Ask a friend to lay three coins of the same value and one coin of the higher value in a straight line.
Turn your back and tell your volunteer to switch the valuable coin with one beside it a few times.
After they make the switches, ask them to take away three coins one at a time while you can't see them.
They will be amazed it is the valuable coin left on the table!
This stunning demonstration of your mental powers is so easy. You only need to be able to count to five, all the work has been done!
When they lay out the coins randomly, remember
where they place the valuable coin is in the row.
Turn your back. You won't look while telling them what moves to make. You don't need to see them.
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You face the same way as your volunteer so it is easy for you to picture the coins as they see them.
Ask them to switch the large coin with one alongside it.
Ask for another switch, and then another.
And then another. Then one more switch.
Your friend has done five switches. That is important but you pretend you have no particular number of
switches in mind, and you are just stopping after a random number.
What position did they place the special coin at the beginning?
If the valuable coin was on their left or third from their left at the start, the coin at their left after the 5
switches is the first one you ask them to take away.
If it was nearest their left hand or third from their left; Ask them to take away the coin that is nearest their left hand.
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Now ask them to switch the special coin with one
alongside it. It will be on one end of the row, so this move will put it in the center.
Now ask them to take away the coin at the right end of the row.
Just one move left, isn't there?
You ask them to take away the coin on their left.
Now you turn to them and show that the only coin left on the table is the special coin!
If the valuable coin was on their right or
third from their right at the start, the coin at
their right after the 5 switches is the first
one you ask them to take away.
If it was nearest their right hand or third from their right; Ask them to take away the coin that is nearest their right hand.
Now ask them to switch the special coin with one
alongside it.
It will be on one end of the row, so this move will put it in the center.
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Now ask them to take away the coin at the right end of the row.
Just one move left, isn't there? Ask them to take away the coin on their left.
Now you turn to them and show that the only coin left on the table is the special coin!
Practise this a few times privately. It is easy to remember
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Mental
Block
Let's revert to childhood games for a few minutes.
Do you remmeber playing Dominoes?
If you did, but never won a game, here is your chance for revenge!
You pour onto the table your set of dominoes, then show your frienda a sealed envelope. You say you
have put you prediction in the envelope before they start.
Yes, once again they do the work and you get the
credit!
Ask your friends to create a single domino trail where each domino is next to another domino that has the same number on one end of it. So, if the first domino has two spots on one end and five spots on the other, they may only put a domino with either five spots or two spots next to it in the trail.
When they have completed this trail, ask anyone to open your prediction and they will find that you
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predicted, even before they started, the numbers on each end of the trail!
You have to use your own set of dominoes, or get the person who supplies the set to prepare it before
bringing it to where your spectators can see it.
All you have to do is take one domino away from the set that you lend them to create the trail. The numbers which are on the missing domino are the ones you
predict because you can be sure they will be the
numbers on the ends of their carefully constructed domino trail!
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Phone-y
Mind
Reader
Sometimes you want to give credit to others like your friend the Mental Giant.
He (or she) is the person you phone when you just can't work out the card someone chose.
You offer to demonstrate. Ask someone to pick any card from the deck. Then they show it around, even you can see it this time because you won't tell your friend, the Mental Giant, what it is. You don’t need to!
You can do this trick even if you don't have a deck of cards! Just ask any of the spectators to say the name of any playing card.
Now you phone your friend, then ask if he is feeling up to reading someone's mind at long distance?
You ass the phone to the person who selected or
named the card and your friend, the Mental Giant, immediately tells them the name of their card!
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You realise that it must be done either with telepathy or by cheating. I don't have enough time to explain how to do it with telepathy so we'll get on to the other method!
You have arranged with your friend to answer the
phone promptly. When they do, youonly identify
yourself and then they start to say the suits of cards, leaving a pause between each,"Clubs… Hearts…
Spades… Diamonds".
Immediately after they say the correct suit of the chosen card you ask to speak with the Mental Giant.
Now they know the suit, so they start to say the card values from Ace to King with a pause after each one.
When they say the correct value, you immediately ask if they are willing to read your volunteer's mind?
