red force cards at the back of the packet. (Or top of the packet if it were face down). The red force cards have to be within the first nine cards, preferably separated by a few black cards. This is easily accomplished by removing more red cards from this area or blatantly moving cards about as you decide on which ones to remove. In other words, remove a black card from near the face, look at the spectator, appear to change your mind and replace it back into the packet near the back. Try not to be too obvious about removing cards from the same section, vary the area you remove them from as much as possible. Also, whilst removing the 10 red cards, at some point remove the 2 black force cards singularly also (Queen of Spades and Four of Clubs) as part of this sequence. Do not remove them close to each other as it looks better at the end if they’re separated a little. I normally remove three red cards, a black force card, another four red cards, black force card and finally another three red cards. This will leave you with 12 face down cards distributed between the two marker packets, two of which are the Queen of Spades and Four of Clubs. Patter that you’ll now let them have a go entirely on their own and turn the cards remaining in your hand face up and spread over a few cards to show a mix of red and black cards, being careful not to expose the run of blacks at the bottom.

5. Take out a red card and place it face up onto the black marker pile and then remove a black card and place it face up onto the red pile. There are a few patter lines you can use to cover this. I say it’s to mark where the spectator takes over. Square up and flip the packet face down, handing it to the spectator and ask them to deal the cards face down onto the packets they think match the colour of each card pointing out that the piles have now changed. Watch them deal and stop them when they’ve dealt 11 cards saying that it looks like the piles are fairly even. Take back the remaining cards and spread them to show a mix of red and black cards remaining before adding them to the remainder of the deck tabled earlier. 6. You now need to show the apparent accuracy of the spectator’s efforts whilst switching the left hand packet. I do this as follows: Patter that you’ll see how they’ve done and separate the right hand pile by picking up the black marker and the cards above it and placing it in front of the red pile. Remove the black marker and place it with the tabled deck and flip its pile face up and spread the cards towards you revealing mainly black cards with possibly one or two of the red force cards. Patter according to the condition of the cards something like, “All black, well done!” or, “Just one red, not bad.” Now remove the red marker of the packet above and again discard it to the deck and turn over the pile, again spreading and commenting on the condition of the cards. 7. Now draw attention to the left hand pile and pick up all of the cards above the black marker. Discard the face up marker left on the table and turnover the cards in your hand and spread them down towards you. There’ll be a face down marker card in the middle, remove this, flash its face to show the red marker and separate the spread between the cards either side. Again comment on the condition of the cards and congratulate the spectator on doing well. Remove the incorrect guesses and table them face up making sure the spectator understands what’s going on and is clearly following your actions. Place the two red piles together and the two black ones and then as an afterthought remind the spectators of the prediction. Have them read the first part and confirm the correct amounts of red and black cards were predicted by counting each of the piles. Then have them read out the last part detailing the incorrect cards to finish.

End Notes You can use the full deck for this and not worry about the location of the force cards initially. Just control the two red force cards to within the top ten cards of the deck during the selection process. I feel that by only using part of the deck that is freely selected quickens the trick and adds to the impossibility of the prediction as the spectator shuffles and chooses the cards used. I’ve even performed this effect whilst strolling, using spectators to hold each pile rather than tabling he cards. You have to be careful with your audience management though as the temptation for them to peek is often too much. Email: bobcatmagic@hotmail.com

A Good Year

Shiv Duggal I came up with this handling and presentation a few years ago. However the effect without the presentation is similar to Paul Wilson’s spelling effect from the Knock ‘em Dead video. While I like some of Paul’s handling I was not happy with the spelling effect and there was a discrepancy when you did the repeat that I was not happy with. My presentation solves the issue with the discrepancy and I like use of the Bill Simon business card prophecy turn over. A credit also goes to Gene Maze: his effect “The Zodiac Card” from The Art of Bottom Dealing is the same however it does not have the repeat, which I think makes the trick.

Working 1. Have the deck shuffled by a spectator, while you talk about how we all make choices all the time that effect us and the future, however most of the time we make these subconsciously, Take the cards back and spread them and have the spectator touch one card. Now you table this card without any one seeing it. Say that this is a choice and its relevance will become apparent soon. 2. Spread the cards again and have a second card touched—break the deck at the point that they touch, and raise it so that they can see the card. Now control the card to bottom using the Frank Simon up-jogged versatile control. While you are doing this you say, “Please look at the card and remember it. By the time you have said the patter line the deck should be horizontal with an out jogged indifferent card and the selection on the bottom. 3. Place the deck on the table as you push square the out jogged card. You now say, ”You have made two choices—one you know the selected card and—one you don’t.” Pick up the card that was placed aside turn it face up and mention its name. Let’s say it is a Five of Diamonds. Now say, ”This card is about to help predict the future.” As you say this, push the card face up somewhere into the centre of the deck leaving it out jogged. 4. Now pick up the deck and cut off all the cards above the out jogged face up card and place this portion in front of you and to the right. While doing this you say, “This spot in the deck has been chosen by chance, but with a card that you chose before we began.” 5. Now you deal down five cards in a pile to your left and execute a Bottom Deal as you ask them for the name of the card they selected. I like to do the Jennings TNT Bottom Deal, which I think fits in well hear and adds a bit of misdirection. Though any Bottom Deal could be used.

Turn over the card and reveal the selected card. 6. You now say, “You see the choice you made at the beginning was important, but you may think that I somehow manipulated events.” While you are saying this, turn the card face down and place it onto the cards in the left hand, and then have the spectator cut off about half the card that were cut of at the beginning and put them to your right. Deal the selected card onto card at the point cut to but really do a Second Deal. Now have the spectator replace the cards and then pick up the pile and give it a shuffle, as you say, “Ok, let's put the card back and please give them shuffle, and again your actions will effect the future” 7. While they are doing this you pick up the five cards you dealt earlier and place them on top of the cards in your left hand, and then place these on the cards the spectator has shuffled. The position now is that you are holding the deck in your left hand the selected card is six cards down from the top and the five of diamonds is face up on the table. 8. Pick up the Five of Diamonds and give it face down to the spectator as you say, “Take the Five and you push it into the deck.” As they do so, stop them so that the card remains outjogged. Do the Bill Simon business card prophecy move as you say, “Let’s turn the card face up—it will make it easier to see where you have put it.” Now place the deck on the table, and cut of all the cards above the face up five and say, “You now have not only shuffled the card but you yourself have place the Five face up in the deck, a card you chose at the very beginning that I said would have a effect on the future.” Have them now deal five cards and turn over the sixth card to reveal their selected card, now say, “You see all the choices you made were predetermined and effect the way life turns out.”

Frequency

Shiv Duggal I came up with this trick after seeing a trick of Juan Tamariz’ where he had a card selected then went through the deck and named the card. This was then repeated with two, and then again with three cards. I liked the way the effect built up and how the reaction got stronger. I later worked out a method which used a gaffed deck and then found it s the same as Juan’s. I still liked the trick but did not like the fact that I needed to carry a gaffed deck. However while playing around with Lennart Green’s Angle Separation, I came up with this. I have found over the years that this gets a great reaction and as a bonus leaves the deck in a great condition for a series of tricks. This really is an easy(!) trick. It relies on a glimpse and the Angle Separation but it gets a really strong reaction and has served me well for many years.

Working 1. Start by have the deck shuffled by a spectator. Take back the deck and hold it in the left hand dealing grip. 2. Riffle the top right corner of the deck asking the spectator to say stop. Have them note the card, but you take a little finger break as you close the deck. 3. Now lever the deck up at the same time push in with the little finger, this will kick the top packet to the left and allow you to glimpse the selection (Figs.1 & 2 – second photo shows the action with right hand omitted).

Fig.1 Fig.2

Let;s say you have glimpsed is the Four of Diamonds. I learned this glimpse from the Card Magic of Le Paul.

4. Hand the deck to a spectator and have them shuffle as you say that you are going to show them a demonstration in memory, and that the card they saw will be your target. Take the deck back. You are now going to run through the deck and perform Green’s Angle Separation, up-jogging the black cards (the opposite colour to the peeked card) and down jogging the red cards. However as you go through the deck, you will count all the red cards till you reach the Four of Diamonds and remember that number. Let’s say the number counted is 14. When you have run through all of the cards, strip out the down-jogged cards red cards and place them on top of the black cards. Position check: The deck has secretly been separated into reds and black with the reds on top and the peeked card 14 cards down from the top of the deck. 5. Now say, ”Ok, I now have memorised the deck, but I know that you may need some proof so for what was the name of your card.” Pretend to concentrate, then say, “Hmmm…the Four of Diamonds is fourteen cards down.“ Deal the cards into a face down pile till you come to the 13th card, then turn over the next card and show it to be the Four of Diamonds. 6. Replace the dealt of cards and put the Four of Diamonds back somewhere in the top half of the deck. Now say, “Let’s now try something different and this is something you could try at home.”

Phase 2 Split the deck at the centre, where the black and red cards meet, and give two spectators half the deck each and have then mix their packets. Take back either half—let’s say you have taken back the red cards—and say, “Now I am going to try and remember all the cards in this half.” Again run through the cards, but this time do the angle separation separating the cards into Hearts and Diamonds. Again strip out the up-jogged cards placing the rest on top. The position now is the half is separated into hearts and diamonds. you now say, ”I have memorised all the cards in the half so if you were to take a card out of the half and put it into the other half all I have to do to find it is to go through the other half and spot the one card that I have remembered from the other half.” 7. Now have them take a card out of the red half, remember it, and put it back into the black half, and then have them shuffle that half again. Once again take back the black half and run through the cards doing the angle separation but separating the cards into Spades and Clubs. At the conclusion of the run through you will have the cards separated into Spades and Clubs with one red card some where. Now quickly run through the cards with the faces towards you and upjog the red sole card. Ask for the name of the card they selected turn it face up and leave it on the table. Now

place the black cards in your hand onto the red cards on the table. Let the effect register while you place the selected card back into the deck but amongst the rest of the cards of the same suit. The position now is the deck has secretly been separated into the four suites, and you are ready for the finale part.

Phase 3 8. Spread the deck face down and have three spectators each take a card—one from somewhere near the top, one from somewhere near the centre and one from somewhere near the bottom. While they are doing this you say, “By looking through both halves I now have memorised the whole deck.” Have them look at their cards but to keep them face down on the table so you cannot see the faces. Square up the deck and run through the deck with the face towards yourself. You now say, “This is the hardest of all as I now have to see what three cards are missing.” 9. All you need to do now is to spread through the cards and look for what card is missing from any of the suit blocks. For example, let’s say as you run your eyes over the first block, which is Hearts looking for the Ace, then the Two, then the Three and so on until you find a card missing. This will be one of the cards on the table. You run through the whole deck like this till you have the name of all three cards. You can do this slowly as you have already said that this is the hardest demonstration. You can now reveal the three cards and end a strong demonstration on memory and your abilities to memorise and entire deck. You are also in the great position of have the deck secretly separated into reds and blacks and into the four suits. Email: sbduggal@hotmail.com

What’s in a Word?

James Ward What follows – the construction of my ‘Wordsmith Deck’ – is more of a means to an end, than an end in itself. In that I borrow heavily from those who have gone before me, I make no claim to originality, at least in the use of principle. Even the tricks I outline are largely my own version of existing effects. I hope, however, that some of you will use this deck to create your own routines. Let me begin, as a dealer might, by describing a three-phase routine: Five of the best The magician displays a deck of some 50 words – all different. He removes five cards and asks that the words be noted. He now hands five envelopes to the spectator and asks that these be examined. They are seen to be both normal and empty. The five word cards are sealed inside the envelopes and these are mixed by the spectator, who then selects one in his own hands. Prior to this, the performer has written his prediction on the back of a whiteboard. The word card is removed from the chosen envelope. Let’s say it reads, ‘Today’. The prediction is turned around. On it is written the word, ‘Today’. Five by five The performer hands out the deck to be shuffled by several spectators. The deck is reassembled, five people are chosen at random and handed a selection of cards. Each person is asked to think of one of the cards in their hands. With one or two questions, the performer quickly reveals the identity of each word being thought of. No peeking! Finally, the deck is given a full shuffle by any spectator. Retrieving the deck, the performer spreads it face down on the table and turns away. (If standing, the cards can simply be fanned in the hands. At no time does the performer examine the face of the deck.) The card selected is committed to memory, and returned to the deck. The deck is cut several times, and the card hopelessly lost. Turning back, the performer picks up the deck and, simply feeling the cards, tries to sense which word has been chosen. Having satisfied himself that he is on the right lines, he returns the pack to its box, without examining it in any way. Concentrating all his mind power on the spectator, the performer now reveals the chosen word.

Requirements The pack consists of 50 different words, one of which – ‘Earth’ – is a short card. In addition (so as to perform the effect, Five of the best) there are four double-sided cards – i.e., four different word cards (cards with different words on one side), on the back of which is printed the same word, ‘Today’. I use blank-faced Bicycle cards for the 50-card deck and double-blank cards for the cards requiring words on both sides. The 50 cards are divided into ten groups of five, as follows. The letters that precede each word will help to identify the chosen card via the standard ‘anagram/word elimination’

process. I memorise these words. However, as most people will not wish to do so, an extra card can be prepared on which the words (and letter codes) are printed. This card will need to be palmed or, more easily, perhaps, hidden inside a small notebook on which the performer writes out the thought-of word(s). An alternative approach, familiar to many, is to make up a note-book in which the front and back covers are identical. The words can be written on the first page inside one end of the note-book. After the information has been acquired, the book can be closed, then reopened at the other end, in order to write the thought-of word. Here are the words (and the letter codes). Only the words appear on the cards. The preceding letters are for the performer’s information: B – EARTH L – ABOUT O – BELT C – BLOATED – BLOCK T – OVEN A – RETURN B – CAT S – BATCH

– STABLE F – DOOR L – CAFÉ A – FLOOR N – LEAFLET

– INFLATION C – HAPPY O – CRACKER V – PITCHFORK E – VOCATION

– COVER

R – SHOUT O – TAPER C – STORE K – CORNER

– CORKED D – IMAGE A – FLOOD L – FADED E – GLADLY

– TREADLE

T – WAGON O – TIME L – TRACTOR D – TUTORIAL

– LOOTED V – UNDER O – LIVID I – OVERDUE D – OLIVE

– DEVOID

F – CREW E – FLAT R – FELLOW N – AFTER

– REFRAIN T – AVOID H – EXTRA I – SOUTH N – ETHICS

– THINK In performance, you will only need to use, say, five of these groupings at any time. By moving them around in your stack, you can vary the words handed out to the spectators on different occasions.

Working

Five by five With the deck stacked in the above order, hand out the top 25 cards in groups of five for shuffling. The remainder of the deck can be handed to another person for shuffling. Taking back the cards, ensure they are gathered up in order, ie the bulk of the deck on the bottom, and the rest of the groups placed on top so that the order is as set out above. (Although the cards within each group will be out of order, this does not affect the anagram process.) Now either hand groups of five cards to the same people, or to five other people. Ask each person to think of a card. You will now divine the card in the following manner. (I will use the first group of cards, Earth, About, Belt, Bloated, Block, as my example.) Ask if the word contains a ‘B’. If it does not, then it is ‘Earth’. (This is because, as you can see, no other word in the group contains a ‘B’.) If it does contain a ‘B’, move on to the next word. Ask if it contains an ‘L’. If it does not, then it is ‘About’. (Because the three remaining words all contain an ‘L’.) If it does, move on etc. This process reveals the word as soon as you receive a ‘No’ reply. The principle applies to every group.

Five of the best This is a word version of Tony Corinda’s ‘The Third Choice’ (13 Steps to Mentalism, D Robbins & Co, 1968), and which even he described as ‘The Trick With A Thousand Inventors’! Have five empty envelopes examined. Show five word cards – all different. (These are not examined.) These cards are gimmicked, as noted above. One card has ‘Today’ printed on its face and has a normal back. The other four are double-sided, with ‘Today’ printed on one side and a different word on the back. Place these cards into the envelopes. Write your prediction – ‘Today’. Have one envelope selected. Remove the card. If it is the real ‘Today’ card, it can be handed out for examination. If it is one of the double-sided cards, simply remove it so ‘Today’ is visible.

No peeking! In this effect, all that matters is that the short card – ‘Earth’ – is on top. The cards can be shuffled by a spectator, as long as you cut them to bring the short card to the top, before spreading the cards face down. After a card is chosen, take back the deck, square it up, and cut it for the return of the chosen card, so that it goes on top of the short card. Then have the cards cut by the spectator. Take back the cards and cut them yourself so that the short card is returned to the top. This places the chosen card on the bottom. You will need to glimpse it, but, otherwise, you do not examine the deck. The card can be revealed in any manner you choose.

Sources I drew inspiration for creating this deck, and the effects which can be performed with it, from a variety of sources. The short card is, of course, a staple of traditional card magic. As for the principle of the interlocking or progressive anagram and its many variants, as a means to word divination, it’s hard to know where to begin and who to leave out. Stewart James, Sam Schwarz, Max Maven, Lee Earle and many others have helped develop this area of mentalism. (My particular inspiration for the Wordsmith Deck was Sam Schwartz’s ‘Incredible Word Power’ routine, in which any one of almost 50 words can be divined, without ever seeing the cards again once they have been handed out.) The lists I have used above are, however, mine. (I’ve used short lists – ie groups of five – to speed things up, as I like to divine more than one person’s word.) Many traditional card effects can be adapted to be performed with the deck. A four-Ace assembly, for example, could be tailored accordingly, with the four words predicted beforehand, and so on. Use your imagination and, hopefully, you’ll find several uses for the deck which I have not covered. As with all magic or mentalism – that which you can truly make your own is the best of all.

Sentimental Journey

James Ward The following was inspired by Chris Carter/Doc Eason’s “Anniversary Waltz,” and those familiar with that effect will spot the obvious similarities. That said, I hope it’s sufficiently different to be of interest to those looking for an occasional change.

Effect Shuffling the cards, you announce that they represent the rocky road to romance. “All the people,” you inform your audience, “with whom you might have fallen in love.” You now propose taking two people – a married couple – on a sentimental journey. Have two cards selected, remembered and signed. The couple sign each other’s card, not their own. Signing each other’s cards, you explain, is a form of sharing, like marriage itself. You then shuffle the cards back into the deck. “I’m an old romantic,” you continue, fanning the cards face down. “Some people are meant to be together, and I think you are two of those people. But let’s put it to the test. Let’s see if, among all these strangers, you can find each other again.” With that, you run through the deck and have each person touch a card. These two cards are placed face down on the table. “Wouldn’t it be amazing,” you suggest, “if out of all these cards you found each other’s – just as you found each other in real life?” Have them turn over their selections. They have indeed found each other’s card – but the cards are now unsigned… “You found each other,” you say, “but these cards represent the people you were before you fell in love and married, so they’re not yet signed. Of course, what’s more interesting is – if you hadn’t met each other, who might you have met?” At this point, you ask them to turn over the rest of the deck. Every one of the cards is blank. “It seems,” you tell them, “that you were destined to meet each other and no one else.” Picking up the unsigned cards, you say, “I’ll take these two, because you don’t need them – but I’d like to give you a memento of this day.” With that, you reach into your pocket and remove a sealed envelope which you hand to the lady. She opens it. Inside is a small greetings card from you. Inside that card is a single playing card – hers – with her husband’s signature on it. When she turns it over, her husband’s card is on the reverse, along with her signature… “You see,” you conclude, “you really were meant to be together…”

Requirements You require a blank deck. We’ll assume the cards to be forced are Six of Diamonds and Five of Clubs. On the face of the blank deck, place a regular Six of Diamonds. On top of that, place a regular Five of Clubs, both, obviously, with backs to match the blank deck. On top of these two cards is a double-faced card (Five of Clubs/Six of Diamonds), and with the Six of Diamonds on view (Fig.1).

Fig.1

You also require a small greetings card and an envelope, the flap of which must be coated with rubber cement. The envelope remains open in your pocket until the double-facer is placed into it, after which you will close the flap, sealing the card inside. (If you prefer not to use rubber cement, a typical greetings card envelope – closed but not glued down—should allow you to load the double-facer behind, though not inside, the greetings card itself.)

Working 1. Before you begin, casually shuffle the blank stack, retaining the three face cards. 2. The double-facer is now forced (twice) using a Hindu Shuffle. First of all, Hindu Shuffle to force the Six of Diamonds. When (let’s assume) the wife calls ‘stop’, show the Six of Diamonds at the face of the deck. Having shown it, place the batch back onto the bottom of the pack, turn the cards toward you and remove the double-facer, taking care not to flash the regular Five of Clubs at the face of the deck. Although the wife chose the card, have the husband sign it. Keep your finger on the card, ostensibly to assist the husband, but in reality to prevent him turning it over. Retrieve the card, blow on its face and place it on the face of the deck, but reversing it so the Five of Clubs is now showing. This ‘move’ is illogical, as you’ve clearly returned the card to the deck the wrong way round, but it seems to pass people by. I’ve never been caught at any rate.

3. The Five of Clubs side of the double-facer will now be visible. Do a quick shuffle of the blank cards – or a double undercut that doesn’t alter the position of the cards, while giving the impression that the card has been lost in the deck. Hindu Shuffle again, this time showing the Five of Clubs. Again, place this batch on the face and thumb it off. After the card has been signed, push it to one side for a moment and shuffle the cards in your hands. The reason for this shuffle is that you need to get the two regular cards to the top of the deck. You could always do this after you’ve returned the double-facer to the deck, but I find it easier this way round. Simply peel cards off until you get near the bottom of the deck. At this point, you need to run cards singly, ensuring that the last two cards end up on the top of the pack. (If you are at all concerned that you might ‘lose’ the cards – and, of course, it can happen – pencil-dot them at the top and bottom as insurance, and, if the worst happens, ‘adjust’ as necessary.) Return the double-facer to the face of the deck – no need to reverse it this time – and again double undercut to apparently lose it. 4. You must now force the top two cards, using the Under-the-Spread (Hofzinser Sliding Key) Force. With the force cards on top of the deck, hold the deck in your left hand, and push over the top card (Five of Clubs) into your right hand. As the hands come together, the fingers of the left hand are placed on top of the card in your right, forming a break. With your left thumb, you now push over the remaining cards, so they rest on top of your left-hand fingers. As the husband chose the Five of Clubs, ask the wife to touch a card, to see if she can locate his card. As soon as she does, break at that point, so you are holding some cards in your left hand and some in your right. The original top card (Five of Clubs) is now the bottom card in your right hand. With the flat of your left hand, push all the cards in your right hand roughly square, the illusion being that the card just touched is now the bottom card. Set down the cards in your left hand, slide out the bottom card from those in your right hand and place it face down on the table. Reassemble the pack so the Six of Diamonds is now the top card. Repeat the force – this time on the husband – and place the Six of Diamonds face down. 5. At this point, all eyes should be on the tabled cards. You’ve been building up to the moment when the couple find each other’s cards, so it’s natural all attention should be focused there. It seems as if this is the ‘trick’, and that it’s almost over. This psychological misdirection should give you enough cover to palm the double-facer. As you ask the couple to turn over their cards, tilt the pack in your hand so that the double-facer is on top, and proceed to palm it. (If you can do a Bottom Palm, you don’t

need to turn the cards over. I can’t do one to save my life, which is why – may card men forgive me – I cheat.) With the double-facer palmed, place the remaining cards on to the table. Have the rest of the deck turned over – revealing the remaining cards to be blank. Now reach for the envelope in your inside jacket pocket, loading the double-facer and sealing the envelope’s flap as you remove it. There are card-to-wallet devices that allow you to load an envelope inside the wallet, but unless you own one of these, or wish to go to that expense, this method works well enough.

End Notes As well as acknowledging “Anniversary Waltz” as my inspiration for this effect, my thanks also go to Bob McBratney of Harrogate Society of Magicians, both for encouraging me to devise my own variation and for suggesting the ‘card inside greetings card’ conclusion. Website: www.jameswardmagic.co.uk

1812 (Force any large number).

Stephen Jones

To my mind every book should have at least one item that the author thinks is worth the price of the book. For me this is the one. I learned the simple principle behind this effect about 30 years ago from a large book packed with mixed; stories, riddles, jokes, puzzles etc. The source has long since been forgotten, but this has been a treasured concept that I have developed quite a bit; and simple though it is I have used it to floor a lot of audiences and fellow magicians.

So what am I talking about? Let’s decide on a force number – One of my choices is 1812 – This works well in many countries because of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture that is so well known, and means you can use a musical prediction on a CD, or a cassette, or a ring tone. {Some Background information: Though far from Tchaikovsky's most important or impressive work, the "1812 Overture" is undoubtedly his best known piece. Tchaikovsky himself didn't feel much enthusiasm for the work while he was composing it, and if it were not for a lucrative commission for a ceremonial overture to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Russia's victory over Napoleon in 1812, it is unlikely that Tchaikovsky would have composed the overture on his own initiative. Tchaikovsky worked on the overture from October 12 to November 19, 1880. In his own words, he found it "very loud and noisy." The commission was to mark the 1882 Moscow Exhibition, and specifically the consecration of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour which was built there to give thanks for the Russian victory during the Napoleonic Wars. The premiere was duly given on August 20, 1882 and was an immediate success. It was subsequently published as his Op. 49 and enjoyed many performances throughout Russia. Its popularity has never waned Tchaikovsky even conducted a performance of it in 1893, his last year. The response was raucous. In 1974, lamenting the declining audiences attending the Boston Pops concerts at the Hatch Memorial Shell on the picturesque Charles River Esplanade—a tradition dating back to 1929—Boston businessman, David Mugar and the legendary Boston Pops conductor, Arthur Fiedler, hatched a plan to enliven the concert. The crowd responded so enthusiastically to the revitalized program that the pair made it an annual event. The enthusiasm was due in no small part to the concert featuring the "1812 Overture." The musical program featured booming cannons, ringing church bells, patriotic sing-a-longs, and a grand fireworks finale. The Boston event became the first to play the overture as part of a Fourth of July celebration. The innovation has since been duplicated in countless cities around the country.]

The force Split the force number e.g. 1812 into several smaller numbers that add up to this total. It is best to keep this simple and to restrict yourself to numbers all the same length—in this case 3 digit numbers. Three numbers is enough to create a sense of impossibility—any more would simply lengthen the effect unnecessarily. What puzzles the spectators is that they seem to have a very wide choice for each of the 3 numbers, which indeed they do! More puzzling for them is that you can repeat immediately with a different force number. 912 456 444 1812 Now read the numbers vertically as: 944, 154, 264 944 the digits add to 9+4+4 = 17 154 the digits add to 1+5+4 = 10 264 the digits add to 2+6+4 = 12 A. Instead of 944 we can use any other 3 digit number whose digits add to 17 , e.g. 494, 449, 949, 890, 908, 980, 791,197,179 etc B .Instead of 154 we can use any other 3 digit number whose digits add to 10 e.g. 145, 514, 541, 451, 415, 316, 613, 136,163, 172, 271, 721, 127, 217, 712, 811, 118, 181, 109, 901, etc C . Instead of 264 we can use any other 3 digit number whose digits add to 12 e.g.; 462,426, 264, 642, 624, 606, 660, 750, 705, 714 , 417, 174, 147, 471, 831, 138, 318, 813 Let's take one number from each group to see how this works:

from group A we select 494, from group B we select 451 from group C we select 831

Rules Always write the digits vertically, To get the same total always select in the same order in this case ABC A B C 4 4 8 9 5 3 4 1 11 8 1 2 If we choose the numbers as per the rules, then the totals of each column are the same and thus the overall total is also the same.

My approach to this: • Buy 4 small notebooks which are identical except for the colour of the cover. • Determine your force total in this case 1812 • Determine your force column totals in this case 17, 10, 12 Take one book, for each column total, and write a 3 digit number on each page whose digits add to that total E.g. Book 1 pages are numbered one to a page so that the digits in each number add to the desired column total e.g. for column 1 = 17 : so possible 3 digit numbers are: page 1 - 944 page 2 - 980 page 3 - 494 page 4 - 179 … etc The aim is to make these look like random numbers, so that anyone taking a casual look through does not see any pattern Complete three books, one for each of the 3 force column number variants. I prefer to use small notebooks books with different colour, so that these are easily identifiable from a distance. (note: listing all the numbers on a single card or sheet of paper is not as effective and makes it easier for the audience to guess the method)

Presentation Your prediction is sealed – it need not be musical of course, but these days you can get most tunes as ring tones on your mobile phone or store on an mp3 player. Let 3 spectators choose a book each – it does not matter who has, which because you will decide the order in which you ask them to pick a number. Explain that you are trying to make this a difficult test. You have created books each of which has many different numbers, and you will use 3 separate unrelated people to help create a random number.. Explain that to make it even more difficult that you will write their selected numbers vertically to create the new random numbers, so that there are thousands of possible number combinations that you could not possibly influence. The conditions all seem so fair. Finally reveal your prediction is correct. Nowadays I have extended this to use 6 digit numbers and force my 7 digit mobile phone number – which rings when they dial it! By taking the books in a different order, you write the columns in a different order, and thus get different totals, so that means you can repeat the effect .with a different prediction to really fool your audience. E.g. if your books are coloured red, blue and green, then the sequences RBG, RGB, BGR, BRG, GBR, GRB will all give different totals

A fourth book, which has a cover that matches one of the others can be switched in to make a wider range of different force totals. By using the duplicate book, you can for example force a second mobile number with a recorded message of yourself predicting that they would call, or even set it to automatically forward the call onto the same mobile phone that you used for the first number!

