PREDICT Abilities N MENTAL DRAMAS & PARLOUR WONDERS IN ONE ACT by MICK AYRES Book Two in the Act–Series PREDICT Ab
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PREDICT
Abilities
N MENTAL DRAMAS & PARLOUR WONDERS IN ONE ACT by
MICK AYRES Book Two in the Act–Series
PREDICT
Abilities M EN T A L D R A M A S & PARLOUR WONDER IN ONE ACT by
MICK AYRES For my daughters Emma and Lydia who return love with unbridled, one-hundred fold enthusiasm.
CONTENTS FOREWARD
Location, Location, Location Fate Rescue 2000 Hummingbird Reality Phone Experience Know Way! “PredictAbilities” copyright 2006 by Mick Ayres.
All rights reserved. For performance use only.
FOREWARD Many years ago I had the honor of creating a Disney character for their Hilton Head Island resort—a charming island codger who thinks he can fish, tries to play the fiddle, but does know how to mess with your head, either through a clever bit of mentalism or with a tall tale. A letter from one family declares, “[Mick] is Disney’s modern-day Uncle Remus”. See? It is an honor. PredictAbilities is Book Two in what friends are calling the Act-series. Here you'll find simple methods, script and choreography for a complete 40-minute mentalism performance that I performed for over a year in front of thousands of guests from all over the world. The nature of my character-role and the performing conditions at the Disney resort demand that I be flexible and quick in getting on and off stage. I don't have the space nor the time to set up anything elaborate in the way of props. From start to finish, PredictAbilities requires only a deck of cards and an 8x10 dry-erase board with a marker. The working presentations and choreography for each effect are provided along with transition-scripts that smoothly tie one routine into the next In a word, the overall theme of PredictAbilities would be ‘choices’—and how the most casual decision can have startling consequences. If you own or have read Hoodwinkings (Book One in the Act-series) you already know that I like to ‘book-end’ my shows. By word or deed, I include an event in the final moments that nudges my guests to recall the opening number—and hence the rest of the show, too. In PredictAbilities, the book-end is subtle. Both the opening presentation and the closing drama involve five guests. Ask these same five guests to help at the finale. If you quip, “You five folks got this show started—you might as well bring it to a grinding halt.” You get a chuckle and the audience gets the idea. With few exceptions, the presentations in PredictAbilities are original. If not, proper credit and background history has been given. I pray you find these mental dramas and parlour presentations worthy of your time. Mick Ayres Hilton Head Island, SC
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THE ACT
Location, Location, Location After a brief introduction, you borrow three objects and immediately write three prediction statements. Two guest volunteers distribute the objects between the three of you. When the prediction is read, it accurately reveals the precise location of each object. This opening presentation blends the equivoque principle with a multiple-out. Deddy Corbuzier’s effect Free Will exploits this principle wonderfully. However, I have made changes that provide more flexibility during performance, greater audience involvement and, best of all, a final prediction that clearly identifies each participant and their object. Borrow three objects from the audience. Let us assume you have been provided with a watch, a pair of eyeglasses and a tube of lipstick. Eventually, one of these objects will end up in your pocket. I always choose the least expensive one—in this case, the lipstick. Write the following prediction on a dry-erase board in all caps exactly as shown:
I HAVE THE WATCH. SHE HAS THE EYEGLASSES. THE LIPSTICK IS IN THE PERFORMER'S POCKET. Place the board unseen and face down on the table. Give your guests your full attention and say, "Choices. We make thousands of ‘em every day. You chose to come tonight. So did I. You chose to give me your time and attention. So I chose to show up on time. I asked for three objects. You chose them all—and so on and so on. “Our first experiment together will demonstrate how the most minor decisions can be 4
