Mentalism: Predicta

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Mentalism: Predicta

Postby bananafish » Aug 13th, '03, 12:37



Mentalism

£29.99 from :// www.alakazam.co.uk
http://www.alakazam.co.uk/acatalog/Hot_List_1.html#a909

The Effect.
This is the routine that is supplied with the trick.

You ask a spectator to call out 4 numbers between 1 and 99. As they do this you write the numbers down on a piece of paper.

You then show them the paper and ask them to confirm that they were indeed the 4 numbers that they freely picked. After they confirm you tell them that beforehand you had a premonition and bought a lottery card.

You take a sealed envelope and tear it open. Inside the envelope they will find a “lottery style” scratch card. You ask them to scratch off and reveal the 4 numbers, which are of course the exact 4 numbers that they had just picked.

This is an alternate routine as suggested by alakazam.

You tell the spectator that you are going to do a little esp. type experiment with numbers. You hand them a pen and a piece of paper with 4 squares drawn on it. (This is one square with a cross in the middle). You then draw a similar 4 squares on your own piece of paper.

You ask them to name out loud a number between 1 and 99 and then to concentrate on one of the squares. As they do this you write the chosen number in one of your own squares and then instruct the spectator to write the number in the square that they were thinking of. This is repeated until all 4 squares have a number.

You then hand them your piece of paper for comparison, which inevitably you will not have got correct. This is not important, although every so often you may just get lucky.

You tell them that you have a funny feeling about the numbers that they selected, and take a wallet out of your pocket. From the wallet you take a lottery style scratch card and hand it to them.

When they scratch off and reveal the 4 numbers they are of course the exact 4 numbers that they had been freely chosen.

Difficulty. 3/5
1=Even I can do it, 2=No sleights, but not so easy, 3=Some sleights used,
4=Advanced sleights used, 5=Suitable for experienced magicians only)

Remarkably simple.

Review.
I love mentalist tricks as there is just so little pressure. If they go wrong you can always blame it on the spectator for not concentrating hard enough :). This is in my opinion one of the strongest mentalist tricks that I have ever seen. It just seems so impossible. The lottery style card can be handed out as a souvenir afterwards.

The numbers on the card are printed. They are not written in freehand and there are no number forces. The spectator really does get to choose four numbers between 1 and 99.

Personally I prefer the alternate handling, as I think it has better misdirection and anyway, I actually like tricks that appear initially not to have worked, but in reality have that “kicker” ending. Of course if you actually guess correct with the squares then even better. Two tricks in one.

This is a mentalist trick that is a little different. It is fresh. If you like mentalist tricks anyway – then definitely go for it, and if you don’t then this is a very easy to do and very impressive trick that may just make you change your mind.

If anything, my only complaint about this trick is the price. It isn’t cheap, and further more after 20 performances you will need to buy the refills that aren’t cheap either (£24.99 for 20), but that is my one and only criticism and for me personally it is still good value for money.

Rating. Effect/item: 10/10, Quality of goods: 10/10, Value for money: 7/10

Bottom Line.
Even at the price I would buy it again. It is great for that one (and yes, I am going to say it) “Reputation Maker” that can be used at the end of any performance.

Last edited by bananafish on Oct 17th, '03, 11:11, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby vats » Aug 15th, '03, 11:26

great review ... that's another one where I'm left sratching my head thinking 'no way' ... you can probably tell I make a great spectator!!!

not sure, I'd do £30 just to find out though.

I saw this a while ago (I'll stick a review up soon), but in the book "Some Tricks" - Anthony Owen (the book costs £14.99, and can be found at magictricks.co.uk), there is the following routine

"Natural Lottery - The gasp-getting opener to Anthony's Monday Night Magic act. The magician asks six random audience members to each select a different number between 1 and 49. Amazingly, these numbers are the same six which are on the printed lottery ticket the magician purchased earlier that day! "

which sounds like it must be based on a similar principle.

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Postby bananafish » Aug 15th, '03, 13:36

Vats, I have no idea if this is the same as the Anthony Owen trick, but knowing how Predicta works I doubt it very much. I have to admit though that national lottery sounds interesting.

Tom, It is devilishly simple. So simple in fact you will wonder why it hasn't been done before. It is unlikely that you will ever waste any of the gimmicks (unlike my first attempts at the pena coin! :oops: )

As you know I haven't been active in magic for too long, so I like the simple stuff, and this is both simple and (so far) has always had that "how the dickens did he do that!!!" response that we all love so much.

I have my audition at my local magic society next week, and I am saving this as my final trick.

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Postby vats » Aug 15th, '03, 15:41

ahhhhh 'pena coin'.... that makes me think I'm not the only one who thought, 'should have ordered an extra set of sheets!'
having done a bit more research on "Natural Lottery", I can safely say I don't think it works in the same way.... specific reviews make me think it's not as good as it sounds... the books worth it but don't get it just for "Natural Lottery"
Best of luck for next week..... and if all else fails hit them with your multiplying rabbits!!!

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Postby bananafish » Aug 15th, '03, 16:46

A box of 100 should cost no more than a fiver


wow. All we need now is something we could do with the 1000 rubber fingers that get left over. Someone must be able to come up with a magic trick that uses rubber fingers surely?

They'd make pretty naff TTs - but you could maybe get away with hinding a small magnet in the thumb of one.That may be useful. That just leaves 999...

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Postby Mandrake » Aug 18th, '03, 15:01

1,000 assorted size latex rubber fingers? Why not start a website offering cut price condoms called 'BuyMeAndStopOne.com?

Anyway Banafish, best of luck with the audition!

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Postby vats » Aug 18th, '03, 15:19

I believe someone once said 'size doesn't matter'... but I can't see many takers for the little finger variety on 'buymeandstopone.com!..

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Postby bananafish » Aug 18th, '03, 15:25

I went into a chemist once to buy Condoms, and they said that would be £1.50 with tax.

I told them to forget the tacks, as I'd just tie em on.

:roll:

oh dear. it's easy to tell mandrakes back - immediately the conversation takes a new low. :wink:

Welcome home Mandrake.

Last edited by bananafish on Aug 18th, '03, 16:17, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby Mandrake » Aug 18th, '03, 15:25

No probs, I'll keep them for myself and use a lot of padding.

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Postby Mandrake » Aug 18th, '03, 16:13

oh dear. it's easy to tell mandrakes back - immediately the conversation takes a new low.


It's nice to be welcomed back - will now continue to work on lowering the threshold of good taste to subterranean levels! :twisted:

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Postby bananafish » Sep 5th, '03, 20:05

As a side note to Predicta - I saw David Regal's "Special Delivery" the other day.

http://www.emagictricks.co.uk/product_i ... ts_id=2887

I won't do a full review as I don't actually own it - but it is 13.95 from emagictricks and I would thouroughly recommend it.

Effectively it is a superb card in an impossible location. You start off by handing the spectator a few envelopes - do a simple card trick whereby the spec selects a card and then signs it - shuffle the cards - and ask the spectator to hand you back the envelopes one by one and they will note that in one of the envelopes they can see a card through the envelope window. You take the card out of the sealed envelope - right in front of them and show it as being their card.

Yes it is that good.

But what really excited me about this most - is that the same method would work brilliantly with predicta. This would be the killer finish. They hand you a sealed envelope with a scratch card in it. You take out the scratch card - and hand it to them, and they find that after scratching off the scratchy off stuff - the 4 numbers are the same as the four that they freely selected. And they were holding the envelope all the time. Believe me, if you already have predicta - you should by "Special Delivery" to reverse engineer the effect. This makes a really strong trick, even stronger.

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