Other uses There are many applications of this force – e.g. to force a winning lottery ticket or raffle ticket number, a date, the serial number of a cheque, or a banknote, or a telephone number, or the combination of a digital lock, or the sequence of ‘randomly selected playing card values’ etc.

Titanic

Stephen Jones Over time I have come more and more to value impromptu effects that I can perform anywhere. Audience involvement is often a key to entertainment. The simple plot and patter is effective because it focuses attention on the spectators rather than on you. This effect is a great way to involve multiple people – see the P.S. at the end, I also like the personal involvement of using their business cards. Because of the simple, trouble-free handling you will realise that playing cards, or ESP cards, or photographs are easily substituted and for ease of explanation purpose I will assume that you are using playing cards and two assistants.

Presentation 1. Invite two spectators to each remove any 4 cards (or to collect 4 business cards each from their colleagues). Direct them to shuffle their packets, then to peek at the top card. Invite one person e.g. a lady, to collect the other person’s packet and to put it either on top of, or underneath her own packet. Direct her to put the cards behind her back, and to transfer cards one at a time from top to bottom, but not to let you see how many time she does this. Take the packet and state that they seem well mixed, but that you will cut and mix again to make sure. 2. Cut the packet and complete the cut and put the cards in your left hand. Do a Monge Shuffle (Over & Under), which is as follows: Take the top card in your right hand (Fig.1), the next on top of the first (Fig.2), the next under the right hand packet (Fig.3), the next on top of the right hand packet (Fig.4) and so on, until all the 8 cards are used up and the packet is reformed.

Fig.1 Fig.2

Fig.3 Fig.4

3. Fan the cards face down and take the left hand four cards in the left hand and the right hand four cards in the right hand. Ask the other spectator to sense in which packet is her card. Play this dead serious and make her concentrate. When she indicates the selected packet, raise the appropriate hand to show her the faces (but not the second spectator). Ask whether she was correct. If she says yes then congratulate her. If she says No then commiserate and explain that with a 50;50 chance it may just seem like bad luck. As you talk reassemble the packet, put the cards back together such that the pile containing her card goes on the bottom of the packet. Monge shuffle for the second time, and optionally follow with a run shuffle to reverse the cards. Place the packet in your breast pocket. As you fiddle with opening the pocket it is easy to incidentally glimpse the face card of the packet. 4. So guess what happens next? You now find the selected cards … but how? Explain that the tests get harder now. Ask the lady to transmit the name of the thought of card to the gentleman. If he gets it right, then your luck is in: Option 1: Stop here and let them puzzle how he got it right as though you had somehow made it happen. Option 2. Congratulate him and carry on with the effect If not successful, then ask the lady what is her card “ How close did he get? What was your card?” and comment on how close/far away he was. Give some cod explanation for the failure e.g. too many other people joining in, and ask him to go for the next test and to transmit his card name to the lady. Again check the selected card name. Whatever the result encourage applause for a game attempt.

5. This interlude has several purposes. It adds some drama, audience involvement and opportunity for situation humour. The time delay for your final location is important as is raising the possibility of some sort of ESP sense. Conditioning the spectators to applause is always a good thing to do, they are much more likely to applaud their colleagues than a stranger doing card tricks, it means they participate and care more about the outcome, relax and enjoy themselves and others nearby will assume the applause is for you. The main reason, however, is that you innocently learn the selection names. So, this is how it works: The shuffles have either left the two selections next to each other on top of the packet, or on the face of the packet. The run shuffle does not alter those options. If the peeked card matches the selection, then you know that they are both on the face, if not then they are both on the top. “You have both tried ESP, now it's my turn. Remember you mixed the cards to start I never saw the card faces – you mixed the cards behind your back and I mixed those again a couple of times. Now let me see if I can find the cards” Reach into your pocket, but look straight at the spectators, fumble around, then bring out the first selection face down. Repeat and bring out the second selection. Ask both to name their cards and hold one aloft in each hand in applause gesture with bent elbows to show the selections, once the applause starts, which it will, then extend your arms fully and the applause will generally increase. If applause does not start on cue then call for it for your assistants “ladies and gentlemen an amazing piece of mentalism let's hear it for two mental cases …..” Alternative ending A simple ending is to delay asking the selection names till the end. Deal the combined into two piles of 4. dealing alternately a card to each packet in the usual way. At the end of the deal the selected cards either end up on top of each pile or on the face of each pile. Because you glimpsed a card on the face you know that is now on top of one of the piles, if it is a named selection then these are top cards if it does not match then the selections are the face cards. So it’s a simple matter to flip either the top cards or the whole packets to reveal the selections. Minor handling tip. To ensure the correct card is offered to the correct spectator. At the finish hold the two cards by the long edges showing the card backs to audience. If the selected card of the spectator on your left is on the face, then use your left hand to turn the cards over and thumb off the top card to the right. If the face card belongs to the right hand spectator, then do the same action with your right hand.

Presentation points If using Business cards then these have to be of the same size and card stock with the same back e.g. blank or with company detail but no personal identification on the back. Patter can be adapted to suit the crowd based on e.g. who would you promote/sit next to at lunch/work for/take on a date/sack/spend the night with etc. It is easy to get others to join in and try and pick up the thought etc.

Introductory gag There is a well known paper tear and patter that I adapt and sometimes utilise as an introductory effect with this story. Ask your spectators’ occupations and names e.g. “Clive and Cindy”, there are various mentalism/esp gags you can add – then tell them about a dream you had about them the previous night – obvious scope for humour here – “…however, it was the end of the dream that I want to tell you about… I dreamt that we would meet tonight and that we would… do some mind reading together – but later we all set sail on the Titanic and drowned AAAAAAaahhhhh.” Again scope for humour – “When we got to the pearly gates St Peter said, “We don’t normally let rich people like you enter, but tell me what you did on earth and I will set you a question to determine whether you can enter.” He pointed to Cindy and asked, ‘Who are you and what did you on earth?’ She replied, “Cindy and I was nurse.’ “A noble profession,” replied St Peter, “and what was the name of the ship that sank?’ “Titanic,” she replied and was allowed in. He turned to Clive and said, “Who are you and what did you do?” “Clive sir, and I was a carpenter.” “Jesus was a carpenter’s son and there is usually room here for a carpenter. Tell me from where did the Titanic set sail and on what date.” “From Southampton sir, 10 April 1912.” “Well done,” said St Peter and let him in.

He then turned to me and I said, “I am Steve Jones Sir , Card magician.” St Peter looked doubtful and said , “We don’t hold with playing cards here we call them the devil’s playthings and I don’t see how you can come in here.” Just then I saw David Blaine through the gates and said, “Look he’s a magician how did he get in?” ‘Ah!’ said St Peter “… he only thinks he’s a magician.” In desperation I looked again and saw Debbie Magee on the arm of Charlton Heston – and Paul Daniels on the arm of Marilyn Monroe. “‘How did Debbie get in here and why is she with Charlton Heston?” “That is her reward for a good life on earth.” “Well what about Paul, he’s a magician how did he get in and how did he end up with Marilyn?” “Well’, said St Peter, “that’s her punishment, but you have made your point I will give you a chance to enter, tell me the names addresses and dates of birth of all the passengers.” “Then I woke up and realised that this was the key to something special that I want to show you tonight. Some things you can work out, some things you can guess, but sometimes the only way to find out something is by extra sensory perception. Let me show you what I mean…….”

End Notes

I have always seen this as a fun thing and not considered it for write up, but an article by the ingenious Peter Duffie in Magician for May 2007 based on an earlier effect Stars in their Eyes by Paul Hallas triggered me to action. The underlying principles are the same and indeed I have read similar 21 card style approaches to 4 card packets long before. My own version came about as an offshoot of my experiments when I was exploring the Monge shuffle in combination with a Klondyke shuffle to shuffle and restore a packet to order. There are two key subtleties that I feel enhance the effect—the Monge shuffles to reposition the cards while apparently mixing them fairly, and which also allows one less question and placement, plus the surreptitious peek which is done on the offbeat and even if detected really cannot be expected to provide any clue. The Monge shuffle is quick and easy to do in the hand and is a less obvious modus operandi than the repeat 21 card sorting deal approach. The Titanic presentation came about after a lecture by Brian Barnes at Winchester Magic Society when he covered some interesting coincidence facts about the Titanic and a book published previously with very similar details to what happened for real. I use that patter, but have not included that material because it is part of Brain’s lecture. The heaven and hell paper tear has been around for years – I have used it for at least 30 years—I don’t have a credit source for the originator. I remember using a variation of the joke back in my

army days in the 1970’s so it also has a long pedigree that I can’t credit. I remember it also being told by a friend of mine from the RAF Bob Kermeen about our host from the Danish tourist board, during a social evening at the first NATO chess championships in Aarlborg, Denmark when I came out of retirement to play for the Combined Forces team. The favourites Germany won as predicted, but the UK caused a few upsets and finished respectably. Highlight for me was playing the Norwegian grandmaster (called up to the Norwegian reserve a week before specifically for this event!) who was also later a member of their international football team. I was beaten fair and square by a better player—which is much better than losing by playing badly. This is not a block buster effect, but it’s cute and trouble free, not easy to fathom and has bailed me out a few times when asked to show a trick with nothing much to hand. P.S. I am sure you have realised that you can do this for multiple spectators e.g. 3 or 4 spectators take 4 cards each, mix their packets and each peeks the top card of his/her packet. The packets are assembled and mixed as described above. I personally feel that dramatically 3 spectators works well and that 4 is really the maximum, but it is nice to be able to offer to do the trick for anyone who wants to join in. If using multiple spectators, then I prefer to let one of the assisting spectators to do all of the mind reading of the other spectators’ cards. Usually she will fail miserably. Commiserate with her and explain the odds of getting 1 card right is 1 in 51 so to get three chances means she has roughly a 1 in 17 chance of getting 1 card correct, but to get two cards correct is 51 x 50 = 1 chance in 2550 and to get all 3 right is 1 chance in 51x50x49 =124,950 Finally give her a chance to use a woman’s intuition rather than guessing. Take her hand and guide it to your pocket and apply pressure with your thumb or fingers as appropriate to assist her to choose either the top or bottom cards as required, to remove the selected cards from your pocket. Because she will be standing in front of you can wink, or whisper a cue to ensure she cooperates. She ends up finding all 3 cards proving that she is a lousy gambler, but is extremely sensitive/perceptive, and ends up with a round of applause to atone for the earlier failures. Some additional coincidence patter/facts: Some people say that ESP doesn’t exist and it must just be a coincidence. But have you ever thought of a song and then found that someone else starts to hum or whistle it? If you throw a penny in the air and you call heads and you are successful is that ESP, luck or coincidence – what if you get it right 10 times in a row? Every time you do it? When do multiple facts stop being a coincidence? For example let’s take history: Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846. John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946. Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860. John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960. The names Lincoln and Kennedy each contain seven letters. Both were particularly concerned with civil rights. Both wives lost their children while living in the White House. Both Presidents were shot on a Friday.

Both Presidents were shot in the head. Lincoln's secretary was named Kennedy. Kennedy's secretary was named Lincoln. Both were assassinated by Southerners. Both were succeeded by Southerners. Both successors were named Johnson. Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808. Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908. John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Lincoln, was born in 1839. Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated Kennedy, was born in 1939. Both assassins were known by their three names. Both names are composed of fifteen letters. Lincoln was shot at the theatre named 'Kennedy.' Kennedy was shot in a car called 'Lincoln.' Booth ran from the theatre and was caught in a warehouse. Oswald ran from a warehouse and was caught in a theatre. Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials. And here's the kicker... A week before Lincoln was shot, he was in Monroe, Maryland. A week before Kennedy was shot, he was with Marilyn Monroe. Coincidence, fate or carefully selected facts? The choice is yours but let's try and experiment with this pack of cards more than enough here to make guesswork unlikely….. And one last set of coincidental facts: William Shakespeare is believed to have been born on 23rd April 1564. A memorial at Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon, records that he died on 23rd April 1616. Shakespeare's plays were first performed in 1588, when Shakespeare was 23. The First Folio of Shakespeare's works was published in 1623. Now 23 + 23 = 46 The King James Bible was first published in 1611, when Shakespeare was 46. "WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE" is an anagram of "HERE WAS I, LIKE A PSALM". Now try this: Show a pocket sized King James (Authorized Version) Bible, and turn to PSALM 46. Write down the 46th word from the beginning. Write down the 46th word from the end. Email: stephen.jones@synergy-software.com

The Blackwood ESP Test

Russell J. Hall I've been doing this for years. Although I've not come across it in print, it seems unlikely that someone else hasn't already thought of it. Until recently I'd never performed it for magicians. I felt it's not the sort of effect most magicians would be interested in. Then a little while ago Louis Martelle and I were discussing ESP card effects during one of the Saturday sessions in the Magick shop here in Sheffield. I got the cards out and performed this effect. Louis liked it, so maybe someone else will too. I should say at the start it's a mental effect, the outcome of which is not entirely certain, and it involves dealing and counting cards. That's probably enough to put off a lot of magicians. But before you skip to the next item, read it and try to imagine the potential impact it has in the right circumstances. (Not immediately after your four-Ace routine, please.)

Effect You show a deck of ESP cards, explaining that it is made up of five symbols repeated five times, making twenty-five symbol cards in all. While casually mixing them you outline how they were developed for use by Dr Rhine at Duke University for testing extra-sensory perception. Two subjects were used; one mixed the cards and went through them one by one, attempting to project the image on the cards to the second subject—the 'receiver'. Many 'runs' were recorded and the results analysed to see if there was any correlation between the second subject's guesses and the projected symbols. Rhine argued that, statistically, random guesses would produce on average five correct guesses in a twenty-five card sequence. If a subject consistently scored higher than one in five correct guesses—even if it was only a small percentage higher—it was felt that this was evidence for extra-sensory perception. (I am, of course, over-simplifying the procedure here, but we are trying to maintain a modicum of entertainment value and not deliver a lecture.) You propose to try to illustrate this using a volunteer spectator. Hand him the ESP deck and ask him to mix them, miming an overhand shuffle as you do so. To make the whole thing fair (?) and to ensure that the other spectators can appreciate what's happening, you propose that the spectator holds the cards face down in his hand, takes off the top card and tries to project the symbol to you. As he runs through the deck you suggest that he makes two face-up piles: one containing any correct 'guesses', and the other containing your failures. (If you wish you could lie through your teeth and claim that Rhine discovered that the 'positive reinforcement' of the subject being aware of any correct guesses tended to improve the overall score.) At the end of the run the spectators are amazed and awed to discover that you typically have a score of at least twelve to seventeen correct cards—more than two to three times better than chance!

Requirements

You're probably way ahead of me, but I'll describe the method anyway. This is simplicity in itself, but you do need to be able to present it well to gain full impact. The spectators need to understand what you are doing, and what the odds are against you doing it. First, the deck is set up at the start in standard ESP cyclical set-up order. In other words, from the top down: Circle, Cross, Three Wavy Lines, Square, Star, Circle, Cross, Wavy Lines, and so on. This is easily remembered as the Circle is made up of one line, the Cross has two lines, there are three wavy lines, four sides to a Square, and five points to a Star. See figure 1 below.

Fig.1

Working 1. In your initial patter you false shuffle the cards (although you will probably prefer to use the term 'mix'—this is an experiment with symbols, not a card trick). You don't need to do anything clever—and don't Riffle Shuffle. I just use what is basically a series of running cuts, simulating an Overhand Shuffle. This just has the effect of a straight cut, leaving the cyclical order unchanged. 2. Hand the deck to a spectator, asking him to mix them. As I say this I'm still overhand 'shuffling' so he naturally follows my lead and uses an overhand shuffle. After a few seconds say, "OK? This is what I want you to do." Address the spectator directly and explain how he is to try to project the symbols to you and make the two piles. Because you are addressing him directly he will normally stop shuffling and listen to your instructions. Very occasionally he may continue shuffling as you speak. If he does say, "I want you to put the symbol cards on the table..." and pause, waiting for him to do this. Then continue with your instructions. In fact, of course, a brief Overhand Shuffle does not mix the cards very effectively. It just re-distributes clumps of cards which retain their cyclical order. 3. The first card is normally a straight guess. Sometimes, however, you will get the opportunity to glimpse the bottom card as he completes the shuffle. In this case you name

the next card in the sequence as your first card. In other words, if you glimpse a Star, you name the Circle; if you see a Circle, you name the Cross. Or just guess. He places the card face up to his right, if you are correct, to his left if you are wrong. 4. Now, having seen this card, you are ready to name the next card in the sequence. Because the one-to-five (Circle to Star) sequence is still largely intact, a high proportion of your 'guesses' will be correct. There will be times when incorrect (out of sequence) cards turn up. These go face up on the 'failure pile'. All you have to do is to change your next guess to the next card in the sequence. So, if you've named a Circle and a Square turns up, your next guess will be the Star. You continue in this manner until all the symbol cards have been turned up. "Statistically," you say, "If I were relying purely on chance I should have about five correct symbols out of twenty-five. Let's check how many I actually got." Pick up the correct pile and count the cards: "One, two, three, four, five... that's chance... six, seven... maybe that's luck...eight, nine..." And so on.

___________________________________ Don't underestimate this effect. It's simple, but very powerful. Appropriate presentation is vital—perhaps even a little acting ability. I don't feel it's an effect to be presented as part of a standard magic routine. It's more of a one-off experiment to be used when conditions are right, perhaps when the conversation (with a little steering if necessary) turns to matters psychic. Try it and see. The Blackwood ESP Test first appeared in Magic for the New Millennium, published in a very limited edition by the Sheffield Circle of Magicians in 2000 to commemorate eighty years of the society's existence. Website: www.prestidigital.tv

The Inquisition

Roni Shachnaey

This is a routine developed by Roni Shachnaey and will be published in his forthcoming book entitled Mentalism Goes Bizarre: The Psychic Magick of Roni Shachnaey, edited By Dr Todd Landman. The book represents the culmination of Roni’s lifetime career as a magician, mentalist, bizarrist, and psychic reader.

PAULO: PRIEST AND SCIENTIST Paulo was a well-known priest but firmly believed in science. Apart from religion he taught his students the ancient art of numerology, something of which the Church did not approve and Paulo was investigated numerous times by the courts but alas was not willing to change his views. In his last court appearance in front of the Inquisition he managed to anger his judges by refusing to apologise to the Church court for his scientific beliefs. A rope was put down in front of him and he was told that unless he accepts the Almighty and his teachings alone his life may well be cut short. Paulo replied: “The Almighty gave us brains to think with and investigate the universe and its secrets. I follow his ways by using my investigative brain to answer questions and explore the secrets of the universe. With these granted powers I believe I can part the thin veil between this world and the next and perhaps communicate with the world beyond”. One of the three judges asked Paulo to prove his claim but if he failed the rope will be used to end Paulo’s life. Paulo then picked up a chart divided into sixteen squares and asked the judge to name the name of a dearly departed friend or relative. The name given was Isabella. This Paulo duly noted.

Next, Paulo asked the judge how old was Isabella when she crossed over to the other side and the judge replied: “76” Paulo also duly noted this. “Now.” said Paulo, “watch this!” and then proceeded to write numbers upon the empty squares in quick succession. When the sixteen squares were filled by numbers Paulo announced that if the addition of any one line from side to side, from left to right, up or down, any four squares in any area and so forth will total 76 without any error this will be the proof that he in fact managed to communicate with Isabella’s spirit. That Paulo did to the amazements of all present. Next Paulo gave the court a brief message from Isabella by adding 7+6=13 reducing the two figures further to a numerological total of 4. Paulo told the court what and who was Isabella by deciphering the number 4 in Numerology. The judge agreed that it was as if Paulo managed to somehow connect with Isabella’s spirit, but after a brief consultation the three judges decided that it was not enough and that he is to face death by the rope. At this point Paulo brought out a small cross from his pocket and asked for his last rights before his execution. This small request was granted and Paulo proceeded to ask: “As you place the rope around my neck I would like you to tie the cross onto the rope and only after this has been done you can pull the ends tight!” The judges looked at one another but decided to grant Paulo his last wish. First the rope was placed around his neck. Next, the cross was placed on the rope and the rope was tied with a single knot around Paulo’s neck. Paulo looked at the judges and said: “I believe in the all mighty and this is why I chose to have the cross tied to the noose around my neck but, I also believe in science and when you believe yet challenge your mind this alone makes you a gifted person.” As he finished his sentence the judge banged his hammer once, twice and on the third knock the rope was sharply pulled by the executioners. Paulo staggered as the rope was pulled tight around his neck but then the unbelievable took place. The rope went through Paulo’s neck and tied itself around the cross! The judges gasped in amazement as Paulo quietly said:

“You see you have got to believe but also embrace science in order to be saved!” The judges looked at one another with utter disbelief as Paulo slowly stepped outside of the courtroom. Until today no one can explain what took place in this courtroom. Was it the Almighty? Was it science? Or was it both?

Working

The first part is the well-known Magic Square that is being presented as “Numerology” using the age of the deceased individual as the number to create the 16 square Magic Square: X-20=K X being the age say 76 minus 20 = 56.

56 1 12 7 56 1 12 7 11 8 K+1 2 11 8 55 2 5 10 3 K+2 5 10 3 58 4 K+1 6 9 4 57 6 9

When I prepare the page this is how it looks:

I use the four elements to demonstrate the four forces of the Universe to strengthen Numerology. I put the age in the “All seeing eye” and the name of the deceased individual at the bottom of the page. The best numbers for this particular version of the magic square are between 34 and 99. If the number is less than 34 or greater than 99, the numbers will repeat themselves within the squares. However, the number tends to be more then 34 and less than 99 when you are using an age of a deceased individual.

The Rope effect is the well-known “Rope Through Neck” with the addition of the cross. After you have arranged the rope around your neck, simply lace the cross on one of the hanging ends and tie a knot. Once you pull the two ends the rope will “Penetrate” your neck and a knot will form around the cross.

SHORT HISTORY OF THE INQUISITION: (Obtained from the Internet)

It was under this threat that the Pope Sixtus IV authorized the Spanish Inquisition in 1478 if it should be needed. The kings of Spain, Isabella and Ferdinand, instituted it two years later. The specific threat that the Inquisition faced was the "conversos." Spain had been freed from Islamic control for only a few generations, after 800 years of oppression... and not completely, because Islam still ruled in Granada up to 1492. The Spanish Inquisition was independent of the Medieval Inquisition. Ferdinand and Isabella established it with the reluctant approval of Sixtus IV. It was entirely controlled by the Spanish kings, and the kings in naming the inquisitor general chose the Pope’s only hold over it. The Popes were never reconciled to the institution, which they regarded as usurping a Church prerogative. The Spanish Inquisition had no authority over practicing Muslims and Jews, only over professed Christians suspected of being fakes and a threat to the country... it remained operative in Spain into the Nineteenth Century. Originally called into being against secret Islam and secret Judaism, it served also to repel Protestantism in the sixteenth century, but was unable to expel French Rationalism and immorality of the Eighteenth... it also took some action against witchcraft though it was very limited compared with the 30,000 witches burned in England and the 100,000 in Germany. It was a state institution used to identify conversos, mainly Muslims (Moors, Moros), and Jews (Marranos), who falsely "converted" to Christianity and secretly practiced their former religion. Its job was also, and more importantly, to clear the good name of many people who were falsely accused. The judges were to be at least forty years old, of unimpeachable reputation, distinguished for virtue and wisdom, masters of theology, or doctors or licentiates of canon law, and they must follow the usual ecclesiastical rules and regulations. On 17 September 1480, Ferdinand and Isabella appointed, at first for Seville, two Dominicans as inquisitors, with two of the secular clergy assistants. Fray Tomás Torquemada (at Valladolid in 1420, at Avila, in 1498) was the true organizer of the Spanish Inquisition. The institution speedily ramified from Seville to Cordova, Jaen, Valladolid, Villareal, and Toledo, about 1538 there were nineteen courts, to which three were afterwards added in Spanish America (Mexico, Lima, and Cartagena). The Spanish government tried to establish the Inquisition in all its dominions; but in the Spanish Netherlands the local officials did not cooperate, and the inquisitors were chased (1510) out of Naples, apparently with the pope's connivance.

Email: houseofdarknessuk@msn.com

Concord

Lewis Jones Yet another shot at Any Card at Any Number! Anyone shuffles the deck. One spectator picks out any card, by freely cutting the deck herself. A second spectator, with the deck in his own hands, deals out any number of cards himself. Bingo.

Working 1. You don’t need to be at a table. Alan and Bridget are facing you. He is right of centre, she is left of centre. Hand the deck to Bridget for a thorough shuffle. Then ask her to hand the deck to Alan for a further shuffle. “It’s important that you both give the cards a mixing, because this experiment is going to involve both of you.” Receive the deck back, and place it on the open palm of Bridget’s left hand. Explain that you want her to spell out her name by cutting small packets off the top of the deck, one packet per letter. Demonstrate by using a random name such as Ann, and using your right hand to cut off three packets on to your open left palm, one packet per letter. Point out that if the name was spelled A-N-N-E, you would need to cut off an extra packet for the extra letter. Do so. This emphasises the fact that even small variations in spelling will result in different numbers of cards being cut. Return the dealt cards to the top of the deck on Bridget’s left palm. Ask, “What is your name, actually?” When she says, “Bridget,” invite her to make the cuts on to the flat palm of your left hand. Then point to the top card of those remaining in her left hand, and invite her to take a peek at it and remember it. There is one proviso—she must not let Alan see its face. She leaves the card on top of those in her left hand. 2. You now go into “Personal Control,” from The Magic Gourmet. Your right hand picks up the dealt packet from your left palm in Biddle grip. Your left hand takes the remainder of the deck from Bridget, and your right hand now slaps its packet on top of the left hand’s cards, but in a slightly outjogged position. You are now holding the entire deck in Biddle grip. 3. Immediately turn to Alan, and at the same time, your right fingers, at the far end of the complete deck, squeeze the upper half back towards you. Your right thumb, pushing down on the injogged strip of the lower half, opens a break, and your left little finger maintains it as your right hand moves away. Ask Alan to offer you the open palm of his left hand. Say, “We already know your name, Alan.” Immediately repeat the transfer of small packets from the top of the deck to an accumulating pile on his left hand—one packet per letter as before—but this time spelling out the name A-L-A-N. All you need to do is reach the break at the second-last letter of his name. When you drop the remaining cards on top of the cards in his hand, reciting the final letter of the name, the chosen card will now be on top of the deck. In this handling, you have been holding a break for no more than a few seconds.

“You’ve now both spelled your names with the same deck of shuffled cards. You know what that means, don’t you? It means this deck is personalised to you both. But it’s been personalised to each of you separately—once with your name, Bridget, and once with your name, Alan. What we need now is a way to make use of some bond between the two of you. We need something that both of you have in common. Suppose we take a number—some number that has a special meaning to both of you. It might be the number of years you’ve been together. It could be the day of the month when you first met. Or the number of the house where you live. Your choice. What do you suggest?” 4. Suppose they decide on 17—the number of years they’ve been together. Hold out your left hand palm up (as you did for Bridget), and invite Alan to deal 17 cards face-down on to the palm of your hand. Alan will stop dealing when he reaches the number 17. Your right hand pinches the near end of the dealt packet in a very open and delicate fashion, between forefinger on top and thumb below. Your left hand takes the rest of the cards from Alan, then flips these cards face-up and spreads them a little as you say, “Alan, these are the cards you didn’t want, because you didn’t even reach them.”

Use the right hand packet to tap the face-up packet now in your left hand, and take the opportunity to glimpse the bottom card of the right hand packet (Fig.1) This is the chosen card, You don’t even need to identify the exact card—all you need is a flash of the suit. Suppose this is Hearts. Your left hand squares up its cards again. “Bridget—your left hand, please.” Your left hand deposits its cards, still face-up, on Bridget’s left palm. Your right hand replaces its 17-card packet on your open left hand again. Your right

forefinger taps the top card of the packet as you say, “Alan, this is your seventeenth card.” Turn to Bridget, and say, “Now Bridget, we come to the interesting bit. Do you still remember the card in your head?”

