TRICKS

J O E L D I C K I N S O N
 HEAD
TRICKS
J O E L D I C K I N S O N

Inside Mind Tricks sit a selection of mentalism

routines directly from Joel’s working repertoire.

The routines found within were not created to be

sold to magicians, instead these are hard hitting
routines which have been performed and refined
over many years and honed over countless
performances.

If you are looking for first class mentalism routines

then do not pass this by.

MagicDesignmb
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 Welcome to Head Tricks CONTENTS
Copyright Joel Dickinson, 2018. All rights reserved

THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER

VOLITION

foreseen

COIN FORESEEN

TRIVEAL

CALIBRATE

STRIKE 2

CALIBRATE V2

SIMPLE PEEK ENVELOPE

QUICK PEEK TIPS

JOEL'S BOOK TEST

LAST WORD
THIS. THAT & THE OTHER REQUIREMENTS:

You need five business cards in total.

A single folded prediction is passed to your participant to
hold. The participant is shown three objects, they are On three of these write the word OTHER, on one you will
then told in advance that they write THIS and on the final one you will write the word
will decide where the objects will be placed. THAT.

Your participant makes their choices where these objects On the back of the card with the word THIS you will make
will be placed and they can even change their mind. The a small mark on the design of the business card, for
magician's prediction matches perfectly. example a small pencil dot.

The participant really does decide which object goes This should not be instantly visible to your participant. If
where and the prediction unquestionably matches their you do not have business cards and you are using blank
three free choices. double-sided cards then a nail nick will suffice.

In my opinion this is the best take on the free will You will need a manila envelope the size which holds
principle. This adds additional elements, dimensions and business cards comfortably.
subtleties which make it deceptive and very clean.
You will also need a prediction; the prediction will read:
This is simple, there are no cheesy props and there is no
equivoque. "I am holding THIS, you are holding THAT and the
OTHER is in the envelope"
Your participant is told about the decisions they will make
before the effect begins and their choices are completely I usually write the prediction on a business card and fold
free. it into four and secure it closed with a paper clip. The
paper clip is not essential.
SET UP: you will casually switch the two cards in your left hand for
the two cards in your left trouser pocket.
Before performing, place the cards with THIS and THAT
in your left trouser pocket (presuming you are right This is done as you gesture for your participant to place
handed) with the words facing away from the participant. the envelope in their pocket. It's very easy and takes just
a moment. I do this as I state: "place them all the way in
Place the three OTHER cards in your envelope along to your pocket. ”
with your folded prediction.
As my hand goes in to my pocket I leave my two cards
behind and remove the two cards which are sat in my
PERFORMANCE: pocket. Don't look at your hands, instead focus on your
participant’s hands. This should be practiced until done
Remove the envelope from your pocket once you are smoothly.
ready to perform.
Now pass the two remaining cards to the participant
Place the folded prediction on the table. Whilst placing it whilst telling him or her to not peek at the other side, and
down explain: to mix them, to pass one for you to keep and they will
retain the one with which they are left.
“I won't touch this again until we are finished.”
Once they have done this give them the option to change
You now remove the business cards being sure to not their mind.
flash the words.
You will now watch for the pencil dot/marked card,
Mix these cards with the words face down whilst whoever is holding the marked card will read the
explaining: prediction. The prediction has a double meaning.
Before reading the prediction, I have a nice bit of script
"In a moment you will select one of these cards to place which cements the prediction wording.
in the envelope, then one for you and one for me, so
which one do you want for the envelope?” If you are holding the marked card then you will read the
prediction, whilst stating:
Your participant will now select a card, tell your
participant to not look at its face but to slide it into the “I placed my prediction down and I said I wouldn't touch it
envelope and place it in their pocket. As you explain this until the end. Now you've made your choices. I am
holding a card, you are holding a card and a card is in the
envelope. Think about this, you made the choices and The script itself does not have to be followed exactly,
you could have placed these cards anywhere, I'll read my make it work best for you.
prediction now. ”
The switch is very simple and takes a matter of seconds.
All you are left to do now is read the prediction aloud and ask I first released 'This, That & The Other' in 2015 and many
for your participant to verify what you are saying is accurate. magicians have tried to substitute the switch for other
Whilst you read the prediction a nice subtlety is to point mechanical methods. I strongly suggest using the switch I
towards yourself as you read the words 'I am holding THIS' have described as I have genuinely never been caught
and then point towards your participant as you read 'You are performing this. The switch is motivated via verbal
holding THAT' and as you read "the OTHER is in the instructions and it appears very fair. I am not a fan of the
envelope" you will point to your participant's pocket. I now term ‘don't run if you are not being chased’.
place the prediction in my pocket and proceed by having
all the cards revealed and read aloud. Try it, it's very cheeky, easy to do and satisfying.

If you are not holding the marked card your participant

will read the prediction but before they do you will state:

"I placed my prediction down, I said I wouldn't touch it

again and I really won't but before you read it think about
this, you made the decisions as to which card will go
where didn't you. Please read the prediction aloud.”

Your participant will now read the prediction,

simultaneously reveal the word on each card as your
participant reads the prediction.

THOUGHTS:

The wording of This, That & The Other' work very well
within the prediction and add an extra little layer of
misdirection and trickery. It also feels right to say those
words, therefore whoever reads the prediction make it
appear natural.
VOLITION One has the words 'Right Hand' and the other has the
words 'Left Hand’.

'Volition' and the previous effect, on paper, look very The card which contains the words reading 'Right Hand'
similar. However, in performance I can assure you that requires a marking on the design side of the card. I place a
the effect on the audience is very different. This is my nail impression on the top left and bottom right corner of the
favourite business card effect to perform, it’s unique, card. That way it's easily located.
impossible and it leaves your participant and spectators
with a memorable effect. I perform 'Volition'. It is an effect
which has no limits regarding performance conditions. It SET UP:
is ideal for close-up, strolling, table and parlour settings.
Place the two cards with the words ‘Left Hand' and 'Right
The effect - three business cards are passed face down Hand' in your left trouser pocket with the words facing
to a participant to mix. After deciding which card will go away from your participant. Place the three 'Pocket' cards
where, your participant’s actions where predicted well in a spare pocket, or an envelope or where ever you want
ahead of time. to store them.