hugely important in the long run. To determine the success of this demonstration, I have made three very specific predictions. May I have the assistance of two more volunteers…one of each, please?” In response to the small chuckle, select a man and a woman. Once you have made proper introductions, say, “Here are three borrowed objects: a pair of eyeglasses, a wristwatch and a tube of lipstick…one item for each of us. Tonight, it is all about the choices we make. I’ll begin with you, ma’am. Would you be kind enough to slide any two objects toward yourself—.” Since the third prediction declares the lipstick will be in your pocket, use the equivoque principle to get it there. Do not be concerned with who gets which of the remaining two objects, it is of little concern for now. This means, if she slides the eyeglasses and the watch, immediately pick up the lipstick and finish your above sentence by adding, “— so that leaves the lipstick for me. It goes into my pocket for safekeeping. Now, please hand one of your selections to the gentleman.” However, if she slides the lipstick out along with another object, just say, “—and that decision generously leaves the remaining object for your new friend.” Pick up the remaining object and hand it to the gentleman. Look back at the lady and say, “You chose two objects. Please pick up either one—” Remember, you need the lipstick. So, if she picks up the lipstick, finish the above statement by adding, “—and give it to me. That leaves the remaining object for you.” However, if she picks up the other object you are home free. Just say, “…and that leaves the lipstick for me. It goes into my pocket for safekeeping.” Either way, you now have the lipstick in your pocket. The lady has one object and the gentleman has the other. Now, look at the fellow and say, “Up till now, she has been making all the decisions. I am happy with my object, but if you want to switch your item with hers, you may.” It matters not a bit if he switches with her. For the sake of explanation, let’s assume he has the wristwatch and she is holding the eyeglasses. Say, “Ladies and gentlemen, I have made no decisions here. The location of the lipstick, eyeglasses and wristwatch was decided by these two fine volunteers. They have chosen for him to hold the wristwatch—she is has the pair of eyeglasses—and I have been given the lipstick.” Pat your pocket gently. “Please recall that I wrote three separate predictions before anyone volunteered.” Every time, the volunteer who holds the object named in the first sentence (in this case, the wristwatch) will read the prediction. Fortunately, half the time it will be the gentleman—so all you need do is hand him the board and say, “Sir, in a loud, clear voice, please read my three predictions in order.” As each sentence is read, have the guest hold up his or her object. On the last sentence, smile and pat your pocket. This is a strong finish. Return the objects, thank your guests and take a bow. What do you do if she ends up with the wristwatch? Ask her to read the predictions aloud and, as you hand her the board, discreetly wipe your left thumb across the letter ‘S’ in 5
the word SHE. This changes the first word in the second sentence to HE. This small gender adjustment to the pronoun means the predictions will be spot-on accurate—as long as she is doing the reading. Obviously, any three objects will work. From a purely theatrical point-of-view, borrowing three objects from different people and then selecting two more guests to help means five people can be involved in the outcome of this opening drama. When doing emcee work, using three colorful scarves would make this highly visible for a larger audience. Once, I provided a poker chip, a die and a deck of cards along with a script about taking chances and making risky decisions—it went over beautifully. For a truly impromptu presentation, I often use imaginary coins as the three objects. I write the predictions in pencil on the back of a business card and use the word HE instead of SHE at the beginning of the second prediction sentence. Then, if the gentleman is to read the predictions, my trusty nail-writer adds an ‘S’ to the word HE. Either way, the final result is an eerie and accurate feat of mentalism.
TRANSITION SCRIPT “Thank you. Now that we’ve warmed up with each other, let’s take things beyond several people making one choice. What if it was possible to anticipate several choices being made by a single person? That ability would be handy in everything from business to…a vacation in Las Vegas. May I have the assistance of someone with a pliable mind? Someone who doesn’t mind being pliable will do just as well.”
