1) The next time the host asks you to read someone's mind ask him to hand you a book.

Any
book will do. (A newspaper or a magazine will also work, the thicker the better.) You will riffle
the pages, stop at any page and pretend to extract the following sentences from the book.
"Absolutely all unsolicited humanitarian contributions aid the poor. 'Absolutely all,' repeated
the spokesman defensively."
Write the sentences on a sheet of paper and immediately close the book. I dare anyone to
prove the text didn't come from the book. Trust me. No one will question it.
A spectator is free to choose any word in the first sentence. The spectator secretly discloses
his choice to two other spectators who then remember the next two words in the text. For
example, if the first spectator chooses "poor," then the second spectator will remember
"Absolutely," and the third will remember "all."
You then instruct the three spectators as follows:
"In a moment, I will ask you to close your eyes and spell your word silently. I will try to
intercept your thoughts, letter by letter. You will open your eyes as soon as you've finished
spelling your word, but not before. Understood? Let's try it. Close your eyes and concentrate
on the first letter in your word. Hold that thought for a second. . . That's fine. Keep your eyes
closed and let's move on to the second letter in your word. Think of it now. . . Excellent. Now,
think of the third letter. . . Try to see it in your mind. Let's go to the fourth letter. Visualize it. . .
Now, go to the fifth letter. Let's stop there for a moment."
The text is made up of long and short words. The short words have no more than 4 letters.
That means the spectators who followed your instructions and have short words in mind will
have their eyes open at this point and the spectators who have long words will still have their
eyes shut. You will now be able to read a code in their eyes.
WORD CODE
Absolutely all unsolicited (long-short-long)
all unsolicited humanitarian (short-long-long)
unsolicitated humanitarian contributions (long-long-long)
humanitarian contributions aid (long-long-short)
contributions aid the (long-short-short)
aid the poor (short-short-short)
the poor Absolutely (short-short-long)
poor Absolutely all (short-long-short)
Suppose the first spectator's eyes are still shut and spectators 2 and 3 have their eyes open
by the time you've reached the fifth letter. That means the code is "long-short-short" and the
words are "contributions aid the." You may turn your attention to the first spectator and say:
"I believe your fifth letter is an "r." The next letter is an "i." I see a "b" next, and a "u," and a
"t." Your word is "contributions." Addressing spectators 2 and 3, you say: "And your words
are "aid" and "the."

What you now have are the latest refinements in a 20-year-old effect called Quin Taces.
In the event you have only one participant to work with, you will have the person repeat the
spelling for three successive words, one word at a time, until the entire code has been
communicated. The rationale for this is to put the words in context, making them easier to
perceive
2) Place seven objects in a circle. Identify them by name as you arrange them clockwise
around the circle in the following order: ring, credit card, quarter, key, pen, stamp and driver's
license.
"Break this circle and I can tell where the break occurred without seeing it," you announce as
you invite three spectators to assist you. Let's assume the spectators' names are Mary, Jack
and Sam. Explain that, when you turn your back, Mary will take an object from the circle.
She is free to remove any object she likes. Then, Jack will move clockwise from there and
remove the very next object in the circle, which will widen the break. Finally, Sam will take
the next object clockwise.
Once these three consecutive objects have been removed, you ask the spectators to rub the
objects and, as they do, you interrupt: "I sense something metallic. Someone is rubbing a
metal object. It may be the ring, quarter, key or pen. Is that correct?"
By answering the question, the spectators will reveal their objects to you. For example, if
Mary alone answers "yes" that her object is metallic, then she has the pen while Jack has
the stamp and Sam has the driver's license. At least one person will answer "yes" regardless
of where in the circle the objects were taken.
Here are all the possible situations:
1. (yes, no, yes) Mary has the ring, Jack has the credit card, Sam has the quarter.
2. (no, yes, yes) Mary has the credit card, Jack has the quarter, Sam has the key.
3. (yes, yes, yes) Mary has the quarter, Jack has the key, Sam has the pen.
4. (yes, yes, no) Mary has the key, Jack has the pen, Sam has the stamp.
5. (yes, no, no) Mary has the pen, Jack has the stamp, Sam has the driver's license.
6. (no, no, yes) Mary has the stamp, Jack has the driver's license, Sam has the ring.
7. (no, yes, no) Mary has the driver's license, Jack has the ring, Sam has the credit card.
This statagem is called the Gray Code (or De Bruijn sequence), which was introduced to
magic well over eighty years ago by Charles Jordan in an effect called "Coluria." It has many
other mental applications which I keep returning to from time to time.
3) Special envelopes are often relied upon to link their contents to their owners in
pseudopsychometry. I will describe a way that allows ordinary envelopes to be used. To
demonstrate, I need eight business cards, eight envelopes, eight pencils and eight
volunteers, identified below as ABCDEFGH. Each volunteer is handed a business card, an
envelope and a pencil. They write their names (or occasionally questions) on the cards and
seal them inside the envelopes. I collect the envelopes and, as I do, I stack them in the
following order from the top down:

