Mind Reading: Mental card reading

Effect:
You produce a normal deck of playing cards and ask a spectator to cut the deck anywhere they like. They remove the card they've cut to without letting you see it and concentrate on its design. After a few moments concentration, you announce the exact card they've chosen. You have read their mind!

Secret:

You’ll need a normal deck of cards but you need to arrange them in a special order. Mentalists refer to this as a stacked deck. One of the easiest methods of stacking a deck is the Si Stebbins system.

In this system, each card has a value; a jack is valued 11, a queen 12 and a king 13. All the other cards take their respective value, with an ace valued 1. The suits are also arranged in the order clubs, hearts, spades, diamonds. The easiest way to remember this is by the word 'chased':
                                         Clubs Hearts Spades Diamonds.

Start with any club, then for the next card in the stack add 3 to its value and make it a heart. For the next card, add 3 again and make it a spade. For the next card, add 3 again and make it a diamond. Then you’re adding 3 to 11, 12 or 13, subtract 13 to get the value of the next card. The system repeats like this until the whole deck is stacked.
For instance, if you started with the 3 of clubs (3C), the stacked order would be: 3C, 6H, 9S, QD, 2C, 5H, 8S and so on.

Place the cards face up as you stack them. When displaying the deck to your spectator, make sure you fan them and let them see the faces. Don't make a point of this – just fan them as you say “normal deck of cards”. Whatever you do, don't say “As you can see, they're in no particular order!” Statements like this should be implied non-verbally. This is important later on, if the spectator tries to 'reconstruct' the trick and work out how it was done. If they can remember you casually spreading the cards, they'll discount any theories about the deck being in a special order or perhaps all the same card. Put the stacked deck face down on the table and invite a spectator to cut the deck anywhere they like. Get them to place the top half of the deck face down next to the bottom half. Invite them to take the top card from the bottom deck and keep it secret.

Pickup up the bottom half of the deck, place it on the top half and then pick up the whole deck. You now need to glance at the bottom card on the deck and there are a couple of ways of doing this. You
can either put the cards back into their box, casually glancing at the bottom card as you do so. Better still, hold the deck in front of you, as if demonstrating to the spectator how to hold their card. Either method will need a simple verbal misdirection such has “Now hold your card up, still keeping it secret and concentrate on the design.” As they concentrate, ask them to look into your eyes. Pretend you are looking for subtle psychological clues as to the value of their card. Look at micro-movements in their facial muscles also. All you need to do to name their card is work out the next one in the sequence. So if the bottom card was the ace of hearts, their card is the four of spades. Rather than just simply naming their card, increase the drama and effect of mind-reading by revealing it bit by bit. The color first, then whether it is a low, high or picture card. Then name the card in full. To really play with the system, you can subtly suggest that you are about to read the wrong card. For instance, if the spectator's card is the nine of clubs, you might reveal it in the following way: “OK, its a black card, yes?” Look for visual confirmation. “I'm getting an 'i' ... 'i' ... five ... a five? No, sounds like five – its a nine, yes?” “Definitely not a spade so it must be the nine of clubs!” Another method of revealing the chosen card is to draw it on a notepad. Keep your drawing hidden, then invite the spectator to turn around their card and announce the design. You can then flip over your notepad, revealing the same design. This is a terrific routine and with a little thought, the Si Stebbins stack can be used for many other mind reading effects. What’s more, the stack is instantly ready to use again simply by putting the spectator’s chosen card on top of the deck face down. After revealing these first two effects, I want to address something you might be feeling. Disappointment. If you're disappointed to discover you're not divining the chosen card by reading body language or subtle facial expressions, get used to it! This is the way all mind reading illusions work. If it were genuinely possible to read a person's innermost thoughts, feelings or memories in that way, then the performer would be decades ahead of the greatest psychologists in the field. It is all an illusion. You need to sell the idea to your audience and volunteers through your performance. This is something we'll come back to throughout the book.

On Your Mark

On Your Mark

Effect: A selected card is located within seconds.

Secret: With a soft black pencil draw a diagonal line down both sides of a pack of cards. When you show the trick, you remove the cards from the case and ask someone to take any card, remember it and return it anywhere in the pack. Pick up the pack and look at your pencil mark. At one point there will be a small back mark out of alignment with the rest of the line – that is the chosen card.

Metal Bending

Metal Bending

Effect: A spoon is bent and then straightened again.

Secret: Take the spoon in your left fist. Position the bowl so it rests on the table. Move your right hand over the left and change the left grip to hold the spoon by third and little fingers. As you pretend to press the spoon against the table top, bring your hands up to a vertical position as if really bending the handle. Move the hands back and forth as if the metal is becoming really supple. Blow on the spoon and throw it on the table. The handle is straight.