Fate From a shuffled deck, a single card is removed and openly shown to the audience. A second card is fairly selected by a guest. When revealed, it is the same color and value of the prediction card. I confess this effect does not meet all the stipulations Paul Curry put forth in his wellknown Open Prediction challenge—besides, Stewart James’ 51 Faces North already does that beautifully. Nonetheless, with little effort Fate hits the target pretty close to the bulls-eye. Though the handling for Fate is original with me, it is such a simple, easy idea that I'm willing to 6
bet others may have walked this path, too. To begin, remove the deck from your pocket and uncase the pack. Say, “This time, instead of using the marker board, I will use a playing card for a prediction.” As you search through the deck, quickly note the top card and find its mate within the pack. For the sake of explanation, assume the top card is a red Seven of Diamonds. Therefore, the mate would be the other red Seven of Hearts. Openly move this mate to the top of the deck. Turn the deck face down and double-lift the top two cards as one. Note: you do not have to do a double-turnover. With your right hand, just lift the two cards as one from above. Turn your hand palm up or towards the audience to clearly display the face of the card(s), in this case the Seven of Diamonds. Say, “This time, I’m going to show you my prediction so you know what I’m thinking right up front.” Name the displayed card and table this doubled-card face down off to the side taking care to leave it aligned. Two simple things will help you accomplish this easily: first, do not look at the cards while you are tabling them. Remember, in the eyes of the audience, this is not an action that should require your full attention. Second, when performing the double-lift, grip the edges of the double-card between your right thumb and middle finger. This allows your right index finger to curl gently against the back of the cards. As you table the cards, press gently in the middle of the cards with the edge of your index fingernail while your thumb and middle fingers release the edges of the cards. Your fingernail comes straight up off the cards a half-beat later and will leave the cards aligned close enough to pass a casual glance from the audience. This is easy to do and will probably work the first time you try it. Hand the deck to your volunteer and ask her to give it a quick mix. When she is done, say, “Please cut the deck in half and hand me one of the portions.” Once she has done so, say, “In a normal deck of cards, there is a four of a kind for every value. That means each card has three other mates. I have used the Seven of Diamonds as my prediction. In this experiment, you will locate the remaining sevens for us. With you calling all the shots, we will eliminate cards by turning them face up. It is time for you to choose: which half gets turned face up—mine or yours?” It doesn’t matter which half she chooses. Turn over the indicated portion and spread them saying, “Do you see any other sevens here?” She may see one of the black Sevens. If so, point it out for the audience. Either way, you will table these cards face up in a loose pile in front of you. Do the same thing with the remaining half of the deck—have her cut it in two portions and select a half which is turned face up and spread as well. “Do you see any Sevens here?” Again, whatever her answer, leave these cards face up on the already tabled pile. A fourth of the deck remains face down in your hand. Say, “Your choices so far have left us with just a handful of cards. I will deal them face up one at a time. Please tell me to stop dealing at some point.” Stud deal the cards face up onto the loose tabled pile until she says, “Stop.” 7
Immediately move your hands to a spot just to the left of the doubled-cards on the table and pretend to straight-deal the next card on top of them. That’s right—although you go through all the same motions of straight-dealing a card, you don’t actually deal a card at all. You ‘mime’ the deal instead. In fact, when your right thumb pretends to place the nonexistent card on top of the tabled pair, the top card will automatically slide generously over to the right and the illusion is perfect. Do not rush this motion. Instead, maintain the same rhythm you had during the studdealing. You will not get caught because the eye can perceive motion but it cannot perceive detail within that motion. Or to look at it another way, the hand is not quicker than the eye —but it is far quicker than the brain. Please don't think of this as sleight-of-hand because it hardly qualifies. Basically, this is not dealing a card. Think of it like that and you'll likely do it perfectly the first time. Watch in a mirror, you'll be amazed at how easy and clean this false-deal appears. Once you have done the false deal, immediately return your hands to a position over the loose pile and continue stud-dealing the remaining cards face up until they're gone. Say, “Other than those two black Sevens, did you see any other ones? No?” By this time, the audience will anticipate where this effect is going. You provide a little doubt by saying, “That means one Seven has yet to be seen. Now, don’t get ahead of me here… because a thinking person would quickly realize that I might have simply removed the perfect mate to my prediction card from the deck before the show. That would explain everything so far, wouldn’t it?” “As you know, every card has three mates. But every card also has one perfect mate —matching in both color and value. I knew you'd find the mates to my prediction...”. Turn over the bottom card of the pair to display your original prediction card and hold it displayed high in your left hand. Finish your sentence by saying, “...I just hoped you would save the best for last.” With your right hand, turn over the last face down card and hold it up high (in applause-cue position) showing both red Sevens—perfect mates.