A(fl), B(ad), C(fl), D(fl), E(fl), F(ad, G(ad), H(ad)

The (fl) means the flap side of the envelope faces upwards and the (ad) means the address
side is upwards.
After collecting the envelopes, I perform three OUT Faros, which does nothing except give
the appearance of mixing. (This false shuffling is not critical and may be dropped without
harming the effect.) I then hand the pack to a person with instructions to complete a series of
straight cuts. I really don't know the position of any envelope in the pack after the cutting. I
ask someone to call out a number between 1 and 8. Suppose it's 5. I place my hand above
the pack, concentrate briefly and eliminate four volunteers, saying "the number 5 has been
called and I sense your envelopes are not in the fifth position in this pack." How can
eliminate anyone at this point?
I ask the person holding the envelopes to move one envelope from the top to the bottom of
the pack. Again, I place my hand above the pack, concentrate briefly and eliminate two more
volunteers. The person shifts one more envelope from the top to the bottom of the pack and
I eliminate one more volunteer. One volunteer is left at this point. I eliminated everyone
except this one volunteer without ever seeing the fifth envelope, which is still buried in the
pack.
The person with the pack shifts two more envelopes to the bottom and stops at the fifth
envelope. I take this envelope and hand it to the one remaining volunteer who writes his
name on the outside, after which I return the envelope to the pack.
The person holding the pack completes another series of straight cuts, a number is called
and the process is repeated. Another name is recorded on another envelope. The process
continues until names have been recorded on two or three envelopes. These envelopes are
opened and, needless to say, the names outside match the names on the business card
inside.
THE HOW
The orientation of the first three envelopes will direct my actions after the pack has been cut.
The envelopes have two possible orientations. Either the flap side or the address side will be
up. I consult a crib sheet when a number is called to find out who stays and who goes. Let
me demonstrate.
CRIB SHEET
1. CDAEBHGF
2. DEBFCAHG
3. EFCGDBAH
4. FGDHECBA
5. GHEAFDCB
6. HAFBGEDC
7. ABGCHFED

8. BCHDAGFE
In my example earlier, the number 5 was called so I consult the crib sheet and note the
sequence GHEAFDCB. The right half of this sequence will be eliminated if I see the flap side
on the top ennvelope and the left half will be eliminated if I see the address side.
Suppose the envelope on top of the pack has its flap side facing upwards. That means I
must eliminate the right half, leaving me with the four letters GHEA. Volunteers FDCB can be
eliminated at once. They cannot be the owners of the fifth envelope. Suppose the second
envelope also displays the flap side. That means I must eliminate the right half of GHEA,
leaving me with the two letters GH. Thus, volunteers EA are further eliminated as possible
owners. Suppose the third envelope has the address side upwards. That means I must
eliminate the left half of GH, leaving me with volunteer H as the true owner of the fifth
envelope.
This process will work for any position number called regardless of where the pack is cut. If
the number called is either 1 or 2, I still have both the first and second envelopes shifted to
the bottom so I can observe the first three envelopes. I can then hand the first shifted
envelope to the proper owner. The second shifted envelope will belong to the very next
volunteer in numerical order, so it can be handed to the correct owner too.
Although demonstrated with envelopes, the process will work with cards, currency, billets or
any articles that can be stacked and cut and possess a one-way feature. The process may
be extended to any binary-sized pack (4,8,16,32,64...).
Anyone care to venture a guess as to why it works?
4) Our privacy is under siege. The government, corporations, our employers, even
neighbors seek information about us. Our last refuge may be our own minds but not for
long.
Body language can reveal a lot of information about what a person is thinking. For instance,
the eyes are a good place to look for subtle clues. Facial expressions and speech patterns
can also betray a persons thoughts. Let me demonstrate.
After getting a participant to join me, I recite four objects. Lets say theyre a ring, a quarter,
a key and a watch. I ask the participant to pick one mentally. Its a free choice and I dont
influence it in any way.
Do you have an object in mind? Great! I will ask you a question. You may answer it either
truthfully or by lying. Its your choice.
I stand a few feet away and stare into the participants eyes as I ask the question.
Is the object you have in mind either the quarter or the key?
The participant answers No.

