Mysteriouser

and
Mysteriouser

Raj Madhok
Dedicated to Ashlesha and Anjali –
As a husband and a dad, I couldn’t ask for two more beautiful
and wonderful women in my life.

Thanks for all your support and for letting me play!

Acknowledgements
Deep thanks and pranams to my colleagues who have had
valuable input into these creations. Our friendship, camaraderie,
and mutual passion are my greatest joys in this art.

Thank you Ray Kosby, Doug Dyment, Wayne Rosen, Alain Nu,
Christian Painter, Vincent Hedan, Lewis Jones, John Carey, Dick
Steiner, Greg Wilson, John Guastaferro, Michael Weber, Max
Maven, Jeffrey Connor, Steve Beam, Joshua Jay, Steph Lacasse,
Cameron Francis, Lee Earle, Jack Carpenter, Kedar Sankholkar,
and John Bannon.

Copyright © 2016 by Raj Madhok

Contents
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Foreword 5

That Sinking Feeling 7

Best of Friends 11

Coincealed 15

Fossa Nature 19

Invisible Book Test 25

Shifty One Faces North 31

Spread the Mystery 35

Chairway to Heaven 41

Melts in Your Mind 49

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4
Foreword
If you are reading this, we are kindred spirits. We both love
mystery. And magic.

We each pursue our interest in this arcane art in many different

ways. Some are content to learn methods, others love to
perform, while others are fascinated by its history and ephemera.

For me it’s about creativity, problem-solving, and finding a

meaningful presentation for our little secrets. Along with that
comes the joy of spending time with like-minded people who
share my passion.

That’s where you come in. If we are not yet friends, I hope one
day we will be. When that day (or late night) arrives please ask
me to share my creations with you. That’s the fun part. And I
look forward to learning about you as well.

Eugene Burger has said, “The house of magic has many rooms.”

Join me as we pull back the curtain and explore my little niche.

Raj Madhok, June 2016

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6
That Sinking Feeling
(N’ Synch 3.0)
By Raj Madhok and Gregory Wilson
This little mystery will let you reveal anyone’s birthday using only
one thing: their mobile phone. But what is amazing is that you
never touch or approach their phone. In fact, you can turn your
back during the entire experiment. If that’s not enough, you can
perform it long-distance over the phone!

Ask an audience member to think of a birthday you could not

know. It could be her own or that of a family member or close
friend. She need not know the year of birth, just the month and
day. State that you will be using a modern day focusing device
akin to a crystal ball. Something we carry with us that “knows all
and sees all.” The iPhone.

Begin by discussing that numerology dictates that our destiny is

mapped out by our “Life Path number.” This is obtained by
adding a birth day and month then reducing this to a single
digit.

She is asked to unlock her phone and find the clock face icon on
the home screen. Emphasize that she will not click on the phone
app. The only requirement is that the clock face must have a
functioning sweep second hand. (Many iPhone owners do not
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realize that recent models have a functioning clock face.) She is
asked to concentrate on the clock face number that corresponds
to the month in the birthdate she has selected. For example, the
number one represents January, two represents February, etc.
When the sweep second hand touches the number signifying
the month she is thinking of she is asked to say “Now.”

Next she is asked to concentrate on the birth day—for example,

the 17th of the month. Ask her to visualize this number floating
above the clock. Now she is asked to add the birth month to the
birth day. For example, July 17 (7/17) equals 24. This
numerological “Life Path number” that she has created is now
named aloud. You further reduce this to a single digit by
summing 24 (2 + 4) to reach 6. You comment on its
numerological significance to the person she has in mind.

You now reveal the thought-of birthday.

Method
The only thing the performer needs is to wear an analog
wristwatch with a sweep second hand. Minutes, hours, or even
days before performing, synchronize the second hand on your
wristwatch with the sweep second hand on any iPhone. If your
watch is of decent quality, this synchronization should hold true.

With this bit of preparation, your wristwatch’s second hand will

effectively be synched to every iPhone in the world. Behold the
wonders of modern technology.

During the above presentation you turn away from the

participant while she focuses on her iPhone’s clock. You covertly

8
observe your own watch’s second hand and note the number it
is on when she says “Now.” You have just identified the birth
month she is thinking of.

To finalize the deception, follow the above presentation with her

adding the month to the day and then verbalizing this total.
Silently subtract the number representing the month from this
total. In the previous example for July 17th, she will state a total
of 24. You subtract the number earlier noted on your watch (24 –
7 = 17.) You now know the birth date. Don’t forget it.

If the initial total is a two-digit number, reduce this to a single

digit by adding the numbers together, e.g., for July 17th (7 + 17
= 24) Now add 24 (2+ 4 = 6). This takes the audience one step
further away from the method and allows you to comment on
the final Life Path number and its relevance in their life.

Reveal the birthday as you see fit—a bit of cold reading goes a
long way here.

Timely Notes
My original version of ‘N Synch can be found in issue 11 of The
Penumbra, November 2009. It was inspired by Bob King’s “Time
Will Tell” in New Magician Foolers, 2003, p.8. He used the idea of
synchronizing watches to determine a thought-of number. Mr.
King’s version required the performer to be in visual contact with
the participant’s watch. My original version overcame this. But
the advent of technology and the ubiquity of the iPhone has
taken the method to a whole new level.