TRANSITION SCRIPT “There’s an old saying: A woman forgives but she never forgets. You don’t need to be married to know this—heck; I made it my second grade teacher’s favorite subject. Still, the “not forgetting” part means that one of you ladies will be better suited for this next demonstration.”
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Rescue 2000 You ask a guest to write down a few personal dates and other numbers that only she could know. She now totals this information together to create her own 'lucky' number. It all adds up to a strong piece of intimate mentalism when you divine the final result. In 1941, Paul Curry converted an old mathematical principle into a fine piece of impromptu mentalism published under the title Padding. Later, the effect became a favorite of the late Michael Skinner. Unfortunately, the effect was rendered useless by the passage of time…performing it after the turn of the century made the method obvious. But, with a few adjustments to the presentation and handling, the effect has been rescued and is once again available modern-day mind twisters. To begin, offer your new friend a chair near the table so she may be comfortable during this routine. Hand her the deck of cards for shuffling. While she is doing this, ask, “Have you already celebrated your birthday this year?” If she answers no, say, “I’d like to give you an early birthday present.” If she says yes, then say, “I’d like to give you a belated birthday present.” In any case, this is an important question so do not fail to ask it. Take the deck and remove the Joker, stating that it has no value in this experiment. As you do this, note the combined value of the top two cards (remember: Aces = 1; Jacks = 11; Queens = 12 and Kings = 13). Hand the deck back to her and say, “If you are willing, I’d like to ask you a few personal questions during this experiment. I will tell you up front, a few of these questions deal with private matters—but I promise no one will see anything you write down. The answers you give will be in the form of numbers…some of them with four digits. I’d like you to write your answers in a column so you can add them together later. Okay?” Once she agrees, ask her to complete the following requests: “To begin, please deal as many cards as you wish to the table.” “Next, write down the year you were born.” “Now, deal a few more cards onto the pile…or take some away.” “Next, think about the most significant event that ever happened in your life and write down the year it happened.” “Now, pick up the packet of cards and deal them into two equal piles.” “Next, write down your present age.” 9
“Now, pick up the top card of either pile and write down its value.” “Next, think about how many years have passed since that significant event happened in your life and write that number down.” “Now, turn over the top card of the remaining pile and write down its value as well.” “Finally, add everything together. Remember…you have recorded several numbers that are the result of your direct actions or personal experiences. Combined, they create a special number only you could possibly know—agreed?” While she is adding up the numbers, you work out an easy math equation in your head. Multiply the current year by 2 and then add the combined value of the two noted cards…that will be the final number reached by the spectator. This is much easier than it sounds, especially in the beginning of a new century. For example, if the top cards were a seven and a five, you currently add: 2007 + 2007 + 12 = 4026. Bear in mind that it works this way only if she has celebrated her birthday already. However, if she said ‘no’ to your earlier question, then you simply add 1 to the final number to get the correct answer. The revelation of this final number is up to you. I prefer to close the presentation by saying, “You have combined several numbers to which you have an emotional attachment. Since the emotions are centered in your heart and your heart is on the left side of your body, take your left fingertip and touch it to the leftmost digit.” With a few pregnant pauses and a little acting, revealing each digit one at a time helps build tension and drama slowly. For example, reveal the first digit as a 4 but then will struggle to get the second digit. Finally, give up on the second digit and say, “I’m getting nothing at all,” before moving on and successfully revealing the third and fourth digits. After giving the excuse that three out of four isn’t bad, declare that you are still getting nothing for the second digit. So ask, “What is it then? The guest answers, “Zero.” Just smile sheepishly and say, “Well…of course.” However you choose to deliver it, you have made her birthday present the baffling revelation of a personal number that you nail flawlessly. w This effect was originally published as Skinner’s 21st Century Miracle in my monograph The Holy City Session. Later, it was again published in Steve Beam’s Semi-Automatic Card Tricks Vol. 6 in a chapter dedicated to effects inspired by Paul Curry. Since Steve provided historical credits for the routine I figured he earned the right to rename it.
