02/12/12 Ted Lesley 's Column

Columnist:

Ted Lesley

"Decisions! Decisions!"
(Invented by Harry Baron. Additional ideas by
Ken deCourcy and Ted Lesley)

This trick was invented by the late Harry Baron and was published in the first volume of
Ken deCourcy's wonderful magazine "Coffeebreak Chronicle". Harry Baron was
very ingenious in giving old gimmicks and tricks a new "twist". Let us give a typical
example of his creativiness:

Ken deCourcy found in the February 1946 issue of "Mac's Monthly" a bright idea of
Harry's: Predicting the amount of loose change in a spectator's pocket (via "Swami
Gimmick"), which well known mentalists (Maurice Fogel and Punx for example) used
for years as an opener to their mental act!

Ken de Courcy and Ted Lesley talked the trick over on the phone recently, and Ted, too,
found an improvement to Harry Baron`s routine. Finally Ken deCourcy was so kind,
granting us permission to put this mental-miracle with playing cards on the market. We
promise, you will have a lot of fun performing "Decisions! Decisions!"

EFFECT:
(Harry Baron's Routine):
The performer asks a gentleman to come up and help, then hands his wife or girl-friend a
small bell.

The man is given a wallet to hold in the form of a tray while the menta-list shuffles a pack
of cards. he starts to deal the cards face down on the wallet and the lady is requested to
ring the bell at any time she likes.

When she does so, the gentleman is given the choice, whether he wants the card just
dealt, the one in the performer's hand, or the card which would be dealt next. He chooses
one of the three and that goes into his pocket unseen.

He is shown the other two cards, then all the cards are placed away and the mentalist
reclaims the wallet. From it, he extracts one card which is shown to the helper and the
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reclaims the wallet. From it, he extracts one card which is shown to the helper and the
audience.

The assistant takes the card from his pocket and finds it matches the one from the wallet.
As you`ll realise, good stand-up mental card effects are rare these days, particularly when
they are as fair-looking (and easy) as this one.

REQUIREMENTS:
A fairly large wallet (so that cards can be dealt on to it) which will hold three cards hidden
in different pockets. Harry Baron used paper jumbo cards, which fold, but Ken deCourcy
has three ordinary cards (with different backs) in his.

You also need a faked deck (supplied) consisting of thirteen each of three different
cards and thirteen cards all different. For clarity we'll say the pack is made up with
thirteen 4H's; thirteen 8D's; thirteen QS's plus thirteen other indifferent
cards. (NOTE: The cards vary in each pack!) The cards are already arranged in
performing order: 4H, 8D, QS, 4H, 8D, QS, 4H and so on down for thirty-nine cards.
The bottom thirteen are, of course, the mixed ordinary cards. Have this deck in its packet
in your pocket. Put a piece of tissue paper into the mouth of the bell that it can`t make any
noise during your performance and put it in a convenient pocket also.

PERFORMANCE:
Choose a man who is with a lady and invite him to stand up to help you. Hand the lady the
bell and instruct her she is to ring it whenever she likes as long as it's when you are
actually holding a card in your hand. (Don't forget to take the tissue-paper out of the bell
beforehand!)

Take out the wallet and have the man hold it as shown in the illustration. He stands
sideways on to the audience. Extract the pack from its case, then shuffle it (just the
bottom thirteen cards) faces towards the audience. Replace them on the bottom of the
pack.

Now start dealing cards slowly from the top of the deck face down on to the wallet.When
the lady rings the bell, stop and ask the man whether he wants the card just dealt, the one
in your hand, or the one you're about to deal. Whichever he wishes, place it (without
anyone seeing its face) into his top outside pocket.

Show him the cards he didn't choose, which tells you the name of the card in
his pocket!

Take all the cards back and get them safely out of the way into your pocket, then relieve
him from the wallet. Open it, remove the correct card and show it, then have him take the
card from his pocket, to find it's the same.