Youre making good eye contact. You have a nice smile. Youre not giving up your thoughts
easily. Your body language is subtle. I cant tell yet if youre being truthful. So lets try it
again. I will ask you another question. If you answered truthfully the first time, then please
answer this next question truthfully as well. If you lied the first time, then please lie again.
Understood?
Is the object you have in mind either the watch or the quarter?
The participant answers No.
There are no facial tics to give you away. Youd make a good Poker player. But I believe I
now have a reliable baseline to work from. Ill ask you one more question. If you told the truth
the last time, then please do so again. If you lied, then please lie again. Understood?
Is the object you have in mind either the key or the watch?
The participant answers Yes.
You took a little longer to start answering and you averted your eyes. I will take a chance.
Your body language is telling me that youre lying. Am I right?
Oh, by the way, the object you have in mind is the quarter.
With a willing participant who can follow instructions, the result will be correct 100% of the
time.
How?
I dont bother messing around with body language. The real secret is the binary code. All it
takes are 3 questions and some simple addition, and I can tell whether the subject is lying or
telling the truth and what the object is. Heres how it works.
I begin by assigning numbers to the objects: ring=0, quarter=3, key=5, watch=6. How Ive
assigned the numbers determines the questions. The quarter or key makes up the 1st
question, the quarter or watch makes up the second question, and the key or watch
makes up the third question.
The first question is worth 1 point if the participant answers yes. Otherwise its worth
nothing. The second question is worth 2 points for yes. The third question is worth 4 points.

In our example, the participant answered No, No, Yes, which adds up to 4 points. None of
the objects has a value of 4, which means the participant lied when answering the three
questions. To arrive at the correct object, I subtract 4 from 7, which gives me 3 points. So, I
now know the chosen object is the quarter and the participant was lying throughout.
Here are all the possible totals and what they mean:
A total of 0 means ring and the person told the truth.

A total of 3 means quarter and the person told the truth.

A total of 5 means key and the person told the truth.
A total of 6 means watch and the person told the truth.
A total of 1 means watch and the person lied.
A total of 2 means key and the person lied.
A total of 4 means quarter and the person lied.
A total of 7 means ring and the person lied.
SUMMARY
The participant may either answer the three questions by lying or answer the three truthfully.
The objects are represented below by A, B, C and D.
A=0, B=3, C=5, D=6
Question 1: B or C, worth 1 point
Question 2: B or D, worth 2 points
Question 3: C or D, worth 4 points
5) I love the Faro for card control, but I cant do perfect Faros consistently. So, I rely on a
series of binary cuts. They allow me to access any card in the deck and do it in seconds.
Binary cuts are as precise as the Faro for locating a card and who doesnt know how to cut
cards? An effect called Significant Bits in my book Spirited Pasteboards (1987) contains an
early version of this approach.
With binary cuts, mental dexterity replaces manual dexterity. To access any quadrant in the
deck, I use two binary cuts. Theyre indicated by the following code if read from left to right:
0 means keep the top half and discard the bottom half and 1 means keep the bottom
half and discard the top half.
00 accesses quadrant 1, cards 1-13
01 accesses quadrant 2, cards 14-26
10 accesses quadrant 3, cards 27-39
11 accesses quadrant 4, cards 40-52
For instance, 10 means cut the deck in half and keep the bottom 26 cards. Then, cut those
cards in half and keep the top 13.
At this point, if the card I desire is among the first 7 in the quadrant, I keep the top 8 cards
and discard the rest. If the card is among the bottom 6 in the quadrant, I keep the bottom 8
cards and discard the rest. In other words, I retain a binary-sized packet so I can conclude
with 3 quick binary cuts.
TOP EIGHT
000 accesses card 1
001 accesses card 2
010 accesses card 3
011 accesses card 4
100 accesses card 5
101 accesses card 6

110 accesses card 7

BOTTOM EIGHT
010 accesses card 8
011 accesses card 9
100 accesses card 10
101 accesses card 11
110 accesses card 12
111 accesses card 13
This process really pays off when I let the spectator pick which half to eliminate at each step.
A particularly deceptive form of Equivoque makes it seem as if the spectator picked the
sequence.
LEO
6) "Somehow, I always had a head for numbers. At a young age, I found that I could tell what
number someone had in mind by merely knowing whether it was odd or even. I've tried to
put that peculiar talent to work in picking lottery numbers."

Following those remarks, I produce a card on which the following numbers are printed in big,
bold characters:

1593067, 5072401, 9463812, 6802501

9372845, 8593756, 4163389, 1502034

8072723, 7293690, 3802289, 7163690

5072478, 8502756, 2463190, 6372501

8593723, 1502067, 6372534, 2463167

1593034, 3802256, 8072756, 4163312

6802534, 7293623, 9463845, 8502723

9372812, 7163623

After showing everybody the numbers, I hand a person the card. I ask the person to select
any one of the numbers mentally. "Look at the center of your selected number," I instruct,
"the fourth digit to be precise, and tell me whether that digit is odd or even. '0' is an even

number, by the way." As soon as the person answers, I write a number on a sketch pad and
show it to the audience. This is repeated for the other digits, until I've written down the entire
number. The person then reads his number aloud for the first time and it matches mine
perfectly.

The method is a unique number-generating routine. Let's say the person selected the
number 6372501. I begin with the center digit because that digit has just two possibilities, 3
or 2. The person will tell me it's even, so the digit has to be a 2, which I will write on the
sketch pad. Working backwards from the center digit, I ask him whether the third digit is odd
or even. He will say it's odd. I will reproduce it by using one of the following rules:

(a) Add 6 to the last digit I wrote if that digit is odd and the next digit is odd.