Fig.1

5. You are now about to use Ken Krenzel’s Milk Run. Your right hand lifts the near end of the top card between the first two fingers above and the thumb below. Raise the near end of the card to an almost vertical position, but with the far end still in contact with the far end of the packet (Fig.2). Look at the face of the upraised card. Ignoring the actual suit of this card, and remembering that the chosen card is a Heart, say, “Bridget, you’re not thinking of a red card, are you?” As she answers, the knuckle of your left forefinger is sliding the bottom card towards you so that it ends up injogged (Fig.3 with right hand omitted)

Fig.2 Fig.3 . Your right hand now changes its grip slightly so that the top end of the vertical card becomes held between your right index finger nail at the near (face) side and the pad of your second finger tip at the far side. Your right thumb is now free. Look at the face of the card again, then lower the card to a horizontal position on top of the packet again, as you look at Bridget and say, “And I don’t suppose it would be a Heart?” At the moment she answers, clip the injogged end of the bottom card between your right index finger (above) and thumb below (Fig.4 shows an exposed view). Your left hand instantly swings away with the rest of the packet (Fig.5), and flips it face-up. “And these are also cards you didn’t want, Alan, because you passed them all by.”

Fig.4 Fig.5

The face-down horizontal single card is still pinched delicately at the near end between your right index finger (above) and thumb (below). 6. Say, “And now comes the crunch. This is where we find whether you two are really compatible.” Your right hand raises the near end of the card for the third time, and you look at the face of the vertical card, whose far end is now resting on your left palm. “Alan, what does your card have in common with the one in Bridget’s head? Could they both be odd numbers? Both picture cards maybe? Or maybe the you two have nothing in common at all.” Shake your head and say, “The tension is just too much. This could all go horribly wrong. I don’t want to be part of it.” Lay the single face-down card at right angles on top of Bridget’s face-up cards, then lay the remaining face-up cards on top of all and square with the other face-up cards, but injogged by about half the length of the cards. Alan’s face-down card is now lying crosswise, 17 cards down from the top of the face-up deck. Step back, well away from everything and everyone. “Bridget—for the very first time—tell us the name of the card in your head.” She names her card as, for example, the nine of Hearts. Say, “I don’t even want to touch them. Alan—please take away the packet of cards you dealt off.” He lifts off the face-up packet on top, made easy by the large injog. Now Bridget turns the face-down card face-up. It is the nine of Hearts. 7. Perfect concord. And you’re left with everything and everybody well positioned for a visual reminder of what has taken place. Bridget still holds the bulk of the shuffled deck in one hand, and her thought-of card in the other. Alan is holding his dealt-off packet—and if he chooses to, he can count it and confirm that the number of cards is correct. And you are standing well back, away from it all, and obviously not responsible for anything that has happened.

End Notes a) If you prefer a handling in which you do not do any of the dealing at all yourself, try this. Bridget spells her name (or anything else you like) by dealing single cards face-down on to your left hand. You then offer her the choice of the top card of either the dealt cards on your left hand, or the undealt cards she still holds. When she has made her choice of one of the packets and taken a look at its top card, drop that packet on top of the other. This places her chosen card on top of the deck. Your right hand immediately lifts the entire deck from above in Biddle grip, and does an in-the-hands false cut. In this position, the quickest and easiest of these is the turnover false cut, and there is nothing flourishy about it. That is, swing cut the top half of the deck into the thumb crotch of your left hand, separate the two halves, then each hand flips its half-deck face-up. Slap the right half on the left half, and flip the deck face-down again. If you would rather keep all cards face-down throughout, I suggest the “Zenith Cut” (Seventh Heaven).

In either case, hand the face-down deck back to Bridget. You can now skip Alan’s spelling deal, and move straight on to his number deal. b) If you would like to retain all three deals, but have them all performed by the spectators without any intervention by you at all, it is sometimes possible. It means you need to be alert to the number of letters in their names. Most first names fall into quite a small range—between 3 and 9 letters—so once in a while, simply by chance, you will come across two spectators with names whose number of letters are the same, or differ by just one. For example, Margery (7) and Jonathan (8) have names whose number of letters differ by one. Here’s how to take advantage of this. The spectator with the shorter name (Margery) spell-deals her name in single face-down cards on to your left hand, then looks at and remembers the top card of the undealt packet she is still holding. You then drop the dealt cards back on top of her cards, completing the deck again. Margery hands the deck directly to Jonathan, who deal-spells his name on to your left hand. You then drop these dealt cards back on top of Jonathan’s remaining cards, once again completing the deck. The result is that Margery’s card is now on top of the deck, ,and you can proceed as in the original by asking for any number. All three deals have been performed by the spectators, and you have not intruded on the procedure by even a cut. On the other hand, Lynne and Simon have names that contain the same number of letters (5). In this case, after Simon has deal-spelled his name on to your left hand, take the undealt cards from him and drop them on top of the dealt cards in your left hand. Once again, the selected card is on top of the deck, which you immediately hand back to Simon. Website: www.hutch.demon.co.uk/lewis/lewmagic.htm

The Eternal Triangle (A Tarot Effect)

Scott Creasey

I have been reading Tarot cards both in a one to one setting and in a walk around Mentalism environment for many years and to be quite honest if you are comfortable with the cards you use, understand the classic meanings of the individual cards and use and trust your intuition, then you don’t actually need to do any form of trickery when reading tarot. However as part of my walk around mentalism performance it is sometimes nice to have an edge and be able to prove that you have a special psychic insight which you use during a reading. What follows is the impromptu version of the same effect from my lecture notes Mental(magic)ism which requires a set up and which I still use in a formal environment, for example to demonstrate my abilities during a Tarot party. However, after years of working in clubs, pubs, restaurants, casinos at house parties, pool parties and even on the beach, I have come to the conclusion that the more impromptu, more hands off and simpler a mentalism effect is, the more it is perceived as the real thing by your audience. What follows is just such and effect.

Effect The performer introduces the 22 major Arcana from a pack of tarot cards and explains a little bit about the symbolism used before handing the cards to someone who wants a reading. The client is instructed to mix the cards until they are completely satisfied and then hold the cards between their palms for a few seconds whilst meditating on their future. As they do this the performer removes a business card from his pocket, writes something on the blank side and places it writing side down on the table, it is never touched again by the performer. The client is then instructed to deal cards face down into a pile on the table until he or she feels the urge to stop. Once they are happy with the number of cards dealt, they are further instructed to deal those cards into three piles and just keep dealing until all the cards are used. The three piles of cards are then arranged to form the ETERNAL TRIANGLE with the business card prediction in the centre. The pile of cards at the bottom left of the triangle from the performers perspective represents the past, the bottom right of the triangle represents the present and the top of

the triangle represents the future. The top card of each pile is turned over one at a time and interpreted in the order, past, present and future. Once the future card at the top of the triangle has been turned and an interpretation give, the client is asked to look at the business card and finds you had predicted their future before any cards were dealt. The business card of course has the name of the future card written on it and is left with the client as a memento.

_____________________________________

Please don’t underestimate the power of this simple effect. Where Tarot and the divination of the future are concerned people become very serious and can take what you do and say to heart. It is important you treat them with respect and always keep the readings upbeat and positive.

When I am working in a walk around situation I never use a full deck of Tarot and only carry with me the 22 major arcana. The cards I use are from a deck of Gilded Tarot and (like those of you who use the tarot will understand) it took me a long time and numerous different decks until I found the one I am comfortable with. I carry the cards in a wallet (Fig.1) with a pencil and business cards but that isn’t important to the working of the effect.

Fig.1. The wallet with cards, pencil and business cards

Working

1. The cards are removed from the wallet and handed to the client for mixing. This is a genuine shuffle and they can mix them to their hearts content. But here is the small but important detail I missed from the effect description. Once the cards are mixed you take them back, fan through until you locate the Death card, noting and remembering the card in front of it cut the death card to the face of the deck, which means you have the death card on the face of the deck but now know the identity of the top card. If you did this with a standard deck of cards alarm bells would start to sound in the audiences mind but this isn’t a card trick it is a Tarot reading and you have a legitimate reason for fanning through the cards. 2. As you fan through and cut the death card to the face, you explain that many people are afraid when the card appears in a reading but that they shouldn’t be as it doesn’t symbolize physical death, it simply means a clearing away of the old to make way for the new. However, you continue, it is up to the client if they wish to leave the death card in the deck or not. To date I have never had anybody say they want it taking out.

Either way take it out or leave it in you then false shuffle the cards keeping the peeked card on the top of the deck. (I use a simple in jog overhand shuffle but with some of the larger decks you may need to do a Hindu shuffle). The cards are then handed face down to the client for them to hold between their palms and meditate on their future. 3. At this point you remove a business card and on the blank side write the name of the Tarot card on the top of the deck, this is your prediction which you drop face down on the table. The client is then instructed to deal cards in a face down pile on the table. You need at least three cards for the reading so once they have dealt about five cards tell them to stop dealing whenever they feel the urge. The predicted card is now on the bottom of the face down pile so it really doesn’t matter when they stop dealing. As soon as they are satisfied you take the remaining cards and instruct them to deal the cards on the table into three separate piles. All you need to do is note which pile the last card (the peeked card) is dealt to.

You now reach forward and arrange the piles around the prediction into the Eternal Triangle making sure the pile with the peeked card is at the top of the triangle in the Future position. (See Fig.2)

All that remains is to do the reading starting with the past, moving on to the present and finishing with the future. The climax of course is the revelation of the prediction which proves beyond a doubt you had a vision of the client’s future even before the reading started. Fig.2. The Eternal Triangle. The top card of

the future pile is the one which was peeked as the Death card was being cut to the face of the deck.

So there you have it. The effect reads long but the dealing and reading only takes a couple of minutes, you will be amazed at how strong this effect is and it leaves a business card with the client which they will show to their friends because of the prediction of the future written on the back.

I have booked more than a few tarot parties and private gigs on the strength of this effect alone.

Website: www.scottcreasey.com

Are you a “real” mentalist?

Barry Cooper The difference between “mentalism” and “mental magic” (if any) is a controversial issue which frequently appears in online discussion groups. My own interpretation is that mentalism is presentation of mental effects which could be “real” – i.e. they resemble “genuine” paranormal phenomena or parapsychological experiments. Mental magic effects are therefore those which are obviously unreal, often involving “magic apparatus – fake” equipment (Henry Hay, The Amateur Magician’s Handbook). A good example is Symbold by T A Waters (Mind, Myth and Magick), utilising a large plastic clock dial with geometrical symbols next to each number. My own Murder by Fruit (in The Linking Ring, January 1999) is also mental magic; this does not use special equipment, but the murder-mystery presentation is both humorous and unlike any real-life situation. Mental magic clearly has its place. It is entertaining, holds spectators’ attention with visual props and can be presented with a great deal of humour. But it’s not really my thing. So, what are the implications of presenting “real” mentalism?

Presentation Marvin Kaye, in The Handbook of Mental Magic, suggests that there are two approaches to showmanship for the mentalist – within or outside the “traditional” mode. The traditional mentalist must not seem to be “doing an act”, but should appear to be speaking about ESP off the top of his head, while performing experiments that may or may not work – never “tricks”. On the other hand, one may reject the “genuine mentalist” personality for something more theatrical – a sorcerer’s costume, a carnival mentalist with robes and turban, or perhaps full evening dress – as long as the role suits the performer, together with appropriate lighting and background music. My own preference is for the traditional approach – the role of a lecturer in parapsychology, a scientist. Clearly one must be careful not to overdo the patter (unless of course one is actually giving a lecture); the object is to entertain, not bore, so it is the effects which are important. There is one possible exception to the traditional approach – the performance of séance-room phenomena. Here a certain amount of atmosphere is essential. But a scientific presentation is still possible, and the “How Mediums Trick the Public” demonstration suggested by Corinda still works well. Corinda is not suggesting exposure of methods; demonstrating trickery and explaining it are entirely different (a point sadly ignored by the makers of certain television programmes). The performer needs to be clear, though, whether he is demonstrating Victorian mediumship, with apparatus such as spirit slates and trumpets, or whether the demonstration is supposed to be contemporary – as Bob Couttie comments in Forbidden Knowledge: The Paranormal Paradox, “Magicians often have a problem knowing which century they’re in”.

Ethics One of the classics of parapsychology is From anecdote to experiment in psychical research (1972) by Dr Robert Thouless. In making his moral distinction between a “conjuror” and a fraudulent medium, Thouless makes the following comment: “The conjuror would be infringing the ethical standards of his profession if he pretended that his results were due to anything but trickery; the fraudulent medium has no such scruples”. He then refers to a personally-witnessed show in which the performer began by telling the audience that he had learned to use telepathy in a monastery in Tibet. While accepting that this may be defensible as showmanship, Thouless feels that it blurs the dividing line between “honest conjuring” and fraudulent mediumship. Thouless’s remarks were written over thirty years ago; the controversy concerning performers such as Uri Geller was still in the future. However, the ethical question that Thouless raises is still relevant today. Although, in the UK at least, we do not often see performers who claim to be psychic, there are certainly those, such as Derren Brown, who purport to be using psychological techniques rather than trickery (at least in his early television shows). Is this a problem? After all, every magician is by definition a liar, as his whole raison d’être is to entertain by deceiving the audience. Classic mentalism and magic textbooks often address this issue. Corinda discusses this problem in his interview with Maurice Fogel. Fogel suggests that a performer should not claim that he is genuine, or let others make that claim for him – Fogel “paid very, very much” for claims that were made on his behalf. On the other hand, he does not like the “judge for yourself” line to be used openly – he prefers inference. Marvin Kaye recommends that, at the very least, a performer should review his patter to eliminate any statements implying or suggesting that he is a real psychic. In extreme cases, however, if a spectator visits him backstage and regards him “as a latter-day Isaiah”, it may be better to expose his methods. T A Waters refers to Kaye’s book as “absurd” for this suggestion, but it is taken out of context. Waters believes that any mental effect will create a false belief in some people – “the theme of mentalism is just too appealing, in a strange way, for most people to resist”. Henning Nelms, in Magic and Showmanship: A handbook for conjurers, takes an analytical approach to the question; for him, the difference between a charlatan and a magician is similar to that between a “real-life faker and an actor who plays the role of a faker”. A magician needs both deception and conviction; the former should be permanent, the latter temporary. He therefore suggests convincing the spectators thoroughly during the session, but disillusioning them at the end. This could be accomplished with a remark such as “it was all done with mirrors”, but Nelms prefers to end the evening with a simple trick which is unmistakeably conjuring. In my personal view, this is going further than necessary. Provided that a performer does not openly claim that he has psychic powers, and makes it clear in his publicity material that he is a magician (e.g. by referring to membership of The Magic Circle), no ethical problems should arise. It is not necessary to draw further attention to this during the performance itself, so both the audience and the performer can suspend disbelief for a while.

The ABC of ESP

Barry Cooper For those who would like to try a “real” parapsychological presentation, here are definitions of the principal terms used in ESP research, with in each case suggestions for standard or published techniques and effects which could be used as illustrations. All definitions are by Dr J B Rhine, the pioneer of modern research. The title of this piece, by the way, is a tribute to (i.e. lovingly borrowed from) Arthur Koestler’s great book The Roots of Coincidence.

ESP (Extrasensory perception)

ESP is defined as “Experience of, or response to, a target object, state, event or influence without sensory contact”. The main types of ESP are telepathy, clairvoyance and precognition.

Telepathy Telepathy is defined as “extrasensory perception of the mental state or activity of another person”. In practical terms, it is direct mind-to-mind communication, and for a pure telepathy experiment (as opposed to GESP, below) all other forms of ESP, particularly clairvoyance, must be eliminated. The target information must exist only in the mind of the sender, or “agent”, and not on any kind of object, such as a piece of paper or playing card. There are a number of ways in which this can be achieved. Firstly, the thought can be written down, memorised and destroyed in order to ensure that no impression can be picked up from the writing by clairvoyance. This of course is excellent justification for the classic centre tear. Another way to achieve pure telepathy is for the spectator simply to think of the target object, without touching it or writing anything down. Judgement Day in Luke Jermay’s Building Blocks or Richard Busch’s 21st Century Imagery in Peek Performances would be examples. A further possibility is through the use of a thumb writer. A simple presentation may involve asking the spectator to think of an ESP symbol, then “drawing” it on a business card, or showing that it has been ticked off against a list of symbols. Perhaps the closest a mentalist can come to real telepathy is cold reading; the second closest is contact mind-reading, sometimes known as muscle reading or Hellstromism.

Clairvoyance Clairvoyance is defined as “extrasensory perception of objects or objective events”. In contrast to telepathy, here the target must exist only as an object, not in the mind of the spectator or anyone else, and the image is picked up directly from the object. Essentially, therefore, the performer is required to detect an object that neither his volunteer spectator nor the audience has seen.

One could simply false shuffle a pack of cards, retaining the top card, and then “read” it unseen, but this would not be impressive. My first experiment along these lines was to use a card box; a similar effect using a single card can be obtained with an envelope switch or a Himber wallet. Another clairvoyance demonstration of my own is a presentation for Original Kolossal Killer, written up in Kenton Knepper’s follow-up book, Killer Konceptions. The performer shows his wallet, into which he has placed an unseen playing card. The spectator detects the card by clairvoyance.

GESP GESP (General Extrasensory Perception) is defined as “ESP which could be either telepathy or clairvoyance or both.” The agent continues to look at the target object while sending its image to the “percipient” (receiver); the percipient can therefore receive the image either by telepathy from the agent’s mind, by clairvoyance from the object itself, or by a combination of both. Most mentalism (and mental magic) effects fall within this category – “pick a card; look at it; you’re thinking of the two of clubs”). Broadly speaking, there are two ways to achieve this kind of effect – forcing a choice on the spectator or secretly discovering what he has chosen. Most book tests are GESP experiments.

Precognition Precognition is defined as “prediction of random future events the occurrence of which cannot be inferred from present knowledge.” This is therefore the technical term covering all types of prediction, extremely popular among mentalists. There are two cautions regarding the use of predictions. Firstly, as T A Waters points out in Mind, Myth and Magick, predictions are intrinsically less believable than the other forms of ESP which have been previously discussed; it is not easy to maintain even a temporary suspension of disbelief. Waters suggests that the “spectator as mind reader” or “mind control” presentations of the prediction type of effect are easier to put over – with a preference for the former. The second caution relates to the consequences of being able to make predictions. If a performer makes a headline prediction and the day’s headline concerns a plane crash or a terrorist outrage – could he have prevented it? Or did he cause it? If he correctly predicts winning lottery numbers – why isn’t he a multi-millionaire? My own general solution to these problems is that precognition is a far more difficult faculty to demonstrate than GESP because it involves moving outside normal space-time. Tests must be much more restricted. This argument is particularly useful in performing “Mental Epic” effects such as Mark Wilson’s Three-Way Test. This is a one-ahead routine testing clairvoyance, telepathy and precognition, with the final precognition phase depending on a force of one of only three drawings. (In fact, when performing it I usually substitute a card force.) Any force can be used as a prediction effect; this would include many book tests. A thumb writer can also be used in many different ways; Corinda’s Step One is wholly devoted to effects with the “Swami Gimmick”, mostly predictions.

While with Corinda, the whole of Step Four is devoted to “Predictions”. Before giving specific effects for both stage and “drawing room”, Corinda discusses technique, with three main aspects – secretly loading a sealed envelope using a billet knife or his own “Billet Pencil”, switches, and the use of the pocket index, another major tool for predictions. Corinda regards predictions as particularly strong effects, basically for the same reasons that Waters regards them as too strong – so care needs to be taken to present them in a context which will work credibly with your own style. Email: barry@mindmagic.plus.com

Tryangle

Al Smith

A spectator thinks of any World Champion Snooker Player. The magician divines the name. There’s more to it than that, of course, and it’s all to do with interlocked or branching anagrams.

Preamble

Snooker is not as popular among the general public as it once was, say back in the 1980s. And it’s likely that most people, if asked to name a snooker player might have to think for a minute. Then they might just come up with Alex Higgins, or, depending on their age, Joe Davis. If they can stretch their minds a little, then Steve Davis and/or Stephen Hendry are the two most likely candidates of the “modern” era. But what price Walter Donaldson? Horace Lindrum? Or even John Pulman? And can anybody really remember Mark Williams? Most of the modern champions are invisible men. Snooker fans, of course, will be able to reel off chapter and verse, but there again, that’s not quite the requirement. More on this shortly, but for now it is fair to say that a snooker fan asked to “think of any World Champion in the last 25 years” might well be able to do so unaided. And without coming up with either Higgins, Davis or Hendry. Anyway, here we go.

Working As with all interlocking/branching anagram stuff, the idea is to divine (actually guess) the name or word thought of by the spectator with minimum failure. The process of divination/guessing usually means no more than two wrong guesses, which is the case here. The guesses take the form of letters of the alphabet. The spectator is invited to really concentrate on the name, but so as to give no external clues, he answers either “Yes” or “No” as mechanically as possible. The performer attempts to pick up clues, either

mentally — ESP, or whatever is the current preferred term — or, perhaps more plausibly, by means of some advanced form of body language.

The first wrong guess sometimes provides enough of a clue so that the performer can come up with the right answer on his next guess. More usually the first wrong guess informs the performer that he’s got to branch out in another direction. Even here it’s possible that this wrong guess provides enough of a clue so that the performer can come up with the right answer without any more wrong guesses. Look at figure 1 above. This is the complete list of World Snooker Champions since 1927. It’s also the complete list of snooker World Champions since 1947. Joe Davis held the tile for 20 years and, as mentioned, retired in 1947. Working on the assumption that the average individual may recognise a few of the names when the list is offered, but won’t be able to recall any but the most famous players, a copy of this list needs to be prepared for use in performance. An A4 laminated sheet is just the job for larger audiences; an A5 size list will do for more intimate groups. Mentalism is not perhaps the first thought when it comes to compiling a list of strolling routines, but it shouldn’t be ruled out. Assuming we have our file of champions, invite a spectator to study the list and to think of any of the names. Assume John Pulman. In order to guess the name with no more than two wrong guesses, proceed as follows. Figure (2) is the crib sheet. The plan is to proceed down the crib by guessing the large letters in turn: R-N-E-O-A-L-D-I-C.

The downward guessing continues for as long as you get “Yes” answers. So, the first guess should be the letter “R”. If you get a “Yes” the next guess is “N”; another “Yes” and you move on to “E”. If you get a “No” answer, the downward process ceases and the next guess involves moving, or branching out across the crib sheet to what is basically a sub-section of names. From here the downward process continues, but with a different set of letters, appropriate to the particular sub-section. In the case of John Pulman, the conversation between the performer and spectator might go like this: Performer: “I’m getting the strong feeling that the name you are thinking of features the letter “R”. Am I right?” Spectator: “No.” A “No” answer means a sideways move to the first sub-section of names. It also immediately rules out all names except John Pulman, Joe Johnson. John Higgins, Alex Higgins, Steve Davis, Joe Davis. Every other name has the letter “R” somewhere in its makeup. Having moved —branched— across the crib sheet to the first sub-section of names, the next guess is the letter “S,” which also happens to be adjacent to the name John Pulman, our example. Once again the spectator will answer “No”. A “No” answer means a sideways move, so our second sideways move takes us to John Pulman. Stop there; you can’t branch any further, which means that with only two wrong guesses (maximum allowed) we have all the information we require. The spectator is thinking of John Pulman. A glance at all the other names in this sub-section shows that they contain the letter “S” — Joe Johnson, John Higgins, Alex Higgins, Steve Davis and Joe Davis. If the spectator had been thinking of John Higgins, he would have answered “No” when asked if there was a letter “R” in the name, exactly as with John Pulman. Moving sideways across to the first sub-section of names, as a “No” answer demands, he would have answered “Yes” when asked if there was a letter “S” in the name. This rules out John Pulman. But, as mentioned, since all the other names in this sub-section contain the letter “S” — Joe Johnson, John Higgins, Alex Higgins, Steve Davis and Joe Davis — this would not be enough to work out that Higgins is the spectator’s choice. Another guess is necessary. Moving downwards, but still within this sub-section, the next guess is the letter “I”. This rules out Joe Johnson but still leaves us with John Higgins, Alex Higgins, Steve Davis and Joe Davis. The next guess is the letter “E” which will invoke a “No” answer. Since Alex Higgins, Steve Davis and Joe Davis all contain the letter “E.” John Higgins doesn’t, so stop here and move sideways; the spectator is thinking of John Higgins.

Another example. If the spectator had gone for Steve Davis, then he would have answered “No” when asked if there was an “R” in the name and “Yes” when asked about the letters “S-I-E-V”. But a “No” on the letter “J” means a sideways move to Steve Davis. Had the spectator gone for Joe Davis, after the initial “Yes” on the letter “R” he would have continuied saying “Yes” and when the guess was “J” which eliminates Steve Davis, all that’s left is Joe Davis. With Dennis Taylor and Horace Lindrum, all guesses will invoke a “Yes” answer until you get to the letter “C”. Just go with it — downwards — until there are no more letters to guess — R-N-E-O-A-L-D-I-C. A “Yes” on “C” eliminates Dennis Taylor and a “No” on “C” eliminates Horace Lindrum.

End Notes

The principle is not difficult to grasp as only a few trials will show prove. It would be nice to say that there is some secret — and easy — way to remember the crib; but there isn’t. So it’s a case of putting the work in to memorise it, or use a crib. Personal choice as always, but the crib is sure fire. In stand-up situations the crib can be attached to a clipboard and worked in full view with no fear of being spotted. In strolling work, a two-way opening notebook is probably the best way to conceal the crib. Use the crib side of the notebook during performance, but conclude by writing the chosen name on a blank sheet at the other side. Tear the sheet out, pocket the notebook, then ask the spectator to name his choice. This done have him check the torn-out sheet. There’s no shortcut to remembering stuff. Memory systems can be useful, but over the years I’ve found that personal mnemonics are the only ones that work for me. Occasionally an existing “popular” mnemonic is easy to grasp, but mostly they aren’t. The hook and peg systems beloved of so many memory experts are like any other skill. If you have an aptitude for such techniques, they’re great; but most people don’t, so learning the actual memory system itself is hard work. All too often it’s hard work for little or no result. But for those people who can use them, they’re clearly a major asset. Interlocking and branching anagrams have been around for more than several years, but current interest probably stems from Phil Goldstein’s excellent Contimental, in his book Thabbatical. And although the game of snooker does not feature at all in Mister Goldstein’s effect, a nod or two in his direction is more than deserving.

Friendly Persuasion

Al Smith This is a combination of familiar oddments, but it’s really the theme that is important; ESP, or Extra Sensory Persuasion. To suggest that Body Language can be used not only to interpret the mood of people, but also to gently and subtly persuade people to do certain things and to make certain choices. The major point with any amount of mental stuff is that the mentalist offers up a theory or concept, then simply does a trick to back up the theory. Done convincingly, the classic “Maybe there is something to it after all” feeling is created. “IT” can be anything at all. Here it’s Extra Sensory Persuasion. Body Language, like most mind concepts from Freud to Barnum, is largely unproven and unreliable. “Classic” examples abound, of course, but is anybody so sure they’ll bet their life on it? The patter theme, as mentioned, centres around Extra Sensory Persuasion. This is different to Extra Sensory Perception, and in some senses has more credibility. It must have because it’s my own invention. A feature of regular ESP is a situation in which one subject thinks of something and another subject tries to pick up the thought patterns. In a magic/mentalism show it’s usually the lot of the performer to divine the thoughts of a spectator — mindreading by any other name. A bit simplistic, but that’s the gist. And if it isn’t, it’ll do for me. The Persuasion part of Extra Sensory Persuasion relies on the performer apparently allowing several members of the audience to make free and open choices, but which are actually predetermined. The persuading is done by a combination of verbal and physical cues — body language — and perhaps a hint of regular Extra Sensory Perception. Nuances so subtle that they are not suspected or detected. Or perhaps not. It could be just a trick.

Requirements A two-way force deck of contrasting cards, say Three of Hearts and Five of Spades. Any will do, of course, whichever you’ve got in the drawer. The cards should alternate throughout, rather than be in two blocks. Four indifferent contrasting cards are also required, say the Queen of Diamonds, Ace of Spades, Nine of Diamonds and the Ten of Clubs. Place the indifferent cards at quarterly intervals; one at the face, one about mid-way into the deck and the others so that one is about 13 cards from the face and the other is about 13 cards from the top. Add a joker to the face – see figure 1.

Fig.1

If the deck is split at the central indifferent card, about half the total cards are in each group, each with an indifferent card at the face. That is, indifferent in relation to the force cards. If each of the approximate halves is further divided, a contrasting card is at the face of each group. The performance boils down to a calculated elimination of all cards but two; one each of the force cards. Whichever of these is the final choice is then shown to match a prediction. I use a scaled down version of what is generally referred to as the Himber Wallet; a Himber-type. It looks something like a credit card holder. The deck proper is red backed and the wallet-bound duplicates of the force cards are blue backed.

