This effect has it’s roots in an Eddie Joseph effect titled “Psychic Identification” in his magazine “Swami.” I lay no rights to the method at all. I am only giving you my presentation. The original is a wonderful impromptu effect performed in person. I have adapted it to the telephone. I call it:
Call someone on the phone. Ask him to take out five of his business cards. He is to turn them blank side up and place them in a horizontal row. He is then asked to draw a sketch of a bullet on any one of the cards. Allow him to exchange the bullet card with any other card in the row. He has completely free choice.
“We have started out by giving you a completely free selection as to which position the bullet card is in. Only you, and you alone know how far left side of the row the bullet card is. This is your lucky number and you are to remember it.”
“My lucky number is two,” you continue, “I want you to move two cards from the left side of the row, one at a time, starting with the leftmost card, to the right side of the row. Now we will use your lucky number. Again, move cards one at a time from the left side of the row to the right end of the row, moving only as many as in your lucky number.”
“Now you have to agree, despite the fact that we used my lucky number, there is no way I can now know where the bullet card is since there is no way I could know what your lucky number is.”
“Please pick up the card on the far right of the row and hold it in your right hand between your index and middle finger. Hold your left hand below it.” You act as if you are concentrating for a bit. Hem and haw. “That is not the bullet card! That is a blank. Fire it across the room.”
“Now pick up the card on the far left of the row. Again hold it in the right index finger and middle finger, and you left hand below the card.” Again you concentrate and again you say, “That also is not the bullet, that is a blank, fire it across the room as well!”
You repeat the same with the next card on the far left. And that is also thrown across the room.
“You are left with two cards. Hopefully at this time one is a blank card and one a bullet. Pick up the card on the left. Hold it between your index finger an middle finger.” You concentrate and exclaim loudly, “let if fall into your left hand!!! You have just caught the bullet!!!” Sure enough it is the bullet card.
The effect is self working. If you follow the above the card will always be the center card. The reason is that when you have him move the number of cards as the original position he chose, he transfers his card to the end of the row. By having him move two more cards, the bullet cards ends up in the center position. By transferring the two cards first, you hide the method.
Sometimes instead of the above presentation I will him them pick up cards one at a time and hold them. I tell him to always answer “No” to my question of “Is that the marked card.” I then act as if I am using psychology over the phone to figure when he is lying to me.
In thoughts
Banachek
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