(b) Add 3 if the last digit is odd and the next digit is even.

(c) Add 5 if the last digit is even and the next digit is odd.

(d) Add 8 if the last digit is even and the next digit is even.

Rule (c) applies because the last digit I wrote was a 2, which is even, and the next digit (the
third digit) is odd. So I add 5 to 2 and get 7. Next, I either write the 7 on a sketch pad at once
or ask the audience to call out odd digits at random and write it down when I hear it. The
result is 72. The second digit comes next. The person will report that the second digit is odd,
which means rule (a) comes into play and I must add 6 to 7, for a total of 13. I will drop the 1
and write the 3 as the second digit, giving me the number 372. Applying the appropriate rule
to the first digit, then to the last digit of the number, I will get 6372xx1. To get the two
unknown digits (xx), I will ask the person to concentrate on them without stating whether
they're odd or even. I subtract 1 from the first digit, 6, to get the fifth digit and I subtract 1
from the last digit, 1, to get the sixth digit -- yielding the complete number 6372501.
7) The Faro shuffle, which I once believed useful only in card magic, has great utility in
psychic entertainment. The shuffle can be applied to small packets of billets, envelopes,
photos, postcards, and just about any other flat articles. It allows these articles to be
controlled with remarkable precision and it opens the door to a wide range of impromptu
mental effects. It deserves a closer look.

A perfect Faro shuffle consists of cutting a packet into two exactly equal halves and
interlacing them in perfect alternation. While intimidating with a deck of cards, the Faro is
simple to execute with small packets. The packet I use normally has only eight cards, so the
Faro is easy. Easy as pie. Suppose the packet consists of cards A,B,C,D,E,F,G and H from
the top down. Holding the packet in my right hand, I spread the four cards on top (A,B,C,D)

to the left slightly and take these four into my left hand. Four cards (E,F,G,H) remain in my
right hand and I spread these to the right slightly.

OUT SHUFFLE: I bring my hands together and slide card D in my left hand between cards H
and G in my right hand, card C in my left between cards G and F in my right, and card B in
my left between cards F and E in my right, and drop card A on top of card E. I do this slowly
and deliberately and very sloppily to show the cards are really being mixed. The result is a
perfect OUT shuffle, which means the original top card has remained on top.

IN SHUFFLE: To do the IN shuffle, which places the top card second from the top, I bring the
halves together by sliding card H in my right hand between cards D and C in my left hand,
card G in my right between cards C and B in my left and card F in my right between cards B
and A in my left, finally dropping card E on top of card A. These rather trivial Faro shuffles
can be mastered pretty quickly. Now let's explore a few of its applications in impromptu
mentalism.

Three OUT shuffles will return the cards to their original order (OUT-OUT-OUT =
ABCDEFGH) and three IN shuffles will reverse their order (IN-IN-IN = HGFEDCBA). That
property alone can lead to some pretty devastating effects.

For example, ask eight people to record their thoughts on slips of paper and have the slips
sealed in envelopes. Collect the envelopes and mix them openly using three OUT or three
IN shuffles. These shuffles are most convincing. Yet, at the end, you will know exactly which
envelope belongs to which person. How is that for impromptu psychometry?

Try this mindreading demonstration. Tell someone to deal any eight cards face-down from a
well-shuffled deck. It may be a Tarot, Rhine or the person's own deck. The person then
selects one of the eight cards at random and you assemble the seven remaining cards into a
packet. He drops his selection on top of your packet after which you execute three IN
shuffles. This will secretly bring his selection to the bottom where you can easily glimpse it
while squaring up the cards. Set the packet aside and proceed to divine his thoughts.

In another effect, you invite four couples to assist you. Stand them with each couple side-byside. Hand each person an index card with instruction to write something amusing about
their mates, after which you collect the cards and do two OUT shuffles followed by an IN
shuffle. (OUT-OUT-IN = BADCFEHG). This shuffling transposes the cards in such a way that
when you return the cards, each person will receive his or her mate's written comments. Ask
each person to try to determine who the comments are about -- and watch the fur fly.
9) Little did I know when "Color Control" was published in 1991 that the principle of
ambiguity would play such a major role in mentalism. Otherwise I would have dropped
everything and begun exploring. Whether the ambiguity is in the script or in the actions of the

mentalist, brilliant modern-day practitioners of this art -- Banachek, Kenton Knepper, Luke
Jermay, to name a few -- have changed the landscape forever, and I like what I see. They
dared to explore a strange land and we're all the better for it.

So here is my "Color Control" as it appeared in the March 1991 issue of Vibrations.