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TRANSITION SCRIPT “Mentalists don’t read minds—we read thoughts. Simple images like a color, a letter or a number are usually all we get in our heads. The challenge is to put these clues together somehow and hope we know what it means. It can be a real crap-shoot. “That’s why I use playing cards. People are certainly familiar with them, but more importantly, a card is identified through simple images—a color, a number, a letter or a shape. See? “I'm telling you all this because I need the help of a person who is used to thinking simple thoughts. Sir? Your wife is nodding her head towards you. Are you available for the next few moments?” Say all this with a smile and secretly note the bottom card of the deck. Introduce your guest.
Hummingbird In this role-reversal demonstration, a guest mentally guides you to her selected card with unerring accuracy. Max Maven’s Mockingbird is a brilliant effect that enabled the performer to mentally isolate a card that was the mate to the selected card. In developing Hummingbird, what I borrowed from Max was his intriguing presentation. Otherwise, this routine is different in both handling and effect. Pick up the deck and shuffle it. At some point, note the bottom card of the deck. Hand the face down deck to your guest and say, “I’m willing to bet your wife thinks neither one of us is working with a full deck—so, cut half of the deck off the top and give it to me.” Say, “To begin, we need a simple number. Please think of a number between one and ten. Got one? Good. I’ll look away as you count down in your half of the deck and remember the card at that number. Let me know when you’ve memorized a card and everything is back to normal.” You can use your half of the pack to demonstrate if you think these instructions need more clarity. 11
When he says he has a card in mind, turn back around and say, “I could not know where you were going to cut the deck, I could not know what number you would choose and I cannot possibly know what card you are thinking about, agreed? But I do know one thing—I know your card is within ten cards from the top of your pack. Give your cards a fair cut so even that information is lost. Everything is fair?” Again, demonstrate a fair cut using your cards if you wish. Now ask, “Besides the card itself, do you still remember your number as well? Good…then use that number one more time. Deal all your cards one at a time into that same number of piles.” If his secret number was 3, he would deal three piles of cards, etc. Once he has done this, say, “These are what scientists call ‘blind test conditions’. In other words, everything has been randomly controlled by you—no one else. You chose the number, you chose the card, and you chose how many piles would be on the table at this moment. Indeed, you are in charge. “The only thing I know for certain is that your card is mixed in with one of those piles —the question is: which one?” Pick up any pile and fan the cards so they are facing toward your guest but also so you can briefly see these cards, too. You are looking for the original bottom card of the deck. Believe it or not, his selection will be immediately to the left of your key-card. Try to choreograph the handling so it appears you are not studying the faces of the pile at all—a quick glimpse of the key-card is all you need for now. You will identify the selection later. Say, “To find out which pile has your card, I’ll show you the groups one at a time. Here’s where the simple thoughts come into play. If you see your card, just think the word ‘YES’. If you do not see your card, just think the word ‘NO’. Whatever you do though, keep a poker face and just think YES or NO. Are you ready?” Hold each pile up and discard them until you see the pile with your key-card. Comment on each pile appropriately as you go through this process. Finally, only one pile remains. Push the others aside. Look down at this group of cards and divide them in half. This innocent action will give you the opportunity to clearly identify the selection next to the key-card. Hold up half the group in each hand and look your guest square in the eye as you say, “Hmmm, yes…no…yessss…NO!” Discard the half without the selection. Divide the remaining cards by color, or odd/even values if you wish until you have whittled everything down to one card—his selection. The idea with this presentation is to create the illusion that you are picking up on one simple thought—a word—and that word is guiding you to the only card that matters. Hold the final card up high in your left hand and with your right, take his left wrist and hold his arm up like he just won a boxing match. It’s a great applause-cue. Say, “There you have it—a successful experiment in mind reading by two guys working without a full deck. I couldn’t have done it without you!” 12
TRANSITION SCRIPT After the gentleman returns to his seat, say, “Believe it or not, picking up on a person’s images and simple thoughts (grin and point at the fellow who just left the stage) is easier when the person is close by. There are people who can do this over great distances—but it requires a cell-phone with a clear signal. “And even THAT is one-on-one—the only people involved are those on each end of the phone. There are no other observers who can confirm anything. However, if one of you doesn’t mind pretending your phone has a good signal, we’ll fake it while the rest of you ‘listen in’ on the party line. “Miss, do you talk on the phone…a lot? You’re an expert, are you? Wonderful! Please come up and join me.” Introduce her to the audience and hand her the deck of cards for shuffling. You’re ready to begin the next interactive drama in this act.