Working 1. Begin by placing the wallet in a prominent position: “Well come back to that in a moment.” Fan the cards faces towards the spectators. The fact that the deck is anything but regular will not be noticed from a few feet away. Say: “It’s important to remember a simple phrase: The One You Choose Is The One We’ll Use.” Close the fan and divide the deck at the central indifferent card. “Just 52 cards, or there will be when I remove the joker, approximately 26 in my left hand and 26 in my right hand. Would you choose, left or right. Remember — The One You Choose Is The One We’ll Use — Left? An absolutely free choice. Agreed?” Done as a casual afterthought, reference to the joker is a prover in passing. The face card of the deck is seen, but is unimportant, beyond a subtle persuader that the deck is what it’s supposed to be. Since all choices are free, the spectators can’t really disagree, unless they’re looking for an argument, in which case inform security and have them ejected. Forcibly. Assuming this proves unnecessary, whatever the choice, discard the cards in your other hand. The first choice allows you to get rid of one indifferent card. During this procedure, you have an indifferent card at the face of each “half”. Don’t point this out to the spectators, but casually flash the faces of the cards as many times as you think constitutes “casual”. 2. Divide the chosen group into roughly equal parts. There is an indifferent card at the face of each group, so once again a casual flash of these cards is permissible; recommended, in fact. This is half the reason they’re there in the first place, after all. Following this the backs of the cards should be kept towards the spectators. 3. A second spectator makes the second choice, which will leave you with about 13 cards. There is an indifferent card at the face of this group, so flash away as usual. At this stage you could even flash the force card at the face of the other group. The card will be seen — the whole point of the “flash” — but it’s unlikely its exact value will be noted. 4. In order to continue the elimination process in something like a balanced way, you need to divide the cards in roughly the following manner: 52/26/13/8/4/2/1. Seven choices, a considerable number.

If the spectator chooses the group without the indifferent card, you will be left with a group of force cards. If the chosen group contains the indifferent card, flash the card again, then divide this group of approximately 13 cards into a group of eight and a group of however many are left over. Ensure the indifferent card goes into the smaller group. Without consulting the spectators, eliminate the smaller group. Say, “We need a fairly even number of cards for our next choice, so let’s get rid of a few. Would you choose, left or right. Remember: The One You Choose Is The One We’ll Use — Left?” 5. All this is said as the small group is discarded and the remaining eight cards are further divided into two groups of four. The absence of any pause and the continuation of the selection process allows this to pass by as a natural action. Particularly as you now have eight cards which are reduced by spectator-choice to four then two then one. Three more free choices after the small group is ditched. 6. You need to get into the 8/4/2/1 situation fairly soon after the honesty of the selection process has been demonstrated; 52 cards become 26, then 13. If the 13 cards you’re left with after the second choice has been made consists of all force cards, the temptation is to divide the group of 13 into a seven and six and following one more choice of left or right, then “even-up” whichever group is left. Nothing wrong with this, it’s a matter of preference, but if you always do the “even-up” after the second choice, there is no danger, however slight of any thinking showing. Assuming both indifferent cards have been eliminated and you have eight cards, divide this group into two packets of four. Since the force cards alternate, the dividing process, automatically leaves you with two force cards in each hand. In our example, it will be 3H/5S/3H/5S in both left and right hand. Nominate another spectator to make a choice. This leaves you with four cards: 3H/5S/3H/5S Divide this group into two, retain whichever is chosen, by another spectator. Finally, you are left with two cards — one of each of the force cards. Turn your attention to another spectator. “You have the final choice. Remember — The One You Choose Is The One We’ll Use. But before you choose, also remember that although the ultimate decision is yours, the two cards we have left are here by mutual group consent. All the choices — however many there were — have been absolutely crucial in leading us to our present situation. If at anytime, anyone had chosen left instead of right, or right instead of left, although we would still have had two cards at this moment in time, they would have been entirely different cards to the two we have here.” 7. When the spectator makes his choice show the card. Name it a couple of times, reveal the eliminated card, further emphasising the freedom of choice factor. Discard the, eliminated card, then open the wallet at the appropriate side and remove the five of spades. Perhaps there is something to this Extra Sensory Persuasion business, after all!

Feat Note

As mentioned several times, it’s the theme and the situation created that transforms an age old prop; two props, if you include the wallet. The use of “so many” spectators and the

number of actual free choices drives home the impossible nature of what the performer is attempting. And although it’s a multi-spectator trick, no one has to leave their seat to participate. For that reason alone, it is not long in performance. If your style is a brisk, “let’s get on with it” approach, it will blend nicely. There is a great sense of involvement but, it’s all mental. Which seems appropriate for mentalism. Physically, the most that anyone has to do is say, “Left” or “Right”. Whenever I perform this, which is often, I strive to use spectators in a sort of arc or semi circle, starting on my right and working left. This means that when the early choices are made, spectators on my left have a sort-of view of the faces of the cards. As the indifferent cards are discarded I’m directly facing front and the force cards can ‘t be seen. A little care is required for the next couple of choices, but it’s not a problem. The plus factor is that when we get down to the last two cards, the spectator doing the choosing is presented with the backs of two cards, but because I’m turned to my left, the spectators on my right get a good look at the faces of the final two cards. Quite by chance, of course. So the spectator is seen to make a genuine free choice of one of the final two force cards.

The Devil Rides Out

Roger Curzon The face of the Devil visibly changes into a randomly selected number in a very visual and stunning a manner. This excellent effect is taken from Roger’s Theomancy book/DVD set.

Requirements A Pilot Frixion ball pen, available from most stationery shops. Black is probably the best colour to choose since you need an ordinary black ball point pen whose colour exactly matches the Pilot pen. You also need a good supply of 6x4 inch plain white file card, a cigarette lighter or better still a small candle.

Preparation With the ordinary ball-point pen write the number 52 at the top narrow end of a file card. Discard the ordinary pen and, using the Pilot pen, turn the 52 into the face of the Devil as in lustrated in Figure 1.

Fig.1 Using the ordinary pen draw a grid of numbers below the Devil's face, and write the name DEVIL, one letter above each column as in Figure 2.

Fig.2

If you make a few of these up the routine can be used for walk-around situations.

Working 1. Have a cigarette lighter handy or, preferably, a candle burning.

2. Introduce your prepared file card. An assisting spectator is invited to name one of the five letters in the word DEVIL, and look at that letter's random number in the first row. For example, let's say she names the letter V, the number would be 17 (Fig.3). This number is then written below the grid. Point out that had she chosen a different letter, and then the number would have been different.

She chooses another letter and looks at the letter’s corresponding random number in the second row. For example, let's say she chooses the letter L—the number would be 5 (Fig.3).

Fig.3

Again, point out that the number would have been different had she chosen a different letter. Write 5 below the 17 already written. Continue in this manner with rows three, four and five until you have 5 randomly (?) selected numbers written one below the other beneath the grid. (Note: It is important that the same letter is not chosen more than once. To circumvent this possibility, underscore each letter as it chosen. This will ensure that it is not used again.) Ask the assisting spectator to add up the five randomly chosen

numbers. The total will be 52. Figure 3 shows one of many possibilities. The total will always equal 52. Keeping the file card face up, hold the Devil's face over the candle flame. It will visually vanish leaving the number 52 showing.

Suggested Patter I usually talk about using numbers in everyday life when we pay a bill, make a purchase or look at the time. Hence numbers can appear to be quite mundane, innocuous and even boring to some people. I then give a brief talk about the possible origins of numerology, stating that some metaphysical scholars believe hat numbers can take on occult significance.

End Notes Credit for the number force belongs to MelStover and Maurice Kraitchik. The technique can be used to force almost any number. A tip of the hat to the person who discovered the unusual properties of the ink in the Pilot pen. By the way, if you pop a used file card into your freezer, the Devil's face will magically come back! Email: roger.curzon@btinternet.com

The Living and the Dead

Andrew Brown

The Story As I recall the strange events that took place on the 7.15 pm train from London to Manchester, I allow the logical side of my brain to review in detail the actions that transpired just a few hours earlier, to see how trickery could have been involved, but so far I am at a complete loss. Boarding the train on a Friday evening, with the usual monotonous long journey awaiting me, I sat in my usual seat next to the window. Surprisingly for this evening the carriage was unexpectedly quiet. Just prior to the train pulling away from the platform, a young man dashed through the doors and sat in the chair opposite me. After he had recovered his composure he introduced himself and after exchanging a few polite pleasantries we began to have a good conversation, I realised that for once the journey may not be as tedious as before. An hour or so later I mentioned how I was eagerly looking forward to attending the theatre on Saturday night to experience a Derren Brown show first hand, having seen the impact his TV programmes have on the general public. The young man listened intently and said that fate must have brought us together for he also had a similar passion but in his case it was to attend psychic demonstrations to see if genuine psychic abilities existed or was it all bunkum and simply a means to part people from their money. What he found surprising was how many people in the audience wished they had even a tiny fraction of the abilities they were witnessing but never ever considered having themselves tested to see if that were the case. Looking me in the eye he asked me if I had ever asked myself that very same question “Do I have any psychic abilities”. I answered “No”. Slowly he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small well-worn wallet and laid it on the table between us. “If I gave you an opportunity to test or measure in some small way whether you had an ability would you take it “ I answered without hesitation “Yes”. As he opened up the wallet carefully, I expected to see some of the famous Dr Rhine ESP symbols, having heard of the various tests they had been used in. No instead he took out a small bunch of photographs. With the packet of photos in his hands he proceeded to mix them up and lay each of the photos in a line before me. He went on to explain that should he tell me now what he hoped would be achieved this very knowledge may in fact act as a barrier to success and therefore he asked me to bear with him and all would be come clear at the end. Pointing to the photos he said that one of them was unique. Looking at the photos nothing sprang to mind as to which one was special. They were not of famous faces, a mixture of men and women and could be said to be fairly nondescript.

Taking a blank piece of paper out of his pocket, he proceeded to write something on it in secret, fold it and place it between us. Though my curiosity wanted to know what was on the paper, no information was forthcoming. I was asked to relax and place my hand right hand over each of the photos in turn. Having done so to take a moment’s pause and then push one photo out of the line towards myself. Looking back now I am one hundred percent sure he did not use any verbal manipulation on me and that my choice was free of any influence. Having carried out my part, he turned to me and told me that in certain cultures it is believed that when a photograph is taken of a person, a tiny part of their living essence is captured in the photo. The aborigines in Australia in the past believed so strongly in this that when the first pictures of them were taken they thought their souls had indeed been stolen and would lie down on the ground and slowly perish. What is also believed is that once a person dies the living essence captured in each of the photos dies with them. The young man looked at the photos on the table and after a brief moment asked me to pick up the folded note which had sat there untouched. Once again, I am certain that from the moment the note was written and placed upon the table neither of us had touched it until I picked it up just now. I carefully open the note and read his few words aloud so that both of us could hear. “I am holding the living and you are holding the dead” A puzzled expression was clearly showing on my face at this moment. Gathering up the cards in the line, he looked at me and said it was time for everything to become clear and with that he slowly showed me all the backs of the photos he held. The backs where simply all black with the word dead written in red many times over on it. Drawing my attention to the single photography before me, he asks me to turn it over. Its back was sky blue and the word living was written in white all over it. Somehow I had managed to detect the card with single living essence out of all the dead cards.

Working The idea for the effect is really a combination of ideas and principles from 4 different and existing effects.

_______________________________________ Killer Elite. I saw Andy Nyman perform this effect at my local magic club in Surrey. What struck me was firstly the quality of the props; they were professionally made and would last a lifetime of performances. Seeing these cards are not what the audience is expecting, rather they are expecting another card trick. The spectator has a completely free choice. The magician proves their choice by revealing a prediction. A story can be woven around the effect, increasing its impact. I then asked myself the following questions. The original uses just four items is there anyway of doubling that to say 8 items? The more items the less likelihood someone saying it was just chance that the prediction was right. How can I keep the selection a free choice but eliminate or reduce the number of outs? With the original to the audience the prediction is not clearly visible and only revealed at the end. Therefore how could I have one written prediction on display before the spectator makes their free choice? I have pondered these questions for many a month waiting for a solution to come to mind.

_______________________________________ As luck would have it, I recently returned to reading one of my favourite books on card magic – “The Card Magic of Nick Trost”, in which is his original description of his effect – “Eight Card Brainwave.” It dawned on me that the principle behind this effect (Olram display) could help in answering some of my questions. The number of items to choose from was eight, the cards could be given a Charlier shuffle mix, the spectators choice was 100% free of any influence and the number of outs for the prediction was not eight but only two. However, the original effect just demonstrated that the spectator picked the odd coloured backed card and for me, I wanted something stronger than this which could also have a good script around it. Furthermore there was no prediction unlike Killer Elite.

So my final problem, was how to have just one written prediction not two and for it to be visible from the very beginning.

_______________________________________ The prediction principle used in the effect “Free Will”, I have applied to other effects I have come up with. The principle uses one piece of paper but allows for two predictions subject to who is reading the prediction, the spectator or the magician. Having solved problem number two, I knew almost immediately that the Free Will principle was the way to go but not sure how to fit the wording to the effect so it read correctly with both outcomes, or indeed what was to be predicted at this stage.

_______________________________________ A new email magic buddy of mine asked me about the effect OOTW and which version I would recommend. I listed for him the 12 versions I had knowledge of with their pros and cons and in passing mentioned the DB version using photos on one of his shows. This was the last piece of the jigsaw, rather than using cards in the Nick Trost effect small portrait photos could be used with the same prop quality as in Killer Elite and now I have two outcomes on the backs of the photographs “Living and Dead “

Summary The effect consists of 8 portrait cards – the backs of 4 are black with the word “DEAD” written numerous times and on the other 4 cards sky blue backs with the word “LIVING” (see Fig.1). Note, that the illustrations show an all-over back colour, however, I suggest the backs have a white border so that the colours cannot flash at the edges when the cards are face up.

Fig.1

The cards are set up with the backs alternating living and dead (Fig.2).

Fig.2

When the packet is removed portrait side up from the wallet they are given a Charlier shuffle and placed on the table in a line or spread between the hands for walk around situation. The prediction is written by the magician and placed on the table. The spectator makes a free choice and slides the card towards him. The magician picks up the remaining cards such that the packet is in effect cut at the point where the spectator made their choice. The appropriate person now reads the prediction. To know who is to read, the portraits are linked to the backs. That is the male old and female young portraits have dead on the back and the male young and female old portraits have living on the back.

When the spectator makes his choice you will know from the portrait if he has a living or dead card. If he has a living card, he reads the prediction “I am holding the living you are holding the dead “ If he has a dead card, then magician reads the prediction “I am holding the living you are holding the dead “ By having this prediction, it becomes the focus of the effect and takes the heat off the cards and therefore less likely anyone will ask to check to see if the cards are gaffed.

The Clairvoyant Card

Andrew Brown The effect came about after seeing Peter Nardi of Alakazam demonstrate his trick Knock ‘em Dead. The essence of the effect and impression left with the spectator was that they could deal cards face down onto a table or hand, stop when they desire and yet it could be demonstrated that the card stopped at was known in advance to the performer who left within the pack irrefutable proof of his clairvoyance. The criteria the effect must meet are as follows:

To use an ordinary deck. To be sleight free. The spectator to be left with the impression his card was chosen at a position he

freely decided upon. The effect to be performed in the spectator’s hands solely. Evidence left in the pack providing proof the outcome was known in advance.

Set up

A blue backed deck of cards with the Jack of Hearts on top and a red backed Jack of Hearts. The red backed Jack of Hearts is placed facedown 5th from the bottom of the blue backed deck (Fig.1).

Fig.1

The red backed court card was chosen because in my experience court cards leave a longer lasting impression in the spectator’s mind compared to a spot card after the effect is over and when they recall the effect or recount it to friends some time later.

Working 1. The performer takes out the blue deck and removes it from its box. At the same time he explains to the spectator that there are various paranormal skills, all of which are rare talents in the extreme but in addition some are far more difficult than others. For example, telekinesis the power to bend objects, for example Uri Geller bending spoons is easier to demonstrate than say telepathy. Of all the paranormal skills the most difficult to demonstrate under test conditions and achieve a successful outcome is

clairvoyance or precognition, the ability to see future events even just for a brief glimpse. The test itself need not be on a grand scale or elaborate, requiring a laboratory, rather a pack of cards and a willing assistant is all that is needed to perform the test, having a successful outcome is another matter entirely. 2. The performer now gives the deck a closed Riffle Shuffle, where only the top corners of each packet are interlaced and then the packets are pushed together to ensure the red backed card is not flashed. (No waterfall Riffle Shuffles). The top card must remain in its position after the shuffle has been completed. The deck is given to the spectator to hold face down in his left hand. He is asked to relax his mind, then to imagine cutting off a small packet of cards, turning it face up onto the top of the deck and noting the face up card. The performer mimics these actions with his hands to show the spectator what he is to visualise in his mind. After a few moments the performer asks the spectator the name of the card he saw face up in his mind. 3. Now at this point there are a number of scenarios. Best outcome, though a 1 in 52 chance, is if he names the Jack of Hearts. The performer asks the spectator to turn over the top card of the deck he holds, which is the blue backed Jack of Hearts. The performer suggests that some people would think this was all down to chance, a 1 in 52 chance to be precise but to prove that you used the skill of precognition you inform him that even before the effect began you left within the deck a note to yourself of what card you believed the spectator would see in his mind. The spectator is asked to look through the cards and see if he can spot the note. He discovers that there is one single red backed card in the deck, he turns it over and it the Jack of Hearts, providing the proof that the law of probability or chance had nothing to do with the successful outcome of the test. For the majority of the time the spectator calls out another card – the four of hearts. Now he is asked to carry out the very action he imagined in his mind and cut off a small packet of cards, turn them over and place them back on the deck. Should the face up card in fact be the Four of Hearts, play up this opportunity and congratulate the spectator on his newly developed skill of precognition and end the effect there. If as expected the face up card is not the card he imagined, the performer offers the spectator words of encouragement and explains again that of the rare paranormal skills this is the most difficult one to develop. 4. The spectator is asked to try again and to go through the same process in his mind but this time to cut deeper into the facedown part of deck turn it over and note the top card. Once again the spectator calls out the card he saw in his mind.

He is asked to carry out the very action he imagined in his mind but this time make a deeper cut and take off a larger packet of cards, turn them over and place them back on the deck. Should the face up card in fact be the card he called out then play up this opportunity and congratulate the spectator on his newly developed skill of precognition and end the effect there. In most cases the two cards called out will not match the top cards so the effect proceeds as follows. 5. The performer now explains that the actions he asked the spectator to carry out served two purposes. Firstly to prove how difficult precognition is and secondly to distract his conscience mind when making the two random cuts. The performer now asks the spectator if he has any idea how many cards he has cut face up, with the normal response being no. By asking the question, ‘does he know how many cards are face up’ implants a suggestion in the spectator’s mind that the number is indeed random which is in fact the truth. The act of him counting the cards slowly onto your face up hand provides time misdirection for the cut deeper force to be forgotten as incidental. 6. The performer places his right hand palm up near the deck held by the spectator and asks the spectator to slowly count the face up cards one at a time onto his hand turning them face down as he does so. As the last face up card (14th card) is dealt onto the performer’s hand, the performer immediate turns his head away to ensure he cannot catch a glimpse of any card and asks the spectator to take the 15th and first facedown card on the cards he holds, look at it and remember it, this will be the blue backed Jack of Hearts due to the use of the cut deeper force. Before he turns back, the spectator is asked to pocket the card. The act of pocketing the card prevents the spectator later from drawing a false conclusion that somehow using skill or sleight of hand the performer managed to learn the name of the card. The balance of the cards in the spectator’s hand are now dropped onto the cards in the performer’s hand and the deck returned to the spectator. This action now places the red backed Jack of Hearts in a more central position. To strengthen the effect and make it harder for the spectator to back track the effect later the performer now recaps what has occurred so far. Namely a packet of cards was thoroughly shuffled, the spectator made two random cuts whilst his conscience mind was distracted and in his pocket is the 15th card out of a choice of 52. 7. The performer focuses his attention on the spectator and asks him to concentrate on the card and picture it clearly in their mind. With apparent effort the performer reveals first the colour of the card – RED, then the suit – HEARTS and finally the value – JACK.

The spectator is not asked to confirm any of the above revelations. Rather he is asked to simply remove the card from their pocket after the performer has revealed the value to be a Jack and hand the performer the card proving he has used telepathy to read the spectators mind. Displaying the blue backed card, the performer explains to the spectator that what they saw could be as a result of telepathy, however this was not the purpose of the test rather the goal was to see if precognition the ability to glimpse into the future could be possible. 8. Directing his attention to the face down blue backed deck held by the spectator, the performer states that prior to the effect even beginning you left within the deck a note to yourself of what card you believed the spectator would cut to and place in his pocket The spectator is asked to look through the cards he holds and see if he can spot the note. He discovers that there is one single red backed card in the deck, he turns it over and it the Jack of Hearts, proving precognition rather than telepathy was the skill used to discover the name of the card. Email: a.brown@wtca.co.uk

Cabin Book Test

Anthony Brahams

Effect You give a book to a spectator and a sealed envelope to another which contains a prediction. The performer displays a clear plastic bag—which is not gimmicked—containing dozens of folded slips of paper. Each slip has a different six-digit number written on it. The spectator is offered a free choice (no force) of any slip. The slip is opened and the six digits revealed. The first two figures designate the page in the book. The next two numbers designate the line on that page. And the final two numbers designate the word in that line. The prediction envelope is now opened and the contents read out. You successfully predicted the word.

____________________________________ The above effect is a prediction; however, you can also present this as a mind reading effect by mentally divining the word instead of having it written.

____________________________________ The principle at play here can be applied to any suitable book. I have a paperback by Erle Stanley Gardner, a Perry Mason Mystery where the murder and most of the action takes place in a mountain cabin. Therefore the word 'cabin' appears many, many times throughout the book. A murder mystery is a good type of book to use as there could be a force word that is repeated throughout, such as a story that takes place in a school or on a stage. In the case of the book that I use, you have to go through the book and note numbers each time the word 'cabin' is seen. If you can find a suitable book that is also available in PDF format as an ebook, this would make your task very much easier! The bag used is ungimmicked and can be see-through. You now need to write a six-digit number on a slip of paper for every occurrence of the force word – in this example, ‘cabin.’ The number is created as outlined in the effect above, with the first two figures designating the page—the next two numbers designating the line, and the final two numbers designating where the word is on the line. For example: 9 1 2 4 0 3 would mean page 91 – line 24 – the 3rd word along. If your book has over 99 pages, simply extend the number on the slip to a seven digits, with the first three designating the page number. I also suggest that you use different coloured slips as it looks better. Place the slips into the bag and you a ready to perform the routine as outlined above. Website: www.thecairnpress.com

Drawing Close

Dominic Twose

A drawing duplication using an old gambler’s dodge.

Preparation All you need are four blank business cards and one or two pens.

Working

1. Give the spectator one of the cards on which to make a simple drawing. Look away while they do this, and position the remaining three cards, they are held in card dealing position in your left hand, blank faces facing you, but with the card closest to your palm upjogged an inch or more. It is held by the middle two fingers on the right and the side of the thumb on the left. The middle two fingers keep the card raised a cm above the rest of the packet on the right hand side. The other two cards are gripped at their top corners between your thumb and second finger (Fig.1 - note that this shows an under-view). This sounds convoluted, but it is actually straightforward, and needs to be got into quickly and casually while they draw. Fig.1

2. After they have drawn the picture ask them to drop it and the pen face down onto the table. They will put them between you. Pick up the pen with your right hand. With the left hand pick up their card and toss it further away to the left, saying, “Let’s get this out of the way.” That is what you appear to do, but actually you perform a variant of an old gambler’s switch as follows: Turn your left hand face down, and, with your middle finger and thumb, gather the drawn on card below the cards already held. With the side of the thumb draw it very slightly inwards – towards you – where it is gripped solely by the

side of the thumb against the base of the first finger (Fig.2).

Fig.2

Fig.3

Move your hand to the left, and toss out the upjogged blank card (Fig.3 shows an exposed view). It is reminiscent of the Three Card Monte throw. Your attitude is key – do not make a studied movement of this; act a very slight impatience; you do not want to be accused of peeking the card, so you want to get it away from the performance area, is what your actions suggest.

3. Do your mind reading performance, whatever that is, then turn the packet of cards towards you and make to start drawing. You’ll see their design staring you in the face. Do not smirk at this point. Pretend to draw something – really using the nail of your finger – then shake your head and apparently move the card to the back, but really move two cards to the back, so their drawing is the middle card of the three. Now begin again on the second card. This time duplicate their drawing – nearly. Take it off, and drop it face down onto the table. Act a little hesitantly; you are not sure if you are right. Pick up the card with their drawing to check it…put it on the face of your packet, and smile with relief. Pick up your drawing with your right hand, and glide down the face card of your packet, turning the left hand face down. Your right hand holds your card between the thumb and first finger, as your second and third fingers pull out the second card from the face of the packet – easy because of the glide – and hold the two cards in a fan. Drop the remaining cards in your pocket, as you turn the fan of two face up and show you were correct. Email: dominic@dominictwose.co.uk

Double Minded

Justin Higham

This uses Marlo’s ‘Double Thought – Single Deck’ (The Cardician / Marlo Meets His Match) as an out for Think-a-Card when you fail to correctly ‘fish’ for the selected card. It will be assumed that the reader is familiar with the basic mechanics of Think-a-Card in the following explanation.

Working 1. With a key card on top of the face-down deck, have a card Spectator Peeked by someone positioned on your right and take a break below it. Drop Cut half the cards above the break to the table, cut to the break and drop onto the first tabled pile, then Drop Cut the remainder in several portions on top of the first tabled cards. The result is the reassembled deck on the table in an un-squared condition, the peeked card just above the key. (See Control Systems, 1952, for more details.) 2. Pick up the deck and square, then turn it face up and Ribbon Spread it across the table as you have the first spectator look for their peeked card, “So that you can take one more look at the card and visualise it clearly.” While they do this, visually locate your key and remember the card behind it: the peeked selection. 3. Turn to a second spectator on your left and say, “In fact, why don’t you just look at a card as well [as you gesture towards the spread] and remember it. Form a clear impression of that card in your mind.” Here you track their eye movements a la Think-a-Card and try to see which card they finally decide upon. 4. Close up the spread and Multiple Undercut one or two cards from face to rear to give the illusion of mixing the cards, as you ask them to concentrate on their cards. 5. Now you fish for the colour and suit of the second spectator’s card. If you are correct, continue the fishing process until you are sure you have the right card, then go through the deck with faces towards you and remove their card, tabling it face down in front of them. 6. Have the first spectator now concentrate on their card, ‘pretend fish’ for this card (actually naming its attributes correctly), go through the deck again and remove the first spectator’s card, tabling it in front of them. Reveal both cards to end.

7. If your initial fish was incorrect, however, simply segue into ‘Double Thought – Single Deck’, asking them to concentrate harder, pausing, and then saying, “Ah, I think I have it.” Go through the deck (faces towards you) and remove the first spectator’s card, tabling it in front of yourself, then have the second spectator name their card as if to confirm your choice. 8. Now turn to the first spectator, and as they concentrate, run through and remove the just-named (second spectator’s) card, tabling it atop the first. Pick the two cards up, casually remove the bottom (apparently the top) card with the right hand as you have the first spectator name their card, and reveal it. Reveal the remaining, second spectator’s card to end. If, in Step 5, you are only 90% sure of having the right card, table it in front of yourself (instead of near to the spectator) and have them name their card as if to confirm your choice. If correct, carry on as before, tabling the first spectator’s card near to them, followed by casually sliding the second spectator’s card in front of them, and reveal both. If incorrect, turn to the first spectator and as you divine and remove their card, run the second spectator’s card to the rear (top) of the deck. Turn the deck face down and hold in left-hand dealing grip with a break below the top card, and pick up the two cards in front of you with the right hand by their inner right corners, thumb above and fingers below (Fig.1).

Fig.1

Spread the two cards, taking the lower card atop the deck by its outer left corner (Fig.2), and as you lightly toss the two cards to the table a couple of feet apart, Visual Retention Change the cantilevered card for the ‘broken’ selection (Figs. 3, 4 & 5 – note that the two cards should be dropped further apart than shown in the Figs. 4 & 5). Both selections can now be revealed.

Fig.2

Fig.3

Fig.4 Fig.5

End Notes Instead of using a key, you can glimpse the first card as in Derren Brown’s ‘Doublethink’ (‘The Devil’s Picturebook’). You can then use the standard Pressure Fan handlings of Think-a-Card on the second spectator. A three-card version that I have used is to Riffle Force a card on person A, Spectator Peek and glimpse with person B, and use Think-a-Card on person C. Remove and table the latter two cards first, then place the forced card on top of all. Cleanly reveal A's card first, followed by the other two. I usually force the AS, as it is easy to remember and cuts down on the memory work. Website: www.card-magic.com

Two-Person Book Test

Mike Hopley Your assistant is seated facing away from the company. A spectator opens a book, preferably borrowed, at any page. You take it and rapidly circle about half a dozen words. During the circling process you say nothing, nor do you speak during the rest of the experiment. Your assistant asks the spectator to choose any line containing a circled word, to slowly read the line aloud and then to focus on the word. After some deliberation, your assistant correctly divines the word being concentrated on. This test is repeated successfully several times. Finally, as a variation and to round off the experiment, your assistant asks the spectator to concentrate silently on the final digit of the page number. This, too, is successfully divined.