EFFECT

"The mind can be controlled in subtle and often not-so-subtle ways," I explain. "It happens
daily through advertising, propaganda, subliminal messages and, during wartime, through
brainwashing, chemicals and even torture. A method not often mentioned, although quite
effective, is direct mind-to-mind communication. The latter, in fact, has been the subject of
serious research by the Russian KGB (Remember, this was 1991), it was reported recently."

I propose a simple test in which I will try to influence how a group of people perceives a
color. I divide my audience into two groups: a control group and a test group.

I borrow a business card on which I write something in color and show it to the test group. I
don't try to exert any influence whatever on this group. I then show the same card to the
control group, to whom I try to project a different color, mentally. When both groups are
surveyed, just about everyone in the control group claims to have seen a different color than
that seen by the test group.

METHOD

Two interrelated principles are at work: ambiguity and inversion. (No, I don't switch cards.)
An example of ambiguity is the word "red" written in blue ink. Ask a group of people, "What
color is this?" Some people may say red, some may say blue. But if you ask the question
while pointing to each letter in the word, most people will say red.

Now invert the word "red." If it is written with an appropriate type style, it will turn into the
word "par," which immediately strips away the ambiguity. Now, the only visible color is blue,
and the answer to your question will be unanimous. It's blue.

HOW TO PERFORM

Open with a brief comment about mind control. Gather some dozen people to assist.
Separate them into test and control groups. Explain that you will try to influence the people in

the control group telepathically, affecting how they will perceive color.

Next, print the word "red" in bright blue ink on a borrowed business card with a felt-tip pen.
Or, you could have it printed on a card that you carry with you for just such an occasion. If
you print the word using lower case letters, it will change into a reasonable facsimile of the
word "par" when inverted.

Show the card to the test group with the word "par" on display. Tell them to note the word
you've written and to remember the color. Carry the card to the control group, inverting the
card along the way, but keep it in plain sight so no one will suspect a switch.

Show the control group the card with the word "red" on display. Tell them to note the word
you've written and to remember the color. As you instruct them, move your fingers from letter
to letter to increase the likelihood that they will focus on the meaning of the word rather then
the color of the ink.

Finally, put away the card and ask the people in the test group what color they saw. Their
answer will be unanimous. It will be blue.

Explain how you concentrated on the color red when you showed the card to the control
group. Survey the control group next, and you will discover that most of them will report that
they saw red.

AN ALTERNATIVE INVERSION

Another color that exhibits a different word when inverted is the word "gray." If printed in
lower-case letters, it will change into the word "herb" when inverted. Print the word "gray" in
green ink and you have the makings of another version of the effect.
10) A borrowed newspaper and a subtle force were the only items British mentalist Al Koran
needed for a featured effect. It was a prediction but not the typical headline prediction. A
person thought of a number. Al Koran then ripped a page out of a newspaper and tore it to
pieces, forming a pile of newspaper fragments. The person counted the fragments until he
reached his number and chose a word (or picture) on the fragment at that location. Whatever
the person chose, it matched Al Korans prediction which was on display from the start.
Many variations on the theme have appeared since, notably Al Manns Super Clip Line and
Jack Deans Fragments, but they dont compare to the original.

Al Koran knew how to control the tearing. He did it so precisely that the fragment he wanted
to force would show up at exactly the right place in the pile. He exercised control through a

series of binary tears. He didnt call them that but thats what they were. He exploited binary
principles (whether he knew it or not) and he put them to good use to force a fragment.

A binary tear consists of folding the paper in half, tearing along the fold and stacking the
fragments on top of each other before the next tear. If you repeat the folding, tearing and
stacking 3 times in a row, the result is 8 fragments. If you repeat them 4 times, the result is
16 fragments. The control comes from the stacking. You can get any fragment into a desired
position depending upon how you stack the fragments after each tear.

Lets start with a simple example. Take a sheet of paper, newspaper or otherwise, and mark
an X in the upper left corner. Thats the corner we will force. (Any part of the sheet may be
forced but well stick with the upper left corner for purposes of explanation.). Lets assume
someone calls out the number 4. That means the fragment marked with the X must be 4th
from the top at the conclusion.

Start by folding the sheet in half. The fold may run either vertically or horizontally, it doesnt
really matter. Tear along the fold and place the X fragment beneath the other. That
concludes round 1. Next, as you hold the two fragments together in a pile, fold them in half in
the opposite direction and tear them along the fold. You will end up with two fragments in
each hand. One pair of fragments carries the X (now hidden). Ill call them the X fragments.
Place the X fragments beneath the other two. That concludes round 2. Finally, as you hold
the 4 fragments together in a pile, fold them in half and tear them along the fold. You will end
up with four fragments in each hand. Place the X fragments above the other four. This
stacking sequence may be summarized as beneath 1, beneath 2, above 4. If you now
check the pile of 8 fragments, you ought to find the X on the 4th fragment from the top,
which was our target from the start.