Reality Phone Experience A demonstration of long-distance mind reading without ever leaving the stage—unless you want to. It’s your call. In his Leap of Faith monograph, the paranormalist Jim Callahan published Fantasy Phone Experiment, an impromptu routine that relies on Ed Balducci’s Cut-Deeper Force. In my opinion, Callahan’s justifications for having the guest cut and flip the card packets are nothing short of brilliant. Guests at the Disney resort frequently ask, “Please perform that trick you did for me again—you know, the one over the phone.” Bear in mind, a phone is never used during Callahan’s effect—but his presentation plants this idea so firmly in the guest’s mind that a non-existent phone is part of why the feat is amazing and impossible to the guest. Go figure. Without altering the impact of Callahan’s effect, I tweaked the stage-presentation so the performer never touches the deck after the guest shuffles it—which means you can do this over the phone now. 13
To field-test Reality Phone Experience, I called my brother Alan who resides on the other side of the continent. I asked him if he had a deck of cards nearby. He did so I told him to shuffle it. Our conversation went like this: Mick: “Are you finished shuffling yet?” Alan: “Yep.” Mick: “Okay, put the deck on the table and cut it into four piles. It doesn’t matter if the piles are equal—but it would be nice if they were close.” Alan: “Okay…done.” Mick: “Good. Pick up any three piles and put them back in the box. We don’t need ‘em. You’re not going to be working with a full deck…so you should be real comfortable with this whole procedure.” Alan: “Funny, bro’…okay, the cards are put away. I still have a pile on the table.” Mick: “Good. Now, for this to work, I need to know all the cards we’re working with. So pick up the packet and turn it face up. Now deal the cards one at a time into a face up pile. Name each card as you deal it, okay?” Alan: “Will do…” (He named cards one at a time until about twelve or fourteen cards had been identified.) “…Okay, that’s it.” Mick: “Great, now square up the pile and turn it face down on the table. Reach down and cut off a small packet of cards from the top. Turn this packet face up and put it back on top of the pile. You should be looking at the card you cut to from the middle.” Alan: “I am.” Mick: “Now I’m going to ask you to do something weird. Ignore the value and suit of the card. I need to warm up before attempting anything too detailed. So for now, just think about the color of the card. It’s either red or black and just by taking a wild guess I’ll get it 14
right half the time, but I really want to get it right. Let’s see…I’m getting a glimpse of the color…red?” Alan: “Sorry…it’s black.” Mick: “Well, that’s okay. Like I said, it’s just a warm up. Let me try again before going for broke. Reach down and cut deeper into the packet and again, turn this cut-off portion over and put it back on the pile. You should be looking at a new random card.” Alan: “I sure am.” Mick: “Good. This time, focus on two things…the color of the card and the suit. Just say them over and over again in your mind. First, the color. I’m getting…black again?” Alan: “Yes, you’re right…it’s a black card.” Mick: “Great! Since it is black, it’s either a club or spade and—I’m getting a spade more than anything else.” Alan: “Sorry, it’s a club.” Mick: “Oh. Well, it’s a good thing the warm-ups don’t count. Still, I think I am ready to go for the whole enchilada. Pick up your pile of cards and fan them out. See all those face-up cards you could have cut to?” Alan: “Yes.” Mick: “Put all of those off to the side, leaving just the face-down cards in your hand.” Alan: “Done.” Mick: “Now, since I’m here and you’re there, I don’t know if anyone is in the room peeking over your shoulder but I do know that you are probably getting short on cards…so you are not going to cut any more. Just take a fast look at the top card and memorize it quickly. 15