______________________ The method breaks down into two parts: coding the words and coding the final digit. I will take the coding of the words first. The main tool here is the number alphabet system in which ten consonant sounds stand for different numbers. There are various versions but the one I use is that popularised by Harry Lorayne in which:

t, d = 1 n = 2 m = 3

r = 4 l = 5

sh, ch, j, “soft” g = 6 k, “hard” c, “hard” g = 7

v, f = 8 p, b = 9

s, z = 10 You and your assistant need, of course, to memorise the code – an easy task actually.

So, let’s take the method from the point where you have been given any book, opened to any page. The only constraint here is that you don’t want illustrations, so, if necessary, have the spectator flick through further to a spot where there is “plenty of print”.

Taking the book you might see a line that reads, for example:

recipe which would always manage to tickle the taste buds

The first letter from the code to appear in this line is the letter “r” in “recipe” which signifies the number 4. Therefore, the fourth word in the line – “always” – would be circled.

Another line might read: appointed with no attempt at fairness or proper understanding of Here the “p” sound signifies 9 and so the ninth word – “understanding” – would be the one to pick out.

And that is it. Using this system it is easy to rapidly circle half a dozen or so apparently random words, aiming as far as possible to ensure that they appear at different locations in their respective lines. When the spectator reads the line to the assistant he will unknowingly code the position of the circled word. The assistant may well find it desirable to have the line repeated in order to check the position of the word before announcing it, but that would be perfectly acceptable, given the fact that this is an experiment in telepathy and should not appear too easy.

Incidentally, suppose you see a line which doesn’t have “enough” words in it, but you would still like to use the line for some reason. For example: accounting for such tastes. Here the hard “c” codes 7, but there are only four words. In such a case you would simply count to the end of the line (4) and then go back to the beginning to continue counting to 7. So, a count of 7 would actually take you to “such”, the third word in the line. A little experimentation will, I think, show how easy the system is to use.

The digit That, then, covers the coding of the words. The final digit of the page number, the divination of which rounds off the effect nicely, is coded differently. First of all, when the book is presented to you, focus on the left hand page and note the final digit of the page number. This digit will always be even—2, 4, 6, 8—or 0. Now, although I have referred above to circling words in the book, in fact you might employ any of five different ways of marking the words and each way will code a different digit as follows:

a large dot under a word = 0 (memory aid: a dot is almost nothing) a cross through a word = 2 (a cross is made of 2 lines) brackets round a word = 4 (originally I used a rectangle – 4 sided – but

simplified it to just the two end lines which became brackets)

a circle round a word = 6 (a circle is like lower part of a 6) a straight line under a word = 8 (straight is eight!)

Again you and your assistant need to remember this additional code.

So, when the open book is handed to you, you quickly note the final digit on the left hand page and immediately start marking words on that page accordingly – cross for 2, circle for 6, etc. At this point you have a choice. You could code the digit directly by saying out loud, for example: “I’m going to put brackets around a few random words …” Alternatively, you could say nothing and let your assistant discover the marking method by means of some innocent-seeming comments along the lines: Assistant: So, you have the book in your hands? Spectator: Yes. Assistant: And Mike has underlined a few words? Spectator: Well, he’s put brackets round them. Assistant: O.K. that’s fine, he’s marked them out in some way. Spectator: Yes, that’s right. The assistant now knows the digit in this case is 4. If you do adopt the more direct approach of commenting “I am circling/underlining” etc., make that the last thing you say until the end of the experiment. From the moment that you start marking the words, you should remain silent and out of your assistant’s field of vision so that it is obvious you have no opportunity to code anything (?)

By the way, if for some reason the spectator obviously wants to use the right hand page then just go along with his wishes and code as if you were using the left-hand page. Your assistant simply needs to be aware of the need to go forward one if necessary. For example: Assistant: I think the digit is 8 … Spectator: No. Assistant: … or 9 … I think 9, yes? You should, however, have no difficulty in using the left-hand page without causing any protest. After all, the selection of book and location within it have been totally free and the spectator has no reason to be at all suspicious. One further point, if the assistant fails to ascertain from the spectator whether the words are underlined/circled or whatever, you can always allow yourself the luxury of just a few words to clarify the situation: “Yes, I’ve circled a few words.” Alternatively, that part of the experiment can be dropped. No one, of course, will be any the wiser. Nevertheless, divining the digit is worth doing as it provides a change of direction and an effective climax.

End Notes

It is, I think, important as mentioned earlier, that you say nothing once you start marking the words. This does mean that it is up to your assistant to make clear to the spectator what the test involves by taking the initiative. For example, Assistant: The book is open in front of you? Okay. Now choose any line that has a circled word in it… Got one? Good. Now, slowly read out to me the whole line, but don’t give me any clue about the identity of the circled word… Thank you. Now silently focus on the circled word and concentrate hard … Although my description of this effect has assumed the performer and assistant are in the same room, it could be performed over the telephone. In this case, of course, the assistant

would not need to learn the codes – easy though they are – as they could be written on a card by the phone. The experiment could be presented not as telepathy but as a kind of psychological test. The spectator knows which word is underlined but is invited to try to conceal this from your assistant by reading the relevant line in a totally deadpan manner. Nevertheless, your assistant can detect the hesitation, change of pitch, signs of stress, etc. which disclose the truth. Similarly, the spectator knows which the correct digit is and as he counts slowly from zero to nine he will almost certainly give himself away – and, of course, he does! If the assistant is adept in using the codes then the roles of performer and assistant as described above could be reversed, the assistant marking the book and the performer receiving impressions – whether telepathic or psychological. One last point: since you are marking someone’s book (unless it’s one of your own) then make sure they are happy with this. Probably the best ploy is to use a soft leaded pencil. You or your assistant can then mark the book clearly but the mark can also be rubbed out easily afterwards if desired.

A card in motion

Mike Hopley The deck is divided between you and the spectator. From four random cards she makes a mental selection and these cards are placed cleanly in her half of the deck, the other half being then taken beneath the table. You mime removing a card from the spectator’s pile, looking at it and throwing it through the table top. You then successfully announce the card the spectator is thinking of and when your half-pack is spread on the table the spectator’s card is found reversed in the middle of it.

Preparation

First, you need to familiarise yourself with a simple mixing procedure. Hold four cards face down at the fingertips of the palm-up left hand and push two cards off the top of the packet into your right hand with your left thumb (it’s not necessary to make any attempt to keep them aligned – see Fig.1). Next, push the bottom card from the left hand on top of the right hand cards (Fig.2). Finally, put the remaining left-hand card under those in your right hand. In what follows I will refer to this manoeuvre as “the mix”. You also need to remember two numbers: 31 and 12.

Fig.1 Fig.2 A little preparation of the deck is also required. Rough the back of any spot card and the face of any other, mating them to create a double which should be on top of the deck at the start of the effect.

Working 1. Hold the deck in the left hand ready for overhand shuffling with the faces towards the spectator. Shuffle the deck, but retain the roughed double with the left hand fingers so that when you finish shuffling the double is still on top. Place the deck face down on the table, narrow end towards you, and have the spectator cut it into four piles. You now reach over and slide the top card of each pile onto your palm up left hand with your right, making it clear that you are not looking at any faces. One of these top cards will in fact be the

roughed double, but, as far as the spectator is concerned, you have simply taken from the deck just four random cards. 2. Leaving the cards face down in your left hand for a moment, have the spectator re-assemble the deck. Then have her cut off about half and place it in front of you, the other half remaining in front of herself. As she is doing this, casually do “the mix” a few times. This has no effect on the outcome but acclimatises the spectator to seeing you handle the cards in that way. You comment, “I’m going to show you these four random cards. I want you to look them over and then focus on one. Are you ready?”

3. You now fan the (supposedly) four cards with their faces towards the spectator, the bottom two indexes inclined one way and the top two indexes inclined the other way (Fig.3). “Look at the cards and focus on one right now,” you direct the spectator. At this point glance at her eyes. It is easy to tell whether she is looking at the left- or right-hand pair of indexes (from your point of view). Lower the fan, square it up and pause. “It’s important you have a very vivid image of the card in your mind.

So, just concentrate on the suit for now. Visualise its colour and shape.” Fig.3

It’s at this point that the first of the two numbers which you committed to memory becomes relevant. So, while talking in the above vein, you are bearing in mind the number 31, and if the spectator has looked to your left, you do “the mix” three times, while, if the spectator looked to your right, you do “the mix” once. There is no need to hurry. Concentrate on what you are saying. Appear to ignore the cards. 4. “This time, I want you to focus on the value of your card,” you continue. Again lift the fan as before and again note where the spectator is looking. Lower the fan and square up the packet. Now, the second number—12—becomes important. If the spectator focused on the left-hand pair, then do “the mix” once; if the focus was on the right-hand pair, then do “the mix” twice. Once more, keep everything casual and relaxed. At this stage, despite the apparent innocence of what has taken place, no matter which of the cards the spectator concentrated upon, it will now be at the bottom of the face down packet. 5. Holding this packet very cleanly at the narrow sides between right thumb and second finger, drop it onto your half of the deck, then immediately reach across and spread the spectator’s half deck across the table top with this hand. Your reason for putting your

cards down is thus seen to be the need to free the hand which is most conveniently able to make the spread. 6. Now take the top card of your half deck with thumb at one short end, second finger at the other, and the index finger lightly resting on top. If the short ends are bent upwards very, very slightly this single card can be picked up with the right hand and then inserted sideways—by its long edge—part-way into the spectator’s spread of cards. You are going to do this four times, but the point is of course that at some stage this lifting action is going to split the roughed double—so that although four cards are very openly taken off your half deck and placed at different locations in the spectator’s spread, at the end of this process the spectator’s card is still face-down on top of your half deck. During the transfer you patter along the lines, “You are thinking of one of four cards. It could be this one, this one, this one or this one,” and when “all” four cards have been placed in the spread, have the spectator push them flush and square up the packet. At this point there should be no doubt in her mind that her packet contains her thought-of card. 7. Move your left hand under the table and rap its underside with your left knuckles: “That seems about the right place!” Now pick up your half deck with your right hand, fingers at one end, thumb at the other, and move it under the table, where it is placed in the left hand. As you do so, however, quickly flip over the top card – i.e. the spectator’s selection – with your right fingers before bringing that hand back into view. 8. Now pretend to take an invisible card from the spectator’s packet with your right hand, drawing it across the table towards you and apparently bending it upwards in order to see its value. At the same time your left hand swings inward from the elbow so that the face up card on top of its packet is visible to you, but hidden from everyone else by the table. As you apparently glance at the invisible card you are in fact looking directly at the spectator’s card. This only takes a moment and once you know the card the left hand swings back to its previous position, and the right hand is raised ready to “throw” the spectator’s card through the table top. Make an appropriate throwing gesture, again rapping the left hand knuckles once for effect against the table. Pause and say, “Yes, I think that’s done it. Your card is now in my packet …Of course, the really impressive part is to retrieve your card and throw it back again into your packet!” Here you reach under the table with the right hand apparently to begin doing just that, but as the hands meet you take the opportunity to quickly cut the cards. Bring the right hand out again as if holding an invisible card – the left hand staying where it is for now – but then smile and say, “Sorry, that’s an old joke … but, really, I did take out your card and throw it into this packet,” and here you bring out the packet from under the table, placing it squared but face up in front of you. “I can prove it. Is your card in your packet?” The spectator looks through her packet and confirms the card has gone. “Of course it’s gone, I took it out! And when I looked at your card I could see it was the —” (naming the glimpsed card) “Is that your card?” The spectator must admit it is. “And in my packet there is now one stranger card.” Here you spread the packet to reveal

one face down, “stranger” card. “Please turn it over and see if it’s your card.” The spectator turns her selection face up, so bringing the trick to an effective climax. If you can perform a one-handed Pass then you can do all the work with the left hand: flipping over the top card, glimpsing it and then passing it to the middle. The joke about reversing the process can then be omitted.

Impromptu Version (A) 1. Have the shuffled deck cut into four piles, take the four top cards and carry out the 31-12 moves, secretly bringing the spectator’s choice to the bottom of the packet. Casually drop one card back onto each pile in any order you like, but keep track of where the final (the spectator’s) card falls. To reassemble the deck, with your right hand pick up the heap with the spectator’s card on top and gather up beneath it in no particular order the remaining three heaps. Jog-Shuffle to retain the top card. 2. Square up after the shuffle, with the backs of the cards facing to your left. Holding the deck with your right hand at the short edges, turn your right hand palm down and point with your right index finger at an area of the table in front of the spectator, saying, “Please place your right hand on the table here.” At the same moment, your right fingers swivel the spectator’s card slightly to the right so that you can read its index. The displacement of this card is hidden from the spectator(s) by the deck and the back of the right hand. 3. Swivelling the glimpsed card back into place and turning the deck face down, take the deck in your left hand. Angling the deck slightly towards you, with your left thumb push over the top few cards in a fairly tight spread so that the right hand can take five and casually square them without revealing how many there are. “We started with four cards, so we’ll finish with four. Please cover the rest of the deck with your right hand,” and here you place the deck onto the table so that the spectator’s right hand can cover it. 4. Take the packet of “four” cards in your left hand in glide position. “Of course, it’s possible that one of these four is the card you are thinking of. I’ll just show them to you. If your card is here I’ll have to do something slightly different.” With your right hand draw out the bottom card of the packet and, turning it face up, place it on the table, followed by the next bottom card, also face up on top of the first. Now perform the glide and remove the top two cards together, dealing them as one card, face up on those already tabled, followed by the remaining card. Do the display move fairly smartly, naming the cards as you do so. “Did you see your card?” you query, and the spectator will, of course, say no. Thanks to the above ploy, you have convincingly shown that there are just four cards and that the thought-card is not among them. “Good,” you comment, “ so I can carry on as planned.” Turn the face up packet of “four” face down and have the spectator cover it with his left hand.

5. Now mime drawing an invisible card from the pack under the spectator’s right hand. Pretend to look at it, then throw it towards the packet of cards under the spectator’s left hand. “Believe it or not, I have just removed the card you are thinking of from the deck under your right hand and thrown it into the packet under your left. First, let’s see if your card is still here.” Taking the deck from under the spectator’s right hand, ribbon spread it on the table. The spectator will confirm that his card has gone. “Second, when I took your card out I looked at it, and, although the image was very faint, I believe it was the 6 of hearts,” and here you name the glimpsed card. The spectator will confirm that you have named the card he was thinking of! “Finally, there were only four cards under your left hand, but now there are five…” Here you have the spectator remove his left hand so that you can spread the face down packet slightly, showing that there are indeed now five cards. You then turn the packet face up as a block, revealing the thought-card in the middle of the spread, as you continue, saying,. “…and the fifth card is none other than the 6 of hearts!” The move employing the glide was, I think, devised by Stanley Collins.

Impromptu Version (B) This is perhaps even easier than (a) in that there is no jog shuffle or glide. 1. Proceed as above, up to the point where you have re-assembled the deck with the spectator’s card on top. Turning the deck so that the faces are pointing towards the spectator, perform an overhand shuffle but retaining the spectator’s card in place with pressure from your left hand fingers. Let it be seen that you are making no attempt to look at any cards during the shuffle. 2. Take the deck face down in your left hand and, as with the previous version, angle the cards slightly towards you so that the left thumb can push off the top few cards in a tight spread, enabling your right hand to take five and square them without showing how many there are. Place the rest of the deck on the table and have the spectator cover it with her right hand. 3. Turn the packet of five face up but still squared on the palm of your left hand, tilted slightly towards you. You are now going to glimpse the spectator’s card, the one nearest your palm. To do this you simply exert a small amount of pressure with your left thumb just below the top left corner of the packet so that, with a little help from the right hand if necessary, four cards out of the five move over slightly as a block, but friction of the spectator’s card against your palm keeps this in place and thereby reveals its index. Once the glimpse is made, contract the left fingers slightly to square up the packet. As you are making the above moves, you say something to the effect:

“We started with four cards, and we’ll end with four. Of course,” and here you glance down at the cards in order to glimpse the index of the spectator’s card, “it’s possible that one of these is the card you are thinking of.” As you finish saying this, you hold the now-squared packet towards you and spread it so that the spectator’s card is hidden behind the second-to-last card. As the cards are facing you alone at this point, it is easy to make sure that the two final cards in the spread remain squared: “Mmm, if it is here, I’ll have to do things a little differently. Yes or no, is one of these your card?” And here you drop both hands, still holding the spread, so that the spectator can see the cards. She will, of course, say, “No.” “Good, that means I can stick to my original plan.” 4. Take the top two face up cards with the right hand and, loosely squaring them, drop them on the table. Immediately go back for the remaining cards, square them without revealing the hidden card and casually drop them on top of the two already on the table. Then turn the whole packet face down. This packet should be placed where the spectator can easily cover it with her left hand. She is, remember, already covering the remainder of the pack with her right. From this position, you can now finish as before. Mime removing a card from the deck, looking at it and throwing it at the packet of “four”. Then: Demonstrate that the spectator’s card is no longer in the deck; Reveal its identity; Show that it is now in the packet under the spectator’s hand. Email: hopley.family@tiscali.co.uk

The Ghost of the Ferry Boat Inn

Roger Ferrriby A spectator is asked if they had a pet dog as a child or indeed a dog now. They are asked to secretly print the dogs name on a playing card, and then face down insert it back into the pack of cards for safe keeping. The mentalist has of course turned away and genuinely does not know the name written, but turns around and relates the story of ghostly appearances each year on the 17th March at the inn situated just south east of Huntingdon in a small village called Holywell, and next to the river Great Ouse. Each year the bar is packed with people jostling each other for a hopeful view of the ghost of Juliet Tewsley and her faithful Collie dog as the clock strikes midnight. Her gravestone is now part of the floor in the pub's extension. The story dates back to the 17th March 1050, when Juliet had fallen madly in love with a woodcutter called Thomas Zoul, a love that was scorned by Thomas. Deeply upset, Juliet hanged herself on a nearby tree, to which her faithful dog would return to day after day after her death. The dog would not eat, and sadly pined away, having lost his mistress. The authorities ruled that Juliet must be buried at a nearby crossroads, being the usual place for those who committed suicide. Kind villagers buried her dog next to her after its death. Eighteen years later, the Ferry Boat Inn was built close to the grave which was marked by a single stone slab. In time the inn was extended and Juliet's stone was left to form part of the floor. Very few have seen Juliet's ghost rise from her grave in the pub floor over the years, but on certain cold, dark rainy nights, the poor Collie can be heard whining under the tree. The performer then apologizes for not giving the dog's name, which is then revealed to be exactly the same as the spectators pet secretly written on the playing card.

Explanation I have always been a great advocate of the KISS formula. For those who don't know, it stands for Keep It Simple Stupid. Mentalism is mostly performance orientated, to create the correct atmosphere for the effect. Getting hold of the necessary information is easy, The effect is made by what you do with it. This story-telling effect is really to illustrate the use of a great utility item I came across around 25 years ago. It was invented by a magician sadly no longer with us, Charles Crowley, who gave me permission to use it. You will need a pack of cards, a very sharp craft knife and a little patience. Take the cards out of the box, and retain around six, placing these to one side. All the rest of the pack needs the center of the cards removed as per figure 1.

Fig.1

The back of the card case is cut out exactly the same, with the front flap side left completely intact. Place all the cut out cards back into the card case, so the deck is completely hollowed out. Turn the pack over onto its front, and it will look a completely normal deck. Now just as an experiment, take one of the six cards put to one side, place a sticker in the middle, write anything on it, and then slide it back into the middle of the deck. Now pick up the deck, and in doing so you will get a natural glimpse of the hollowed out side on moving the deck from one side to the other, or putting the deck into you top pocket and you have your information. Always leave the spectators card slightly sticking out of the pack for ease of extraction at the end. You also need to experiment with your card case as to how many whole cards to put on to the top of the deck, so as to not make the inserts too tight. By using a sticker on the middle of the card, you confine the spectator to print the information in exactly the position you want it. For those purists who do not wish to use playing cards, Peter Warlock invented a stack of small envelopes, made in exactly the same way as the card deck. The envelope deck can be enhanced if you wish by using Roy Johnson's brilliant switch, utilizing Alan Shaxon's flap. This is not mine to expose, but can be found in Roy's books, which contain some very good mental magic/mentalism in them. Chas Crowley's original idea with the card case may also have been invented by others over the years, but I have yet to read of any. Chas's idea can be utilized for many duplication type effects and is so much easier and far cheaper than many of the peak wallets on the market today. Email: roger.ferriby@btinternet.com

My Ching:

A Personal Reading and Ancient Forecast

By

Dr Todd Landman The Metaphysical Magician

Requirements

1. A set of I-Ching cards (preferably ones without the numbers on the face) 2. Feng Shui elephant (or equivalent cool Chinese icon) 3. Chinese envelope (or parchment) 4. Chinese bag 5. I-Ching book (optional but adds gravitas to the proceedings, the Ritsema and

Sabbadini edition is the recognised authority, although Wilhelm is also good with a nice intro by Carl Jung)

Effect The performer/reader introduces a Chinese bag from which he removes a deck of I-Ching cards and explains that the original system started centuries ago and is based on the vision of imagery on the back of a turtle...8 elemental cards are displayed and the basics of the hexagram system are explained. The 64 cards are dealt face up on the table in an 8 x 8 array. The performer introduces a small Feng Shui elephant made of resin and asks the participant to place the elephant on any card in the first row of cards. That card is then retained, and the cards from the corresponding row and column from which that card was chosen are removed. The participant uses the elephant to select any card in the next row of cards and the same process of retention and elimination is repeated. This process is repeated 6 more times, such that the participant has 8 cards that have been randomly and freely selected. The cards are turned over and each card is labelled with a different number and meaning. A small reading is given based on the 8 cards and then the participant is asked to total the value of the cards. The envelope, which has been on the table the whole time, is opened to reveal the following message:

'You have consulted the ancient I-Ching oracle, which has travelled through the mists of time and has been used to produce a unique reading that has a certain correspondence to your current life path. But the oracle of I-Ching maintains a strong link between the microcosm of your life and the macrocosm of the forces of the universe. The oracle reveals that your life is reflected in a particular hexagram: Da Chu, which means The Great Accumulating and Taming. You are confronting and engaging with a noble, important and large set of issues for which you possess the necessary will to orient yourself towards the pursuit of your goals. Moreover, the Da Chu hexagram is number 26 and when a 0 is added to it, the number 260 matches the total of the 8 hexagrams to which you were naturally drawn.'

Working

The cards are in order from 1 to 64 and dealt face up on the table in that order. The cards are in a matrix that can use the concept of a 'forcing matrix' (see Max Maven's 'Rainbow Matrix' in Prism, and Doug Dyment's Deceptionary web pages at www.deceptionary.com). The total for an 8 x 8 matrix is 260. The process of elimination with the elephant means that a random set of mutually exclusive cards are chosen and will always total to 260! (see, the example below) You can add readings for the 2nd, 6th, and 8th hexagrams, use numerology, and can relate the 64 squares to a chess board as well.

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1 + 10 + 19 + 28 + 37 + 46 + 55 + 64 = 260 I used a simple one or two word translation for each card taken from Ritsema and Sabbadini (see below), and then printed them onto Avery labels with the number of the

card (1–64) and the associated meaning of the cards. You will need a large table area to set out the 8 x 8 matrix. This effect is perfect for a small gathering at an after dinner show, or parlour performance.

1. CREATIVE 2. RECEPTIVE 3. DIFFICULTY 4. YOUTH 5. AWAITING 6. CONFLICT 7. ARRAY 8. UNITY 9. RESTRAINT 10. TREADING 11. PEACE 12. STAGNATION 13. FELLOWSHIP 14. WEALTH 15. MODESTY 16. ENTHUSIASM 17. FOLLOWING 18. REFINEMENT 19. MEETING 20. CONTEMPLATION 21. BITING THROUGH 22. GRACE

23. DEPARTURE 24. RETURNING 25. INNOCENCE 26. TAMING 27. NOURISHMENT 28. DOMINATION 29. UNFATHOMABLE 30. BRIGHTNESS 31. CANVASSING 32. PERMANENCE 33. REFUGE 34. POWER 35. PROGRESS 36. DARKNESS 37. FAMILY 38. OPPOSITION 39. OBSTACLE 40. LIBERATION 41. HOLDING BACK 42. GROWTH 43. BREAKTHROUGH 44. MEETING

45. ASSEMBLY 46. GROWING 47. EXHAUSTION 48. WATER SOURCE 49. REVOLUTION 50. COOKING VESSEL 51. SHOCK 52. STILLNESS 53. ADVANCE 54. BRIDE 55. OVERFLOW 56. TRAVELLER 57. WIND 58. JOYFUL 59. SCATTERING 60. LIMITATION 61. TRUTH 62. DEFERENCE 63. COMPLETION 64. NOTHINGNESS

Website: www.metaphysical-magician.com

Fooler’s Gold – T. A. Waters

As described by David Britland Now before you start, yes, I know, T. A. Waters wasn’t English. But he did devise some mentalism with the English in mind. Let me explain. Back in 1996 I had the great fortune to meet and work with T. A. Waters. T. A., as he was often called, had developed an idea for a television show entitled The Mind of Dr Frost. He mentioned this to Sebastian Cody of Open Media, the production company who made Simon Drake’s The Secret Cabaret, and together we developed the idea into a proposal which resulted in a commission from the BBC to make a taster tape which would show the idea in action. It was during the production of that tape in London that I got to work with T. A. and help turn his ideas into television. I think we made a great pilot but for whatever reason the show was never commissioned. Two years later T. A. died and the idea of the show died with him. But like T. A. it doesn’t deserve to be forgotten. This then is a taster of the taster so to speak. It is one of the items that we filmed for the pilot. And it’s one of my favourites.

Effect Imagine the scene. T. A. Waters plays the part of Dr Frost. The audience of about 50 specially invited people believe that he is an experimental psychologist and that everything he does is firmly rooted in psychology. Except Frost works at the dark fringes of that science. He tells us the kind of things we ought not to know. Or perhaps, don’t want to know. And here is Dr Frost now, looking a little like Lex Luthor, his shaven bald head a testament to his incredible intellect. Several assistants go out into the audience with mesh bags filled with gold-wrapped chocolates in the shape of coins. As the coins are distributed, Frost speaks:

Don’t remove the foil yet, or eat the chocolate, because I have a special surprise for you. I like to give positive reinforcement – you know, the way a behavioural psychologist does with mice – and you are very good subjects, so far at any rate. But about that surprise. One of you already knows something that the rest of you don’t – that he or she doesn’t have a chocolate coin. And I know something that they don’t, which is that if they try to eat their coin they might choke on it – because it’s made of solid gold. A coin from my private collection – and whoever is holding it is going to walk out of here a lot richer – if only they are a good liar. We’ve all heard of lie-detectors—polygraph machines – but these devices aren’t new. The ancient Chinese use a kind of electric eel, a fish strapped to the suspect’s hand. None of these machines or devices detect lies, they only measure the stress you create in your body when you tell a lie. Any psychopath can pass a polygraph examination with ease. Let’s see how you do. All you have to do is lie to me when I ask if you are holding the gold coin. If you can do that successfully – if you’re completely convincing in deceiving me, in lying to me – why, then, you get to keep the gold. Virtue may be its own reward but tonight lying and deception pay better.

Dr Frost moves in among the audience each of whom is holding a coin.

Let’s strip this problem down to size. I’d like only the men – as a group – to respond. Say ‘No’ – all of you – when I ask you now: are you holding the gold coin?

All the men shout out ‘No’ in response. Frost pauses, smiles.

Mmm. Yes. Thank you. I think I’ve got it. However, as the coin is from my private collection, and I want to get it back, let me make sure. Same thing as before but this time just the women. Do you have the gold coin?

All the women shout out ‘No’ in unison. It makes people smile, everyone shouting at the same time. Frost smiles too but for different reasons.

As I thought – one of the men is holding the gold coin. What I was doing just now was listening for a stress tone – and it was present among the men but not the women. This is actually the easy part – any musician can detect that there’s one bad instrument in a group.

Once more – this time only the men on this side of the room. Do you have the gold coin?

Frost indicates the right hand side of the room and all the men in that section respond. He appears to detect the stress tone in that section of the audience and asks the men to stand up. They do, there are about eight of them.

Let’s change things around a bit. I’m going to ask you a few questions. If you don’t have the gold coin, tell the truth. If you do have the gold coin you can lie or be as truthful as you wish. Understand?

Dr Frost moves closer to each man as he asks them a question. He addresses each of them individually, asking the same question of several different men:

Were you good in school? Are you well liked by your colleagues? Would you ever lie on a job application? Ever shoplift anything? Do you trust your girlfriend?

Those he is not interested in he asks to sit down. Finally there are only two men left standing. He asks another question. He asks it twice of each man. Then he tells one of the men to sit down. Now only one man is standing.