The stacking sequence beneath 1, beneath 2, above 4 may be represented by a binary

code, 100. The 0 means beneath and the 1 means above and the code must be read
from right to left; in other words, it must be read in the correct 1 2 4 order.

The X fragment may be dispatched to any destination in the pile with the right stacking
sequence. Here are all the possible sequences for an 8-fragment pile:

To get X on fragment 1, the sequence is above 1, above 2, above 4 (111)

To get X on fragment 2, the sequence is beneath 1, above 2, above 4 (110)
To get X on fragment 3, the sequence is above 1, beneath 2, above 4 (101)
To get X on fragment 4, the sequence is beneath 1, beneath 2, above 4 (100)

To get X on fragment 5, the sequence is above 1, above 2, beneath 4 (011)

To get X on fragment 6, the sequence is beneath 1, above 2, beneath 4 (010)
To get X on fragment 7, the sequence is above 1, beneath 2, beneath 4 (001)
To get X on fragment 8, the sequence is beneath 1, beneath 2, beneath 4 (000)

You may notice that the binary numbers above are in reverse numerical order. To obtain the
code you need to get the X where you want it, all you need is to subtract the fragment
number from 8 and convert the result into a binary number. That will be true for any binarysized piles 4, 8, 16 So obtaining the right stacking sequence becomes rather trivial once
you master the binary conversion.

The paper tearing strategy complements the card cutting strategy I explained in another
thread. It may be instructive to compare the two. If intrigued check this out.
11) This is not so much an effect as a way of warming things up and priming the audience.
Everyone can take part. It works best with large audiences and its a great way of identifying
agreeable volunteers for later effects. You take a small cardboard box that is sealed with
rubber bands and set it on a table as you explain the premise:
I would like to test your intuition. Call it instinct. Call it a hunch. All of us have it to some
degree. Inside this box is something quite ordinary. You use it every day. Your challenge is to
predict what it is. Let me give you a hint. It may be found in a mans pocket. Hmmmthat
doesnt narrow it down much, does it? Try to think what it might be. Play a hunch. Take a
guess. Has everyone an object in mind? If you do, please stand up. Dont be shy. Ill find you
anyway. From this point on, your numbers will dwindle and the longer you remain standing,
the better your instincts. Listen carefully:
1. If the object you have in mind is something to eat, then please sit down. There is nothing
in the box that may be eaten.
2. If any part if your object goes into the mouth, please sit down. The object in the box may
not be smoked, chewed, or swallowed and it shouldnt be placed in the mouth at all. (No
cigarette, gum, pills, cigar, pipe, toothpick, or the like.)
3. Please sit down if your objects main purpose is grooming. The object in here is not to be
used for clipping, trimming, combing, shaving, or otherwise prettying up its owner.
4. If the object youre thinking of gives you the time of day, please sit down.
5. If it is something to wear, whether clothing, jewelry or a visual aid, you know what to do.
Please sit down. The tribal council has voted you out. (No eyeglasses, headband, baseball
cap, or the like.)
6. If your object can light your way in the dark, please be seated. (No lighter, match,
flashlight, or the like.)
7. Please be seated if it is an electronic device because the object in the box has no
electrical components. (No cell phone, pager, calculator, palm pilot, game boy, i-Pod, or the
like.)

8. Many of you are still on your feet. The longer you remain standing the better the chances
your hunch was right. But now its time for some serious trimming. If your object is something
you can use to jot down your thoughts, then down you go. Please be seated. (No pen,
pencil, pad, or pocket secretary.)
9. If it is something used to make purchases or buy stuff, please be seated. (No cash,
currency, coin, or credit card.)
10. If it is made of paper or plastic, please be seated. (No picture, ticket, stamp, passport,
license, or ID of any kind.)
11. If it is made of cloth, please be seated.
12. Likewise, if your object is made of leather or made to look like leather, please sit down.
13. If it is NOT made of metal, please sit down, because the object in the box is definitely
metallic.
14. If your object has a really sharp point or cutting edge to it, or if it is a weapon of any
kind, then down you go. Take your seat. (No knife, needle, firearm.)
15. Finally, please sit down if your object is a container, holder, can or box. (No pill box,
beer can, soda can.)
Several of you are still on your feet. Either you are the most intuitive people here tonight or
you are about to join your companions who are sitting downbecause this is the moment of
truth. The people in their seats are wondering: What the heck is in the box? You ought to
know. So please tell them.
Most of the people who remain on their feet should have a key in mind, which is the object
in the box. Take a poll and find out what they say. You may be surprised by some of the
objects. Then, take the box and walk up to someone at random who has identified the key
correctly and ask:
Your name? Shirley. Have we ever met before? Any particular reason why you chose a key
as your object? You then remove the rubber bands and lid from the box, and immediately
hand the box to Shirley. Your hand never goes inside the box. You say: Shirley, would you
please reveal its contents to the audience.
She will, of course, find a key inside the box. Along with the key, she will find a slip of paper
with her name on it. The box is ungimmicked. You wrote the name on the slip with a nail
writer as you were speaking with Shirley. The slip got sucked into the box when the lid was
removed. It is Al Manns Arca Mystery Box, but a predition box can be just as effective. Or,
you may work with an accomplice if you prefer. In the unlikely event nobody has guessed the
key, the slip may simply reveal the number of people still standing.
Perhaps you have an effect with maximum audience participation youd like to share.
LEO
12) A popular misconception is that a shuffle is a good way of mixing cards. The truth is that
a shuffle hardly mixes them at all and you can prove it to yourself.
Take a pack of Zener cards and stack them cyclically in 123451234512345... order from the
top down, where 1=circle, 2=cross, 3=lines, 4=square and 5=star. Now separate the pack
between any star and circle, preferable near the middle of the pack, and shuffle the two

