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Contents
Part 1: Seeing with fingertips
Effect
Background
Development aims
The Method
Method part (a): Preparation
Method part (b): Detection
Method part (c): Disguising the detection
Presentation and routine
Additional throw-offs
Afterword on the SWIFT Challenge
Extending the SOT system
Detecting suit and value
Sherwood's Two-Phase Routine
Diminishing the challenge element
Leoni's Touch
Part 2: Related effects
Interlude: Of marks and methods
SOT with Blank Cards
Hot Or Not
A Touch of Graphometry
Lover Hater
SOT with Printed Cards
Tel-ESP-athy
Self-ESPression
Tarot Touches
SOT with custom-made card designs
Chromatouch
Bonus Idea from Phanthomas: A Softer Touch
Final notes
Using someone else's deck or cards
Patter
Protecting the Secret
A note about originality
Credits
Appendix
Sales Boost Section

Sense of Touch
Part 1: Seeing with fingertips
Effect
Sense of Touch is a versatile principle, rather than one particular effect. To
illustrate its potential, I will first of all describe a 'test conditions' routine which I
have performed for many years, called the SWIFT Challenge ('SWIFT' = Seeing
With Finger Tips).
The performer offers to demonstrate 'seeing' with his fingertips, and gives a pack
of cards to a spectator. While the performer looks away, the spectator chooses a
handful of red and black cards and mixes them. The performer takes back this face
down packet of cards. By lightly feeling the face of each card with his fingertips, he
is able to tell whether it is red or black.
The performer senses that the spectators are not very impressed. They may
suspect the cards are marked on the back or that other 'trick' methods are in use.
The performer offers to repeat the demonstration under any conditions the
spectators want to impose. He does so and is still 100% successful.
The performer is also able to differentiate high cards from low, or odd from even, or
court cards from spot cards, using his fingertips to 'see' or 'sense' these
differences.
The spectators may impose any controls or conditions they want. yet the performer
is always successful (or as successful as he wants to be). The effect can be
repeated as often as required. Everything - including the performer's hands and the
cards - can be examined at any time. The performer can even give the cards away
at the end.
In Part One of this booklet, I will explain the SWIFT Challenge routine in detail.
Later, in Part Two, I will describe related effects which use the Sense of Touch
principle but do not use playing cards.
Please read Part One before reading Part Two.

Background
I have long been fascinated by psychic and paranormal claims. Occasionally,
writers covering these subjects describe an impressive 'psychic' feat and then add
a comment to the effect that 'there was no possibility of trickery'. In some cases,
the writer lacks any specialized knowledge of deception, but is assuming that
shrewd and intelligent observation alone is sufficient to preclude trickery. This is
untrue.
Skeptics sometimes illustrate this point by demonstrating a particularly baffling
magic trick. Opponents tend to dismiss such demonstrations, arguing that magic
tricks only work when the magician controls the procedures, whereas 'genuine'
psychics subject themselves to independent controls. This is not entirely accurate,
but the point about magic tricks has some validity. In virtually all magic tricks, the
magician has to control the conditions and procedures involved - at least at critical
points.
Fascinated by this theme, I wanted to devise a close-up 'psychic-flavored' illusion
where the spectators could impose any controls or conditions they want. Sense of
Touch is the result. It is not perfect, but it will do until something better comes
along,
Development aims
I set myself the following aims:

1. the effect is easy to follow and pseudo-psychic in nature

2. it can be repeated as often as desired, under close scrutiny
3. the spectators can impose any conditions or controls they wish
4. everything can be examined, at any time, and to any extent
5. no stooges or confederates
6. it is easily carried around, and always ready to perform
7. it is low-tech with nothing to go wrong
Once I had hatched the Sense of Touch principle, I discovered it has many uses
beyond debates about psychics. It provides the basis for some first-rate and very
entertaining Mentalism. Please guard the secret well. and resist the urge to share it
with every other deceiver you know.