Your participant is given complete control of the cards,

they are informed beforehand that each card will go to a PERFORMANCE:
different location. This is as fair as it gets.
For the duration of this effect you need to stand opposite
This is self-contained, no special gimmicks are required, your participant.
it's impromptu and leaves your audience with no logical
explanation. Remove the three 'Pocket' cards and pass them to a
participant to mix.

METHOD: Explain “one card will be placed in your pocket, so pass

me the two cards and whichever you're left with place in
You require five business cards or double-sided blank your pocket. ”
pieces of card.
Place your left hand out to retrieve the two cards which
You will have words written on the backs of these cards. will not go in your participant's pocket.
Three cards will have the word ‘POCKET'.
You will now secretly switch the two cards in your left known you would have selected this card for my right
hand for the two in your left trouser pocket. This is easy hand, this card for my left hand or that card for your
to do and happens under the guise of an instruction. pocket. What if you did know all along. In my right hand
State to your participant “please place your selected card this card reads right hand and in my left hand it reads left
in your pocket.” You will simultaneously demonstrate hand. And you placed one of these cards in your pocket,
placing the card in your pocket. This is the moment to please remove it and read it aloud. ”
secretly switch the two cards in your hand for the cards in
your pocket. As your hand goes in to the pocket simply Now let's take a look at the alternative scenario. Once
ditch the two cards and come back out with the your participant stops mixing the two cards they will be
alternative cards. Don't draw attention to the fact your left with the cards in their correct hands.
hand is in your pocket, focus your attention on your
participant's actions. If this is the case, simply and casually drop your
hands from the palm upward gesture and state “You did
You will now hand the cards to your participant and state all the mixing and you made decisions both consciously
“you consciously placed that card in your pocket, your and subconsciously. Nobody could have known where
next decision will happen any moment. Without looking at these cards would end up wouldn't you agree? What if
the back of the cards please mix the cards and separate there is somebody who did know, and that person is you?
the cards once it feels like the right moment. "As you say Please turn over the card in your right hand and read it
this final sentence you will simultaneously and casually aloud. Now, in your left hand please read the card aloud.
place both of your hands out in a palm up gesture. As Finally, please remove the card from your pocket and
your participant separates the cards they will be left with read that aloud. ”
one card in each hand.
A nice subtlety is to have the two cards in your pocket
You will now look for the marked card and if it ends up in ready to switch, but start the effect with three blank cards
your participant's left hand you will proceed by stating and a pen. Then tell your participant you are going to
“Now without changing the order you have made please write down three surprise predictions, one on each card
place the two cards on my hands. ” which will be revealed at the end. You will write the word
'pocket' on each card. However, your participant will
Your participant will now place the card which says right believe you wrote three different predictions.
hand into your right hand and the card which reads left
hand into your left hand. This helps strengthen the effect at the end when your
participants try to backtrack the effect.
All you are left to do now is reveal the words written on
the business cards whilst stating “Nobody could have
THOUGHTS: FORESEEN
After sharing this effect with a good friend of mine he has
had cards laminated for a longer lasting version of this. This is an organic miracle, ideal for mentalists and
magicians. Your participant guesses which hand an
If you are performing on a stage, make sure you select
object sits in, and this game is played five times. The
somebody who has pockets. I have made the mistake of
performer's prediction astonishes all as it reveals he
inviting a lady up on stage and she didn’t have any
knew the outcome. Spectators jaws drop for a second
pockets. time as the performer reveals that he knew every
decision the participant would make, and what's more,
the prediction has been in the participant's pocket from
the word go.

This is a reputation maker, a thoroughly thought-out piece

and a unique prediction-based routine.

This is gimmick-less and super simple to perform. No

magnets and nothing to go wrong.

I also include essential tips and subtleties and an

amazing bonus routine at the end.

"Joel has really moved the 'which hand' plot forward. This
is a very elegant solution, with some clever thinking and
efficient routining. ”
- Marc Paul.
ABOUT FORESEEN: REQUIREMENTS:

'Foreseen' is not a traditional ‘which hand’ routine You need four business cards. You do not have to use
whereby the performer correctly identifies the location of business cards you can use cut paper or card, blank
an object. double-sided card or cut paper.

This is different, 'Foreseen' makes a great lead-in to a One pen.

Kurotsuke, a finale or a stand-alone routine, it’s ideal for
close-up magicians and mentalists and it can play big for
parlour and stage shows. SET-UP AND HANDLING:

I regularly perform 'Foreseen' as a walkabout or stage With regards to the handling I will presume you are using
performance piece. I suggest mastering this routine, it is business cards, I will add some subtleties for Post-It Note
a very strong performance piece and is adaptable to your pads later in the instructions.
liking. I have left plenty of room within the description for
you to add your performance style and touches. The set-up is very simple.

On one of the business cards

you will write: Three correct and
two incorrect’. We will call this
card ‘the prediction’.
(You do not have to write ‘and
two incorrect’. This is a subtlety
which I prefer when performing.
I use a specific wording which
makes it appear like I got more correct than I actually
did.)

Fold this piece of card in to quarters with the wording on

the inside. Place this in one of your back trouser pockets,
this will be used during the routine and should be
unknown to the audience, if you're performing walk
around this prediction will last you the night. You will
retrieve this prediction later in the routine.
On another piece of card you will write 1,2, 3, 4, 5 in a As you say the above you openly write the numbers one
line. You will circle the number one, four & five and put a to five consecutively on one of the business cards and
small strike through two & three. We will call this card ‘the hand this to your participant whilst you explain:
secret prediction’.
“This will be a score card. We will play one round at a
time and if you correctly guess which hand the card sits
You will now be left with two blank business cards, place in you will circle that number and if you get it wrong just
‘the secret prediction’ on top of these to make a face strike a line through that number. I am going to write a
down stack and place these in your pocket along with a prediction, I don’t want you to see it just yet. ”
pen, you’re set to perform for the night.
You will now write a prediction on a business card whilst
To begin, remove the three cards and a pen from your being sure the audience and participant do not see what
pocket. Hand ‘the secret prediction’ to a participant, be you write.
sure to keep it facedown whilst instructing them to not
look at the prediction and to place it in their pocket for This will be a duplicate prediction of your initial prediction
safe keeping. which should be sitting in your back pocket. Fold this in to
quarters with the wording on the inside and hold it in your
“Please take this but don’t look at. Place it in your pocket left hand finger tips, pass the pen to your participant and
and we will get back to this later on. ” recap:

Don’t draw too much attention to this prediction, later on it “I will place this prediction behind my back and mix it from
is likely the audience and participant will forget about this hand to hand and in a moment you will attempt to guess
which makes for a stronger finish. which hand it is in. ”

The performer continues: “In a moment we will play a (You will need to ensure your spectators are not
game. I will place an object behind my back, mix it positioned behind you or in a way that they can see
around, bring my hands forward and you will attempt to behind your back. If they can see behind your back
guess which hand it is in. I’m interested to see how you casually take a step back and ask them to play along.)
will get on locating the object. We will play this game five
times...”
You will place your hands behind your back and switch ROUND ONE:
the card from your left hand to your right hand. Emerge
fairly quickly with both hands closed and ask. Place both hands behind your back and secretly remove
the duplicate prediction from your back pocket. This is
“So, which hand do you think the card is in?" easy to achieve and doesn’t take long. You will now place
a prediction in each hand. Bring both hands forwards in a
closed fist concealing both predictions.
This could go one of two ways:-
“For the first round which hand do you believe holds the
* If the participant selects the hand containing the prediction?"
prediction you will state:
Once the participant makes their decision, whichever
“Well done, you are correct. “ hand they choose you will open just that hand and show
they are correct whilst keeping the other hand closed.
Slowly open both hands to show they are correct, they
will also get to see that only one prediction is in use. “Well done, place a circle around that number and let's
continue. ”
Performer: “So put a circle around number one, we will
speed it up a little. Let's continue. ” Place both of your hands behind your back being careful
to not open and expose the duplicate card in front of the
If the participant is correct during this initial round you will spectators.
skip ROUND ONE and go straight to ROUND TWO.
ROUND TWO:
* If the participant selects the wrong hand you will:
“You are good at this. ”
Slowly open both hands to show they are incorrect and
that only one prediction is in use. Mime mixing the card again but in actual fact you
discreetly place the card in to a back pocket and emerge
Performer: “So you would have been wrong, but don’t with two closed and empty fists. Alternatively, if your back
worry that was just a practice run. And now were going to pocket is very deep then the folded cards can be hung
play this for real. Let's speed it up a little bit.” over your trouser pocket, this is very easy to do and they
(As the participant was incorrect you will proceed to are very quick to obtain later on.
ROUND ONE.)
The performer continues: “You are doing very well, point ROUND FOUR:
to the hand you believe contains the prediction?”
Place both hands behind your back being careful not to
Whichever hand the participant points to simply open that open your empty hand in front of the audience. Reach in
hand and keep the other hand closed and state: to your back pocket and remove the folded duplicate.
Emerge with two closed fists concealing a prediction in
“Unlucky, that's a strike on two...let's try again.” both hands whilst stating:

Keeping your hand closed place both hands behind your “And which hand do you believe it is in now?”
back.
Whichever hand the participant points to slowly open that
ROUND THREE: hand, keep the other hand closed and state:

You will now appear to mix the card between your hands “Well done, circle number four, only one more round to
again but in actual fact you will not do anything, just a few
facial expressions and bring your empty hands back out
to the front with two closed fists:
ROUND FIVE:
“Which hand do you think it’s in now?”
Place both hands behind your back and you will now
Again, whichever hand the participant points to simply appear to mix your hands again but in actual fact you will
open that hand and keep the other hand closed and not do anything, just a few facial expressions and bring
state: your hand back out again concealing the cards around
two closed fists.
“Unlucky, that's a strike on round three...let's try again.”
“Finally, which hand do you believe it is in now?"

Whichever hand the participant states slowly open that

hand and keep it open and leave the folded card sat on
your open palm.

“Please place a circle around the number five. Well done,

you did well. How many did you get correct?”
Participant: “Three." Michael Murray has added an addition within the final
round. Add some blue glue or something similar to the
Performer: “So that's three correct and two incorrect. Do bottom of the folded prediction so the prediction sticks to
you remember this is a prediction?" (It may sound your palm on the final round. This will allow the prediction
brazen, but I use the hand concealing the prediction to to stick to the palm of your hand and turn it palm down
point to the folded prediction in the open hand whilst towards the ground when revealing the selected card at
saying this. Simply extend your index finger) “Please take the end.
this prediction from my palm, open it and read it aloud. ”

As the participant reads your prediction aloud you will PRACTICE:

clean your dirty hand. Casually drop your hand. Notice
there is no heat on you. Put your hand containing the It is important you practice transitioning the objects fluidly
duplicate prediction in your pocket, keep your hand in between the rounds. So when it comes to performing the
your pocket for a moment whilst the participant reads effect you do not stumble. All good magic requires
your prediction aloud. Then leave the folded card in your practice.
pocket as you remove your hand. If this seems a little too
bold for your liking, just go with it. All attention is on the
prediction. FEAR OF DUPLICATE OBJECT:

At this point you state: As a performer you may be concerned or fear the use of
two predictions in play. This effect is not presented as a
“I managed to predict the outcome. But, what if I could typical ‘Which hand’ effect whereby the participant or
predict the hands you would choose throughout the performer keep getting it correct. Actually, quite the
game, to show that people really are predictable. You opposite. From the audience's perspective the participant
have possibly forgotten, before any of this happened I guesses correctly and incorrectly. Therefore, there should
handed you a card to place in your pocket. Will you be no suspicion, if there is suspicion then consider
please remove that card and compare it to your score practicing the handling again until it is fluid.
card."

