This is a trick that most people have seen before.
The mentalism asks the spectator to think of a card, and then guesses what it is.
The thing about this trick is that it’s all pre-set in the mentalist’s preparation.
He doesn’t actually guess what the spectator has chosen.
Instead, he forces them to think of the card he wants them to think.
Here’s an example...
1
Take a look at this trick: [Link]
This is Darren Brown, a world-famous mentalist.
In this video, he essentially asks you to think of any card.
And then he guesses it.
Did you watch the video yet?
Make sure you watch it first before continuing because it may just blow your mind.
Did he guess right?
For us at RebelMagic, yes he did guess correctly.
Now how does it work?
He does it with forces.
Derren Brown uses suggestion and "subliminal" messages very heavily in his tricks.
Look at the subliminal moves that he makes in the trick.
He starts by making a diamond
shape with his hands as he explains
to you how the trick works.
He’s forcing you subconsciously to
choose the diamond suit.
Now this isn’t going to work every
time, but it works surprising well...
2
more often than you’d think it would on most people.
Now he doesn’t just flash that hand signal at you and take it away instantly.
He nudges in your face a couple of times before putting his hands back down.
Immediately afterwards...
He starts to draw little 3s with his finger.
He does this a few times.
Again, nobody would suspect this unless
they knew what the card was before-
hand.
And look what he does next...
He actually shows you the number 3 with his fingers.
But he does so in a subliminal way. He
doesn’t show the 3 fingers like normal
people would when they want to say 3.
Instead he does so differently... for two
reasons.
First, it looks like the number 3! Look at
the way his hand is shaped!
Next, pointing up 3 fingers would look
strange. The way he does it is much more
natural.
3
Finally, for his last one...
He points his finger at the camera 3
times while saying boom 3 times.
That’s enough to successfully get inside
your head.
After that, he tells you to say the card
you’re thinking of, and of course...
It’s the 3 of DIAMONDS!
Is it really that easy?
Yes!
Obviously, you need to be natural.
You actually need to practice that routine until it’s second nature.
You need to memorize his exact script.
It might sound like he’s just talking nonsense, but his script is going to be the exact same
every single time he performs this trick.
The delivery, and the timing of his little gestures are key in making this work.
4
Does it need to be the 3 of diamonds?
Not necessarily, but it’s the easiest one to get across simply because of the nature of the
script and gestures. Imagine trying to do the exact same thing with the 10 of hearts!
Possible, yes.
But BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM?
Not natural at all.
Practice this, and try it on your friends and family first.
It’s a lot more effective than you think.
Obviously, it won’t work every time.
But it works more often than you think.
Subliminal messages are POWERFUL and can affect the human mind a lot more force-
fully than most people think.
A world renowned mentalist like Darren Brown would not put up a video like that on You-
Tube if it worked only a small percentage of the time!