The Method

Sense of Touch is a very subtle marking system. It does not rely on visual marks,
but on marks you can detect by sense of touch (hence the name). These marks
allow you to tell red cards from black by touch alone. You can use the same
marking method to differentiate high from low values, or to tell even values from
odd (we will look at further possibilities later).
The marking system is very well hidden. I suppose it would be wrong to say I can
guarantee that no spectator will ever detect the secret. What I can say is that over
the past twelve years I have performed Sense of Touch countless times to lay
audiences, mentalists, magicians, specialist card-workers, scientists, reporters and
fairly drunk people at parties. None has ever discovered the secret. In fact, the
secret is so well-hidden that - in my experience - even if people suspect the cards
are marked, and want to examine them closely for precisely this reason, they still
never discover the marking system.
When you have marked a deck using Sense of Touch, you can use it for any other
purpose including other card tricks (although it will be best to perform the other
tricks after Sense of Touch, rather than before).
To explain how it works, 1 will assume for the time being that you are going to
perform the SWIFT Challenge effect described earlier. In Part 2 of this booklet we
will look at other possibilities, including routines for those of you who would rather
saw your right leg off than use playing cards.
I will explain the method in three parts:
(a) preparation: how to mark the cards you are going to use
(b) detection: how to detect the marks using a secret move
(c) how to disguise the secret detection move

Method part (a): Preparation

You will need:

a brand new deck of cards

some spare, unwanted cards to practice on
a clean white wax candle
a clean dry cloth
Ideally, choose a brand of cards that will be well-known and easily recognized by
your spectators. Let me emphasize this point. Usually when I'm performing
close-up magic I use 'Bicycle' playing cards, like countless other magicians.
However, here in the UK these cards are not on general sale and hence are
unfamiliar to most lay audiences. Therefore when I perform Sense of Touch I tend
to use 'Waddingtons No. 1' cards which, in an impressive testament to the
marketing skills of Waddingtons Games, are sold on every high street in the land.
Whichever cards you use, they should be of reasonable quality but cheap enough
to give away.

The cards must be brand new. This is partly because new cards will give the best
and most reliable results. Another reason is that during the SWIFT Challenge you
encourage spectators to examine the cards for any kind of 'secret marks'. Cards
pick up all sorts of marks and blemishes through normal wear and tear, and
spectators tend to seize upon these as somehow being part of the secret. It can be
very difficult to persuade them that this is not the case!
The candle must be white wax. It should be about half an inch in diameter and
fairly hard at room temperature. Beeswax is too soft.
Sorry to sound like your mother, but before you start you should wash and dry your
hands thoroughly.

Marking the first practice card

To learn the marking method, first try it out on some spare cards or unwanted
jokers from another deck.

Take your first practice card. Hold it face down, lengthways, as shown. Your
fingers should extend almost to the far short edge of the card, but stop a little way
short. You must not buckle or bend the card at any time. At the end of the
marking process, you still want the card to look like it is brand-new.
Touch the short edge of the card to the surface of the candle, about one third of
the way along the card's short edge (measuring from the corner nearest you). I'll
call this the 'one third point'.
Apply just enough pressure to register the card against the candle's surface. Do
not apply so much pressure that you bend or buckle the card. Now move the card

away from you at a moderate pace, applying even pressure, so that you deposit a
thin layer of wax along the card's edge from the 'one third point' to the corner.
(Note that the arrow in the photo is showing the card moving, not the candle).
The wax only extends from the corner about one third of the way along the short
edge, as indicated by the black line.
You do not want any wax on the card's face or back. The wax is only applied to
the card's edge.
To check this, scrape along the card near the waxed edge with your left thumbnail
on top (the card's back) and left forefinger nail underneath (the card's face).
Scrape away any wax which may have ended up on the face or back of the card.
Do not pinch the card too tightly when you do this - remember the card must still
look brand-new once you have finished. Study the card closely to make sure you
have removed any stray wax on the face or back.
Turn the card end for end, still face
down. so that you can repeat the
identical procedure along the other
short edge. Mark it with the wax, then
make sure no wax has adhered to the
card's face or back.
Congratulations - you have marked
your first card! This first one probably
took a while. Do not worry. Once you
get the hang of the procedure, it will
not seem quite so time-intensive.
Having had lots of practice, I can
usually mark up all 26 red cards in
about 20 minutes.
You may want to prepare several
practice cards before proceeding to
the next page.

Method part (b): Detection

Make sure both your hands are clean and dry, especially the pads of the
fingertips. Hold your marked card face down in your right hand (obviously you can
adjust these instructions to suit your own handedness and preferences).

Place the pad of your left forefinger tip against the short edge of the card,
approximately half-way along, as shown. There is no wax at this point.
Apply just enough pressure to keep the pad of your fingertip in contact with the
card's edge. Now slide your finger smoothly along the card's edge, all the way to
the near corner. I will call this action the 'detection move'. The action should be a
single smooth stroke, taking less than a second. You are trying to detect the
difference as your finger passes from the non-waxy section to the waxy section.
You should detect a distinct difference in friction. This difference tells you the card

is marked.
If you simply press your finger against the edge of a card, without moving it, you
cannot tell whether wax is present or not (at least not without plenty of practice).
You can only detect the marks if you apply the correct action. This is an important
part of the secret.
You may need to spend some time practicing the detection move. Do allow time
for your fingertips to get accustomed to it. You need to reach the stage where you
can successfully perform the detection move in a single, fairly swift stroke.