The participant will remove and compare the cards. TABLE TO TABLE:

If you are performing from table to table then this routine

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS: is performable. You will need to be wearing a suit jacket
with a back flap. The transitioning of the duplicate object
must happen behind your back and under the bottom of witness that the prediction has not been switched. This
the back flap. Therefore, you are obscuring the view from really heightens the effect because after all only one item
anybody behind you. must have been used. Just remember to ensure your
prediction visually matches the duplicate.
POST-IT NOTES:
AFTER ROUND FIVE:
If you are using post-lt notes, instead of placing the
prediction in the participant's trouser pocket this can be It may be a fear that you are concealing a hidden
written on the sticky side and stuck to the participant from prediction after the final round. As soon as the participant
the word go. The full routine can be performed with post- takes the prediction to read from your awaiting hand all
lt notes. attention is off you. If you are feeling heat on your
concealed hand then relax, it will be psychological on
FINAL PREDICTION: your behalf. As magicians we worry when we are hiding
things. After ail the spectators believe only one prediction
Performers may think that revealing the final prediction is in use.
weakens the effect but it does not, it strengthens the full
effect. For the fact the second prediction is a perfect RESET:
match really amazes the participant and the audience. It
is gobsmacking. The initial prediction in your hand is the Resetting Foreseen is simple. Place the folded duplicate
weaker prediction and the secret prediction is the big prediction in to your back pocket. Alternatively, with
finish to encompasses the routine. practice you can ditch the prediction in to your back
pocket as the prediction is being read aloud. Place your
REGARDING THE INITIAL PREDICTION: secret prediction on top of two blank business cards and
you are ready to perform again.
An option which some performers may like; when you
write the initial prediction ‘three correct and two incorrect’, OBJECTS:
you can allow your audience to watch you write this.
Don’t allow the participant to see what is written and your Feel free to use various objects. This is not limited to
spectators will watch in amazement as the rounds build. business cards, as you can see within the routine below.
Everybody will be astounded when the secret prediction Simply apply a duplicate object and this will work for you.
is revealed. Also, this eliminates your spectators from Check out Jays routine with the coins as an example.
thinking you switched the prediction. If this idea is not to
your liking, then why not show just one spectator your
initial prediction as you are writing it and they will act as
COIN FORESEEN If the smooth edge is facing upwards on your palm then it
will be the heads side facing upwards, bring your hand
By Jay Rollins. forwards and proceed.

For those who don’t know Jay, he is an amazing creator Finish the rounds and reveal the number three on the
of mentalism and magic and an astounding performer. prediction. Conclude by revealing your secret prediction.

Instead of using a business card you can use a duplicate You can apply this to many different objects such as key
coin. If you use a ten pence piece for example you can rings, poker chips, card, small ornaments and many
write the number THREE on the tails side of the coin more. If you can write a number on the bottom of the
using a permanent marker pen. The handling for the object then why not use different objects?
rounds will remain as explained, the only difference being
that you can borrow a coin to perform this effect.
CREDITS:
Secretly place a duplicate coin with the number three on
the tail side in your back pocket and write out the secret I have researched and, as far as I am aware, nobody has
prediction for your participant to hold on to. created a ‘which hand’ routine whereby the performer
ditches objects in to their back pocket to create the
The game will be presented as: illusion the participant is incorrect when guessing which
hand the object sits in.
“We are going to play a game. I need to borrow a coin.
That ten pence will be perfect. I am going to write a Jay Rollins: Jay added a great tip about using the
prediction right here on the tails side, I believe this duplicate coin.
prediction will be the amount of times you will be correct.
I don’t want you to see this but let's see how many times Bobo's Coin Magic: A routine in BOBO’s COIN MAGIC
you can guess which hand the coin sits in. ” contains the use of a duplicate object.

By introducing this premise, the number three on the coin Marc Paul: Marc Paul released A COIN IN THE HAND
will not look like a guess. which is a prediction-based routine. 'Foreseen' shares
similarities to A COIN IN THE HAND. Though they are
When you perform this with a coin you will have to ensure different routines completely I highly recommend
that you keep the number written on the coin facing checking out MIND2MIND. Whilst your investigating Marc
downwards and out of view. This is easily achieved by Paul's work check everything else out that he has
using the pad of your thumb. released.
Max Maven: Max Maven released work on the TRIVEAL
KUROTSUKE routine. Though 'Foreseen' does not share
similarities to Max Maven's handling I highly recommend
checking out his great work. Triveal is ideal for close-up, strolling and on stage. Triveal
is a tried and tested, hard-hitting mammoth of a routine.
Ted Karmilovich: Ted has released some bold work Triveal is deceptive and it’s suitable for the mentalist and
using decisions to control who was right and who was the magician.
wrong.

EFFECT:

A prediction is handed out before anything else happens

and is never touched again. A deck of cards is shuffled
and three spectators each receive a packet of cards.

Each spectator is asked to THINK of a single card from

within their packet.

Without any questions the magician reveals the first

spectator's card and then the second spectator's
THOUGHT-OF card.

Now for the KILLER ENDING!

The third spectator is asked to open the prediction which

has been in full view from the start and it correctly
predicts his THOUGHT-OF card!

Perfect for close-up, walk around or stage. Triveal is a

super clever routine which is easy to master.

The subtleties of this effect are what make this a very

strong piece of magic. Fortunately, they are very easy to
remember, and the full effect is very easy to perform.
I urge you to add this extremely strong routine to your The second stack of cards are:
repertoire. You won’t regret it. It is very versatile as it Six of diamonds, queen of hearts, king of diamonds, jack
plays well both close-up and on stage. of clubs and the two of spades.

Once you set up the effect you have a miracle at your The third stack is comprised of:
fingertips.
Six of hearts, king of hearts, five of spades, queen of
clubs and the seven of clubs.
SET UP:
The three stacks of cards will be placed together.
You need a prediction which states:
Add this stack to the remaining deck, place them in your
7 will think of the six of hearts. ’ box and you are ready to start performing.