9
Greg Wilson suggested using a bit of math to discern the exact
date rather than just the month. Michael Murray has published a
similar concept but it requires the performer to view the
calculator on the iPhone.

As noted above this can be done long distance over the

telephone. When doing it in person, I suggest not having your
own iPhone visible to allay suspicion that the phones are linked
in any way.

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Best of Friends
David Britland published an impromptu clairvoyance effect using
five playing cards in the Feb. 2013 Genii magazine, titled
"Straight to the Point" on page 42. He references "Five Card
Royale" in Expert Card Technique and "Round and Round" in The
Royal Road to Card Magic (although that handling uses ten
cards.) It also brings to mind the Banachek/Nu/Madhok
"Telephone Russian Roulette" in Psychological Subtleties Volume
3, page 142.

This presentation eliminates the arbitrary "think of a number

between one and five” procedure and ends with a strong
revelation of a name chosen by the participant.

It’s totally impromptu with no markings, nail nicks, or

preparation.

Five identical blank-backed business cards are given to a

participant. She is asked to think of the name of her best friend.
On the blank back of four cards she is asked to write the name
of four other friends. She writes the best friend’s first name on
the final card and places it face down on the other cards.

To mix the cards she is asked to spell her friend’s name using
one card for each letter and moving one card at time from the

11
top of the packet to the bottom. This is done with your back
turned or with the cards hidden under the table.

The cards are handed back to you and placed under the table or
behind your back. You secretly pass the cards from one hand to
the other thereby reversing their order. Feigning difficulty, you
return the packet to the participant and ask that she repeat the
spell-count procedure with the same name just used. When she
returns the cards to you her selection will now be the bottom
card of the packet. This is self-working. With any number of
cards and any name spelled. Trust me.

With the cards in your hands you spread them in a face-down

fan and tentatively remove a random card from the spread and
turn it face up onto the top of the packet. Lift and turn the
packet to show the name on the top card to the audience as you
comment that this is not her best friend. The selected name will
now be staring you in the face at the bottom of the packet. This
is Larry Becker’s brilliant “Sneak Thief” maneuver.

Now that you know the best friend’s name turn the top card face
down. I then casually cut the cards (burying the evidence) and
hand them back to the participant to hold between her palms.
Reveal the correct name as mysteriously as you can.

Friendly Advice
If you prefer something less personal you may use ESP cards,
playing cards, or make it a design duplication. I believe the more
personal, the more memorable this becomes. Instead of just
another card trick. And remember you do not have to limit
yourself to only five cards.

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With a bit of thought you can do this over the phone with five
playing cards with you stopping on the correct card at the finish.
In this case you won’t be able to name the card.

As David Britland emphasizes in his original trick it should

appear that the effect begins after the participant’s second
spelling. Perhaps the vibes weren’t right or you had difficulty
receiving her thoughts the first time. It’s your chance to be an
actor playing the part of a magician, playing the part of a
mentalist.

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14
Coincealed
Here’s an impromptu mindreading quickie. You remove or
borrow four everyday pocket items and place them on the table.
Your participant thinks of one. Not only do you read her mind,
you also prove that inanimate objects can have a subconscious
influence on our choices.

Begin by removing the following objects from your pocket (or

they may be borrowed): A watch, a coin, a pen or pencil, and a
nail clipper. Place them in a line on a table as shown on the
opposite page from your view.

State you’ll add one more item to help randomize a selection.

You mime removing and placing on the table a pair of “invisible
dice.”

Say the following:

Here are several everyday objects. In a moment you’ll think of

just one using the “invisible dice” I’ve provided. Here is how.
When my back is turned I want you to “roll” the dice and
remember the numbers that turn up. But here’s the strange
thing. These dice are “loaded” which means they are weighted to
fall more frequently on certain numbers. One die always lands on
an even number and the other always lands on an odd number.
So for example, you might roll a five and six but never two odd
numbers or two even numbers. Clear?

15
 To randomly select an object, use the sum of the
toss of the dice to count from left to right starting
with the watch. Then repeat the count using the
same number a second time. This will ensure no
one could predict which item you’ll land on as your
selection. For example, if you throw a five and six
you would begin your count of “one” on the watch,
then “two” on the quarter, and so on until you
reach “eleven.” Cycle back to the start of the row
to continue the count when you run out of objects.
Wherever you finally land, start from the next
object and repeat the count using the same
random number generated by the dice. Got it?

When the participant has landed on her final object and has it in
mind, you turn to face her again.

Your invisible dice created a number in your head,

but there can be a subconscious influence from the
other objects. It works on 99% of people. I believe
that you selected the quarter, correct? Some say
“money talks” - but there’s a more devious type of
subliminal persuasion going on here. Look at the
objects as if each represented a letter of the
alphabet…spelling out a word. Do you see it?

Pause while the audience interprets what you are suggesting. If

they need help you can touch each object in sequence as you
spell out loud, “C – O – I – N.”