Thank you gentlemen. As to you (the last man standing) you’re good. You’re really very good. You’d do almost anything to hang onto that gold coin wouldn’t you? Why, there isn’t a lie you wouldn’t tell if it meant that much money, is there? The rest of you (the audience) unwrap your coins and enjoy the chocolate. As for you (the man) you’re a liar we can all be proud of; perhaps you have a career in politics – but for now – you’re just not quite good enough. You have the gold. Unwrap the coin and drop it on the tray.

One of Dr Frost’s assistants is to hand, holding out a small metal tray. The gentleman unwraps the coin and drops it onto the tray. It hits it with an audible clank. Everyone can hear that the gold coin has been found. Cue applause.

Working The method was simplicity itself. One of the assistants is armed with a mesh Change Bag. In one half of the Change Bag are gold coins wrapped in foil. In the other half are regular chocolate coins. Before the show we pinpoint someone in the audience that we want to force the chocolate coin on using the change bag. That’s the man the assistant will force the gold coin on. Everyone else gets a chocolate coin. We had decided that it would be a man because he would respond better to Frost’s aggressive questioning. It wouldn’t look right to use the same interrogative technique on a woman. We wanted the man to be in a spot that allowed as many of the audience as possible to see him when he stood up. Half way back on one side of the room was fine. We wanted him to be within easy reach of Frost and the assistant who would bring on the metal tray. And, most importantly, since this was a television show, we needed him to be in a good position for our cameras. There was a kicker to the trick. Frost made a little speech as follows:

Ah, but I did say, back there at the beginning, that I had a surprise for all of you. As a matter of fact, in my psychopharmacological research I have developed a chemical, a drug that has a very interesting effect on the acetylcholine levels in the brain. It takes about six minutes to act. It’s tasteless, odourless – and it’s on one of the chocolate coins you’ve been eating. So in a short while you may see some very odd behaviour from one of you. But don’t worry, it’ll just be the drug…or…or maybe there isn’t any drug. Maybe I’m lying. Can you tell?

Then later in the show, almost off screen, we were going to have one of the people in the audience fall off their chair and collapse onto the floor! Well, it made us laugh when we wrote it.

End Notes At some point in the future I hope to make available all the scripts for the show and describe how we took the concept from idea to pilot. But for now I hope this serves as little tribute to T. A. Waters and reminds us of the importance of scripting a performance. This is a powerful routine yet all the magic is in the script. It’s a good lesson to remember. Website: www.davidbritland.com

Ring Master

Walt Lees I would categorise this as mental magic rather than mentalism, insofar as it is very much prop based. A small bag is displayed from the opening of which dangle several pieces of rope. (Their precise number can vary according to how long you want the presentation to last. Three would be the minimum but you could have as many more as you liked within reason.) The performer explains that tied to the end of one is a valuable gold ring. The others have nothing attached to them. Several members of the audience are allowed to pull out the ropes until only one remains unchosen. Whoever gets the ring can keep it. In true Tom Sellers’s Just Chance style, nobody wins the ring and it is left to the magician to remove the final rope and show it hanging from the end. He then unties it and invites a spectator to feel inside the bag. A small card is discovered bearing the message: “The Ring always stays with its Master!” or some such nonsense.

Requirements

The bag can either be unfaked or, if you want to do the bit with the message card at the end, it will need to be a flat Change Bag. The bit with the card is only a pretext to let people see that the bag is empty (which it isn’t). But it really isn’t necessary. The pieces of rope are about ten inches long, and you will need a cheap gold ring for each one. So if you are using six ropes, you want six rings.

For each piece of rope you must make a gimmick for a Pat Conway style sliding knot. The gimmicks look like photo 1. To make one, take a piece of rope about three and half inches long and sew the ends together forming a circle. Trim off any loose strands and, to tidy the job up, treat the join with Copydex or some other white/transparent glue to prevent fraying.

Fig.1

The only other thing you need is the message card if you want to use one.

Set Up Figure 2 shows how the gimmicks and rings are attached to the ropes.

Fig.2 Fig.3

Pay particular attention to where and how the rope passes through the gimmick. If it is on correctly, when you pull the ends, everything should tighten up as in figure 3 and the ring will look exactly as if it is securely tied onto the rope. In fact, both gimmick and ring can slide up and down the rope … and off the end. For now, move the ring to near one end as in figure 4. Prepare all the ropes in this way and then insert them into the bag as in figure 5, so the rings cannot be seen.

Fig.5

Fig.4 Note that, if you are using a Change Bag, they should all be in the same compartment and the message card should be in the other one.

Working

1. Hold the bag as in figure 6 with the opening encircled by your finger and thumb. Invite audience members to pull out the ropes until only one is left.

Fig.6

As each is withdrawn, your grip prevents the rings and gimmicks from emerging; so the ropes are pulled clear of them. When only one rope is left, pull it out having first changed your grip on the bag so that the ring is allowed to remain attached.

If you are not using a Change Bag, just toss the bag aside as though it was of no importance and focus all your attention on the ring. If you are using a Change Bag, grip it under your arm for a moment, freeing your hands to “untie” the ring. This is the real convincer because with the Conway gimmick the apparent untying looks exactly as it would with a proper knot. Figure 7 shows how one hand grips the rope, while the other pulls upwards on the bit just above the thumb. I have had to omit the right hand in the picture, as I was using it to hold the camera!

When the end of the rope comes through the loop of the gimmick, the ring is released and can drop into your waiting hand. At the same time, the other hand curls around the gimmick and hides it in a finger palm (Fig. 8).

Fig.7

Put the ring on your finger and either discard the rope and gimmick together, or else slide the gimmick off the rope as you pull the latter out of the hand that holds it,

showing it to be just like all the others.

Fig.8

You can then get rid of the gimmick at leisure. Finally, open the bag to expose the card and allow someone to remove it, thereby establishing by inference that the bag is empty.

End Notes It’s probably only magicians who would feel the need to demonstrate the bag’s emptiness at the end. No doubt the true mentalist would just casually toss it aside without bothering. After all, why shouldn’t it be empty — it’s just a bag? The ploy of putting something in for a person to take out, thereby demonstrating its emptiness without saying so was given to me by Jim Breedon. Under no circumstances should you pointedly turn the bag inside out. This would draw far too much attention to it. If you bind the ends of the ropes with coloured tape, not only will it stop them fraying, it will also forestall any thoughts about an extra piece with a ring on, being attached to the end by a magnet. Finally, I must give some credit to Pavel, whose original sliding knots inspired Pat Conway’s development of the principle. However, the above trick would not be possible with the Pavel knots. Email: waltlees@btinternet.com

Mentalist’s Luncheon

Andi Gladwin

While I am not a mentalist, I certainly enjoy dabbling in mentalism by applying magic principles to mentalism feats. This particular idea is a way of using the Out to Lunch principle as a peek device.

_______________________________________ The idea is simple: prepare a stack of business cards with a thick rubber band around them (the thicker the better), ready to be utilised for the Out to Lunch principle (fig.1 – shaded area represents the secret half card) which is held in place by a thick rubber band.

Fig.1

Working 1. Hand someone the stack of business cards and ask her to write down a two-digit number, casually pointing to the half-card gimmick portion of the stack. By handing the stack to the participant with the gimmick side at the top, the participant will naturally write their number above the band. But, should you feel it necessary, you can draw a square in which the participant should write. 2. As the participant is writing, be very bold about the fact that you don't want to see anything. Then, to concrete this, once she has written down the number, ask her to turn the stack over book-wise (a gesture by way of example will help ensure that the packet is turned over this way) so that you cannot possibly see what number she has written. 3. Ask the participant to keep the stack of cards in this position but to reach under and remove the bottom business card, again keeping it writing side down. Again, use a

gesture is necessary to show the participant exactly what to do: she should reach under the short end closest to her body and pull out the lowermost card. Ask that she keep the writing facing down to the table at all times so that there's no possible way you can look at her selected number. This is of course, convenient as this business card does not having any writing on! 4. Next, ask that she places the stack of cards on the table so that she has both hands free. Again, keeping the card writing-side down, she is to fold the card in half and then drop the folded card in your pocket. 5. To acquire your glimpse, pick up the Out to Lunch stack and look at the number written on the gimmicked portion! As suitable reason for picking up the stack, I suggest that you write down your prediction below the gimmicked piece and then remove it, before placing the stack of business cards in your pocket. You can now ask the participant to tell everyone the number that she is thinking of, leaving you to display your correct prediction written on the business card.

Additional ideas

a) One idea that I had with this was to write something such as, "Thanks for letting me read your mind!" on top of the business card that sits directly under the Out to Lunch gimmick. Then, the participant can place the folded card in her pocket. When she looks at the card later, she experiences another effect—that of the writing changing. This idea depends very much on whether you agree with mixing mentalism and magic. b) If you don't feel comfortable leaving the participant in control, simply take the stack back from her after she has written down her number and do the dirty work for her.

Credits

This idea, like all simple ones, feels like it should have been applied before. In my research however, I haven't been able to find the idea in print. The earliest use of Out to Lunch that I'm aware of is William Larsen Sr.'s "Finger Prints" from the Sphinx Volume 22, Number 5 (July, 1923). Larsen's idea makes use of a lined notebook with the short piece being cut along one of the lines. I think that the glimpse idea would fit perfectly with a notebook. I should also give a nod to Clare Cummings and Bob Ellis, who released their "Out to Lunch" packet trick in 1947. This trick, retailing at $1, utilised the principle on business cards. The name Out to Lunch comes from Cummins and Ellis' trick, where a drawing of an Egyptian boy climbing a rope changed to an out to lunch sign. It may be of interest that William Larsen Sr. wrote that the Cummins and Ellis trick was the best pocket trick of 1947. He did not associate it with his effect, which seemed to be the first use of the principle, 25 years earlier. His article appears in Genii Volume 12, Number 11 (July, 1948). Website: www.andigladwin.co.uk

Crab

Chris Hare I’m calling this effect CRAB as it takes an additional sideways step to an old effect. Furthermore, the letters C R A B will come into play in most of the audience’s mind. Although at first, the set up to this effect may seem familiar, a new twist gives an opportunity to have a higher hit rate and a powerful pictorial punch to finish.

_____________________________ The performer invites the audience to shout out in unison the next number in a simple sequence (performer’s call is in lower case and the audience response is in capitals):

“one …TWO … three … FOUR … five … SIX … seven … EIGHT…” Just as the audience is expecting the performer to call the number nine, suddenly ask them to silently think of a vegetable. Readers familiar with this effect will know that most of the audience will be thinking of a carrot or a cabbage. Most people are likely to think of a carrot, as it is a brightly coloured vegetable, which the mind will be attracted to, as it quickly searches for a suitable response. The human mind is also likely to think of a word beginning with a hard sounding C when hurried. The hard sounding C theory is why some people may think of a cabbage, if they are inclined to be audio thinkers. Although most people are likely to think of a carrot given that a carrot is brightly coloured and begins with a hard sounding C. However, there is likely to be a too large a percentage of people thinking of a cabbage, to be ignored. The problem is how to decipher whether someone is thinking of a carrot or a cabbage. The solution is not to decipher who is thinking of what vegetable but to combine both thoughts. Furthermore, the performer will not mention either a carrot or a cabbage during the routine, so that at the final outcome, the vast majority of the audience’s mental imagery will be revealed in an instant. Thus causing the audience to gasp spontaneously. Having got the audience to think silently of a vegetable, ask them to take an imaginary piece of chalk and write the first three letters of their vegetable on an imaginary blackboard.

this:

Having done so, ask for a show of hands if they have a three-letter word that is not a vegetable. A large majority of the audience will raise their hands (trust me!). There might be a few exceptions, which you can afford to ignore, as there will little time for people to express alternatives, if the routine is delivered with pace. Whilst the majority of the audience are holding their hands up, ask them to picture their new object in their minds. Then ask who is thinking of an image similar to

You suddenly show a large picture of a taxi (see drawing). This could be seen as a CAB or CAR thus picking up the thoughts of most of the audience. This effect makes a strong opener as it is one of those rare commodities – a mental effect that includes the entire audience. For the commencement of your next effect, you could state that you would like the help of someone who has an unusual, special type of thinking. You can now ask for the help of someone who did not share the same mental imagery as the majority of the audience. Birthday Detector http://www.birthdaydetector.com/ works well here, as it is such a personal effect that can be played large. Website: www.memoryman.co.uk

P.S.

Chris Wardle The performer throws a screwed up paper ball into the audience, whilst his back is turned and asks that whoever catches it should throw it to someone else and then throw it one more time, to find a random spectator to take part in a simple experiment. The third spectator who catches the paper ball is invited to assist in a simple experiment involving making choices. The paper ball is placed out of the way on the floor or on a spare table or chair nearby. The performer has three plastic chairs in a line at the front of the performing area. The chairs are labelled A, B and C going from left to right, with large printed letters on A4 card, each one inside a clear plastic pocket and taped to the back rest of the chair, so that they are clearly visible. The spectator is invited to choose any chair to sit on. Sitting on the chair obscures the view of this letter, but ensures that it cannot be exchanged, as the spectator’s back is resting on it. Next 5 inflated balloons (three round balloons, one red, one white and one blue and two long balloons, one green and one black) each tied to a stick are held up as a bunch. The spectator is asked to name ‘round’ or ‘long’. He names long, so the round balloons are quickly popped by the performer with a hatpin and he is then asked to name ‘green’ or ‘black’, he names black, so the green balloon is popped leaving his choice, which is handed to the spectator to hold. Finally a set of 25 coloured ESP symbol cards are shown. Each card is different. The spectator is invited to cut the deck at any point and the cut is marked. Three outcomes have been reached completely at random: Three choices which gradually increase in scale. The choice of a chair, a balloon and a symbol. The spectator chose (for example) the chair labelled ‘B’. The ‘A’ and ‘C’ cards are removed from their plastic pockets and reversed, there is nothing on them. The spectator stands up and removes the ‘B’ card from his chair. On the back it reads ‘YOU WILL CHOOSE CHAIR B’. Glued under this prediction are two envelopes fixed to the card with their flap sides facing outwards. Opening the first one the spectator finds a black balloon with a luggage label tied to it saying ‘A SPARE BALLOON IN CASE YOU BURST THE ONE YOU CHOSE’. The ESP symbol card cut to is now looked at. It is a red circle. Opening the second envelope the spectator finds a card bearing a RED CIRCLE! The spectator is allowed to keep the balloons and they are thanked. Almost as an afterthought the performer asks the two other people who initially caught the paper ball to stand up to be thanked. They give their names and the performer thanks them for being part of the experiment. The spectator who assisted is handed the paper ball as a further souvenir. He is asked to open it out. He does so and reads ‘Thank you for helping me tonight. P.S. Your initials are (and he reads out his own initials!) signed (and the performer’s name).

______________________________

This, as you will have no doubt realised, is a combination of several old methods, with one new idea, linked together and given a twist to create a routine in its own right with four climaxes, each bigger than the last. It is very simple to execute so that you can focus on the presentation and a few subtleties which help to sell the effect. This routine is ideal for platform work and runs as a neat little routine of a few minutes. Using balloons adds colour and the sudden bursting of them adds a bit of noise and drama. There is nothing difficult for the spectator to do or remember and this is all very visual, so whoever gets the paper ball will be able to assist you appropriately. (This can be a problem in other routines of this type where a genuinely randomly chosen spectator can sometimes be someone who is unfortunately unable to follow the sequence or instructions which you have given to them.)

Working

The Chairs & Cards

The chairs are simple, plastic school or village hall type stacking chairs. They have three concealed predictions. Chair B, in the centre – traditionally a ‘safe’ place to sit and one chosen by spectators, has the prediction on the back of the ‘B’ card, as described. (There is also something psychological about using A, B and C. People can equate these to exam grades. No one wants to be thought of as a C candidate, but neither would they want to be seen to be showing off by going for A.) However, if they did you are covered, as chair A has a prediction as described on the other side of the back of the chair. In this case, just turn all three chairs around and show the hidden prediction. Chair C has a prediction taped to its underside. You can easily tip the chairs back, without revealing what is on the back of chair A and show the prediction under C. You can say that they have been sitting on the prediction all along! Obviously you need to adjust the first prediction to read A, B or C depending on which chair you are fixing it on.

The Balloons

The balloon prediction involves magician’s choice, but there is also another little subtlety so that you can be consistent, that I have not seen in print before. The two long balloons are actually modelling balloons. Standard black and dark green modelling balloons both look black before they have been inflated. (Dark blue modelling balloons also appear black before inflation too incidentally.) Place a green balloon into each of your prediction envelopes. You want the spectator to end up with one of these. Use large round balloons so that they are visual and compensate for the size of the modelling balloons. When you ask the spectator to call ‘round’ or ‘long’, no matter which they call, you burst the round balloons. (They are either their choice—the long ones—or the ones to be rejected—the round ones.) You can now be consistent so that when they call green or black, you can keep or burst the one they call just as you did before. You can even emphasise this point or ask them if they want to change their mind. When they reveal this prediction, you either just hold up

the balloon, which looks black, or inflate it, to show that it is green and it matches. The label attached, saying this is a spare balloon, explains this perfectly. (Of course, at some later point in the future, the spectator may inflate his ‘black’ balloon and discover that it is green, but this will be long after the event. You can always keep it back if you are at all concerned about this.)

ESP Cards The final prediction is simply a duplicate of the prediction on the top of the deck and the use of the age-old cross cut force. This keeps it direct, clean and ‘hands off’.

P.S. Afterthought – Final Prediction

Here are three strong predictions, but it is the ‘P.S.’ afterthought which really sells the effect. Write your message on a sheet of A4 paper, leaving a playing card sized box for the initials. Screw up the paper, quite loosely, so that there is a flattish side, where the box is and a scrunched up side. When the paper ball is retrieved from the third spectator, this is tossed casually onto the table or floor, so that it will naturally land on the flat side. This just helps you when you pick it up later. You will, of course, use your trusty nail writer to add the initials. As only the spectator is reading it and they know their own initials, they will recognise them instantly and no-one else will see that they have been added not so neatly or clearly. Thank the spectator and pick up the paper ball with the hand wearing the nail writer, so that it is in a position to write. (You will, of course, have obtained the spectator’s name when you invited them up to help. Make sure you ask for their full name, if they only give you their first name. When you hear it say, “Oh I used to know a (repeat spectator’s name here) years ago.” Or say that you were at school with someone of that name. This makes it more memorable for the audience and adds a slight ‘coincidence’ slant for what is to come later.) Before the spectator leaves, ask the two other people who caught the paper ball to stand up. Ask their names, so that you can thank them, emphasising their names and therefore the fact that they will have different initials. While the focus is on the other two helpers, you have ample time to write the initials on the paper ball. Depending on your timing, you can even give the ball to the spectator on stage whilst the second helper is being thanked, so that when looking back, the audience will forget that you ever held it! Getting one out of 3, then 5 then 25 is impressive, but to end with the initials of someone out of a whole audience (whatever size you are working to) makes for an impressive, yet very simple and direct effect with four climaxes. Website: www.chriswardle.co.uk

Dark

James Brown

While the performer's eyes are completely covered by one spectator he is able to name freely chosen cards. Then to top it off he causes a card to change into a free selection whilst it is held by the spectator. Remember, his eyes are securely covered throughout.

Requirements Two short cornered cards (one black one red). Have these two cards anywhere in your deck.

Working 1. Hand out the pack for the spectator to shuffle. Ask another volunteer to stand behind you, reach round and cover your eyes securely. Talk about how the senses work. Specifically how one sense will compensate for another if one is lost. For example, a blind person may develop a much stronger sense of hearing than someone who has 20/20 vision. Explain that over the years you have been able to develop your ability to sense other people’s thoughts. 2. To demonstrate this, casually cut the pack and remove a card (first corner short). Hold the card facing the spectator and ascertain whether it is red or black. The method I use is to ask the spectator to make the card as bright and vivid as possible. Then I take pot luck and state “This is odd I can see a real darkness here, is this card a black one?” If they say yes I can safely name the selection, if not then I make a joke about the fact that my eyes are shut and covered that’s why I can see nothing but black. Either way I can now name the right card. 3. Once this has been achieved leave the card on the table and ask for the cards to be reshuffled. As this is being done say, “As impressive as that may seem maybe I had someone signal the card to me in some way. To make it completely fair you can select the card at random and make sure no-one else sees it”. Take the pack back and cut the short card to the bottom. Take the pack in mechanics grip and begin to deal the cards in ones, twos, threes, etc, randomly onto the table. Ask the spectator to say stop whenever they want. As you begin this, Buckle the bottom card with the right middle finger in preparation for the next move.

Whenever the spectator says stop, ask them to have a peek at the top card on the table (direct them to do this in the same way that a poker player would, just by lifting the corner and peeking at it), at this point push the bottom card across passing it from the fingers of the left hand to the fingers of the right (Fig.1) and separating the top card from the pack momentarily so that the key card (short corner) is held hidden below it (Figs.2 & 3 show top spectator view and under view). As the hands separate so that you have two cards in the right (short & indifferent) gesture towards the tabled cards with your left hand as you ask them to peek at the selection. Casually return the two cards from your right hand onto the deck, one at a tine reversing their order, and hand the cards over to the spectator to continue dealing the cards down. Pause a beat to make sure they have dealt the short card then remind them they can deal the cards two, three at a time, in fact completely randomly. The selection will now be above the selection. Square the cards up and cut (or pass) at the short (bringing it to the top). 4. Take the top card (short) and show it to the spectator then ask them to “look me in the eyes and mentally send me the name of the card”. As you say this top change the card bringing the deck in your left hand up to point at your eyes. Place the card face down on the table with the spectator’s hand on top. Correctly name the card they believe they are holding (short card). Ask them if they remember the card they freely selected. Ask them how they would feel if they had the ability to change the card bit by bit into the card

they thought of earlier. Wait for the screaming.

Fig.1

Fig.2

Fig.3

End Notes This entire piece should only take a few minutes to perform. The naming of the two selections should grow in tension for the final change. The top change whilst essentially blindfolded is going to terrify many performers. The truth is having your eyes covered will

work to your advantage. Add to the fact that there is good verbal misdirection as well this is easier than it reads. I have purposely left scope at the end for the performers own wording and rational for the final revelation. I get great mileage from the idea of endowing the spectator with the magical skill to affect the change. By asking them to imagine how they would feel they set a bench mark for their own reaction. They can not feel less than this only more. You can also heighten this feeling before you allow them to ‘affect the change’.

Caught 3 Times

James Brown Using their imagination, three spectators cause their selected cards to appear one at a time between two face up Queens whilst they are holding the cards. This routine was inspired by John Carey’s Slo-Mo Collectors, which was a variation on Alex Elmsley’s “One at a Time Collectors” that appeared in Pabular. It uses any deck. I make the assumption that you know how to spread cull for this one.

Working 1. Start by removing the two red Queens and place them on the table (or hand to a spectator) for later. Have three spectators remove a card from the pack, remember them and replace them one at a time. 2. You will now control these cards to positions 5, 6 and 7. The method I use is as follows. Have the first spectator replace their card towards the top of the pack and immediately cull it under the spread. Continue the spread and offer the pack for the second spectator to place theirs somewhere in the middle. Cull this one under the previous selection. Finally ask the last spectator to replace theirs somewhere near the bottom. Again cull under the previous two taking the lot to the bottom of the pack (see Kostya Kimlat’s Roadrunner Cull DVD for more info in multiply culling). From here, get a break above seven cards from the bottom and Double-undercut to the top. This will place the first selection at position 5 then the next two at 6 & 7. 3. Hold the deck face down in your hand and ask one of the spectators to lift up about half of the pack and place the two Queens face up in the middle. Spread the pack culling the first selection below the spread and secretly load it between the Queens as you ask the spectator if they can remember where they placed their card. Before they can really answer this, give them the deck to hold. Ask them to imagine their card moving up and down through the pack until it finally rests between the two Queens. Take the cards back and slowly spread (culling the second selection from position 5) to reveal one card between the Queens. Up jog this card as you load the next selection. Have the spectator remove the out jogged card and hand the deck to the next spectator. Build a little tension before revealing the first selection. 4,. Repeat for second selection, handing the pack to the third person (final selection now loaded). As the final card is loaded you can be totally hands off and make as much out of this one as you like.

End Notes As a conclusion you make like to add a bit of fun to this one. For the final selection retake to deck as before and spread to show the selection between the two face up Queens. Have the selection removed and on the off beat created by this execute a spread pass to

bring one Queen to the top and one to the bottom. As soon as this is done turn the pack end for end. If this is done correctly it should look like you have just shut the pack once again. Hand this to one of the spectators as you recap the fact that each of the selections has materialised between the Queens in the centre of the pack (gesture towards the cards). Turn to the spectator holding the pack and ask them to think of all the cards bar the three selected… Spread the pack to show all the cards are now between the two Queens! Silly ending but done correctly is powerful enough to make them drop the cards on the floor! Website: www.jamesbrownmagic.com

Three Thoughts from Olly Crofton

A Freudian Opening

I hope you like this: I wrote it for Acidus Plus, but it could be used for a CT or whatever ... Presentation: Some people say the mind is like a computer, but others say it is more like a theatre. It's not so much made up of information, rules and symbols, but more of people, and their relationships with each other and with ourselves. From this perspective the self and the mind is conceptualized as fluid, as constructed and reconstructed in the course of relationships through evocations of past identifications and introjections of new ones. This theatre of the mind concept accepts the possibility of sub-selves—dissociated or split off from one another—that are evoked to some extent by situations and especially by particular relationships. This model of the mind suggests that perhaps social interaction is like being in a hall of mirrors. We identify with people and their voices automatically, their ways of being, and we project, transfer and introject ideas, emotions and states of mind into ourselves and each other. We reflect and re-reflect each other with images that are variably distorted. For example you must have had the experience of tensing your body in sympathy with a gymnast on the television—or becoming so emotionally involved with an action hero in a film that you've become physically aroused by a fight scene (not in a sexual way, but just through this mysterious cross-over of emotions). It's an unconscious process, quite distinct from imitation. It has been argued that this relational aspect of the mind, this mirroring function, is what underlies empathy (and could be what malfunctions in people who have schizophrenia). If you are free of neuroses, it is possible to use this faculty to detect hidden messages that are transmitted and received unconsciously concerning an individuals state of mind, their needs and their selfhood. This is exactly what Freudian and post-Freudian psychoanalysts do in the consulting room. Thanks to their training they are attuned to these unconscious communications. But while they can detect them, they don't get caught up in them, or react to them or become overly emotionally involved. (Now ... I've been through extensive therapy, and ever since ...) I've been working on developing this skill. Now, I'm going to try and mirror you, your body language and in turn, your thoughts .... Afterthought: You might want to be careful when using this presentation that you don't initiate a conversation on a topic which you don't know much about. Psychodynamics is a complicated set of ideas and it would be easy to 'paint yourself into a corner' and get 'caught with your pants down'. In other words, being exposed as a novice in the subject would be quite likely if somebody asked a question about this presentation. I'm no expert myself, but feel confident enough to talk fairly fluently about psychodynamics and psychoanalysis—in fact nothing would make me happier—but then I've studied it. If you haven't studied it ... you may wish to use the above opening only if you are strolling or table-hopping, or for your final presentation. If you want to learn more ... Introducing Psychoanalysis" by Ivan Ward and Oscar Zarate is cheap, great fun and might be a good place to start.

Oh yeah, and the bit in the presentation that says "(and could be what malfunctions in people who have schizophrenia)" is a bit heavy and probably shouldn't be used. An audience may well know and love somebody given that diagnosis and 'schizophrenia' is such a frightening word. But I included that bit for the sake of completeness.

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A Three-phase card trick … … none of which are mine.

Phase 1 The psychological Stop Trick as described by Jean Hugard in The Royal Road to Card Magic. I've been performing this for years and it's one of my favourite tricks.

Phase 2 Having located the participant's card, the mate of that card is culled to either the top of the bottom of the deck, while the participant is gob-smacked. Ian Rowland's impromtu ACAAN from his Blackpool 2007 lecture notes is then performed. This produces two mates

Phase 3 Again, in the confusion, the other two cards that would be required to produce four of a kind are culled to the top/bottom of the deck. They are then shuffled into position for Karl Fulves’ Gemini Twins. This produces a nice four of a kind to finish the presentation. Afterthought: I must confess ... I've never actually done these three effects together as one seamless presentation. Frankly, I'm always so pleased and relieved when the psychological stop trick works (which, in my experience, is about 80% of the time) that I completely forget to, and stop right there. Still, hopefully somebody out there can keep their mind focused on doing something bigger and better and actually pull this one off. In theory it is sound. I might even manage to do it myself one day ...