You can write this on paper, card, on your business card It is worth pointing out that the order of the cards one to
or in a more elaborate manner if preferred. five, six to ten and eleven to fifteen do not matter and it is
only important they remain in the right batches.
Create a stack of fifteen cards. Don't let a stack put you
off as there is no memorisation of stack order. If this Place your prediction in your pocket along with the set
effect required lots of memorisation I’d have scrapped it a deck. Don't let a set deck put you off. Once this is set up
while back as I struggle with memory work, particularly the reset is quick. Dedicate a box of cards to this effect
whilst under the pressure of performing. It’s not the order and you have a solid routine at your fingertips.
of the playing cards which makes this effect happen, it’s
the actual cards involved.
PERFORMANCE AND HANDLING:
This fifteen-card stack will later be distributed between
three participants and will comprise of a three five card To begin, casually shuffle the cards. You will perform a
stacks. shuffle which maintains the top stack and its order of
fifteen cards. I personally perform a simple overhand
The first set of five cards are: shuffle without disturbing the top stack by jogging the top
portion. This stack must finish on top of the deck
Ace of spades, nine of hearts, eight of hearts, ace of undisturbed.
clubs and the two of diamonds.
Don't feel the need to draw attention to the fact you are Although the amount is fairly small your audience will
shuffling, this will sink in to your spectator's minds as you have no idea exactly how many each participant is
do the shuffle. Instead tell the audience you require three holding.
participants. And casually set the deck aside.
Each participant has a mix of both number and picture
If you prefer a more elaborate false shuffle then feel free, cards except for participant number one. You will now
however you really do not need to. perform some very clever, simple and subtle wording to
make everybody watching believe participant number one
Now that you have three selected participants hand your has number cards and picture cards.
prediction to the third participant being sure not to reveal
what it says. You can place this prediction into an Address your participants and state: "Please feel free to
envelope if you prefer. mix the cards you are holding but don't let me see the
faces. If you look closely you will see some of the cards
Explain: I'd like to give you this prediction to hold on to, have numbers from one to nine and others have letters to
don't look at it just yet, just keep it safe. Please place it in represent aces, jacks, queens and kings. Can you all
your pocket." confirm you have at least some aces, jacks, queens and
kings. ”
Pick up the deck and perform one more false shuffle and
maintain the top stack and state: "I'd like you to each take Wait for your spectators to clarify that they do.
a bundle of cards." As you say this, finish shuffling and
thumb off the top five cards and hand them to participant Proceed: “Hopefully you all have a selection of number
number one. cards too. Do you all have a selection of number cards?...
Excellent, and finally, a good mix of red and black cards
Thumb off five more cards and hand these to participant with a variety of suits?... That's fantastic.”
number two and then hand the remaining five cards from
your stack to participant number three. By asking these questions you are verifying to both
participants and the spectators that they have a lot of
Discard the remaining cards to your pocket or casually choices of cards and this is a subtlety which makes this
set them aside. effect very strong.

Note how you do not draw attention to the amount of Now address participant number one and state:
cards that you have handed out, the amount is irrelevant.
"I want you to think of one of those cards in your hand. If
you have an ace don’t think of an ace because everybody
thinks an ace. Don't tell me if you do have an ace just You will now instruct participant number two to quickly
look at your cards and lock just one of those cards in your show participant number three their selected card.
mind. ” Casually turn your head away as this card is being
shown. Instruct participant two to replace their card in
As this participant is holding stack one, the wording their packet and then place them all in their pocket.
above forces them in to selecting a red number card.
The only choice of playing cards this participant has You will now instruct participant number three:
are the eight of hearts, the nine of hearts or the two
of diamonds. You need to remember these three "You will now think of a card, if participant number two
cards when performing this routine, it couldn't be selected a picture card then you will think of a number
easier. card and if their card is black card you will think of a red
card and vice versa. ”
EIGHT OF HEARTS
NINE OF HEARTS Just like earlier this leads the participant to one single
TWO OF DIAMONDS card which is the six of hearts.

You will now divert your head away and instruct You will now appear to reveal participant number one's
participant one to show their selected card to participant playing card. He has a choice of three cards and the
number two. cards have been cunningly selected to help you aid
reveal his card to the audience.
You will simultaneously instruct participant number two:
Turn to participant one and proceed by saying:
"You will think of a playing card in your hand but let's
make this interesting, make it completely different to their "Lock your card in your mind and focus on the colour, the
(pointing to participant number one) card, if their card is suit and value and keep saying the value of your card in
red then you will think of a black card and if their card is a your mind over and over again like two, two, two... ”
number card then you will think of a picture card and vice
versa. ’’ If the participant is thinking of the two of diamonds then it
is very likely they will now give you a visual clue that they
The script above will force participant number two to the are thinking of the two of diamonds, your participant may
black picture card within his stack, this is the jack of smile or laugh in amazement or give a visual clue when
clubs. You will now instruct participant number one to
place his card back in to his own pile and place them all
in his pocket or keep them out of view.
you repeat the number two and this indicates their This statement will follow on from the above statement to
selection is the two of diamonds. If this is the case, you form one sentence and you have another hit. Put
will now reveal the selection to be the two of diamonds. together it will appear that you have said: “It's a high
value card like and eight, or a nine am I correct?”
However, if they do not react then their selected card is
most probably the eight or nine of hearts, if this is the "Now focus on the colour... I am sensing this is a red
case you will proceed by stating; "Or if it's a queen keep card, I am correct right?”Another hit.
saying queen, queen, queen... but don't tell me what it is
just yet and focus on the value. I feel like your cards a "Now focus on the suit, this is a heart which you are
high value card is this correct?” thinking of. You are thinking of the nine of hearts. ”

In the unlikely scenario that your participant doesn't agree You have just read participant number one's mind.
their selection is a high valued card. Then the card they
are thinking of is the two of diamonds and they were You are now left to very cleanly reveal participant number
unwilling to react to your initial prompt... so you will two's playing card.
respond with: "...please focus on this card much more
vividly and repeat the value over and over in your mind. This can be structured to echo the initial reveal, however
That's good I am seeing things so much clearer," and this can be worded much more boldly...
then reveal the participant's number, colour, and then
suit. "Please keep repeating your card in your mind over and
over again. I can clearly see a club. And this is a
Your participant will most probably agree it is a high value masculine card like a jack or a king but I am leaning
card and you have a hit. So simply proceed by stating: towards the jack. I can now see this is the jack of clubs.
Am I correct?” Your volunteer will agree that this is the
"I can see this is a number card am I correct?" card they are thinking of.