The coin! That’s what you were drawn to because

the word was staring you in the face all along.

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 Strange how our subconscious works, isn’t it?
Welcome to the 99% club.

Method
If you follow the above procedure you will always force the coin.
This is thanks to John Guastaferro’s Dionic Force from his card
effect “Heads Will Roll” published in Hands Off My Notes, 2016.
John’s innovation was using dice to motivate the use of an odd
and an even number which together always total an odd
number. The precedent is Ben Harris’ Ionic Force using fingers as
a forcing tool. I discovered that using four objects in a row and
counting sequentially to any odd number twice (in a row) will
always force the second object in the row.

Object Lessons
If you wish to simplify the procedure you may have the coin
selected using equivoque or the PATEO force. But ideally the
items should remain on the table for a clear visual picture at the
end.

For those who choose not to carry the above items, you can
simply take a photo of the image with your mobile phone’s
camera. You can now perform it onscreen but I feel that the
denouement is more prematurely recognizable in a photo than
with real items on a table. An interesting presentation is to show
your audience the photo image upside-down while keeping your
iPhone screen flat. In this case you openly do the counting for
them using their selected total. For the final revelation bring the
phone screen to a vertical position which will automatically
rotate the image so the word is spelled correctly from their
perspective.
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The initial inspiration for this was Max Maven’s “Drawing
Conclusions” from the April 1984 issue of Richard’s Almanac.
Cameron Francis, in his Look, Ma! No Cards! notes (2014) also
has a great trick called “COAT” which uses images on cards for
an unexpected revelation. I wanted to bring an organic,
impromptu feel to a prediction that would not recognized while
in plain sight.

Special thanks to Jack Carpenter and Jeffrey Connor for

recognizing the utility of a nail clipper to create the letter “N.”

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Fossa Nature
Effect and Method
The performer visibly demonstrates the ability to alter the
participant’s sense of touch. Some have said that this is an old
schoolyard trick but it’s one that few adults I’ve shown it to have
seen. It was shown to me by Wayne Rosen at a Meeting of the
Minds in New Orleans and I’ve added a presentation and few
touches that make it more than a quick stunt.

Some of the things I do involve changing your

sense of reality. Often it’s difficult to visualize since
it happens in your mind. Let me visibly show you
how it is possible to alter one’s sense of reality
using their sense of touch. May I have a volunteer?
I won’t embarrass you but I will need to touch your
arm if that’s OK?

A bare-armed audience member is selected or asked to roll up

her sleeve. You stand at her side and hold her palm-up hand at
the wrist with her arm extended.

If I touch your wrist with your eyes closed you can

still tell it’s your wrist, correct? For that matter, if I
touch a finger, your nose or anywhere on your
body you can recognize it due to your sense of
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 proprioception. This is the ability of our brain to
recognize our body’s position and movement. But
what if I could change that? What if I could make
you feel something different and change your
sense of reality? That’s what I’ll attempt to do.
Focus your attention on this spot right here.

Point to the crease at the bend of the elbow without touching it.

This is the antecubital fossa - the fold or bend of

the arm. I’m not going to touch it just yet but in a
moment I’ll ask you if I’m touching it while your
eyes are closed. But first I need you to relax and be
receptive to my instructions. While your eyes are
closed I’m going to show everyone else what I
intend to do. I’ve written something on this paper
which I’ll show to you when we are done.

An easel with a large pad is turned to reveal a drawing of an arm

with an “X” placed 1 to 2 inches below the bend or crook of the
arm. An arrow points to it marked “HERE!” Another arrow
points to the antecubital fossa and is marked “NOT HERE.” (See
diagram.) In a close-up setting you may draw this prediction on
a business card or paper napkin.

You once again hold her extended arm at the wrist and ask her
to close her eyes. “Let’s begin by testing your sense of touch. My
finger is now above your wrist. Am I touching you?”

Here you poise your forefinger above the palmar side of her
wrist without touching her. The typical response will be “No.”

20
 Ah, but I am… I’m touching your wrist with my
other hand. See how easy it is to fool the mind.
Now I will touch you with my fingertip and begin
to move up your arm. Your job is to tune into your
body’s sensations and say “STOP” as soon as I
touch the bend of the elbow. Understood?

Starting on the palm, you slowly and lightly trace a winding path
up the inside of the forearm as you hold and slightly
hyperextend her arm so that it stays flat. About half the distance
to the fold you begin to follow a straight line and remind her to
say “STOP” as soon as she feels you reach the targeted
antecubital fossa.

21
Doing this slowly and in an unhurried way creates a sense of
anticipation and fatigue so that she will be tuned into any
change in feeling. Due to the nerve structure of the arm the
participant will typically feel a different sensation and tell you to
stop one to two inches below the actual fossa.

As soon as she says “STOP” you mark this position by leaving

your finger tip on the site but pull the skin slightly down and
away from the target. This tip from Wayne Rosen lengthens the
apparent distance from the fossa if needed. You may want to
ask, “I didn’t influence you to stop there did I?” for those who
may suspect some sort of cueing.

