talkmagic.co.uk

I'm just a beginner here, so keep that in mind while I ask a question about a simple trick I'm trying.

I'm doing a trick that I found on the internet.
You ask the spectator to think of an odd number between 10 and 50 where both digits are odd and different. After some mental effort I announce the number. When this works they are really impressed.

I know we are not supposed to give any secrets away here, but what is happening is that about half the time they pick the right number, the other half the time its another particular number.

So when its the other number, I try to recover by saying something like, "I wasn't so sure about you so earlier I wrote down what I'd thought you say and I put it in my pocket." I then pull out a slip of paper with the number they picked on it.

About half the time that is a good recovery, but the other half the time they just ask to see my other pockets.

All in all its still a fun trick, but I was wondering if there was a better way to salvage it than to produce a slip with the number written down on it.


An alternate way that I do this is I say, "Before I got here I wrote a number down on a piece of paper and I put it in my pocket. I'm going to mentally transfer that number to you. First I'll tell you that it is an odd number between 10 and 50 and both digits are odd and different. Concentrate and tell me the number." They tell me the number and I act amazed as I pull a slip out of my pocket with the number on it. Most of the time they are amazed too.

Technical people are not impressed with this though, while other people are very impressed.

Brown says in Pure Effect never to have an "out". Frame it as something that might work and if it doesn't just say something along the lines of "Yeah, that never works", and move on.

I wonder if there's scope for a mentalist Tommy Cooper?

say something like "hmm, well it only works with the right kind of people" make it seem like it's there fault.
i actually did this to someone the other night just because i didn't have a deck of cards to hand.
works quite nice.
find something for the "gray elephants in denmark" (or whatever it is) trick, that's always a funny one

Well depending what numbers you are using, you may find they add up to 52, so just have a short card in a pack then you have two options already (top and bottom parts of the pack). You can also reverse a card at the next 2 most likely numbers so counting in from either end will give you cards the wrong way up. Then you could put a red backed card in on another number, so counting from the face up end will give the only red card (make sure you get to it before the reversed card). In fact you could have 2 short cards top and bottom and a narrow card in the middle. In all you can cover some 10 possibilities quite easily.

I do something similar with my "Queen of Hearts" deck. QH goes on the top, 7H on the bottom, other sevens reversed etc that can be approached face up or face down. Then I say "choose a favourite card" and I've got quite a few chances at it. I've given it up since I got an ID, but with numbers you have so many options.

Larry wrote:say something like "hmm, well it only works with the right kind of people" make it seem like it's their fault.

It may work for Larry but I would never do this. I'd just go for the Tommy Cooper

The best out is to have another trick ready for that number, so they don't even notice there was a trick that missed. Either use "39" or "13" or whatever they say as the basis for a different trick or count down through some cards and use that card for a trick. It can seem a little lame but they may not even notice that you failed to get a hit with the first bit.

i'd never say that to a random i don't think. only to friends, it's ok to be rude to them

what i do is if you have the deck in your hands ask them what their card was and then cull it to second from the bottom while looking through pretending to find out where the trick went wrong and then square the deck turn it over and preform shapeshifter.

My own personal opinion, so feel free to disagree:

I've tried that and failed quite a few times too. I think Asians have a different way of thinking actually and more often than not when it comes to numbers or whatever, the way they think is vastly different from Americans or Europeans (but that's another can of worms I'm trying to "research" on and find out).

Anyway, what I do is, if it's in a group setting, and say the guy doesn't give the number I want, I nonchalantly turn to the person next to him and ask the same question. And do that again with one or two more people.

At that point, they should have varied answers since they would instinctively avoid the numbers already picked by the other people, or two of them may have the same number. Whatever the case, I just go on and say something like, "Now you see each human being is unique in the way they think. I've asked each one of you the same question, and you all gave different answers. However, it is possible for one mind to be in tune with another, and share its thoughts or brain pattern... blah blah blah". Then move on to another trick. I usually do another number trick to keep with the "theme".

That way it becomes a non-effect. They do not think you have failed anything because you didn't announce you were doing anything. For this reason I feel it may not be good to start by saying that you have a slip of paper with a number in your pocket and then reveal it's the same number as the one they have chosen. So the initial question is phrased somewhat vaguely, "Hey... Let's try something. I like you to quickly, quickly now, think of a number from 10-50, with different digits, and each digit must be an odd number. Quickly now. You got your number? Was it 37? No? It wasn't 37? *turn to a few other guys, ask the same thing* ... Now you see, when I was first asked this question, I picked the number 37, but here you all picked different numbers... blah blah."

Yea... Just two-cents from a newbie.

Within the context of other effects, and dependant on your presentation and character - i personally think it's fine to have a (hopefully very rare) miss...more often than not it plants the seed in their mind that you are not 100% accurate all the time, but still a hell of a lot more so than yer average person who could just be guessing...

Why not try using a nailwriter and give them a large range of numbers? Something like the Super Sharpie might work well, too?

Cardza wrote:Why not try using a nailwriter and give them a large range of numbers? Something like the Super Sharpie might work well, too?

I've been using the super sharpie a LOT recently, mostly for 4 figure numbers but also names, like the next birthday in your family.

The joy for me is in listening to all the ways they try to explain it: lip movement, suggestion (number seen somewhere), actually being psychic etc. Good for a laugh.