Now they have both the value and the suit, so you pass the phone to your spectator and prepare to amaze them!
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Coin-
with 2
Heads
With just a little practise, you can turn any coin - even One that you borrow into a double-headed coin!
Ask a friend to loan you a coin.
Say, "Did you realise that you had a double-headed coin?"
You show them the head side of their coin, and then turn over your hand as you drop the coin to your other hand.
And there is a head on the other side!
When your friend has seen the coin in your hand you tilt that hand so the coin starts to fall down to your other hand.
Then you turn over the hand that originally held the coin.
The illusion that the hand turned over before the coin left is perfect.
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When your friend sees that the "other side" also has a head on it, they will eagerly grab the coin back just to find that it is a normal coin again.
It's nice and simple but you need to practise for smoothness.
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Blood
From
a
Stone
You show a small stone in your left hand, then raise your right arm and rub the stone against your right elbow.
You ask, "have you heard the expression 'Blood from a stone'?"
You put all your fingertips on the stone and squeeze.
Little drops of red liquid flow from the pebble.
"How do I do it? I used to work for the I.R.S.!"
Well, not really. Before you start, hide a cotton ball with a little bit of red colored water in it behind your shirt collar.
When you lift your right arm to rub the coin against your right elbow, secretly grab the cotton ball from behind your collar with your right hand.
Then you put all your fingertips and the cotton ball on the coin and squeeze.
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Sticky
Metal
This is our first trick where you tell the audience how to do the trick and even give them the prop.
But you still deliver a sharp surprise!
You use two similar coins, a blunt thumb-tack (or a short, blunt roofing nail) and a spoon.
Hold the spoon vertically in front of your chest with the open bowl toward you. Say you will show your friends a neat stunt they can do for their children.
"If you breathe into the bowl of the spoon and press it against your nose, your breath in the bowl will help the spoon stick to your nose!
Then you show them how to do the same thing with a coin.
But you came prepared with your tack glued, point outward, to one of the coins.
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When your hand comes out of your pocket you have
the ordinary coin at the fingertips and the coin with its attached tack hidden in your palm. That's why you must use a blunt tack.
You breathe onto the coin or rub it against a moist glass and then press it to your forehead. It should produce some funny comments, then you offer to let a friend or audience member try it.
Take the coin from your forehead and make it seem that you are just passing it to the volunteer but you switch coins and drop the tacked coin in front of them.
It may take a few seconds but they will get the point!
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Vanishing
Coin
Show a coin on your palm, and then put an opaque
cloth over it. Ask some friends to reach under the cloth, one at a time, to verify the coin value and its continued presence.
As the last one confirms the coin is still there, use your other hand to gesture magically. Then get someone to take away the cloth.
The coin has gone under "test conditions"!
This is one of the few items where I ask you to use a human gimmick, stooge or confederate. The last
person to check the coin is the one you have arranged to secretly help you. They take away the coin!
This will be easy to organise because almost everyone will go along with you just to see the effect on his or her other friends and be the one who knows something that no-one else does.
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The
Matchbox
Bank
Show an open matchbox to your friends and ask them to drop 2 coins of the same size in it.
Close the box and rattle it as you say the Magic word.
Ask a spectator to open the box and drop the contents on the table. Your friends saw the box was empty, they dropped only two coins in but now there are THREE
coins!
Prepare the box by pushing a coin about halfway in the gap between the drawer and the top of the cover. Then push the drawer halfway in the cover. Keep the coin balanced on the end of the drawer as it slides out of sight inside the cover.
Show your audience the half open matchbox. They
drop two coins, the same value as your hidden coin in the box.
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Quickly slide the box shut as you begin to shake the box and the rattle of the 2 donated coins hides the sound of your coin dropping in with them.
You could start with a small number of matches in the box and hide a few matches between the drawer and the cover instead of using coins.
Ask someone to count the matches that are dropped from the box, then close it and shake the box so the hidden matches join the others. When they count the matches again, you have done a small miracle!
Coins are better because counting tricks can be boring and almost everyone's attention will be more easily held to any trick where you use some of their money!
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The
Houdini
Candy
Show a doubled cord with several candy rings hanging on it.