The audience will immediately recognize she has felt the site
where you wanted her to – based on your drawing. Congratulate
her as you ask her to view your diagram and prediction.

You have just altered her reality.

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 23
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Life is an open book full of blank pages.

You write the story as you go.

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The Invisible Book Test
Borrowing three identical business cards and a pen, the mystery
worker demonstrates the ability to send thoughts to a fellow
mind traveler using guided imagery.

Have you heard of guided imagery? It’s a flow of

inner thoughts where your mind allows you to see
and feel things as vividly as if it was really
happening. Doctors and therapists use it to take
people on an imaginary journey to overcome stress
and even lower blood pressure. Creative
visualization has been used by many cultures and
spiritual seekers to take people to places that
would otherwise only exist in their dreams.

I’d like to take you on a journey where I will guide

your thoughts and direct you toward target images
you might not otherwise be able to predict or
know. Are you willing to join me?

Imagine you and I have just finished a wonderful

meal and are now relaxing in my study with a glass
of fine wine. Close your eyes and visualize your
surroundings: the plush comfortable chair you are
seated in, the bouquet of the red wine swirling in
your glass, and the walls covered with rich
mahogany bookshelves. Can you see it? Excellent.

25
 I’m going to direct your thoughts by writing a
target image on the back of this card and placing it
face down on your palm. Cover it with your other
hand and listen closely.

Imagine that ahead of you is a wall lined with

books of many colors, but no titles. I want you to
imagine stepping forward and reaching out to pull
one of the books from the shelf. The cover is blank
but there is a predominant bright color to the
cover. Tell me what color do you see?

“ Yellow.”

An interesting choice... a color associated with joy,

happiness, intellect and energy… very much like
you.”

You write on the back of another business card and place it face
down on her palm on top of the previous card.

I’m now going to guide you to a place within the

book you chose. This next message will go in your
hand on top of the previous card. Put your other
hand on top and follow my instructions. You are
holding the yellow book. You open it and begin to
turn the pages one by one. At some point you stop
and see a page number at the bottom of that
specific page. Have you done that? What page are
you on?

“ Sixty-three.”

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 Very good. Next, I’m going to direct you to a
specific place on that page.

A third business card is written on and placed face down onto

her palm.

The last target will be on this card. I’ll place it in on

your palm on top of the other two cards. Put you
other hand on top, close your eyes, and listen to
my words.

Look at the bottom of page 63. As you do you’ll

notice something strange. The black and white text
is blurry and illegible. Slowly move your eyes
towards the top of the page. As you do, the words
and text start to come into focus. When you reach
the top line you see a word; it’s a small word, an
action verb. What word do you see?

“ Run”

OK, you may open your eyes. I sensed you’d be a

good subject with a vivid imagination. Let me show
you how good. …

The performer retrieves the three cards from the participant and
turns over the stack to show the bottom card. On it is written
the word “YELLOW.”

The next card is revealed to show the number “63.”

27
And the final card is revealed to have the word “RUN” written on
it!

Well done! You have a great imagination and a

strong ability to receive good thoughts.

Method
The one-ahead principle is a staple of many mentalism routines.
The classic Mental Epic board is the most common version.
You’re probably aware that the last prediction (the word “run” in
this case) is a force that is written on the first card placed in their
hand. You then simply write their responses to the book color
and page number on the next two cards.

The obstacle to the one-ahead principle is the need to alter the

sequence in which the predictions are revealed. Since you wrote
“RUN” first it is now at the bottom of the pile of three cards. But
it should be on top since it was your last written prediction.

After much experimenting I found it easiest to shift it from

bottom to top in a casual gesture. Do this by spreading the three
face-down cards and pull the bottom card into the left hand and
the top two into the right hand. Spread and “squiggle” the cards
to show the fairness of holding only three cards. Bring the hands
back together but deposit the left hand card on top of the right
hand’s cards as you square them. They are now in the correct
sequence. I cover this action with the sentence, “You created
three images in your mind. All were a free choice, correct?”

Asking a question at this moment deflects their attention from

the fact that the cards are reassembled in a different order.

28
You now recap the first choice of book color and flip over the
packet of three cards to reveal the correct color. Then restate
their page number as you show the next card revealing the
correct page. Lastly, review the fact that they had a choice of
thousands of words in their imaginary book, then reveal the
word they selected.

Book Review
Telling the participant in advance that you’ll be guiding their
thoughts and sending them an image is more believable than
reading their mind. It also puts the onus on the participant to
receive your thoughts correctly. You will appear to triumph
together rather than putting all the pressure on you to be
successful. Any failure is diffused by the spectator’s inability to
“get” the target images. Teamwork.

I’ve simplified this classic effect by eliminating envelopes,

numbered predictions, or the use of other extraneous props. My
goal was to make it truly impromptu and place it in a realistic
presentational framework. All you need are three business cards
and a pen!

A major weakness in most routines of this nature is the limitation

of the final force. I worked backwards by coming up with the
force first. It needed to be something more obscure than the
well-known and often transparent psychological force of a color
or a flower, or a limited choice of one of fifty-two playing cards.