Leave it face down on top though. Got it?” Alan: “Yes.” Mick: “Okay, this time think about the three elements of this card: the color, the suit and the value. The value is the toughest thing to determine for me. So I’ll start with the easier stuff. I’m getting the color—red?” Alan: “Yes.” Mick: “All right! I’m feeling pretty good, so I’ll try for the suit—is it a diamond?” Alan: “Okaaaaay…” Mick: “Even better! So, your card is a red diamond. Now think real hard about the value… you’re pretty far away. I’m running numbers through my head but I’m not getting a hit. Let me try some letters…A…J…Q…K, A…J…Q…K. The letter J stands out a bit more and that’s the Jack. Are you looking at the Jack of Diamonds?” Alan: (yelling) “HOW THE H--- DID YOU KNOW THAT!?” My brother is a Christian man so whenever I get him to cuss at the end of an effect, I know it’s been knocked out of the park. On stage, just hand the deck to your guest, turn your back and ask him to shuffle the cards. Follow the general script and pay close attention as your guest reads the cards one by one. The first card named will be your final revelation. It won’t be lost on your audience that with your back turned the entire time you may as well have been doing this over the phone. By cutting the deck into four packets, you eliminate the tedious reading of too many playing cards; just as the procedure is starting to get a little old, it’s over. Furthermore, once you have the first card memorized, you aren’t really listening anyway. So, add comments like, “Could you repeat the last one?” or “You can speed up a little, but not too much.” Remember, when laypeople talk—you have to at least pretend to listen. Finally, notice that when attempting to discern the color of the second card, I just repeated the correct color of the first card. My brother nearly gave me credit for getting the 16
color of the first card correct…even after I missed it. A subtlety to be sure—but I like a free effect when I can get it.
TRANSITION SCRIPT “So far, we’ve learned that not only is it possible to anticipate someone else’s choices but it’s a lot of fun, too—especially if you’re a professional poker player. Seriously, those guys put stuff like this to use every day—and they’d better be good at it ‘cause at the end of every game they’re unemployed until the next one. “To wrap up this evening’s entertainments, let me show you what I mean. Will five of you please come up and join me at the table?
Know Way! Five guests merely think of a card from a shuffled deck. Without giving anything away, each guest mentally guide you to their selection. This closing number has ties that leap from me back to George Schindler, Frank Garcia, Henry Christ, J. B Bobo and Ted Annemann. All of these gentlemen have their own way of exploiting the self-working principle that follows in a unique manner. I now add my own presentation to that precarious stack. Know Way is surprisingly easy to do—without a doubt, you’ll probably find the secret rather elementary. However, the method is well camouflaged with careful staging and choreography. Interestingly, Know Way is not a poker demonstration even though the transition-script firmly plants that idea. In fact, when you ask for the five guests to join you, seat them around three sides of the table as if you are about to play a hand. In your mind, however, start privately thinking of these participants as numbers 1 through 5 going from your left to right. Once your five guests are comfortable, hand the deck to one of them and say, “Vegas rules: please shuffle the deck and give it a cut.” Once this is done, retrieve the pack. Say, “I will never look at the faces of any cards during this entire demonstration. You will not remove a card and put it back; you will not say the name of a card nor write it down at any time. In truth, the only record of any card will be solely within your own mind.” 17
Spread over five cards in a fan facing away from you, but hold them up so guest 1 on your left can see them easily. Do not call attention to how many cards you are holding. Just turn your head away and say, “Here are a handful of cards. Think of one. Do not point to it or whisper the name of the card to a friend. Do nothing to indicate which of these cards is now occupying your brain. Now take these cards and mix them face down so even you don’t know where your card is.” Close the fan and hand it to the guest for mixing. Spread another five cards for guest 2 and ask him to do the same thing. Keep going until all of the guests are thinking of a card and are mixing their respective packets. Put the balance of the deck aside—you won’t need it any more. Once guest 5 begins mixing, move to your left and begin collecting the shuffled packets. You want this to appear random although the goal is to retrieve the packets in order so that, when assembled, guest 1’s group of cards is on top and guest 5’s group is on the bottom. To throw a curve at those who may actually be paying close attention, retrieve the cards from guest 2 in your left hand while the cards from guest 4 go into your right hand. Then shift to your left and have guests 1 and 3 drop their cards on top of those in your left and right hands respectively. Next, drop the cards in your left hand on top of those in your right. By this