Spirit Initials

Spirit Initials 

Effect: A spectator's initials appear on his own hand.

Secret: Hand someone a soft pencil and ask him toprint his initials on a sugar cube. Take the sugar and secretly press your thumb against the initials. Drop the sugar in a glass of water. Ask the spectator to hold his hand over the glass. To show him what to do, you guide his hand over the glass. As you do this, press your thumb against his palm. You have now transferred a copy of the initials to his palm. He will receive a surprise when he sees the initials on his palm.

Simple Coin Vanish

Simple Vanish

This is a first-rate coin vanish, and in spite of its simplicity, ranks with the best of them.


Show the coin in the right hand where it rests in the classic palm position. Fingertips of the left hand gently touch the back of the right hand, Fig. 1.





The right hand turns inward and over and apparently drops the coin into the waiting left hand, but actually the coin is retained in the right hand, palmed, as the left hand closes, Fig. 2.


With the right middle finger, tap the closed left hand once. Draw the left hand into a tighter fist by pressing the tips of the fingers into the palm, the thumb angling over the top of the fingers. Placing the fingers in this position makes the next move possible.

Open the left hand, slowly and gracefully, a finger at a time, beginning with the little finger. When all the fingers are extended and apart the hand is shown on both sides. It is empty.

Care must be taken to perform this vanish slowly and gracefully. Grace is the important element. Make it look like you really dumped the coin into the left hand. Actually do this a few times before a mirror, then repeat this action but retain the coin palmed in the right hand. Don't open the left hand too quickly. Take your time and you will have a beautiful and effective coin vanish.

The Classic Palm

The coin is held in the center of the palm by a contraction of the muscles at the base of the thumb and little finger, Fig. 1
It is transferred to, and pressed into this grip by the tips of the second and third fingers. Several coins may be held in this manner.


This is one of the most difficult of all concealments to master but it is one of magic's finest secrets. The layman cannot imagine it possible to conceal a coin in this way. The beginner may experience difficulty in retaining a coin in this position at the outset, but the ability will come with practice. Once the knack is acquired coins of various sizes can be retained.


A minimum amount of pressure is sufficient to hold the coin in place. Too much grip tends to make the hand appear cramped and tense. A coin is not a heavy object, so hold it lightly and the hand will appear natural. Actually it should be held so loosely that a mere tap with the other hand will dislodge it.

An important point to remember is that no one is misled because the fingers are apart. Only when the hand looks natural will it be above suspicion. The ability to palm a coin should be mastered first; naturalness will come later.

Make use of the hand that has the coin palmed 'by picking up something with it, such as another coin, or a small wand or pencil; use it to pull back the sleeve; to snap the fingers or make a gesture. Any of these actions subtly direct attention away from the hand with the concealed coin. Even you can grasp a spectator by the arm to draw him closer for a better look, with the very hand that has the coin concealed.

The parlor rug offers an excellent surface for coin work; It is advisable to spread a pocket handkerchief on the rug and place the coins on that, as some rugs have a confusing design, thus making the coins difficult to see. Whether operating from the floor or a table, a natural pose to assume is to rest the fingertips of both hands on the working surface. The hands will then look
empty even if something is concealed in one of them, Fig. 2.

In some instances certain tricks must be done while standing and occasionally the spectators will be crowded around you. Just a little thought will solve this problem and make you master of the situation. Watch your angles. Form the habit of keeping the palm of the hand in which the coin is palmed, toward the body.

The Lazy Magician

Effect:
The spectator is given the cards. The magician turns his back and ask spectator to shuffle the cards.
Magician asks spectator to look at the top card and replace it back. Also he asks spectator to place the same amount cards as the top card's number (King is 13, Queen is 12 and so on..) from bottom of the pack to the top. The magician turns around and takes the deck and finds the card!


Card Trick:
This trick is very simple. What the you have to do is start with the second card from the
top, and count it as one, two, and so on, going down through the deck (obviously do it mentally). Every time observe the card value and check if it matches the count.
Once you know see the choosen card do not stop here at once, go for couple of cards and make an expression as you are confused. Then reavel the card in some surprizing way.
One such way can be, put the cards face up, side by side on the table while counting and after seeing the choosen card go on some couple of cards then suddenly announce the next card you are going to turn will be the chosen card and anyone can bet. People will lough and make them surprized by picking the choosen card laying face up on the table and put it back face down.

There are better methods of revealing the result, however.


Note: This is just one technique to find out a choosen card. Design it according to your audience and use your very own style.
If you know about false shuffle, use it after spectator returns the cards to you and it will make them more surprized.