I found my answer in Doug Dyment’s excellent book Stimulacra.

Within its pages is an intriguing force of the word “run” in an
effect he calls “Verbiage.” Like most psychological forces it is
not foolproof. I’ve tried to increase the likelihood of a hit by
29
using the above phrasing. By emphasizing the words “small” and
“action verb” you’ll typically get the response you need.

And if you don’t? You can ask if they see another verb on the
page, hopefully it will be “run.” Or you can turn to another
spectator and ask what word they were thinking of. I typically
write “jump” then put a line through it as if you changed your
mind and write “run” below it. I have found this gives you the
two most common hits. If you absolutely can’t make it work then
you still give them credit for the first two correct predictions

Special thanks to Doug Dyment for allowing me to publish this

psychological force. His published works are well worth seeking
out.

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Shifty One Faces North
A borrowed, shuffled deck is handed to the performer. He scans
the faces and intuits a card of upcoming significance. This
prediction is written, folded and tucked away for safekeeping. A
participant then deals through the face down deck, turning cards
face up one at a time, until she chooses to stop on a random
face-down card. It matches the performer’s prediction!

Method
This is the venerable Stewart James’ 51-Faces North plot - or if
you prefer, Paul Curry’s Open Prediction. Its history is well
documented in Issue Number One of Penumbra (Gordon Bean
and Bill Goodwin.) I’ve not tried to meet all the James’ criteria
but rather created a direct and amazing bit of mentalism. It
comes at a cost. It involves a confederate. This is a small cost to
me as I use it as an alternate method for a series of Open
Prediction effects which are seemingly impromptu. Each cancels
out the method before it.

You prepare your confederate by explaining the method to her

before the performance. She will be handed the shuffled cards
while you review with the audience the procedure of dealing and
turning cards face up and then stopping randomly. You instruct
her to stop after she sees a specific card. This will be a key card
indicating that she is to place the next card face down without
looking at it. The key card she is to look for is created at the
onset of the dealing. The first face up card dealt from the top of

31
the deck will represent the numerical value of the key card. The
next card will designate its suit. For example, if the first card
dealt is the Queen of Spades and the next card is the Nine of
Clubs, the key card created will be the Queen of Clubs. Another
example: the Six of Diamonds followed by the Two of Hearts
creates the Six of Hearts as the key card.

At the start, the performer openly looks through the shuffled

deck in order to make a prediction. He notes the top two cards
and silently creates a key card. Looking through the cards, he
finds the key card and notes the card to its right as his
prediction. This will end up being the card the confederate
places face down after she spots the key card. She will not know
the identity of this face-down card, only that she is to stop
dealing at this point. Asking her to deal slowly and deliberately
will ensure she does not prematurely pass the key card.

The prediction can be written down, or its mate can be removed

from the deck and placed face down as the prediction. You may
prefer to have the prediction openly shown in advance. I prefer
performing this as a “closed prediction” which creates more
intrigue.

Confederate Notes

If the top two cards have the same suit or value, ask that the
cards be cut or shuffled again. Alternately you can cut two non-
matching cards to the top.

To avoid a long drawn out dealing procedure, ensure that the

key card is closer to the top of the pack. This may require you to

32
shift clumps of cards but done casually it will seem as if you are
searching for an appropriate prediction card.

Many great minds have created solutions to this plot. I’ve been
inspired by the writings of Edward Marlo, David Solomon, John
Riggs, David Regal, and Howard Lyons.

My alternate non-stooge version called Open Perception may be

found in MAGIC magazine, March 2004 and in my lecture notes,
Buried in Print LIVE! (2004).

This trick was originally published in a slightly different format in

Steve Beam’s Semi-Automatic Card Tricks, Volume 5 under the
title “Reading the Future.”

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34
Spread the Mystery
Using a borrowed and/or incomplete deck of cards the mystery
worker demonstrates his ability to remotely view a target image
with his back turned or even over the phone.

If a magician brings out a deck of cards most

people think he’s about to do a card trick. But I’ll
try to go beyond that. I’m going to try to tap into
your thoughts and pluck out a target card that
you’ll only think of. To eliminate the possibility of
sleight of hand I won’t touch the cards. To
eliminate any prearrangement of the cards I’d like
you to mix them. To eliminate any possibility of
estimation or markings put the cards under the
table or behind your back so I can’t even see the
cards!

Once you feel the cards are well mixed spread the
card between your hands, cut them, and complete
the cut. Discard the top half of the deck. Take the
remaining cards, spread and cut them again. Once
again discard the top half of the cards. Spread and
cut them again and discard half.

You’ve got a small number of cards left in your

hands. Take a guess how many you have? Now
count and see if you’re correct. Ten? – OK, then
discard half of them.
35
 I’ll turn my back to you while you bring forth the
remaining cards and look at the bottom card of the
packet. You’ve got to agree there’s no way either
of us could know the card you’ve reached. This will
be our target thought so burn an image of it into
your mind. Got it? Good.

Place those cards below the table and spread and

cut them one more time.