This finishes the Harry Baron / Ken deCourcy routine.

SUGGESTED PATTER (by Ken deCourcy):

"Have you ever realised that life consists of making one decision after another. There
are decisions to be made from the moment you wake up.....will you have cornflakes, or
shredded wheat.....to the time you go to bed.....when your wife makes all the
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decisions."My brother just made the decision to give up drinking. For a start, he's using
larger ice-cubes." I made one decision earlier this evening.....which I'll tell you about
later.....and now I have another decision to make, which gentleman to ask up to help me.
(Invite man up to help and stand him on your left.)

"Does he belong to you, Madam? I only want to borrow him for a little while. What's
more, I'll let you have this little bell.....as a deposit on him. When I return him in good
condition, you can give me back the bell.

"Sir, I'm going to lend you my wallet. Don't worry, there`s no money in it because having
money is only the second best thing in life. The first best thing is having lots of money.
Would you hold the wallet between your hands as if it were a tray because, in a moment,
I'm going to deal cards on to it from this pack, which I'd better shuffle or afterwards
people will accuse me of no end of underhand things.

"Madam, we've reached the stage where you have to make your decision. I'm going to
start dealing these cards slowly and I'd like you to ring the bell, when I'm actually holding
a card in my hand. In other words, just before it is dealt on to the wallet. The decision of
when you ring it is entirely yours. But.....would you like a practice-tinkle first just to get
the hang of it? Good.....now I'll start dealing. (Deal until lady rings bell.)

"Thank you, Madam, you made that decision beautifully decisively. And that was hard to
say with these teeth in, they were made for a horse.

"Now, Sir, it's decision-time for you. You have to decide whether you want the card I've
just dealt, the card in my hand, or the card on top of the pack which I would have dealt
next. Your decision, Sir? Thank you.....I'll place it into your pocket.

"Before we go any further, I'd like you to see the cards you could have decided upon, but
didn't. (Show him the the other two and name them!) I'll thake the cards from you, if I
may and also the wallet, which I think you`ll agree, was in your hands before your wife
made her decision and before you made yours. If you remember, I said I`d already made
a decision this evening. That decision was to place one card in this wallet. Here it
is.....(example) the Queen of Spades.

"Sir, please take the card out of your pocket and call out its name in a nice loud voice.
"The Queen of Spades"! You see, all three decisions were absolutely right!"

TED LESLEY'S ROUTINE:

We supply with this routine a very special "Three-Way-Envelope" with the
accompanying instructions. It is already prepared and can be used for many shows. It is,
as you will see, easy to construct. The envelope must be loaded with three cards with
contrasting backs, the faces must match the force-cards of the deck. They are inserted
into the secret compartments looking from the seamside of the envelope in ascending
order. This envelope is used by Ted Lesley for a lot of other mindbending miracles. (See
his book "PARAMIRACLES" Pages 27-33). Before you perform "Decisions!
Decisions! you should practice the easy moves with the envelope for a couple of minutes,
to get the feel of it.

For Ted Lesley`s routine, you do not need your own wallet. Before you "borrow" your
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assistant from the audience, ask him, if he has one on him so you borrow that also! Now
the trick becomes really impomptu.

When you start the performance take the "Kismet-Envelope" out of your pocket and
insert it into the wallet of your assistant. Then proceed with the routine as already
described.

At the end of the trick, let the spectator open his wallet and hand you the envelope. The
appropriate card is shaken out on the top of the wallet, which the spectator still holds.
Make sure, that it lands on the wallet face down. Put the envelope away in one of your
pockets. Now take the card out of the spectator's top outside pocket with your right hand
and the other one from the top of the wallet with the left hand and show the audience that
both cards match. Standing before the audience with a card in each hand and outstretched
arms is the perfect applause cue. To avoid any fumbling during the routine it is advised,
that you have the cards not in its box. Wrap a rubber-band around the deck instead!

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