portions together using a genuine riffle shuffle. Immediately after the shuffle and without
cutting the cards, deal yourself five cards face-down one at a time into a pile. Then turn the
fifth card over so it lies face-up on top of the pile.
If the shuffle were any good at mixing the cards, the fifth card would reveal little information
about the rest of the cards in the pile. But the truth is that, when the fifth card is either a
circle or a square, the pile will contain two circles, a cross, a square and a line card. When
the fifth card is either a cross or a line card, the pile will contain two circles, two crosses and
a line card. When the fifth card is a star, the pile will contain one card of each design. So, the
fifth card by itself can reveal the identities of all the other designs in the pile even after a
legitimate shuffle. Check it out for yourself.
Anyone care to explain this curiosity? It gets curiouser.
13) Intuition is a hot topic these days. Theres an explosion of research on how
unconscious, automatic thinking guides our lives. Intuition can provide us with useful and
often amazing insights. Would you like to see how much you know without knowing you
know. Youll be playing your hunches in this demonstration, making decisions based entirely
on instinct.
I produce a deck of cards at this point and hand it to the spectator. I dont touch it again. Its
ordinary and unprepared and may be borrowed.
Please spread the deck between your hands and look at the faces of the cards, I instruct.
Well try to stimulate the right side of your brain and get your memory working at the
unconscious level, below the radar so to speak. Dont try to memorize anything. Just scan
the cards quickly from one end of the deck to the other Now, turn the cards face down and
shuffle the deck. Give it a good shuffle and cutThe cards seem hopelessly lost at this
point. Dont you agree? But your unconscious mind, which can absorb information like a
sponge and process it at lightning speed, is not easily confused.
Do you have a favorite card, or a card youre drawn to more than any other? What is the
card? (He answers the Ace of Hearts.) Okay. The Ace of Hearts it is. That will be your target.
Please divide the deck into four equal piles and place them on the table. You now have a
decision to make. In which pile do you think the Ace of Hearts is located? What do your
instincts say? (He answers pile #2.) Is that your final answer? You may change your mind if
you wish. Yes, then pile #2 it is. Please move the other piles out of the way. Thank you.
Now, please divide pile #2 into two equal piles and place them on the table. You have
another decision to make. In which pile, the one to your left or the one to your right, do you
think the Ace of Hearts is located? Again, follow your instincts. (He answers the left pile.) Is
that your final answer? You may change your mind if you wish. Yes, then the left pile it is.
Please move the other one out of the way. Thank you.
Please count the cards you have left. How many cards do you have? (He answers seven
cards.) So, youve eliminated 45 cards guided by pure instinct. Youve had a free hand as to
which cards you eliminated. Youre playing your hunches and its too late to turn back now.