Think about what has happened so far. We began

with a large number of cards that you shuffled and
cut and eliminated - and you’re now thinking of
one that only you know, correct?

I’ll attempt to zero in on your thought. I’ll turn my

back while you bring out the cards and keep them
face down.

Take the top card turn it face up onto the table and
name it out loud. Hmm…eliminate it.

Take the next card turn it face up and name it.

As soon as it is named the performer says, “STOP!” and spins

around to face the spectator. He says, “Name your card.”

The spectator names her card.

“Turn over the next card and freak out.” She turns over the next
card and is amazed to see her selection.

36
Method
This is a one-out-of-five selection and location obscured by
billowing smoke. The key to the method is the specific
instructions to “spread and cut the cards.” This phrasing will
typically cause a spectator holding five cards to spread and cut
either two or three cards from the top to the bottom of the
stack. (It would be unnatural to move only one card and call it a
“cut.”) This final cutting procedure will move the bottom
glimpsed selection to the second or third position from the top.
How do you know which position is correct? You don’t - thus
you must rely on a two-way out.

If the selection is at the second position they will have just

named it as you spin around and say “Stop! Name your card.”
They will now repeat the name of their card just placed face up
on the table. You smile triumphantly as if you knew this was the
card and were able to stop at it. You might even verbalize, “I
thought so.”

If the selection is at the third position they will be unsure how to

react to your “Stop!” command since their just named card has
not been seen yet. You can then confidently state, “Turn over the
next card and freak out.” You will both see immediate
verification that you are correct as they turn the next
card/selection face up.

Note that the final selection must be from one of five cards. You
could just begin with five cards and proceed but going through
the above machinations clouds their memory of how many cards
were used. You do not want the focus to be on the fact that
only five cards were used. Instead you ask how many they think
they have, count them to verify, and then you casually have them

37
discard the correct number leaving them with five. For example,
if they say there are seven cards left, simply state, “Get rid of two
more.” Ideally you should not verbalize there are only five cards
left in play so that reconstruction becomes impossible. The goal
is to implant the false memory that you knew both the target
card and its location in the deck.

Cutting Comments
The “spread and cut” placement procedure belongs to Jerry
Sadowitz from his book Cards on the Table, (Martin Breese,
1989). See “Pre-determined Estimation” on page 84 for a trilogy
of routines.

Michael Weber published a telephone version using a down-

under deal in The Crimp! No. 29 (Oct. 1994, p.256) called Hold
Her Down and Poker! A very young Joshua Jay showed me the
trick and I’ve experimented with numerous variations since.

If you choose to perform this over the phone you must rely on
the spectator’s verbal reaction (or lack of reaction) at your
command to stop on the second card. This will tell you if they
are seeing their card or need to turn over the next card.

You may give the participant the option of using either the
bottom card or the top card of their five card packet.

If they choose BOTTOM, the selection will end up second or

third after the spread and cut.

If they choose TOP, it will end up third or fourth from the top.

38
For fast company I begin by spreading the shuffled deck face up
on the table. I studiously look at the cards without speaking but
my demeanor suggests I am memorizing their sequence. Once
an observer believes you are performing a mathematical or
memory trick it’s all over.

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40
Chair Way to Heaven
A chair test gone awry … Or does it?

Six chairs are onstage. A spectator sits in any one she chooses.
You show in more than one way that Fate intervened and forced
her to sit in that particular seat. Or so it seems.

You begin by commenting on fate and free will, choices and

favorite things. That kind of stuff.

Stating that yellow is your favorite color you toss a balled-up

yellow sheet of paper into the audience. The audience member
who catches the paper is asked to name her favorite number
between one and ten, but not seven as that’s the most common
choice.

If she says ‘three” then she is asked to open the paper and it is
shown to have a large number “3” inscribed on it. Fate or free
will?

If any other number is chosen, she is asked to join you onstage.

You retrieve the paper ball and set it aside.

Speaking about the power of Fate you instruct your volunteer to

think carefully about the six chairs onstage and to silently decide
on one. As she does, you mix six white envelopes and place one
on each chair from right to left, or in the opposite direction

41
(from left to right) based on the participant’s choice. The chairs
are verbally designated as Chair Number One, Number Two,
Number Three, etc. in the order of placement.

You tell her that one envelope has a special message for her. It
will be the message on the chair she chooses to sit. Ask her to
walk to the chair of her choice, pick up and hold the
corresponding envelope in her lap as she sits down.

You then collect the other five envelopes from the unchosen
chairs. You then reveal that these five envelopes all have a large
yellow sticker on the back. Ask her to turn over her envelope and
reveal the other side. On its back is the only pink sticker.

Fate or free will?

She is asked to remove the message inside the envelope. It is a

folded piece of paper with the instructions “SIT HERE” written on
it.

But there is more …

She is instructed to unfold the paper and read the rest of the
message. It says “… IN CHAIR 3.”

But she is not sitting in the third chair. You state that Fate works
in mysterious ways. Things are not always as they seem. You ask
her to stand as you turn the chairs around revealing numbers
affixed to their backs. The numbers are not in numerical
sequence but her chair is correctly labelled Chair Three!