Hold the 2 ends of the cord. The loose candies have the cord through their central hole and are stopped from falling by a candy firmly attached to the double end of the cord.
Ask two spectators to each hold one end of the cord.
Cover the cord and candies with a handkerchief, then reach under the handkerchief with one hand as you ask them to say the magic word.
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Your free hand takes away the cover and everyone
sees the candies loosely piled on your other hand. You didn't cut the cord. It is real Magic!
There is no stooge. Double a piece of cord and push the folded part through the center hole of one candy ring.
Open out the folded end of the cord and slip the candy through it, then pull the ends of the cord so the loop tightens.
It looks as if the candy is firmly attached.
Push the ends of the doubled cord through several rings and you are ready.
Have a spare, clean handkerchief to use for the trick because these days nobody may have a spare
handkerchief with them, just tissues.
Let your friends see the candies are "locked" on the cord, and then cover them with the handkerchief.
Reach under the handkerchief and loosen the loop of cord that holds the single ring in place. It is a very good idea to practise even a simple move like this in private before stunning your friends with it. When you push the 76
loop back over the candy, all of the sweets will drop onto your palm. Then you can take off the handkerchief and show that you have accomplished your mission!
You could also perform a larger version of this trick in your show. Just make some large flat rings from light wood, paint them different colors and use thick, colorful cord in place of the string and a cloth instead of a borrowed handkerchief.
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Knot
Impossible
The easiest magical appearance of a knot there is!
Please remember you will anger anyone if you tell them how you fooled them with this. They will be upset they were so easy to fool and not be impressed!
You raise one arm to shoulder height, showing a rope hanging down from your raised fist.
Flick the arm upward slightly so the rope jumps up and you catch the free end with the same hand, then let the end of the rope drop down again.
If you want, give a volunteer a similar piece of rope and ask them to copy your actions. Joke with volunteers but keep it friendly. Upset them and you look like an amateur.
Then your friends will not volunteer or watch your
"miracles" next time.
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You can, of course, let the volunteer choose a piece of rope so everything looks fair.
Flip the rope up and catching it a couple more times.
Suddenly you drop the end of the rope and a knot
magically appears in the rope!
The simple method lets you concentrate on your
presentation and entertaining your friends.
You tie a small knot in one end of the rope before you bring it out to show your friends. Keep this end in your fist while flipping the other up and down.
You only have to decide when you will catch the plain end and switch it for the end with the knot. About three flips are usually enough.
How do you let the member of the audience choose
one of the pieces of rope when one is gimmicked?
You hold one piece in each hand in front of your friend, making sure to keep the knot out of sight in your hand.
Ask the spectator to point to one piece of rope but don't tell them why you are asking or what you are going to do.
If they point to the gimmicked rope, you give them the other piece and if they point to the plain rope, of course you give them that.
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You put no great importance on the choice and they will not be suspicious but it will make it harder for them to figure it out because everybody will think afterwards the volunteer had a free choice!
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Hop
Off
Candy
You need round candy rings for this trick. While white peppermint flavored ones are most common, there is no reason you can't add some color to the trick with other types and colors.
Thread a candy ring on to a cord and cover it with a cloth, then ask two friends to hold the ends of the cord.
You can now ask everyone for the Magic Word, reach under the cloth and bring out the candy. Someone will quickly remove the cloth but there is no clue. The candy jumped off the cord to your palm!
You need 2 identical opaque candies and one has to be secretly prepared in advance. You are about to make what Magicians call a "gimmick", a device that secretly does the work you take the credit for.
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Carefully break the candy in half, then "glue" the pieces together again with a couple of drops of water. The other candy is hidden in your sleeve. If there is room under your watchstrap, push the extra candy there until you need it.
When you reach under the cloth, you quietly squeeze the pieces of the gimmick candy apart but, of course, you don't show anyone the gimmicked sweet! You
swap it for the regular candy hidden in your sleeve before you bring your hand out from under the cloth.
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Vanishing
Knots
Show the cover off a matchbox. You don't need the tray or matches for this easy but baffling vanish. Tie a single, loose overhand knot round the cover with a piece of string.