Youre committed to those seven cards. Lets see where they lead you.
Deal the cards onto the table from left to right to form a row. You have one final decision to
make. Since there are seven cards, pick any number from 1 to 7. Again, its your choice. Let
your intuition be your guide. (He picks the number 5). Is that your final answer? You may
change your mind if you wish. Yes, then 5 it is.
Now, starting at the left end of the row, count to the fifth card and tap your finger on each
card as you count out loud. Turn the fifth card over so its face up. (Its not the Ace of
Hearts.) Thats okay. The unconscious mind works in mysterious ways. There are at least
two ways to get the right answer. Either you get it directly. Or, you eliminate all the wrong
answers. What remains has to be the right answer.
Starting at the card to the right of the face-up card, please continue counting. Count to the
fifth card and tap your finger on each card as you count out loud. Return to the beginning of
the row to complete your count. Turn the fifth card over so its face up.
Again, its not the Ace of Hearts. But the counting process doesnt stop there. It is repeated
four more times. At that point, 6 cards are face up, none of which are the Ace of Hearts, and
just one card is face down.
Weve arrived at the moment of truth, I say. You did it yourself, playing your hunches all
the way. The suspense is killing me. Please turn over that last card.
You guessed it. Its the Ace of Hearts!!
How?
Lets see what happens at the end, after the spectator has eliminated every card except 7.
This part of the effect relies on the prime number force. If youre unfamiliar with it, check
this out. Take seven cards from a deck, including the Ace of Hearts, and deal them in a row
from left to right. Be sure the Ace of Hearts is the card at the far right, card #7. Pick any
number from 1 to 7. Lets say you pick 3. Start at the left end of the row, count 1-2-3-to the
third card and turn it face-up. Now count again, starting with the next card in the row. Count
1-2-3 and turn the third card face-up. Do it again. Return to the left end of the row when you
run out of cards, and continue counting. Turn the third card face-up. If you do this a total of 6
times, 6 cards will be face-up. Every card will be face-up except card #7.
Okay, turn all the cards face down and try a different number. Lets say your new number is
5. Start at the left end of the row, count 1-2-3-4-5 to the fifth card and turn it face-up. Now
count again, starting with the next card in the row. Count 1-2-3-4-5 and turn the fifth card
face-up. Do it again. If you do this a total of 6 times, 6 cards will be face-up. Every card will
be face-up except card #7.
Okay, turn all the cards face down and try it with each of the other numbers from 1 to 6.
Regardless of the number you choose, every card will be face-up after 6 cycles except card
#7. It works automatically. Your only task, then, is to maneuver the spectator into positioning
his card at the end of the row. Only two results will then be possible: The spectator

miraculously gets a direct hit when he picks number 1 or 7. Or, he miraculously eliminates
every card in the row except his card, which remains face-down until the very end.
The only requirement in this card trick is that the number of cards in the row is a prime
number. In this case it was 7, but the trick would work for 3, 5 or 11 cards. Any more than
that and it starts to get a bit tedious. As long as the number of cards is a prime number P, the
number of cycles it takes to get to the rightmost card will always be P.
I first learned the prime number force in the early 70s. I was reminded of it in Rob Eastaway
and Jeremy Wyndhams book Why Do Buses Come in Threes?: The Hidden Mathematics
of Everyday Life (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1998). Though its not a magic book, the
authors describe a trick with 7 cards, the anti-psychic trick, that relies on the prime number
force. Jim Steinmeyer has also written about the force in Impuzzibilities.
So, now, how do I insure that the spectators card will be among the final 7? The deck is out
of my control and the spectator has total freedom in choosing the cards? I took my cue from
Jimmy Grippo who was a master at the secret load. I palm the card from a pocket index and
secretly drop it onto the final pile, but Im open to your solutions.
14) Here is an interesting card arrangement for a deck wih a one-way back design. With this
stack and with no markings, you can identify any card value anywhere in the deck by
glimpsing just a few backs.
The backs of the cards are stacked along with the faces. The letter "A" in parentheses in the
sequence below means the back design for the card points one way and "D" means it points
the other way. The thirteen card values along with the Joker (JR) are included in this stack.
They are arranged in the following order (which is top down in the face-down deck):
2(D), 9(A), Q(A), JR(A), 7(D), J(A), K(A), 6(D), 3(D), A(D), 8(A), 4(D), 10(A), 5(D)
Repeat this arrangement cyclically to complete a 56-card deck, including four Jokers.
Arrange the suits in the CHaSeD or whichever sequence you like. The deck may be
repeatedly cut without harming the arrangement. Now for the fun part.
(1) How you can identify the value of any card by spotting the orientation of four adjacent
backs. Remember the numbers 1,2,4,and 8. The orientation of the four backs will tell you
which of these numbers to add and which to disregard. If the back orientation is "A," that
means add. If the orientation is "D," that means disregard. EXAMPLE: Suppose you want
the value of the fifth card in the arrangement above. You need to glimpse the backs of the
second, third, fourth and fifth cards. Their orientation are A,A,A and D, which means add 1,
add 2, add 4, and disregard 8. The total is 7. The fifth card is indeed a 7. It works for any
value. Check it out. By the way, if your total is 14, the card is the Joker (JR).
(2) How you can identify the value of the next card once you know the value of one card.
Actually, there is a neat way to calculate the next card. Divide the value of the card
immediately before it by 2. Drop any fraction and then add 8 if the next card has an "A"
orientation. Add nothing if the next card has a "D" orientation. EXAMPLE: I know a 7 is in the
fifth position. What value is in the sixth? Divide th 7 by 2 and drop the fraction. That give me

3. Add 8 to 3 because the sixth card has an "A" orientation. So the sixth card is a Jack.
1=Ace,....., 11=Jack, 12=Queen, 13=King, 14=Joker.
Historical Antecedents: Effects with the two-way stack, employing stacked one-way backs to
indicate one's position in a card arrangement, were invented by Charles Jordan (The Wizard
Reader, 1916), Leslie May, Karl Fulves (Gray Stack), Roy Walton (The Abacus Card Trick),
and Phil Goldstein (Magick, 1975). I made my own modest contribution in Spirited
Pasteboards (1989).