The participant will agree so this will appear to be a hit. Now approach participant number three:

"It's high value card like an eight..." "From all of the cards in the pack you have selected just
one playing card and placed it in your pocket; before
If your participant agrees then you have a hit and you will anything happened I handed you a prediction. Will you
then reveal the suit; and if the participant doesn't react please remove my prediction from its envelope and read
simply proceed by saying: "...ora nine, am I correct?" it in a loud clear voice. ”
Your participant will read his prediction and it does match CONCLUSION:
the card he is thinking of. Have the card removed from
his pocket and display it to the audience. And that concludes 'Triveal'. It is an astounding and very
strong piece of magic. You can learn this properly within
To reset, simply retrieve the cards from participant half an hour and once you have this set up you are good
number three and place participant number two's stack to go.
on top of this. Then add participant number one's stack to
the top of these. Finally add these on the top of the deck As you can tell, there's very little which the performer has
and place them back in the box and you're ready to go to remember. The set-up of the groups of cards do all of
again. the work for you. This is a semi-automatic routine which
plays very big.

CREDITS: I urge you to set this up and try this effect and you will,
without a doubt, astonish not only laymen but also
Initially when asking participants to verify to the audience magicians.
that they all had a mix of cards I would call the ace, jacks,
queens and kings, picture cards. It didn’t sit well with me.

Daniel Meadow's suggestion was to present these as

symbols. This has solved a problem. Thank you.

The repetition of the number to pump information can be

credited to Derren Brown. Also Atlas Brookings, Peter
Turner and Chester Sass have various works on the
subject.

'Triveal' shares principles from the Springboard

Technique by Michael Murray.

Other work can be read by Peter Turner, Andrew Gerard,

Rus Andrews, Phil Smith and my previous release
'Stratagem'.
CALIBRATE the effect is as equally strong for the audience as it is the
volunteer.
Over the years I have developed, purchased, performed
many methods to reveal star signs. Many have received
great reactions, whilst others flopped. EFFECT:

I love the concept of telling participants their star sign A participant is asked to draw an image, the magician
when I have only just met them. Though one gripe I have duplicates the participant's image and during the process
with many zodiac reveals are processes to get the reveals their star sign.
details. 'Calibrate' is a method with a small process that
disconnects itself due to its justification.
METHOD:
When I first thought of this method I had to question the
simplicity, I left it untouched for a year and a half. It wasn’t You require a preferred peek device. If you are unfamiliar
until I performed 'Calibrate' that I realised its strength. with a peek device this is a magician and mentalist utility
'Calibrate' has received better reactions than any other device. Designed to peek information which has been
star sign methods I have performed. written or drawn by a participant.

What makes this effect so strong is that you retrieve your My current preferred peek device is the Cerberus Wallet
participant's details within an underlying routine, which is for its simplicity and multi-function. The Pantera Wallet
why the reveal seems so astounding. and Stealth Case are also good options. Another good
option is to use an envelope which contains a cut out
Once you have this method mastered I urge you to go out section in the back. Though basic this really is a great
and perform this. 'Calibrate' is extremely strong and may option. I have provided my handling and advancement of
also be applied to a stage performance. a peek envelope towards the end of this booklet.

In essence, the performer conducts a drawing duplication You require a piece of card and a pen for your participant
and reveals a participant's star sign. to use to write or draw with.

Be aware the participant has not written their star sign Here is the script (loosely) which I follow to perform this.
down nor mentioned it in advance. You can adapt this to whatever presentation works best
for you.
Regularly when I perform this, family members do not
know the participant's star sign. So when this is revealed
Performer: “I would like to perform a demonstration of I will provide an example as to how you can reveal a
intuition. I want you to think of an object, in a moment I zodiac and drawing together, below is an example to
will ask you to draw that very object but to make this demonstrate this.
more impossible it will be an object personal to you, so
think of an object which begins with the first letter of your “We have only just met. People say you can’t judge
star sign. For example, I’m a Leo so I’d take the letter L people on first appearances however I believe you can.
and a light bulb begins with the letter L for Leo. Don’t tell You appear very interested in what I have to say, and this
me what your object or star sign is. ” tells me you are generally very focused, if you want to
achieve something you don't sit back and fail. You are
The performer now hands his participant a piece of card also very soft natured and caring towards the important
from his wallet and asks the participant to draw the item people around you. I may be wrong but I presume you
in their mind. are a Gemini. Now please focus on the object, here I will
attempt to draw what I believe you may well have in
The item is placed back in the peek wallet and the mind. ”
performer obtains his peek.
The performer will now proceed to duplicate the object
Let's presume the peeked drawing is a Violin, this will which has been drawn.
indicate their star sign is Virgo.
Let's look at the objects and the star signs which
All you have to do now is focus on revealing the details of correspond with those letters.
the individual. I suggest revealing their star sign before
revealing the image they have drawn.

It will help if you know a few details about star signs; if

you don’t then you can reveal their star sign based upon
the participants themselves. It’s likely you have only just
met the person you are performing for, so it makes sense
to reveal their star sign based on the initial impression
you receive from them. If you have cold-reading skills,
knowledge of zodiacs and good performance skills then
this is the perfect opportunity to utilise them.
 Letter of Corresponding A: Aquarius and Aries
object star sign(s)
C: Cancer and Capricorn
A Aquarius and Aries
If a participant selects an object containing just one star
C Cancer and sign then it is very easy to reveal this during your
Capricorn performance. However, if the column contains two star
signs then there are methods to appear to be accurate.
G Gemini
Let's presume the object drawn begins with the letter A.
L Leo and Libra From this you know your participant is an Aquarius or
P Pisces Aries. Rather than guessing which of two star signs your
participant is, you will ask your participant to focus on
S Sagittarius and their star sign and to repeat it in their mind.
Scorpio
Performer: “.. and keep repeating your star sign in your
T Taurus mind over and over again like Aquarius, Aquarius,
Aquarius..”
V Virgo
If your participants facial expressions alter to a smile or
Four of the letter categories contain single star signs. with a look of amazement then this will indicate they are
Whilst four of the corresponding categories contain two amazed that you know their star sign and you can
star signs in each column. proceed by stating:

“...Aquarius, Aquarius, am I correct in thinking you are an

The columns containing two star signs are A, C, L and S.
Aquarius?”
These can easily be remembered by creating the
abbreviation: SLAC. If a participant draws an item
They will confirm that you are correct.
beginning with any of these letters then it will contain two
star signs.
However, if you do not receive a reaction from your
participant then simply state:
S: Sagittarius or Scorpio

L: Leo and Libra

“Can you confirm you are repeating your star sign in your STRIKE TWO PRINCIPLE
mind?”
'Strike Two' is a new principle which I initially created for
You are now free to either reveal a little bit more about an effect I have not yet released to the magic and
the person and then their star sign, or alternatively reveal mentalism community.
it right away; they are of course Aries.
To demonstrate the 'Strike Two Principle' with 'Calibrate'
If you feel uncomfortable performing this then an the performer knows his participant is (for example) either
alternative principle I have created is the ‘Strike Two an Aquarius or Aries.
Principle’. It works in a very similar manner however it
comes with a visual aid for your spectators, the use of You will state: “We have only just met. People say you
props really helps disguise the guessing process. can't judge people on first appearances however I believe
you can. You appear very interested in what I have to
say, and this tells me you are focused and often achieve
Tip : Before revealing any peeked information it is always what you set out to do. You are also very soft-natured
best to allow a time disconnection. and caring towards the important people around you, I
believe this may be reflected by your star sign. ”

You will proceed by removing a second piece of card and

a pen. You are armed in the knowledge that your
participant is either an Aquarius or Aries so simply state,
“I believe I know a little about you already, please don't
tell me but I will list some star signs which I believe your
personality fits perfectly. ”

The performer openly writes down five star signs. This

includes three random star signs and the two possible
star signs.

I suggest writing down a random star sign followed by the

first possible star sign; this is then followed by another
random star sign then the second possible star sign and
finally another random star sign.
Display this to your participant whilst proceeding; “Don’t If you have situations in future performances whereby
tell me your sign just yet, my intuition tells me your star you know within one of two options, then feel free to bring
sign is here. ” the 'Strike Two Principle' into play.

Then you will run your pen through one of the correct star The beauty of this principle sits in its simplicity and how it
signs and state: flows.
“you're not Aquarius are you?”
'Strike Two' is a lovely principle which can be utilised for
If your participant responds ‘yes’you will simply proceed many routines.
by stating “Excellent, I just had a feeling about you." and
you are now ready to reveal the drawing of an object on
the other side of the card.

However, the other scenario is that your participant

responds with ‘no’. If this is case then you know they are
a Aries. Simply continue by stating “Excellent”and run a
pen strike through another incorrect star sign (any but
Aries) whilst stating “and I don’t think you're a Capricorn
either.”Don't wait for your participant to respond and
don’t look for clarification, this will confirm that your initial
guess of Aquarius was a statement and not a question.

After all you are not fishing. You know with certainty your
participant is Aries. Proceed by crossing the remaining
star signs whilst stating “I don’t think you're a Leo
either... ”and so on. Leave Aries uncrossed, look at your
participant and state “If my intuition is accurate I believe
you are an Aries. Am I correct?” Your participant will
clarify this. And you are now ready to reveal your
participants drawing on the other side of the card.
CALIBRATE V2 above and proceed by revealing the person and object; “I
want you to focus on the person holding this object, really
Here is an alternative presentation which is theatrically imagine exactly how it looks. I am seeing a gentleman
astonishing. I have always enjoyed revealing the don’t tell me his name but am I correct this is a
thoughts of people combined with cold reading. gentleman. He is very bright, almost shining, he looks
'Calibrate' really takes this to another level. almost illuminated. I can see a bright light, this is a
lightbulb I am seeing. Focus on his name. . . l a m seeing
Unlike the initial presentation, you will now ask your Samuel and he is holding a lightbulb. ”
participant to think of an object, you will ask them to think
of somebody personal to them beginning with the first As an alternative, if your participant happened to be
letter of their star sign. You will see it can take a moment either Gemini, Taurus, Pisces or Virgo write their star sign
or two for your participant to settle on an individual. Don't on a piece of paper or card and fold it up. Hand this to a
rush them, let them take their time. somebody to guard and emphasise how the prediction
has been written before anything happened. Proceed to
Once your participant has settled on a person, hand them reveal the details of the person with the object and finish
the card and ask them to write the name of that person. by revealing your star sign prediction. This gets amazing
You will now ask them to think of an object which begins reactions.
with the final letter of the person's name and ask them to
write this object beneath the person's name. The 'Calibrate' principle can be used to establish more
than just star signs. Categoric items such as months,
Have the card replaced back into your peek device and colours and other categories can be applied to this
peek the details. Connect the corresponding star sign to principle.
the person's name you have read.
Prior to performing 'Calibrate' I regularly performed a
You will now ask your participant to imagine the person drawing duplication or a character reveal by using a
they are thinking of with that object: “For example if you simple peek. Calibrate has now made these routines
are thinking of Liam and a match imagine Liam striking a much stronger as a performance piece.
match, or if this is Chris holding a star, imagine him
throwing it back in to the sky. Whoever and whatever the There is nothing better than revealing a participant's star
object is in your mind really visualise the person with that sign and this is the perfect method for doing so.
object. ”

Presuming you peeked Samuel and Lightbulb, reveal the

participants star sign as described in one of the methods
SIMPLE PEEK ENVELOPE Hold the envelope downwards and remove the top
complete card from the envelope and hand it to your
A peek is essential in many mentalism routines. participant.

One method I use regularly is a small advancement of Once your participant has drawn or written their details
the simple peek envelope. The envelope I use is very you will appear to slide it in-between the two cards in the
crude. The envelope has a large oval hole cut out of the envelope. This is easily achieved by jogging one of the
back, right in the centre. cards forwards and then sliding the participants card in-
between. Square all cards in the envelope and fold the
I also have three business cards in the envelope and one flap forwards.
card has a hole cut in the middle and when sat in the
envelope it aligns perfectly with the hole in the card. All will appear fair, however when you replace the
envelope back in to your breast pocket you will use that
moment to obtain your peek.

Place all cards in to the envelope, ensure the card with

the hole is placed against the hole of the envelope. Place
this in to your pocket with the hole facing you.

