Derren Brown: Archive
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From: ganetauk
Date: Mon Feb 18, 2002 7:57pm
Subject: t mixed symbols...
Mixed Symbols
The performer hands five
ESP cards, each bearing a different symbol, to a
spectator and requests that he remember one. The spectator
is then asked to shuffle the cards. The magician
takes the cards back and, after an apparently fair
mixing procedure, correctly divines the selected symbol
without even looking at the faces.
Method -An old
mathematical formula is applied here but it's dressed up much
differently. As in the description of the effect, give the
spectator five different ESP cards and have them remember
one. To ensure that they won't forget the symbol, you
may even want to ask them to jot the symbol down on a
scrap piece of paper and keep that hidden. Either way,
after the selection has been made, the spectator can
freely shuffle the packet and randomize the position of
their card. Take the cards back and display the cards
in a fan with the faces toward the spectator.
Beginning with the top card of the fan, assign a number to
each one, moving from left to right (one, two, three,
etc.) Ask the spectator to remember the numerical
position of their card. Close up the fan and mix the cards
in the following manner: thumb off the top card into
your other hand. Slide off the next card and place it
on top of the first one. Slide the next card
underneath the first two. Thumb off the next one on top of
the first three. Then, slide the last one underneath
the other four. Repeat this shuffle two more times.
By this time, the spectator will be convinced that
there is no way you could know the position of his card
(in fact, he doesn't even know!) Now ask him to move
a number of cards from the top of the packet to the
bottom. The number of cards is determined by the
numerical position of his card that was noted earlier. You
will now demonstrate what the spectator is to do.
However, this demonstration will now set you up for the
impossible ending. Explain to the spectator that if the
number he is remembering is 2, he should move two cards,
one at a time, from the top to the bottom. By way of
illustration, you move two cards from the top to the bottom.
Believe it or not, his selection, no matter where it
started and ended up in the previous procedures, is now
the middle card of the five-card packet. For the
climax, simply ask the spectator to deal the cards face
down onto the table in a row. Hold your hand over each
one in turn. When you're ready for the dénouement,
push the middle card forward and ask the spectator to
reveal their thought-of symbol. Turn over the card to
end.