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A Mad Explanation The following is based on information published in the book Madness Explained by Richard P. Bentall, published by Penguin Books. This is an ‘out’. Suppose you are questioned on how you do your mind reading. Well, if you are aware of the below, you can then legitimately claim to be looking

for movements of the chin, lips and throat—for subvocalization—without feeling guilty and keeping a straight face. And you can offer the below as an explanation – hence eliminating suspicion and looking fairly clever, both at the same time. Anyway ... People who hear voices … they subvocalize. In other words, there is micro-activation in the muscles of the vocal apparatus (lips, tongue, larynx and jaw) of people who experience auditory hallucinations. The onset of this increased activity in the speech muscles coincides almost exactly with patients' experiences of hearing voices (the micro-activation comes first, and then shortly after, the patient reports hearing voices). The duration and amplitude of the electrical activity matches the duration and the loudness of the patients' imaginary voices. The greater the activity detected in his or her muscles, the louder the voice as perceived by the hallucinator. Amazingly it is possible to record, amplify and play back these auditory hallucinations. Using sophisticated equipment – essentially sensitive microphones – the hallucinated voice can be heard by external observers. It is even possible to play back the 'hallucination' to the patient in real-time—on-line, as it happens, so to speak. If you do this, for some as yet unknown reason, the person starts to vocalize what he or she is hearing, until both sides of the dialogue between the patient and his or her voice can be clearly heard without using the special equipment. Subvocalization is something that we all do when we use inner speech. We use our inner voices (and hence subvocalize) in situations when we are engaged in tasks that require talking to ourselves silently such as contemplating moral dilemmas, doing mental arithmetic or memorizing telephone numbers. Decades of experimental psychology has made it clear that in such situations so-called ‘normal’ people also activate their vocal apparatus, but at an almost undetectable level. Also, deaf people who use sign language sub-vocalize. When undertaking tasks such as those mentioned above – which require thinking in terms of words – microcurrents are detected in their hands. Subvocalization has been said to be a neuromuscular echo from a time in early childhood before silent speech has been acquired. Infants learn to think by speaking out loud – by instructing themselves on what they are doing. Only later does the speech become private, inaudible, and undetectable (unless you have the especially sensitive microphones handy!). The question is: why is it that people with auditory hallucinations attribute the source of the imagined voices that they hear to themselves? Why do they know that they have generated some of their thoughts, but not others? How is it that they realize that they are generating their thoughts only some of the time whereas at other times they come to some confabulatory conclusion like the CIA is controlling their thoughts – inserting voices into their minds? Email: ollyc1@aol.com

Twin Peeks Paul Gordon

This trick was inspired by Franklyn Taylor’s “Peek Deck” from The Phoenix. Ken Krenzel, in Ingenuities (1997), further improved the idea, and it’s his thoughts that inspired my idea. I first marketed this trick in 1997 with Aldo Colombini. And, I used it at the Tannen’s Jubilee convention in 1997 (where I lectured) and managed to fool – badly – the aficionados there. In fact, Ken Krenzel thought I had done “the real work.” I never told him I had, or hadn’t! More recently (2008), I lectured at Fechter’s Finger Flicking Frolics and managed to fool the aficionados in much the same way I did back in 1997. As you read the description of “Twin Peeks” (a two-deck mind-reading effect), you are going to realize that one of the decks is heavily gaffed. But, if you skip this trick (because of the work involved) and never try it – you really will be making a big mistake! I know I shouldn’t say this myself, but it’s a very strong effect! And, very easy! (“Twin Peeks” also appeared in my 2001 book, Professional Card Magic Miracles. This write up, however, is much better!) I suggest you read the write-up a couple of times before you start preparing your deck. You need to understand it all, first! Before I get to the nuts and bolts of my “Twin Peeks” deck, let me give you some marketing blurb. The effect of having a card peeked-at, instantly revealing its value to you, is the same as Taylor’s. But, how about this: The use of long and short cards is eliminated (remember that tell-tale “ridge” at the end of the deck as in most Svengali-style decks) and the backs of the cards can be openly displayed! Also – and this is the pivotal part – you instantly know at what position the peeked-at card is in a second deck enabling real mind-reading miracles. Okay, there is some work involved in “gaffing-up” a deck of cards. It may take about a half-hour to accomplish, but when completed – you’ll have a ‘miracle’ on hand for the rest of your life. (My deck has lasted ten years so far.) To prepare your gaffed deck, take a deck and set it as in Table. A. You then pair the cards so that the cards at positions 1 & 2 are together; as are the cards at positions 3 & 4 etc. (I place the 26 pairs on the dining room table.) Then, glue (use strong epoxy-type glue but don’t let it seep) the paired cards at the bottom left corner/edge only (Fig.1). When finished, you’ll have 26 pairs of ‘glued’ cards. When dry, write the names (using a thin-nibbed permanent marker) of the cards themselves on the second (the one with the hidden back) card at the top right corner; as follows: The value to the left indicates the uppermost card, and the value to the right indicates the value of the card at the face. See Photo. 1 again. Furthermore, you also write the positions of those cards (that also relate to a second deck; which will be talked about soon) next to the values. Start the writing in the centre of the top edge of the card. For example; 10H. 43. KC. 44. Or, AH. 1. 4C. 2. Once prepared, gather the 26 pairs and shuffle them. An overhand shuffle looks natural, as does a swift hand-to-hand spread. The paired cards won’t look “clumpy” if you

act naturally. You can table the deck and let a spectator complete-cut. They won't feel the gaffed set-up.

Fig.1

Fig. 2

To use the gaffed deck, hold it in spectator-peek position with the glued end at the rear. Perform the standard riffle and ask the spectator to stop you anywhere. And they really can stop you anywhere. There is no force. (I start by riffling through the whole 52 cards to show they really are all different. I do this, especially for other magicians.) When they say

stop and they peek at the card, you look at the leftmost written notation of the card at the top of the just-riffled-off section (Fig.2) You remember the value and position. However, if the peek is made and all that you view is the plain back of a card (the top card of a pair), simply let the next card riffle off your forefinger. (I cover this by saying, “You could have gone one further…”) Here, you look at the rightmost notation which tells you both the value and position of the peeked-at card. (Note: To make life easier setting the gaffed deck, Table. A is created after Out Faro shuffling a new deck [set in USPCC order] four times. As the second [ungaffed] deck is also in the same order as in Table. A, you can use this idea at a moments notice using a brand new deck. Just do four out-Faro’s and you are set! For non-Faro workers, simply pre-set the ungaffed deck as in Table. A.)

Master Routine for “Twin Peeks” To start, there are two cased decks on the table. One is the “Twin Peeks” deck and the other is set-up as in Table. A. (Or, use one deck (the gaffed deck) and borrow a brand new deck. Do four out-Faro’s, and you are set.) Have the spectator pocket the regular set-up deck and then uncase the “Twin Peeks” deck. Give the deck a casual overhand shuffle as discussed above, and then perform the peek. (As I said earlier, I always stress, by riffling through the whole deck once, that all fifty-two cards are different [true] and that they can stop on any card; also true!) Note the card and position and put the deck away. Assume they peek the 9H. Now, although you know the value of the peeked-at card – don’t be tempted to name it. (If you do this effect as a card trick, then naming it is fine.) Remember, this is a mentalism handling. Use all your presentation powers to announce a number. I say, “There is no way I could know your card. But, the number twenty…no, twenty-seven is coming to me. Does this mean anything to you?” If it does, (like age, house number etc) make the most of it in your presentation. Take back the spectator’s pocketed deck, have him uncase it and count down to the required position (27) revealing the chosen (peeked) card! (If you hold the deck face down, and then deal/count the cards face up – you will automatically re-set the deck for your next performance.) Advanced performers will want to false shuffle the set-up regular deck prior to the spectator pocketing it. Or, as I say, if commencing with a new deck, perform four Out Faro shuffles. When performing the shuffles, you have four key cards each time you cut: KC - AD - 7C - 4D. Also note that the “Twin Peeks” deck can be switched-in after some regular sleight-of-hand stuff. Please believe me, “Twin Peeks” is strong. It’s easy, but looks like the real work. If you want to fool magicians (why would you, though?) and make it look like the real work – hold the deck as if doing a steal (LTP etc) and load into the second deck! It’ll fool them. I know! Also, if you want, turn it into a regular trick by naming the peeked-at card. Your call!

TABLE. A 1. AH 27. 9H 2. 4C 28. QC 3. 7D 29. QS 4. 4S 30. 6H 5. AC 31. 9C 6. 10D 32. 2D 7. 7S 33. 3H 8. JH 34. 6C 9. KD 35. 5D 10. 10S 36. 2S 11. 8H 37. 3C 12. JC 38. 8D 13. KS 39. 5S 14. 5H 40. KH 15. 8C 41. JD 16. 3D 42. 8S 17. 2H 43. 10H 18. 5C 44. KC 19. 6D 45. JS 20. 3S 46. 7H 21. 2C 47. 10C 22. 9D 48. AD 23. 6S 49. 4H 24. QH 50. 7C 25. QD 51. 4D 26. 9S 52. AS

(Please note that the first pair is the AH & 4C, the second pair is the 7D & 4S, etc.)

Thought Stealer Rethought

Paul Gordon

ne of the first card tricks I learnt (40 years ago) was “Thought Stealer” from Hugard & Braue’s Royal Road To Card Magic. It’s a classic. Over the years, though, I have presented it exactly as you are about to read. I never realised, until recently, but my handling seems to fool magicians ‘in the know.’ My routine is an interesting two-phase mentalism one. The first phase is a (very strong) build-up to the (much stronger) second phase. I use this routine a lot. (This trick first appeared in Cardistry [2007], but in the first printing, the set-up was wrong. It’s not, now!)

O

There is a set-up, but the trick is well worth the effort. From the face of the deck you need these cards in this order: 3H, 2C, 6H, KS, 8H, 4D & QD. (See endnotes as to how to remember this set-up which has a rhyming mnemonic. The 3H is used for the first phase and the italicised cards are for the second ‘thought stealer’ phase.) When ready to perform, do a few ‘centre’ Hindu shuffles retaining the bottom seven cards. You now force the 3H (the bottom card) with a Hindu shuffle force. Once forced, drop the packet on top of the left-hand cards thereby centring the 3H and set-up. Then, spread through the deck (face up; tilted towards you) and cut the QD to the top which places the 3H seventh from top with the six other set-up cards above it. Easy to do. As you do the spreading of the deck, your patter goes like this, “You chose a card…I have no idea what it is. But, let me try and find it. Oh, I could search all night. Let’s try something else.” Flip the deck face down and hold in readiness for a Straddle Faro. Cut off about ten/fifteen cards (at least seven) and Straddle Faro. Figure 1. Strip out the interlaced ‘caught’ cards and cascade to the top of the deck.

Fig. 1

Say, “Your card is really lost! But, if you tell me what it is, I’ll spell to it. What was it? The Three of Hearts.” So, from the top of the deck you spell (onto the table; thereby reversing

their order) their card; 13 letters/13 cards. Turn over the card at ‘s’ (the last card) to reveal the 3H. Applause. Place the 3H onto the deck and push the deck aside for a moment. Pick up the just-counted 12-card packet and say, “Let’s try again, but in a different manner. This time I want you to just ‘think’ of a card.” Here, you Reverse Faro the packet (upjog the 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th & 12th cards), fan the outjogged packet and hold it vertically (faces toward spectator) as in figure 2. (Magician’s view.) Note that the outjogged fanned cards are the six set-up cards and the in/downjogged ones are indifferent cards. (See ‘notes’ for a non-Reverse Faro method.)

Fig. 2

Say, “Just think of one of these cards. Any one. Okay? Good.” So, they are now just thinking of one of your six ‘set-up cards’. Strip out the outjogged cards, place them under (to the bottom of) the inhand (injogged) packet and casually drop all twelve onto the deck. Pick the deck up and whilst jogshuffling, add three cards to top. The six vital cards are now 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th & 15th from top. I’m very proud of my handling, and I hope that you like my subtleties. Anyway… Reiterate (and stress), “You are just thinking of a card. Correct. You didn’t remove it and return it…it’s just in your mind’s eye. There is no way – no way – I could know what it is. Okay, can you take the deck and spell the name of your card, like I did earlier?” (Now, bearing in mind that each card spells with one letter more than the one before it, he will be able to spell his card.) So, let the spectator spell the name of his card; one card per letter to the table. The last card on the last letter will be his. He might yell with surprise when he turns it over, so watch out! I hope you appreciate my ‘tinkerings’ with the age-old trick. I really do think I’ve given the old girl a new dress.

End Notes

Instead of the 3H, you can use any card that spells with thirteen letters; 3S, QH, 7H etc., etc. My rhyming mnemonic for my set-up (not including the extra 3H card) is this: Twenty-Six Kings Ate Four Queens. For the suits, I simply think (rhythmically) Club-Heart-Spade-Heart-Double D. Now, if you don’t like Reverse Faros, simply deal the 12-card packet into two piles. Force (magician’s force) the vital pile and go from there. If you choose this method, the six cards will need to be, at the start, in reverse order on the bottom of the deck. If you don’t like the magician’s force, try this: If they choose the non-set-up pile, let them remove a card and at it to the set-up pile. Then, if you look through the (now) seven-card pile, his card will stick out like a sore thumb. If, however, he chooses the set-up pile, continue as in the main routine. Additional Note: After (and during) the first phase, magicians will think you are ‘having a laugh!’ The second phase, however, should blow ‘em away! It’s a strong Mentalism trick, and my set-up (original to me) was designed so that the rhyming mnemonic made it easy to recall. Website: http://www.paulgordon.net/acatalog/

Balls 2

Steve Cook

A few years ago, I performed in my lecture an effect called Balls! It registered very well with both magicians and laymen. What follows is a variation of that effect but, I believe that this routine is actually stronger and more direct. The following routine was probably partly, and subliminally influenced, by Slydini’s Paper Balls in the Hat routine. The patter I use in this effect will not suit everybody and, I wouldn’t expect everyone to use it. I include it basically in order to highlight the structure, timing and pace of the routine. If however, you like the patter and it suits your style, then by all means use it with my blessing.

Effect The performer places a cup on the table and covers the opening with a piece of card. Three invisible coloured balls are tipped from the cup and placed in line on the table (indulge me!) The spectator is offered a free choice of any ball; the other two are eliminated. The performer then causes the spectator’s selection to materialise, and then likewise with the other two balls which were discarded.

Requirements

A Chop-Cup (although I prefer to use a Chop-Mug which I feel looks more natural and less suspicious).

You will also require three coloured balls (I use ¾” crochet balls), say, red, blue and yellow, one of which is magnetic and can be retained in the cup (which itself, of course is also fitted with a magnet). Let’s assume that the red ball you’re using is magnetic. You will also need a piece of card (or a playing card, or indeed anything which adequately covers the mouth of the cup). Finally, you should be wearing a jacket, the two side outer pockets of which should be empty.

Set Up

Place the red (magnetic) ball into the cup and cover the mouth with the card. This gives the impression of being done to show that you cannot tamper with anything. In reality, it is done to stop any spectator inadvertently getting a flash of the ball inside the cup. Place say the blue ball into your right outer jacket pocket. The yellow ball should be classic palmed in your right hand.

Working 1. Have an assisting spectator sat in front of you. Place the covered cup onto the left side of your table. Remember not to flash the classic palmed ball in your right hand throughout this routine. Tell the spectator that you will test his powers of concentration, and that the cup holds three invisible balls. 2. Your left hand removes the card from the cup and tables it, then turns the cup (without flashing the inside) to apparently tip the three balls onto the table. Place the cup and card back in its original state (card on top of upright cup). Your right hand places the invisible balls in a row on the table (remember not to flash the palmed ball in your right hand). 3. Look at the spectator and say: “Three balls… a red one, a blue and a yellow or… if you’re colour blind… this one’s a grey, this one’s a dark grey and this one’s a black!” As you say the above, you point to each invisible ball in turn, and for the sake of continuity, remember which, colour wise, is which… does that make sense? 4. Tell the spectator to select one of the balls. Whatever he says, then the outcome will be dictated by his response. In other words, we will be using Equivoque technique. Here’s how: If he chooses the red ball, then, with your right hand, pretend to pick it up, as your left hand removes and retains the card from the cup. ‘Place’ the red ball into the cup and replace the card on top, as you say, “Your choice… the red ball… which I’ll isolate in here. Now this doesn’t mean much to you… but it’s stuff like this that got me out of the army! You chose the red ball, therefore you are discarding the blue and the yellow, so I’ll place them in this pocket.” Pretend to pick up the blue and yellow ball together and place them into your outer right jacket pocket and ditch the palmed ball in the process. Tell the spectator to visualise the yellow and blue balls in your pocket, and the red ball inside the cup. You then say, “Let’s see how you’ve done?” Show your left hand empty and pull out the inside of your outer left jacket pocket, as you say, “Just to show you that there’s nothing in here.” Now point to your outer right jacket pocket and say, “If your imagination has been strong enough, then in here we should have a yellow ball and a blue ball.” Show your right hand empty, and reach inside this pocket and produce the two balls, placing them on the table. Let this register for a few beats, and then show your right hand empty again, as your left hand removes the card and tables it. Your right hand now inverts the cup and tables it with enough pressure to dislodge the magnetic red) ball inside. After a few beats, for theatrical suspense, your right hand raises the cup to reveal the red ball. Show the cup empty and congratulate the spectator on his exceptional imagination! Drop all three balls into the cup to finish. 5. If the spectator initially selects the yellow (palmed) ball, then pretend to pick up the yellow ball from the table, as your left hand removes and retains the card, as the right hand places the invisible ball into the cup. Your right hand actually dips inside the cup, and the backs of your right fingers provide cover as the palmed ball is secretly allowed to slide down the palm, and is trapped by the thumb and fingertips which ease it onto the red ball already inside the cup. This action will eliminate the possibility of the palmed ball

‘talking’ against the other ball, or against the inside of the cup. (See alternative handling for the yellow ball at the end). Your right hand is now removed from the cup as your left hand replaces the card on top of the cup again. Tell the spectator that as he’s chosen the yellow ball, then the red and blue balls need to be discarded. Tell him to visualise the disintegration of both those balls, so that all remains is the yellow ball. Now tell him to concentrate on the cup and to visualise the yellow ball inside it. Now show your right hand empty, as your left hand removes, and tables the card from the cup. Your right hand picks up the cup and inverts it, mouth towards you (so as not to flash the red ball already inside). The yellow ball falls to the table. Let this register for a few beats, then pick up the yellow ball with your left hand, as your right hand turns the cup the right way up again (don’t forget to turn the mouth of the cup towards yourself as you do). Drop the yellow ball back into the cup. Cover the cup with the card and you’re done. 6. If the spectator initially selects the blue ball, then pretend to pick up the red and yellow balls from the table, as you say: So… you don’t want the red and yellow balls? When he confirms this, you pretend to discard both these balls into the cup. Your left hand removes and retains the card, as your right hand eases (as before), the yellow ball into the cup. It then picks up the invisible red ball and places it into the cup, Duplicating your previous actions of dipping the hand into the cup in order to maintain continuity. Your left hand now replaces the card on top of the cup. Show your right hand empty, as it picks up the invisible blue ball from the table, and places it into your outer right jacket pocket. Now tell the spectator to visualise the red and yellow balls inside the cup. After a few beats, your left hand removes and tables the card, as your right hand inverts the cup onto the table with enough pressure to dislodge the magnetic (red) ball. Pause for a few beats (to create a little theatrical suspense), then, with your right hand, lift the cup to reveal the red and yellow balls. Allow this to register briefly, then tell the spectator to visualise his chosen blue ball inside your jacket pocket. Pause briefly, then show your left hand empty and pull out your outer left jacket pocket, as you say, “Nothing here.” Show your right hand empty, and remove the blue ball from your outer right jacket pocket. Let this register briefly, then drop all three balls into the cup to finish. Note: You could if you wish, add a ‘kicker’ and place a prediction on one side of the card, which for instance, might read: The red ball is inside the cup, and the red and yellow balls are inside my outer right jacket pocket. There is a good chance of this happening in a performance. Just remember not to flash the message side of the card.

Alternative Solution for Yellow

This is an alternative solution should the yellow (palmed) ball be chosen. Tell the spectator: Okay, yellow… fine, now choose a second ball, red or blue. If he says Red,

then apparently pick up the invisible red ball and drop it (along with the palmed ball) into the cup. Now pick up the invisible blue ball and place it into your jacket pocket. After a suitable pause, show your hand empty and with this hand, pull out your other jacket pocket, showing it empty too. Now say: You chose the yellow and red balls, which meant you eliminated the blue ball… now visualise that ball in this other pocket. Wait a few beats then show your hand empty and reach inside the other pocket with that hand and remove the blue ball. Place it on the table, then say: I placed the two balls you chose… red and yellow inside this cup… visualise them in there. Pause for a few beats, then remove the card and invert the cup briskly onto the table with enough pressure to dislodge the magnetic ball. Allow the requisite pause, then slowly lift the cup to reveal the red and yellow balls. If initially, when you ask the spectator to choose a second ball he decides on the blue one, then simply pick up the invisible yellow and blue balls and pocket them, disposing of the palmed ball at the same time. You then pick up the invisible red ball, and tell him that as he’s rejected the red one, you’ll drop it in the cup. Remove the card from the cup and apparently drop the ball inside, then re-cover the cup. Eventually, you state that he chose the blue and yellow balls, which means the discarded red ball is in the cup, but of course, it’s invisible. Tell him to visualise this ball in the cup. Pause briefly, then remove and table the card with your left hand; show your right hand empty, and (using this hand), invert the cup so as to dislodge the magnetic ball. Slowly lift the cup to reveal the red ball. You then show your hand empty and with it pull out the lining of the jacket pocket which is empty. Now with the other hand shown empty, reach inside the other pocket and remove the yellow and blue balls. After it has registered, drop all three balls into the cup. Place the card over the mouth of the cup to finish. Initially, do not ask the spectator to choose two balls, otherwise he may select the red and blue (which are separated—one in the cup and one in your pocket). Always ask him to choose a ball, and if he chooses yellow, then ask him to choose a second one. This effect and the equivoque technique employed is open to lots of variations. I’m sure that if you don’t favour the original in any way, you will discover a way of your own for bringing about a successful outcome. In all modesty, however, a great deal of thought has been spent on the structure of this routine, and I know it plays extremely well for laymen.

End Notes The strength of this effect lies in the fact that nothing else is added from your pockets etc, and the prediction is solid; there is nothing else to see. This Equivoque technique may initially, appear confusing but, after a few rehearsals, you’ll find it quite easy. As with any form of Equivoque, you must of course give the impression, that all of your directions and actions are those you intended from the outset. When you remove the ball(s) from your jacket pocket, don't forget to pull out that particular pocket to show it otherwise empty. Likewise, whenever the magnetic ball is revealed from under the cup, don't forget to show the cup otherwise empty.

Barefaced!

Steve Cook

The following routine was inspired by a neat, casual idea for obtaining secretly written information from a spectator, which I saw demonstrated a few years ago in a lecture by Patrik Kuffs. I have considerably altered it to suit my mode of performing. It will cost you just a few pounds to put together and, there seems no way, from the spectator’s viewpoint, that you could have obtained the information. All looks totally fair; the handling is simple, casual, natural, disarming and direct. What more can I say?

Effect The mentalist displays a packet of blank cards and the spectator takes one and writes any word, number (or whatever) on the card with a marker pen, whilst the performer looks away. The designated card is turned face down and cut into the packet. The performer removes a ‘special card’ from his pocket and after some by-play, writes something on this card, which is placed in full view. Under these ‘test conditions’, the spectator’s written card is removed from the centre of the packet and his written thought is seen to match that of the performer.

Requirements & Preparation You will need a packet of about 20 double blank card stock. (Bicycle, of course produce an inexpensive double blank poker size deck) You could use business cards, but, in my opinion, playing card stock allows for a smoother handling and greater visibility. Double blank cards also preclude the possibility of marked cards in the spectator’s mind, and although the cards are not marked, double blank cards, I feel, add a certain strength to the proceedings.

You will also require a thick card made from two of the double blank cards (I recommend epoxy resin to glue them together. You could use a short card but, I believe a thick card allows for easier, sure-fire handling). You will also need some Letraset (black lettering), some self-adhesive labels (mine are approx. 2” x 1”) and a fine tip permanent marker pen (a Sharpie is perfect). The sticker is applied so you can reuse the YOUR THOUGHT card. You could of course have a few cards professionally printed, although it can be quite expensive. Personally, I simply have a few done by Letraset and keep them as spares. Take one of the blank cards and on one side, using the Letraset, apply the words: YOUR THOUGHT. Below these

words place a self adhesive sticker (See figure 1). As this card will be described as a special card, you may prefer to dress up its other side somewhat, should you think it necessary. For instance, you could cover it with some holographic film, to give its special factor some credence. I personally don’t think it’s essential. I merely tell the audience that the card is specially coated with a technologically advanced, sensitive material, invisible to

Fig.1

the naked eye! If you believe that, then you can plat fog! Finally, a rubber band is advised to secure the card packet.

Set Up Place the thick card on top of the blank packet and encircle the packet around its width with the rubber band, then place the packet inside your outer jacket pocket. You could of course, place the packet inside a wallet of some kind, but I think the band idea, and the cards apparently ‘tossed’ into the pocket, psychologically appears more casual and impromptu. Place the Sharpie pen inside the other jacket pocket and, you may wish to place some of the self-adhesive stickers in this pocket too. Whenever you perform this routine, the spectator will destroy a card (by writing on it), therefore, you may think it worthwhile to place a sticker on his card too, in order avoid having to replace it. I don’t bother, as I prefer to sign the other side of the card and let him/her take it away as a souvenir. A small price to pay for a little publicity! (I also find it best to keep the items in separate pockets to save any fumbling). Place the YOUR THOUGHT card, writing side towards your body, into your outer breast jacket/shirt pocket.

Working 1. Tell the spectator that you’d like to try an experiment in thought transference. Bring out the packet of cards, remove the rubber band and toss it aside. Spread the cards towards the spectator, telling him they are jotter cards. As you spread the cards you will instantly know if the thick card is on this particular side of the spread. If it is, then let the spectator choose any card (except the thick one of course!) Raise the spread vertically to show the other side of the cards. Alternatively, if you notice that the thick card isn’t on the side of the spread you initially show to the spectator, then simply turn over the cards and spread the other side, which is logical of course (as you’ve shown both sides for fairness sake), then let the spectator choose one. (Don’t forget in this case to turn over the packet again—the thick card should be on top of the packet). I actually mark use the Sharpie to slightly mark the side of the rubber band which is commensurate with the thick card side of the packet. This useful little tip was shown to me many years ago by Roy Johnson and, although the marking is technically, not applicable in this case, I’m afraid that old habits die hard! 2. Have the spectator briefly examine his card to verify there’s nothing unusual about it—just a blank jotter card, or so you tell him. Pass him the Sharpie pen and have him think of a small word, or a number, say below 100 or a city or whatever. Tell him to write it on one side of the card so that he cannot change his mind, and tell him to print it so that it registers clearly in his mind. This statement is of course rubbish; all you’re interested in is that it is printed clearly so you can read it! Tell him that you’ll turn away as he does this, and when he’s finished, he must allow a couple of seconds for the ink to dry, then he’s to turn the card face down and place it on top of the packet of cards. When he understands this, you turn away and he does as requested.