42
Method
This is an expanded stand-up (or sit-down) version of Nick
Trost’s Eight Card Brainwave principle. One of two endings are
possible:

1. Either the participant’s envelope will have a pink

sticker and the others will be yellow.

2. Or the participant’s envelope will have the only

yellow sticker and the others will be pink.

The surprise ending of the chairs being misnumbered to

correctly match her choice also confirms the power of Fate. And
moves it beyond the gag that all six envelopes must have
contained the message to “SIT HERE.”

To begin, place a large yellow sticker on three white 6x9 inch

Tyvek envelopes and a pink sticker on three other envelopes.
(see PHOTO showing images of the chairs and placement of the
alternating envelope colors.) These are placed in alternating
pink-yellow order with the color side face down. (Be sure not to
inadvertently expose the colors during the face down mixing and
placing of the envelopes on the chairs.) False shuffle the
envelopes by casually spreading and cutting the packet of
envelopes using a Charlier or Haymow Shuffle. Mark the top
envelope so you can cut it to the top at the end of the casual
mixing. You must retain the cyclic nature of the stack at the end
by cutting the marked envelope back to the top.

Each envelope contains a stiff piece of paper folded in half with

the message, “SIT HERE,” written in bold print on its outside.
When the paper is unfolded each has a concluding message,
43
“… IN CHAIR [number].” The number in each envelope will match
the number marked on the back of the chair it is placed on.
Unbeknownst to the audience the backs of the chairs have
numbers affixed to them. These may be Post-it notes or any
system you devise. Importantly, the numbers are not in
numerical sequence and none should match its position on
stage.

For example: Chair 2, Chair 3, Chair 6, Chair 5, Chair 1, Chair 4

The PHOTO shows the colors that are hidden on the back of
each envelope and the numbers shown above the chairs show
what is written on their backs.

The envelopes should be stacked in the same order (2, 3, 6, 5, 1,

4) with the “2” envelope on top

44
Note that when counting from one to six in either direction none
of the chair labels match the number in the counting sequence.
This allows for the surprise ending.

After false shuffling the envelopes, restore the starting sequence

by cutting the marked envelope back to the top of the stack. The
messages within should now be in 2-3-6-5-1-4 sequence
mirroring what is on the back of the chairs. You allow the
participant to decide if the envelopes should be placed on the
chairs from left to right or in the opposite direction. If she says
left to right, you will deal normally from the top of the stack. If
she says right to left, you will deal the envelopes singly from the
bottom of the stack. Dealing with your back to the audience will
allow your body to help obscure this ruse.

Remember that the envelopes will alternate yellow or pink on

their backs when placed on the chairs.

After the participant sits in a chair you will pick up the other five
envelopes beginning with the chair to her left. Each envelope
goes on top of the preceding one, circling back to the start of
the line of chairs if need be.

The five envelopes in your hand are now in position for the
OLRAM Subtlety display which apparently shows the backs of all
five envelopes but actually conceals every other one. You will
appear to show five envelopes with the same color back. She is
then asked to reveal the back of her envelope proving it to be
the only one with a different color. She will have apparently
given you the only yellow envelope (your favorite color) or
alternatively kept your favorite color for herself and given you a
pink one.

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Next she is instructed to remove the contents of her envelope
revealing the message, “SIT HERE.” The audience should quickly
realize this is a gag prediction. You conclude as above with her
revealing an “incorrect” chair number prediction which is then
shown to correctly match the label on the back of her chair.

Fate prevails.

Chair and Chair Alike

Nick Trost’s “The Odd Colored Back” was in The New Tops, Vol.
10, No. 8, Aug. 1970. His “Eight Card Brainwave” from The Card
Magic of Nick Trost is a neoclassic.

Ed Marlo’s OLRAM Subtlety was published in The New Tops, Vol.

5, No. 11, Nov. 1965. It can also be found in Roberto Giobbi’s
Card College Vol. 3, page 603.

The tossed-out paper ploy at the start is a variation of Max

Maven’s “Disposable Color” from The Blue Book of Mentalism. If
she chooses to sit in chair three, you may go back to the balled
paper and show this as an additional prediction.

Using 6x9-inch Tyvek envelopes makes them relatively

indestructible and their glossy feel allows for easy dealing when
doing the OLRAM Subtlety. The inner folded message should be
on heavy 8x10-inch card stock to keep the envelopes stiff during
the handling. I affix the flaps with a small piece of double stick
tape to keep them “sealed” but makes for easy opening later.

46
Of course, you could make this a close-up or parlour piece with
six small pictures of chairs and six coin envelopes containing
your prediction.

Other inspirations worth exploring are Tom Stone’s “Chairport”

in Gravel, Michael Weber’s “Landing Pad” in his Magic Live 2004
lecture notes, and Andy Nyman’s “Chair Swindle’ from Genii,
April 2009.

Ian Rowland’s effect “Persuasion” in Genii, Jan. 2004 is another

clever use of the Trost principle in a stand up situation.

