talkmagic.co.uk

A little effect I performed in the summer, I got the idea from a friend of mine and tweaked it a little.

What are your thoughts?
http://youtu.be/AFNpY_9KGv0

Regards

Steve

Great job mate. Love this routine.

I might be stealing this from you at some point. LOL

Nice routine, but I feel it needs some clarity. It's not obvious (to me, seeing the video) what the effect is until the very end.

First of all, why poker chips? It would be a good idea if their presence could be justified through the use of patter (e.g. "Texas Hold-Em poker is quite popular nowadays, but some people have trouble counting up their chips. I have developed a technique of instantaneously working out how many chips I have, without even looking!")

There is also some 'dead-time' whilst the performer waits for the spectators to carry out the addition. It can be difficult (even without the addition of booze) for some people to correctly add up half a dozen multi-digit numbers.

If possible with the method, I would write down the total on a piece of folded paper (so that the total is hidden) and leave in in full view (with patter to the effect that it is a prediction), before starting the routine proper. Then, when the answer is revealed, both you and the spectators can go through the addition sequence. This will eliminate the dead-time as you can chaperone people through the addition, insuring that no mistakes are made.

I think it needs a presentation. You're essentially using the poker chips to generate a random three-digit number. I think the effect would benefit by providing some reason, both to the need for a three-digit number, and a reason for using poker chips.

Personally, if I were to present this at all, I would look to using a four digit number, and explain the process as your way of coming up with new PIN codes - you're paranoid about bank security, so change your PIN on a regular basis, but the problem is, even then the four-digit number isn't secure - "I'll show you what I mean". I kind of like the idea, if sticking with the discs, of having them tossed one by one to generate the number, rather than what to me feels like quite a mathematical process. I suspect it would quicken things up too. The method for generating the number shouldn't be interesting. It should be short and trivial and ideally propless. The method for reading the participant's mind should take longer and be more interesting.

Just my two cents.

(And you might want to finish by revealing the participant's own PIN code, even if it's by way of Michael Murray's method).