When it comes to performing with the envelope, remove it

from your pocket being sure not to flash the hole to your
audience.
QUICK PEEK TIPS Quick exercise:
A final tip on peeking.
I recommend investing in a preferred peek device.
Peek wallets serve many different purposes and finding a Don’t look at your clock or your watch but think exactly
wallet which works for you comes down to personal where it is in your room or on your wrist. Divert your eyes
experience. to the clock face and remove them instantly.

The envelope above is basic, though it does the job well, In other words, you will look at the clock face for a split
a leather wallet is very practical as they are always ready second. Once you look away your mind will put
to pick up and go. everything else together and you may surprise yourself
that you can now tell the time by looking at a watch face
You can use your audience's lack of knowledge to gain a for a split second.
better reaction when you reveal the details you have
peeked. To do this, ask your audience if they could see Apply this technique to your peeking skills.
what was written. They will clarify they did not. This helps
strengthen that you could not have possibly seen. I will
regularly state “Nobody knows what has been written,
only the person who written it, there is no way anybody
can possibly know.”This technique makes peek routines
much more effective. Many performers believe this is
overkill and may draw attention to the peek itself,
however my personal experience tells me differently.

Practice obtaining your peek. Motivate your movements

rather than looking unnatural. Don’t stare at the details for
too long, actually do the opposite. Our minds process
images and words quicker than we are aware. If you
glance at the peeked words for a split second your
natural photographic memory will process the words or
images. However, if you sit gawping at the words or
image, people are going to notice and you're not helping
yourself at all.
JOEL'S BOOK TEST numbers on the back of a notepad in numerical order
(running down and across).
On a search for the ultimate book test. I have literally
spent hundreds of pounds on gimmicked books and The numbers are:
although they’re great in method, I don’t perform any of
them live. The only book test I perform is this. This is 12, 14, 16, 18, 21,23, 25, 27, 29, 32, 34, 36, 38, 41,43,
ideal for both close up and stage performances. 45, 47, 49, 52, 54, 56, 58, 61,63, 65, 67, 69, 72, 74, 76,
78, 81,83, 85, 87, 89, 92, 94, 96, 98.
This is a very deceptive effect whereby your participants
have a free choice of a word in a book. Throughout the
fair selection process the participants outcome will Go to each of the
change everything. This is a simple method for a book individual pages listed in
test which can be performed with any book you may have your book, the page
lying around. Your participants and audience feel like they number will not only
have free choices and the performer always knows the indicate which page is
word the participants are thinking of. being used but it will also
dictate the location of the
In effect the magician introduces a book, two participants word forced on to your
create a number and arrive at a randomly selected word. participants. If the number
The magician reveals the thought-of word. forty-three has been
selected the two digits will
create a location for your
PREPARATION: participants word. For
example, four lines down
The gimmick used will take no longer than fifteen minutes and three words across
to make. Once you have completed the preparation the on page forty-three, find
effect offers a big pay off and won’t need to be done that word. Look at that
again unless you change the book. word and write it down
next to the number in your column on the back of your
Find a book which you would like to work with and ensure note pad. I personally add a couple of words next to each
it has a good amount of pages and words. other and reveal them. You will need to continue doing
this until all of the corresponding words have been found.
The routine relies on a series of numbers which are
forced upon your participants. You will need to write these
On occasions the book you are using may not have a Once this has been decided ask them to both settle on a
large enough amount of words in a line to correspond number and explain:
with the word location. If this is the case write down the
last words on the line and use a highlight marker pen and “In a moment we will put these digits together to create a
highlight the number which may have this occur. This will new and unique number. Should we use the odd digit or
prompt you when you peek the note pad during your the even digit as the first value digit?”
performance.
Allow your participants to decide.
Once complete you have created your gimmick.
“Very well, then the second digit will of course be the
PERFORMANCE: second number selected. Please tell me your two digits”

To perform you will need the book, notepad and a pencil. The participants, for example, say “ninety four”.

I personally use a small note pad for my columns and Performer: “Will you please turn to page ninety four in the
keep it in my inside breast jacket pocket. book.”

Introduce the topic of memorisation or your ability to read Allow the participants to do so. As the participants are
minds or whatever patter you find appropriate when locating the page, casually remove your notepad from
presenting a book test. your pocket with the back facing you. You will now
‘casually’ look for the number ninety four in the column
Introduce your book and explain that a word will be and find the corresponding words and lock them in your
selected from within the book randomly. mind and pay no more attention to the back of the book.

Select two participants to help, ask one participant to If you spotted the selected number had a highlight over it
think of an odd single digit and another will think of an then you will need to prompt your participants to find the
even single digit. Let them decide who will think of what. closest word on the line to the corresponding number,
A little bit of word play makes this seem much fairer, here (this will be the last word on the line)
is the short script I use:
Performer: “We will use this number to select one word in
“In a moment you will both select a single digit. To keep the book. As you selected ninety four please move to the
this random we must ensure you don’t think of the same ninth line in the book and move four words across and
digit so one of you will select an even digit and one of you you will arrive to a word. Can you do that?”
will select an odd digit. ”
Casually flip the front cover of the notepad to hide the Last Word
word columns and proceed to reveal your participants
word in whichever fashion you find most appropriate. Thank you for purchasing this book. I hope you find
routines in this which you can apply to your own
EXTRA TIPS: repertoire and you'll enjoy performing them.
It is a good idea to hang the pen on the notepad via the Dedicated to all of my family.
clip. As you remove the notepad from your pocket you
can use the guise of removing the pen from the pad as Finally...
extra motivation to be looking at your columns.
Believe in yourself.
The limited number choice may well be obvious to you. Believe in what you are doing.
Although the numbers offered are limited it is important to Believe in your audience.
emphasise the freedom of choice whilst performing the
routine. This is what throws the audience and Best wishes,
participants.
Joel.
I recommend making your crib on a computer word
processor and printing it out. You can use smaller fonts
for smaller pocket notepads which make this ideal for
walk around.

If you would rather have only one participant select a

page number you by stating; “Please think of an odd
single digit and an even single digit. Not put them
together to create a double digit, which number would
you like to use?”