time, guest 5 has finished mixing and her cards go on the bottom of the stack. Although it isn’t completely necessary, another nice curve you can employ is to give the cards a quick false overhand shuffle. Dan Garrett’s Underhanded Overhand Shuffle or Steve Beam’s Underhand Shuffle are wonderful for this application. These false shuffles appear casual and innocent; also neither requires your full attention to perform them adequately. Start on your left and begin dealing out five hands of poker. These hands will not be picked up by the guests so deal them out closer to your side of the table. While dealing, say, “In a high-stakes game of poker, each player is looking for special cards while the professional gambler is looking for a special advantage. He will focus on your body language; he will listen to your voice—any hint from you that will tell him what he needs to win. These hints are called ‘tells’ in gambling parlance. Some guys are so good at reading these ‘tells’ that it looks like they know what you’re thinking. I’ll show you what I mean.” Once you are finished dealing, pick up the pile on your left. Turn your head away and fan the five cards with the faces toward the guests. Say, “All of you please look at this hand. If you see your card here, don’t say anything. But when I turn around, look me right in the eye and raise your hand.” When you turn around, keep the cards facing the guests. Look for any raised hands. Usually, one or maybe two guests will give the signal—or perhaps no one will. Let’s say guest 4 raises his hand. You still don’t know what his card is, but you do know where it is. It is the fourth card from the left in the fan. With the fan held up to eyelevel, look at guest 4 and say, “Keep your eye on me, not on the cards. Just think about your card, but keep your eyes on me.” While staring at the guest, allow the cards to fall unexpectedly one-by-one from your fingers until only the selection remains. The guest will 18
see what is happening with his peripheral vision and his reaction will be strong and obvious. Ask, “Is this last card yours? Yes? Thank you for guiding me to it.” Hand the card to him. Leave the dropped cards scattered on the table or floor and pick up the second pile. Turn your head aside and again ask that everyone look for their card. Turn around and look for signals. If no one responds, then allow the cards to drop one-by-one again until your hands are empty. Pick up the third pile. Let’s say this time guest 1 and 3 raise their hands. Without looking, you know their cards are in the first and third positions from the left. As dramatically as you can, glance back and forth from one guest to the other and allow the cards to drop until only the first and third remain. They will confirm these cards are the mental selections. Continue displaying the piles and dropping cards until all five mental selections have been revealed. I have not provided script suggestions here because during these revelations, it is far better theatre if you resist the urge to talk too much. You want to give the impression that this process requires your full attention and concentration. Any distraction is a cause for failure. Here’s another presentation tip—when you encounter a pile with two selections, consider putting the pile down without revealing anything yet. Say, “That is going to be a bit more of a challenge. I’ll get back to that in a moment.” Reveal the other selections and return to the tabled pile last. Now, when you reveal these last two cards, hold one in each hand with your arms spread wide in triumph. Think about this moment you have created. In the eyes of the spectator, you never looked at the cards and they never gave any hint about which card they selected. To them, it is the same as if you walked in the room and asked them to think of a card and moments later you are holding that card. Visually, the audience sees this moment as good theatre. The performer has reached into the minds of the guests, learned what he needed and discarded everything else. Indeed, the fallen cards are scattered across the table and floor—sort of a Snowstorm in China for mentalists. As the applause starts to die down, hand the final selections to the respective guests and say, “Without your participation throughout this evening, nothing would have succeeded. Together, we’ve accomplished a lot. From my heart, I thank you for choosing to join me tonight.” Don’t forget to bow from the waist. As Cellini reminds us, it is a final gift of respect to your audience. w “Predict-Abilities” copyright 2006 by Mick Ayres. All rights reserved. For performance use only. 19