Tuck one end of the string inside the cover, then push the knot off the cover and push it inside at the same point you put the end of the string.
The knot will immediately vanish! You don't have to do anything clever.
It's important to remember that you don't need to tell your audience what you are going to do. That will tend to bore them. Instead, talk about Black Holes or
something which is appropriate to your audience and the occasion.
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Hypnotised
Hanky
& Bonus Hanky Bunny
This effect needs you to have a clean handkercheif which is something you should carry with you because they are increasingly rare these days with almost everybody using tissues.
Your show the handkerchief around, then tie a knot in one corner.
Make a loose fist around most of the handkerchief allowing the corner with the knot to stick up a few inches.
Now you gesture in a mysterious manner with your free hand and the knotted corner follows the movements giving the appearance that you have hypnotised the cloth.
Of course, there is a more mundane explanation. Most of the handkerchief is gathered in your fist, your thumb is pointing up behind the knotted corner and in contact with the cloth.
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You can make the corner dodge and weave by
pressing your thumb against your fist and then
releasing it. The effect you want to give is as if there was a thread from your gesturing hand to the knotted corner.
Bonus; The Hanky Bunny. To amuse small children (and yourself) lay a white or any solid colored
handkerchief over the back of your right hand with one corner about two inches forward of your fingers.
Bring the corner to your right down between your
fingers and thumb, then up between your little finger and fourth finger.
Bring the corner to your left down between your fingers and thumb, then up between your middle finger and first finger.
If you now tuck the front corner under your middle fingers into the folds of cloth, you will have a fair representation of a long eared rabbit which you can allow to graze along your left arm, bite your nose and get up to whatever your imagination permits.
Do it for just a couple of minutes, you will get a good response and then you can fill some time showing your audience how to make their own rabbits.
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Sticky
Coin
You have to do some work with glue or (my preference) double-sided tape but the response you will get with this trick is worth it!
You need a large coin and a small coin. Fix the small coin on to the larger coin. Put it off center but make sure that it does not touch the outer edge of the larger coin.
Now find another coin as near to identical as possible to the smaller coin on your gimmick.
You keep the single coin in your pocket and show the gimmick with the smaller coin uppermost. Your
spectators see two ordinary coins.
You make a fist around the double coin gimmick and turn your hand over.
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Remove the gimmick from your fist with just the thumb and forefinger of your other hand.
Ask your audience, "what coin is left in my hand?"
Whatever they answer, you open your fist and show the smaller coin has vanished!
Now you can make the coin (actually the duplicate single coin) re-appear where and when you want.
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MEMORY
MASTER
Want to reduce lapses of memory?
Here is a simple method for remembering what you
went to the shop for, or the secret ingredients for Aunt Bessie's fudge.
This system is one of the pegs of those expensive courses you see promoted on late night television. Your memory will improve!
Did you realise that you always remember when your holidays start or when your next pay rise is due? You remember anything easily when you pay attention and are interested in it!
Preparing, say, ten crazy pictures and indelibly pasting them to the numbers from one to ten in your mind.
Here is a sample list;
1. SUN sounds like ONE a crazy cartoon sun
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2. GOO sounds like TWO a pot of glue
3. TREE sounds like THREE oversize tree , lots of branches!
4. LAW sounds like FOUR think of a policeman
5. HIVE sounds like FIVE think of a beehive
6. DISK sounds like SIX think of a computer disk
7. HEAVEN sounds like SEVEN think of clouds, angels 8. CRATE sounds like EIGHT think of a fruit crate 9. MINE sounds like NINE think of a mineshaft or miner 10. PEN sounds like TEN think of a pigpen or writing pen
It should be very easy to think of something to visualise for the pictures.
You can substitute anything that you think is easier for you to link to a variety of items for any of the ones I suggested.
Make the pictures really outrageous because no-one will ever see them or know what they look like unless you meet a real mind-reader!
Most people will find this takes no more than half an hour.
Do not worry if it takes you longer than that. You will use these peg pictures for the rest of your life.
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Ask a friend if they want to improve their memory. Most will jump at the chance. Show them this system and you can help each other to learn.
This will accelerate your rate of improvement.