3. After he’s done as requested, and while your back is still turned, tell him to cut the packet of cards and complete the cut, so that his written card is lost in the packet. When he’s done this, you turn to face him. You then pick up the packet of cards, holding them in left hand dealing position (assuming you’re right handed). Pointing with your right forefinger to the top card of the packet, you say: You could have written on this card… You now gently riffle your right thumb up the packet until the packet breaks at the thick card. (You gently riffle so as to avoid the telltale click of the packet breaking at the thick card). When the packet breaks, your right hand (in Biddle grip— hand palm down, thumb at inner short end of packet, fingers at out short end), lifts up the top section above the thick card, and your right forefinger points to the top card of the left hand packet, as you say: …or you could have written on this card… Casually place the right packet of cards onto the table, then top this packet with the left hand portion, as both hand gesture towards the complete packet, as you say: … in fact, you could have written on any card, it really makes no difference, as I have a special card in my pocket, which is made from a technologically advanced, sensitive material, invisible to the naked eye. It can determine writing produced on any card in the packet, with the help of thought transference. (If later, the spectator tries to recall the effect, it’s doubtful he will even remember you ever cutting the deck due to the casual approach above). Now pick up the packet and hold it in left hand dealing position. 4. Remove the THOUGHT CARD from your pocket (the writing side of the card is towards you), and say: You’ve written a thought on a card… do you believe that YOUR THOUGHT is on this card? He will of course reply: No. You then orientate the card so that you show it the correct way as you turn it around. This will no doubt get a groan from the spectator. 5. You now say: In order to sensitise the card, I have to place it, writing side down, on top of the packet. Hold this card in right hand Biddle grip (hand palm down, thumb at inner short end, fingers at outer short end, with your right forefinger pressing onto the centre of the card. Now press the card, without releasing it, onto the packet for a second, then raise the card up again, and say: I also have to place it at the bottom of the packet. Slide the card (written side uppermost) under the packet. Turn the packet over, still holding it in left hand dealing position. With your right hand in Biddle grip, your right thumb now contacts the inner short end of the packet and raises up this end of the top two cards. These two cards are now lifted as one (in right hand Biddle grip again), off the packet a few inches, then they are immediately pressed against the top of the packet (as before) for a second. The spectator will subliminally be aware of the fact, that his card is neither on the top of bottom of the packet: a strong point in your favour, if he later tries to recall the effect. Press this card(s) briefly onto the top of the packet. Your left hand now raises the packet vertically towards you, as your right hand leaves the lowermost card of the two on the packet. Your right hand then upjogs the THOUGHT CARD so that it extends for about three-quarters of its length, over the outer short end of the vertical packet. (If this is done correctly, then the spectator will believe that the card in your right hand has never left his view). Remove your right hand from the packet. Your right forefinger now taps the front (writing side) of this card, as you say: It’s the special material on this card that does all the work for me. As you say this, the writing on the spectator’s card is staring you in the face! You have ample time to read it, and it looks natural, as you’re staring at the upjogged card which occupies the same position as the spectator’s written thought of course. In other

words, your eyes don’t deviate from the card (apparently); there are no suspicious sideways glances etc. Just make sure that there isn’t anyone behind you whilst this happens. In fact, there should be nobody behind you throughout the entire routine. 6. Once you’ve got the message from the card, turn your left hand palm down and allow the upjogged card to fall to the table, as you also table the packet (spectator’s message hidden against the table top). You now pick up the THOUGHT CARD and look at the spectator, telling him to look directly at you, and to imagine his written thought on a large screen, then he must try and project it to you. After a few seconds you write his thought onto the sticker attached to your THOUGHT CARD, without anyone seeing it. Place this card, writing side down, on the table. 7. Pick up the packet, holding it vertically in your left hand, with the spectator’s written card facing you and out of sight of the spectator and your audience. Look at the spectator and say: Somewhere in this packet is your written thought card. Begin to push over cards from left to right hand, but as you start, your left thumb drags the spectator’s card from the right to the centre of the spread. The spread is then parted in front (to the right) of the spectator’s card as you say: Here it is. The spectator’s card is now at the face of the left hand packet, which now lowers to dealing position. The right hand packet then drops slightly. The illusion is that the spectator’s card was in the centre of the packet. You can now use your left thumb to push his card off the packet to the table or, do as I prefer, which is to use your left thumb to upjog his card (beyond the outer short end of the left hand packet). Now place the right hand packet on top of, and flush with, the left hand section, leaving his card still outjogged. This enhances the illusion further of his card having been in the centre throughout. 8. Let this register for a few beats, then your right hand removes the outjogged card. The packet of cards is now tabled. You then hold up the spectator’s card in your left hand (for example), and pick up your THOUGHT CARD in your right hand, writing on both cards is towards you. Read aloud what the spectator wrote, then turn it around to show the spectator (and your audience). Look at your card and say: Amazing! I bet you didn’t know you could transfer thoughts! Slowly turn around your card to show that they match. Finish by saying: This card picked up your thought with no problem… you have terrific concentration! Well done! The wording here fosters the belief that the spectator did a great job. You go away with a recognised talent without giving the impression of a look how clever I am attitude. The spectator of course goes away with his ego boosted, as he thinks he played a major role in the successful outcome… everyone’s a winner!

End Notes It is of course not really necessary to use a thick card. When the spectator returns his written thought card face down on top of the packet, you could just Double-cut it to the bottom. The use of the thick card, however, adds some strength to the proceedings as the spectator can cut the packet. There appears no way his card could be controlled without seeing it and, of course, it is apparently never seen throughout the whole presentation. Everything looks openly fair and casual.

I usually sign the other side of the spectator’s card and finish by saying: Your thought is on that side to remind you of this experiment, and I’ve signed the other side, so you won’t forget who showed you it!

It may be worthwhile to place a line on one side of every card in the packet (except the thick card—see figure 2), especially if asking the spectator to choose a number, as some numbers such as 6, 9, 66, 69, 96, etc can be ambiguous. The line will also help with any other written information, as no matter which way the spectator’s written card is orientated, it will still be easily discernable when the time comes to your reading it.

This routine may look somewhat convoluted at first glance. I apologise if that appears to be case, it’s just my meticulous style I suppose; I’m obsessed with structure, clarity (hopefully) and detail. If however, you go over the following synopsis, you’ll see that it really is quite straightforward. I hope you give it a try because it plays really well. Fig.2

Synopsis

Spread packet (thick card on top) for spectator to take one and write word (or whatever) as you turn away. Once done he puts card (writing side down) on top of the packet and cuts it, completing the cut, to lose his card in the packet (apparently). You turn around, pick up packet, point to top card, saying he could have written on this one; then you riffle right thumb up packet so it breaks at thick card. Point to top card on left packet, telling him he could also have picked this one. Then table the right hand packet. Place the left hand portion on top of tabled portion (spectator’s card is now on bottom of packet). Gesture with hands at the packet and state that in fact, he could have written on any card. Show gag card with your THOUGHT CARD, then hold it, writing downwards, in right hand Biddle grip, right forefinger presses on centre of card (left hand holds packet in dealing position). Press the card briefly (without letting it go) onto the top of the packet. Now turn the card writing side uppermost, and slide it under the packet. Turn the packet over and with right hand in Biddle grip, (right forefinger pressing on centre of card again) secretly lift up the two top cards as one. Press this card(s) briefly onto the top of the packet (as before), then raise the packet vertically towards you and leave the lowermost card of the two (in your hand) on the packet, as the remaining card is upjogged about three-quarters of its length over the outer short end of the packet. (It should look as though the card in your hand has never left the spectator’s view). Remove your right hand from the packet and use the right forefinger to tap the writing side of the upjogged card, as you tell the spectator that the special material on this card does all the work for you. As you say this, the writing on the spectator’s card is staring you in the face! (Make sure there’s nobody stood behind you). Briefly note what is written on the card, then turn the left hand palm down and allow the upjogged card to fall to the table, then, you also table the packet (spectator’s message hidden against the table top).

Pick up the THOUGHT CARD (writing side towards you) and tell the spectator to imagine his word (or whatever) on a large screen, and try to project it to you. After a few seconds you write his written thought (unseen by the spectator of course), on the card’s sticker. Place this card (writing side down) on to the table. Picket up the packet, and raise it vertically (the spectator’s written card is facing you, and it shouldn’t be visible to anyone else of course). Tell the spectator that his card is somewhere in the packet. Begin to push over cards from your left to right hand, and allow your left thumb to drag over the spectator’s card from the right, to the centre of the packet. The spread is then parted in front (to the right of the spectator’s card) as you tell him you’ve found it. His card is now at the face of the left hand packet which then drops to dealing position, followed by the right hand. Your left thumb now pushes off his card to the table (or can upjog it, then place the right hand packet on top, flush with the other packet), leaving his card still outjogged. Remove the outjogged card, (writing towards you) in one hand, table the packet, then pick up your THOUGHT CARD (writing towards you) in the other hand. Look at his card and read his thought aloud, then turn spectator’s card towards him, followed by your THOUGHT CARD. Email: steve.cook243@ntlworld.com

Brain Fry!

Stephen MacRow The magician and the spectator both think of a card. The spectator looks through a shuffled and cut deck and removes the card which they believe the magician to be thinking of. The spectator's card is placed next to the magician's card on the table. After some by-play, the magician reveals the card he was thinking of. It is shown to be the correct card which the spectator placed on the table. The magician then reads the mind of the spectator to discover which card they were thinking of and this is also shown to be correct.

______________________ Having been performing this routine for years, a good friend of mine told me that Wayne Dobson had a similar effect of his in Dobson's Choice, which I suggest you take a look at. Although similar in method, I believe that it's the construction of Brain Fry that provides two of the strongest and clearest effects in mentalism. Credit is also due to Boris Wild for creating his Ultimate Marked Deck and Ted Lesley for his Marked Deck system.

______________________ Before we start, it's necessary to tell you that this routine does use a marked deck. Don't be put off by this fact, however. Properly handled and used within a properly structured routine, not only does the method go unnoticed but the strength of the effect is devastating. I recommend you to get hold of either Boris Wild's or Ted Lesley's marked deck but any system can be used both during practice and in performance. As you read this manuscript and before performing this effect, keep the following points in mind: (1) You should carry your marked deck as you would a normal deck and use it during all of your routines (2) Treat the deck as a normal deck, and if you do this it will be regarded by the audience as a normal deck. (3) Only use this routine on occasions when it feels 'right'. There is a time and a place for routines like this, and using something so strong and direct at the wrong time can lead to it not being properly received and can leave a bad impression. (4) When you do use the routine, only use it to close your set. The routine is so strong; you should want to walk away after leaving them literally 'brain-fried'. (5) Only read the marks on the off-beat – see section on presentation for details.

Working 1. Begin by having the marked deck shuffled and cut into two halves by the spectator. Ask them to choose either half. You take the other half. Now you apparently both look through your cards and think of any one you see without removing it. You do not in fact think of any card at this point. Then reassemble the deck and have them shuffle again. 2. Ask the spectator to look through the shuffled deck and remove the card which they believe that you, the magician, are thinking of. They place this card face down on the table. 3. They then look through and remove the card that they themselves are thinking of. It is at this point that you read the markings on the back of the card they have placed on the table. All eyes and attention at this point are on the deck in the spectator's hands which provides ample opportunity to read the card on the table's identity. 4. The second card removed by the spectator is placed next to your card on the table. At this point, you must completely ignore this second card. Trying to read the markings on this card whilst the audience's full attention is on you will most likely tip the method. 5. You now have two cards face down on the table, one is apparently the card you are thinking of and one is the card which the spectator is thinking of. At this point, you recap what has happened so far: "You took the cards and shuffled them well. You cut the deck into two piles. You merely thought of any card. I did the same. You then removed the card I was thinking of and placed it face down on the table. Then I asked you to remove the card you were thinking of and to place it face down on the table as well." 6. Dramatically reveal the card you were apparently thinking of, really revealing the identity of the card whose markings you earlier read. 7. Now, and this part is important, push with one finger the first card towards them across the table. At this point, and only at this point, note the identity from the markings of the spectator's card on the table. By reading the markings at this time, when all attention is on the other card, no one will suspect this sneaky glimpse. 8. They turn over the card to show that they had in fact correctly removed the card you were thinking of. 9. You are now all set to read their mind and reveal the card they were thinking of, and to turn it over to show that you were correct.

End Notes The marked deck is perceived (and overlooked) by many magicians as something of a toy-shop novelty (as are stripper and Svengali packs). However, in the right hands, and with the right routining, it can be a lethal weapon. In reading this effect, you will have noticed that I have provided very specific instructions with regards to treating the marked deck as a normal deck. This is important if you want to convince the spectators of this fact. You may have also noticed the discrepancy in presentation. In fact, logically, it should be you, the magician, who removed the card which the spectator was thinking of and placed it on the table. However, due to the construction of the routine, everything seems to make perfect sense to an audience watching. This creates a very strong effect on the audience. What's more, the construction of method and the timing of the reading of the marks makes it seem impossible that you could have glimpsed any markings whatsoever. Over the years I've developed my own marked deck system which I now prefer to use but there are many on the market including those mentioned in the above. As you become confident in using a marked deck, you may also discover your own system which works best for you. Email: Stephen.Macrow@nottingham.ac.uk

Bottle Capped

Mark Elsdon

Thirty or so beer bottle caps are tipped out of a small bag and shown to all bear different logos. They are then turned logo side downwards and mixed up. The spectator selects four, and then narrows his choice down to one (without equivoque or any similar force). The three rejected caps are shown to be random and different. The spectator turns over the selected cap and it bears a Budweiser logo. Congratulating the spectator on his excellent taste, the performer brings an open, full bottle of Bud out of his coat and enjoys a drink!

_____________________________________ This mental effect is based on Dan Alessini’s classic routine. If you think for a moment about the effect, you will realise that there are only two possible methods: either force the cap, or switch the cap following a genuinely free choice. I opted for the latter for three reasons. Firstly, whilst equivoque (see Max Maven’s Verbal Control booklet) and other verbal forcing techniques (see Kenton Knepper’s books and particularly David Britland’s The Mind and Magic of David Berglas for the real work) can be very effective in some performance environments, particularly impromptu, they are simply not as good as allowing somebody a completely free choice. Secondly, using a switch allows for a much greater number of objects to be used (unless you’re Berglas with his 50 years of experience, of course!) If we were using an equivoque force we would be limited to just five or six caps, whereas with this method we can use many more. This greater number of caps makes the trick seem far more impossible. Thirdly, due to the nature of the props used the technical requirements for the switch are very easy, involving a simple purse palm switch of one cap for another. As you will see when you try it, manipulating caps is far easier than manipulating coins. Purse palm is a kind of finger palm where an object, usually a coin but in this case a cap, is held against the bottom phalange (fleshy bit if you don’t know technical terms!) of the second finger, held on either side by the first and third fingers. The hand can then be turned palm down and held completely flat whilst the thumb retains full movement, which cannot be done with either finger or classic palm.

Requirements What you will need are thirty or so beer bottle caps, one of which is your force cap (I always seem to use Budweiser, because I happen to like to drink it!). These caps are easily obtained by asking your local pub to save all the bottle caps they collect over a couple of weeks instead of throwing them away. You will also need a bottle of the matching drink. As I’m sure you’ve figured out this trick is designed to be performed in a bar or pub. If you wanted to, you could of course use a written prediction, although I think that to do so would be to miss the point of the trick.

Working 1. Hide the bottle of Budweiser in your inside jacket pocket. Introduce the bottle caps and explain that they are a souvenir of your trip to the pub the previous night. Turn all the caps logo side up so that it can be seen that they are all different. Tell the spectator that one of the beers is your favourite; but that you’ve got such a bad hangover that you can’t remember which one it is! 2. Start to turn the caps back over and make the Budweiser cap the third one you turn. Instead of turning the cap over though, you slide it up into purse palm, keeping the logo side away from the fingers (this is the way you’ll pick it up anyway). At exactly the same moment as you pick up the cap, look up at the spectator and ask him to help you turn the caps over, so that no one will know which is which. By the time his, or anyone else’s, attention is back on the caps the Bud cap is safely palmed. 3. After all the caps are turned face down mix them up. The palmed cap won’t interfere with this in any way. Have the spectator place the four fingers of either hand into four caps and slide them out to one side. Ask him to choose just one of them. (Any magicians who are watching will now be very confused because they were expecting a force.) Turn the other three over to show the logos. Apparently slide the selected cap over toward the spectator, but in actual fact you bring your hand down over the cap so that the purse palmed cap is in front of it (from your viewpoint) and slide the hand towards the spectator. Leave the Bud cap in front of them and slide the other cap back to the main group, ditching it as you push them all further off to the side. There is no need to palm the actual selection as you switch it out, simply slide it beneath your hand. Your attitude as you do this switch is simply to make a distinction, a visual separation, between the selection and the remainder. All that remains is to have the spectator turn over the selected (?) cap and congratulate him on his taste. Pull the Bud bottle out of your coat, say, “Cheers” and enjoy!”

Only the Best Telephone Trick in the World ...

…ever, that’s all!

Mark Elsdon One of a group of people decides on any object, person or place – real or fictional – and phones a random number from any telephone directory. The person who answers the phone (who genuinely is the stranger listed in the directory,) immediately tells them what they are thinking of. No mobile phones are used, nor codes, or gimmicks. As well as being a very cool trick, this is also very easy to do. BUT be warned: it requires some luck to pull off successfully. You’ll understand why as I explain the method. And remember, this works with landlines, not mobile or cell phones. Because of the way the telephone system works, it is only possible for the caller to terminate the call. If the phone that was dialled is put down the call is not disconnected and if the dialled phone were to be picked up again the dialler would still be there. Relatively few people are aware of this fact. This is the basis for the trick. Oh and you have a “secret accomplice”. Earlier: At some convenient moment when you are alone in the room, you phone your accomplice to let him know that you are alone, and have him immediately phone you back. Pick up the phone and then immediately hang up. The phone will still be connected from his end so that if you pick up the phone he will hear anything that is said. Obviously, if you are at home this can be done before anyone else arrives. Later: Have some one decide on any person, place etc. – the more obscure the better. Have them choose any telephone number from the directory. Pick up the phone, but don’t hold it up to your mouth just yet, pause a minute and name his chosen object out loud asking him if he is one hundred percent certain. Once he confirms, have him read the person in the directory’s name and number out loud. Now hold the receiver up to your mouth and repeat both the name and number to yourself as you dial. Of course your accomplice is making a note of all this information. Pause a few seconds and then say that the number is engaged. Put down the phone and say that you will wait a few moments before trying again but that you have a very good “vibe” about this person. Basically you want to stop anyone suggesting that you pick a different number because the first one is engaged. Meanwhile, back at the Bat-cave: Here is where the luck part comes into it—your accomplice now has to phone the number and convince the stranger to play along! This is not actually as difficult as it sounds, but nevertheless the stranger has to be approached in the correct manner if he is to be convinced to play along. Here is a script for what I have found to be the best approach: “Hello, is that Mr. Jones? Good. My name is Mark Elsdon and I am a magician. The reason that I’ve phoned is that another magician and myself are playing a trick on a friend of mine and I was hoping that you would help us out. You don’t actually have to do anything ... except that in a minute the person we are playing the trick on will

phone you up and ask you what he is thinking of. You just have to tell him that he is thinking of Mount Everest (or whatever the person names.) and then as soon as you have told him, you can put the phone down so that he can’t ask you any questions ... like how you knew what he was thinking. Because obviously if you told him that I had told you, that would spoil the trick. Is that O.K? Would you do that for me? That’s fantastic, thanks very much.“ So that’s the script. It has been carefully thought out and (sometimes ungrammatically) worded so that psychologically the stranger is made to feel that he is important (although he isn’t told that he is in fact vital to the whole thing) and that if he refused to co-operate he would be spoiling the trick. Also by saying that you are “ playing a trick “ on someone he is made to feel that he is playing along with a kind of game and not something serious that he needs to worry about. So who figured this out? Basically Norman Gilbreath did. A few years ago I was staying with Douglas Cameron in Glasgow and he told me that the basic principle outlined above had appeared years earlier in The Linking Ring magazine, although the effect was somewhat different, involving the performer apparently reading the mind of the person called. That seemed a bit too abstract to me so I came up with this different version, and set about performing it as often as possible. The script has developed over the years and now offers maximum chance of the person called playing along. Until these instructions I have shared this effect with only one or two people, and don’t know of anyone else aside from Douglas who has even heard of it. I’m sure that will soon change. So thanks Douglas, and especially thanks Norman Gilbreath.

Brainwave ²

Mark Elsdon

The performer explains that he will try to predict the future choices of two or three people. He removes a cased deck of cards and turns away for a few seconds. As he turns back the spectators see him closing the lid of the card case, which he places in full view on the table. He now asks two spectators to name a random playing card each. They name two cards. The performer picks up the case, and removes the deck, which is seen to be red-backed. He spreads through it and everyone can see that there are only two cards face-up, the two just named! He flips these two cards face down and they have blue backs! Read the effect again! Only one deck is used. Nothing is written down in advance and there is no pre-show work. Neither spectator is a stooge (instant or otherwise.) Nobody, including the performer, knows what the cards are going to be until the spectators name them.

Working You may be a little disappointed to read that just a standard ‘Brainwave’ deck is used. Ah-ha, but what if the spectators name one red and one black card? Well then you involve a third spectator and allow him to decide which of the two named cards you will use. Remember, at the outset you vaguely referred to “two or three people”. Well if the two spectators name cards of the same colour, then you simply remove the ‘Brainwave deck’ and proceed. No one will recall any reference to a ‘third’ person. If, on the other hand, the two name one red and one black, involve the third person and ask him to choose between the two. This may appear to be a lesser effect, since only one card is revealed face-up. To the spectators, however, this may well appear to be the stronger effect, since you have predicted the actions of three people, not two! Various techniques can be used to ensure that the spectators both pick either red or black cards. The publications of Banachek, Derren Brown and Kenton Knepper contain numerous ways to control the spectators into giving you the outcome you desire. Email: onetruemerlin@hotmail.com

Absolutely Positive

John Holt The magician removes a prediction from his pocket. A spectator is given three imaginary silver coins to hold and place on the table before him. In their imagination, one coin is selected. The spectator, again using their imagination decides whether the coin is heads side up or tails—let’s says they call heads. All this is done without the spectator saying a word. The magician draws the spectator’s attention to the prediction. The spectator opens it to reveal a blank piece of paper. The magician draws the spectator to the other contents of his pocket on the table—one coin, and it is heads side up—matching their imaginary choices exactly!

________________________________________

This effect, a variation on Max Maven’s ‘Positive/Negative’ was inspired after seeing Derren Brown perform his ‘Invisible Deal’ routine. The spectator does not say anything until the very end of the routine, which, I believe, makes it quite a strong revelation, as well as making it difficult to re-construct.

Fig.1

For this routine, you need a 10p coin with a large ‘X’ drawn on the tails side (Fig.1), and a blank billet, folded. These should be in the same pocket, with nothing else in there with them.

Working

1. Explain to the spectator that this routine uses only the imagination. It’s going to be important that the spectator actually follows the instructions you give, so stress that to them. Remove the 10p piece form your pocket and, after checking its orientation, put it heads side up on the table (hiding the ‘X’ side). As you do this, state that you have a ‘prediction in your pocket…along with some other stuff’. Now bring out the folded billet and place it in the centre of the table. Once done, ask the spectator to keep their eye on the prediction, just to make sure you don’t change it later. You’re aiming for them to assume that the billet is the prediction, when in fact it is the coin, though you don’t want them to realise that just yet. By being purposefully vague by not saying ‘written prediction’ or ‘folded prediction’, you cannot be accused of deceit at the end of the effect. 2. Hand the spectator three imaginary silver coins – a 10p, 20p and 50p (feel free to substitute your own currency). Get them to imagine the coins in their hand and visualise what each looks and feels like. Stress the importance of listening to you and following what you say, “As you feel the coins in your hand, I want you to place them one by one onto the table. Please genuinely imagine the coins and remember them as you place them down…saying to yourself 10p…. 20p…. 50p,“ as you say, “10p… 20p… 50p.” You mime placing a coin onto the table as you say each coin. By doing this, the spectator will place the 10p down first, 20p second and finally the 50p (This principle is

used by Derren Brown in his ‘Invisible Deal’ routine). Get them to ‘see’ the coins on the table and know where they placed each. Remember where they placed the first ‘coin’—this is the 10p and this is the coin we are going to force via Equivoque. This is dealt with the same as the standard equivoque technique—you just need to remember where they placed the 10p. 3. When you have forced the 10p coin, ask them to visualise both sides of it, which helps with reinforcing which coin they took. Then ask them to flip it in the air, letting it land onto the table. When it has landed on the table, ask them to visualise which side landed uppermost, again without saying anything out loud. To help build the image, ask them to draw an imaginary black ‘X’ on the uppermost side of the coin. Since it will not matter which side of the coin is chosen, they can change their minds as often as they wish, so feel free to offer them the chance. 4. Reinstate what has happened: the spectator has freely imagined, then chosen a coin and called heads or tails without saying a word about his choices. Ask him to reinforce both the coin and side to memory. So far, you know he has the 10p, but you don’t know whether it is heads or tails side up. It doesn’t matter, because you don’t need to. 5. Draw the spectator’s attention to the prediction. He should naturally go for the piece of paper and unfold it. While he is doing this ask him which side he drew the black ‘X’ on. What happens next depends on his answer: If he says the ‘tails’ side, wait until he sees the blank prediction and say that the paper isn’t the prediction, the prediction was the other item from the pocket. Again, restate that he freely chose a coin, which he has never told you and imagined drawing an ‘X’ on one side. Draw his attention to the coin and ask him to look at it. He will find his chosen coin with a black ‘X’ on the tails side! If the spectator chose heads, again clarify that they freely chose a coin and imagined it landing on the table, heads side up, even though you asked if they wanted to change their minds. Point out the coin resting on the table. It is a 10p coin, heads side up, exactly matching his imaginary choices. Email: ChesterMcWiggle@aol.com

I’m sorry I haven’t a Cluedo

Doug Segal The mentalist explains that he and the audience will play a game of Cluedo and reminds them of the game: One of six suspects, a weapon and a location are chosen at random and placed in a black envelope. The players then have to work out by process of deduction who committed the murder, where and with what. Six spectators are invited on stage. One of the spectators is handed the six character cards: Colonel Mustard, Professor Plum, Miss Scarlett, Rev Green, Mrs White and Mrs Peacock and asked to mix them. He is then instructed to place a sticker on the card at the bottom of the pack. It is explained that whichever character has the sticker on will be the murderer. The spectator is then asked to spread the cards out randomly on a table and each of the six spectators is asked to select a character card unseen. They are then directed to a “dressing up box” where they are asked to don the costume which relates to their character: Miss Scarlett – A blonde wig and red t-shirt Rev Green – A green t-shirt and clerical dog collar Professor Plum - A grey wig and purple T-shirt Mrs. White – A cooks hat and a white T-Shirt Mrs Peacock – A tiara and a blue t-shirt Colonel Mustard – Yellow T-Shirt and a monocle. The “suspects” are then asked to form a “line up”. A bag is shown to contain six round tokens with the names of the weapons written on them: Candlestick, Dagger, Lead Piping, Revolver, Rope and Spanner. And nine square tokens with the rooms written on them: Hall, Lounge, Dining Room, Kitchen, Ballroom, Conservatory, Billiard Room, Library and Study. The participants are instructed to reach into the bag each remove one round and one square token without anyone seeing which they have chosen. The bag with the remaining tokens is then put away. They now have a character, a weapon and a rooms each – One of them is a Murderer! The mentalist then withdraws a notepad from his pocket & proceeds, with much comedy and byplay, to whittle the “suspects” down to just one who he reveals to be the murderer, correctly identifying the room and weapon: Miss Scarlett with the lead piping, in the billiard room. The mentalist points out that although there are 288 possible combinations, this was not a particularly difficult feat as he cheated by looking inside the “Black envelope” before he came on stage.

The mentalist reaches into his pocket and, asking the “murderer” to confirm that the pocket is other wise empty, produces his wallet. Inside the zipped compartment is the Black Envelope used in the actual board game. The spectator is allowed to remove the contents to find that the three cards inside are: Miss Scarlett. The lead piping and the billiard room!

Requirements Two sets of Cluedo character cards. The other cards from the game The black envelope from the Cluedo game Some “peelable” stickers Eight round and eleven square tokens (make them from Fimo) A change bag A simple pocket index with six slots A card to envelope wallet A normal note pad of any kind A normal pen Inside your right jacket or hip pocket you have the card index with a set of six character cards. Inside your left inside breast pocket you have your wallet with the black envelope set up with the chute tongues inside it. The envelope contains the Billiards Rooms and Lead Pipe cards. Also in this pocket is your note pad and pen. The change bag contains three round tokens with Lead Pipe written on them and three square tokens with Billiards Room written on them in one side.

Fig.1

The remaining tokens marked with a weapon on each of the five round tokens and a room on each of the eight square tokens (leaving out the Lead Pipe and Billiard Room for obvious reasons—see Fig.2) are in the other side.

Fig.2

Working 1. When the first spectator marks and lays out the cards on the table it is a simple matter to keeping track of where the bottom card is and who takes it. You can then tell from the costume the spectator puts on which card you will need to palm into your wallet. This is done under cover of removing your pad and pen from your inside pocket and you have all the time in the world to select the right card. Ensure that you do not return your pad and pen to the pocket so that you can demonstrate that your pocket is empty. 2. The weapon and room are forced by swapping the ‘normal” side of the change bag to the “hot” side when you reach the murderer. It is important that the murderer is not one of the last two people to choose from the bag as he may suspect there are an odd number of tokens there. However, this is unlikely as there should be some left in the bag anyway because there are more rooms than participants but better not to risk it This is a very easy situation to manage anyway as you can start at either end of the line. 3. Demonstrate the tokens by taking a few out in your hand—there is no need to count them carefully into the bag. From here on in it’s just presentation. Keep your questioning silly (or saucy if that’s your thing) and dismiss “innocent” suspects for ridiculous reasons, such as, “No one with a haircut like that would commit a murder – unless it was their hairdresser.”

Do not, under any circumstances; draw attention to the fact that you already know who the murderer is by asking other participants questions about them, such as, “Do you know if Miss Scarlet is the murderer?” There is a lot of humour to be wrung from this effect – Any performance where you make the audience dress up is funny to begin with.

End Notes The idea of having a spectator mark the bottom card of a deck and then keeping track of it by eye is Marc Paul’s. Marc uses it in his relatively new effect “True Lies” which, when I saw it lectured, gave me a Eureka moment solving my long held quest for a Cluedo effect. Marc’s excellent effect is, however, a method to tell which spectators from a group of six are lying or telling the truth and has its roots in “The Ring of Truth”. You couldn’t do a three way prediction using Marc’s method. My desire to have a Cluedo effect comes from my total obsession with both Confabulation and Sneak Thief/Kurosuki style effects a version of which are present as feature effects in every show I do. You can probably find footage of me performing some of them on YouTube. Website: www.dougsegal.com or www.thehumanobservatory.co.uk

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