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48
Melts in Your Mind
A Blast from The Past
In 1997, almost twenty years ago, Lee Earle was kind enough to
include my effect “Melts in Your Mind” in his influential
magazine, Syzygy. The effect used equivoque and five imaginary,
but different-colored, M&M candies to predict not only the color
of the chosen M&M, but whether it was “plain” or “peanut.” (At
the time, M&Ms only came in five different colors.) The
equivoque was structured around the participant and the
performer “eating” the non-chosen M&Ms, arriving at the
predicted one.

In 2008, Hector Chadwick released The Mental Mysterious of

Hector Chadwick which contained an intellectually similar effect
titled “Sweeties.” Hector used equivoque and six real, different-
colored M&Ms. (They come in six standard colors now.) His
equivoque was structured around the participant and the
performer actually eating the non-chosen M&Ms to arrive at the
predicted one. Hector’s trick is enjoying a resurgence as his alter
ego, Stephen Long, uses it as the foundation of his lecture on
equivoque.

To his credit, Hector/Stephen refers to my effect in his book as

using both equivoque and M&Ms, but he omits the fundamental
similarity that both my and his equivoques are premised upon
“eating” the candies. While he elaborates way more than I did,

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the actual mechanics of both equivoques are pretty much the
same. How else?

The difference? My M&M’s are imaginary; his are real. Imaginary

avoids any question of dubious hygiene when you and your
participant select and “eat” the M&M’s. Imaginary is free of
props – and calories. Imaginary also allows you the option of
predicting whether the choice is a plain or peanut M&M.

Given the new-found popularity of the plot, let’s propel my

original routine to the present and compare.

Imaginary or real? Plain or peanut? Raj or Hector?

Now it’s your choice.

Syzygy, Volume 2, Number 16 (1997)

“There has been a lot of publicity,” begins the Mentalist,
surrounding the new color of M&M’s candy. A national contest
was held, with blue being selected as the next color for the hard
shell surrounding the milk chocolate.”

“There were originally five colors available; red, yellow, orange,

green, and brown,” continues the performer. He writes on a
small, square Post-It note pad, quarter folds the paper, and sticks
it to the back cover of a paperback book. The book is turned
sticky-note-side-down, and he continues, “Imagine, if you will,
that this book is a tray with one M&M’s candy of each color, all
in a line. Can you see them? You can? And they call me crazy!”

50
The Mentalist goes on, pointing to each imaginary candy as he
names it, “I’ve arranged them in rainbow color order. There’s the
red one on the end, the orange one is right next to it. The yellow
candy is in the very center. The next piece is green and the last
candy in the row is the brown one.” Asking the participant for
his help, the performer says,

Reach out and pretend to pick up one of the

candies in each hand. Which colors did you select?
Brown and red? Hold them for just a moment. I
promise they won’t melt in your hand. We should
allow some of the others to indulge their imaginary
sweet tooth, too.

The remaining pretend-candies are distributed among other

onlookers.

Maintaining the pretense, the Mentalist asks,

Since you hold the brown and red M&M’s candies,

which one will you share with me? Red? I’ll hold it
while you go ahead and eat the one you’re holding
so you can tell me one last thing: Is this one a plain
or peanut M&M? Peanut?

The book is turned over and the Post-It note is removed. It

reads, “I sense the last imaginary candy will be a red, peanut
M&M.”

Besides using equivoque to select the color, a second pre-

prepared and folded Post-It note is previously attached to the
book’s back cover. Its message is, “I sense the last candy will be a

51
red, plain chocolate M&M.” Because the notes are quarter-
folded, it’s a simple matter to cover one or the other when
removing the proper one at the end of the presentation.

Here are the alternate handlings:

If he pantomimes handing you the non-red, pretend to pop it in

your mouth and ask, “Are these plain or peanut M&M’s? Plain?
So your final, unconsumed candy is a red, plain M&M?”

Should the first two candies imaginarily selected not include the
red one, proceed as follows: “Even though they’re different
colors, they should be equally delicious; go ahead and savor
their taste.

Before you eat the rest of them, would you share one with me?”
If it’s red say, “While you’re finishing the last two, answer one
more question: are these plain or peanut M&M’s?”

If you were told it was non-red, ‘eat’ it and then say, “That was
tasty. Of the two remaining, red and (for example) brown, one is
plain and one is peanut. Which is which? And which one do you
prefer?” Should he indicate, by either filling or color, the non-
red one, then say, “By all means, go ahead and eat your favorite.”
However, if he indicates the red candy, then say, “Well, keep your
finger on it, because I’d like another.” And ‘eat’ the non-red
candy.

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53
Raj Madhok is a dermatologist from Minneapolis, Minnesota
whose true passion is close-up magic and mentalism.

He has been a featured lecturer for the Psychic Entertainer’s

Association and the MAGIC Live! conference in Las Vegas. His
creations have been published in Apocalypse, Syzygy, Magick,
Genii, Vibrations, The Altar Flame, The Minotaur, Penumbra,
MAGIC, and the Semi-Automatic Card Tricks series.

His previous lecture notes include: Buried in Print Live! and

Synapses.

This current collection of close-up mentalism is 88% impromptu.

The other 12% uses chairs and stuff.

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