talkmagic.co.uk

Morning all,

I have been involved in magic at a small level for a few year, and can do bits with cards and poker chips etc...

I was at a wedding on Saturday and there was a magician/mentalist employed for the event.

He did 2 tricks that amazed me.

1) He asked me to close my eyes, and then open them about 20 seconds later and asked me if I felt anything, I said yes, I felt you touch me 3 times on my left shoulder. He then told me he hadn't touched me at all, and infact he had touched my father-in-law that was about 5 foot away (and this was backed up by my Father-in-law)

2) He asked me to pick a random card in my head, and then say it out loud. I told him the card, and he went into his inside pocket, pulled out a pack of card and fanned them out, and the card I had picked was face up.

Now with the second trick he has no time to do anything, and short of him having 52 packs with each combination, I do not see how this is possible.

1st Question to you, is what is the first trick called?, so I can do some research, and is it under a certain category? Magician, Mind, Mentalist etc....

2nd Question, please could you give me the name of the trick again, or point me in the right direction for some research on this one too.

These both are mind boggling, and are real show stoppers I would love to perform.

Kind Regards

Wizzyfax

Well, I can't really say much about the first but for the second, the thought of card face up in the deck, without giving too much away, it sounds awfully like you should search around for a special deck. It might be a bit hard to find though, I hear they are nearly invisible.

welcome....you are going to get a lot of flack, because what your asking about are probably the two most well known effects. well, the card one is.
might i sugest that you try google. just type in the description of the effect, and let the search engine do the rest.


and offer an introduction that tells us a little about yourself as well, and your back ground in magic. This may well save some of the more acid comments, from some of the more playfull members.
As a rule, its not always wise to start a first post with " how do you do....."
because we dont really give out secrets.

Agreed, that is why i did not answer. But, welcome to TM

Lots to learn! Let's get started!

daleshrimpton wrote:welcome....you are going to get a lot of flack, because what your asking about are probably the two most well known effects. well, the card one is.
might i sugest that you try google. just type in the description of the effect, and let the search engine do the rest.


and offer an introduction that tells us a little about yourself as well, and your back ground in magic. This may well save some of the more acid comments, from some of the more playfull members.
As a rule, its not always wise to start a first post with " how do you do....."
because we dont really give out secrets.

Very true! If that had been done, you would probably have received an answer!

I'll suggest a few things for you;

FIRST -- when done properly Mentalism should never seem to be "a trick"

SECONDLY -- you're best bet when it comes to learning these things (and much more) is to at least study the basics tied to Mentalism; Corinda's 13 Steps, Annemann, the Karl Fulves Self-Working book on Mentalism, Psychological Subtleties, and so forth. These have all become foundation material that, in my opinion, every magic enthusiast should spend a bit of time with just for the sake of familiarization; you don't have to become something just because you study it.

THIRDLY -- recognize the fact that magic, in general, is supposed to be "impossible" and when it comes to properly presented Mentalism, invoking belief is the primary key to making it work; we make "the trick" vanish by giving folks a "Miracle", it is the opposite of how magic is understood and presented . . . at least that's the case according to Lee Earle, Larry Becker and several other notables out there in this industry.

You were blown away by a relatively simple card card for two reasons; the set-up (presentation) and likewise, the shear simplicity behind it. Some of the best magic you'll encounter that will blow you totally away, operates from a very, very simple premise/technique. Those that learn to reach that particular level have earned the title "MAGICIAN"

Mark Wilson Course In Magic! It does not have either of the effects you describe, although it may have some insight into the card effect, I am at work an the book is not and I can't remember if the book covers effects with that 'principal' or not.

What the book is:
A) By far one of the best introduction to Magic.
B) Covers the basics and then some
C) Is not stuck on one type of magic, rather covers all the branches so you can be a little more well rounded and see what types you gravitate towards
D) The book is by far one of the easiest set of instructions to follow, even those of DVD.
E) The book is very affordable
F) It may sound like I have some sort of connection to the book but I don't. (although I wish I had).
G) If you are interested in magic, this book is certainly the way to go.

there was a topic i was viewing the other day about wether people prefer simple or difficult methods to get the best results...... not that this settles the argument but just goes to show that even the simplest of effects can "blow the minds" of laypeople

C.L.Ward wrote:there was a topic i was viewing the other day about wether people prefer simple or difficult methods to get the best results...... not that this settles the argument but just goes to show that even the simplest of effects can "blow the minds" of laypeople

I drove myself nuts for at least 3 years trying to figure out the Zig Zag (we're talking about the early 70's) and when I finally saw how it worked I spent the following 30 some years kicking myself for being so dumbfounded over something so disgustingly simple.

Craig Browning wrote:

C.L.Ward wrote:there was a topic i was viewing the other day about wether people prefer simple or difficult methods to get the best results...... not that this settles the argument but just goes to show that even the simplest of effects can "blow the minds" of laypeople

I drove myself nuts for at least 3 years trying to figure out the Zig Zag (we're talking about the early 70's) and when I finally saw how it worked I spent the following 30 some years kicking myself for being so dumbfounded over something so disgustingly simple.

Isn't that the same with 90% of tricks ... and I'm not starting anything but I find it MOST revealing when referring to mentalism? (Not in a "ah that's how its done, I feel stupid" way, more of a "that's SO simple ... KUDOS to the performer" way)

Dan (A VERY regular user of the ********* **** mentioned, custom printed cards, ravens and many other gaffs )

Craig Browning wrote:

C.L.Ward wrote:there was a topic i was viewing the other day about wether people prefer simple or difficult methods to get the best results...... not that this settles the argument but just goes to show that even the simplest of effects can "blow the minds" of laypeople

I drove myself nuts for at least 3 years trying to figure out the Zig Zag (we're talking about the early 70's) and when I finally saw how it worked I spent the following 30 some years kicking myself for being so dumbfounded over something so disgustingly simple.

lol, i too was blown away by the same damn thing (not so many years ago though im afraid to say )

What i think is amazing about the Zig Zag is that the illusion is so good, even when you know how it works it still looks impossible

jim ferguson wrote:What i think is amazing about the Zig Zag is that the illusion is so good, even when you know how it works it still looks impossible

so true

i recently bought an effect called pressure from daniel garcia........... it has the same effect on me. lol

Craig Browning wrote:

C.L.Ward wrote:there was a topic i was viewing the other day about wether people prefer simple or difficult methods to get the best results...... not that this settles the argument but just goes to show that even the simplest of effects can "blow the minds" of laypeople

I drove myself nuts for at least 3 years trying to figure out the Zig Zag (we're talking about the early 70's) and when I finally saw how it worked I spent the following 30 some years kicking myself for being so dumbfounded over something so disgustingly simple.

I only figured out the zig zag 15 years ago. And I didn't figure it out. Some guy named Shawn Farquhar assumed I knew how it was done, (because I've been at it since 1979) and left me alone with his. Even after I crawled into the thing it took me some time to figure it out.

I still think done correctly Zig Zag is one of the best illusions out there. And I don't like the large stage illusions.