Practicing the detection move

Mark up a few red cards to practice with, and mix them up with some un-marked
black cards. Practice the detection move. Practice using both ends of the cards.
Use your forefinger (or middle finger) when trying to detect the waxy markings
across the top edge.

Use your ring finger (as shown) or pinkie (little finger) when trying to detect the
waxy markings across the lower edge. You will soon find which fingers work best
for you. You need to be confident that you can detect the markings at either end.
Why mark both short edges? First of all, so you can double-check if ever you are
unsure as to a card's color. Secondly, so that the detection move works no matter
which way round the card is handed to you.

Marking the cards for performance

After practicing on spare cards, you are ready to mark the actual cards you will use
in performance. Take your time and do a good job! Although you will speed up with
practice, never sacrifice accuracy for the sake of speed.
After marking about half a dozen cards, move to a different section of the candle.
Otherwise, you will tend to carve a 'groove' on the candle into which the card will
sink. If you let this happen, you will tend to leave wax on the card's face and back
instead of just the edge.
When preparing the cards, remember to always handle them very gently. You
want them to still look and feel brand-new when you have finished.

Method part (c): Disguising the detection

So far, we have seen how to mark red cards with an invisible trace coating of wax along
part of the short edges. We have also looked at the detection move, which relies on the
difference in friction as your finger runs along the edge from 'non-waxy' to 'waxy'.
Now we will look at various ways of disguising the detection move. When you read the
following directions, you may feel the detection move is rather blatant. In fact, I find it
slips past spectators like a ship in the night. I have used all these variations in front of real
spectators, some of them burning my hands with attention. Not one has ever spotted the
detection move.
In all the following variations, the detection move is always part of a perfectly legitimate
action which is consistent with your claim. This is a key point. For example, in some
variations the detection move is camouflaged by stroking the face of the card or turning it
around to try and 'sense' clearer vibrations - both things which you would do (or might do)

if you genuinely possessed the ability you are simulating, Hence it is true to say that
although you obviously do not wish to draw attention to the detection move, you never
really need to conceal it either.
Practise handling each card as if you only ever touch its face to "sense the vibrations". This
is what you claim to be doing, and the more successfully you act out the deception, the
more successful you will be.
Two-handed top-end turnaround
Start with the card held as shown. The right hand holds the card lightly at the near corner,
while the left fingers lightly 'sense' the face of the card. (Adapt the handedness to suit
yourself.)
Do not be afraid to take your
time. You are presenting an
amazing psychic-flavoured
experiment for your audience to
observe and enjoy. You are not
under any pressure to produce a quick
result. (I'm referring to the
SWIFT Challenge presentation. Later we
will look at other presentation;
where a pacier, more dynamic effect is
required.)
10

You now simply turn the card around,

end for end, so that your searching
fingers have a chance to 'sample the
vibrations' all over the card's face. To
do this, grip the card near the top edge
with your left hand, chiefly between
the thumb on the side near you and
your second and ring (third) finger on
the card's face. The left forefinger is
positioned so it is ready to perform the
detection move.

With your left hand holding the card.

you can now move your right hand up
to the top corner.

With your right hand, rotate the card

clockwise. As the same time. allow
your left fingertip to perform the
detection move. This only takes a
fraction of a second, and the move is
part of the perfectly open and
legitimate action of rotating the card

Complete the rotation of the card, as

shown in the final two photos in this
sequence.
Having rotated the card end for end,
carry on as before, gently 'sensing' the
card's face colour. You may like to
turn the card end for end once more,
without performing the detection
move, just to throw people off the
scent.

After some concentration, hesitantly arrive

at your verdict. Leave plenty of time
between the detection move and
announcing your decision.
Nine times out of ten, the first detection
move will tell you the card's colour. If in
doubt, double-check by using the detection
move again on the card's other short edge.
It is not hard to convince people that you
only ever feel the face of each card.
If you are an experienced performer, with
strong close-up skills, you rr\a\ be
tempted to try and provide temporary cover or misdirection as you execute the detection
move. There is no need! The detection move is never noticed, and the open nature of the
handling is one of the strengths of Sense of Touch. The spectators should be satisfied that
you can tell the card's colour even though the card remains in full view at all times - with
no misdirection, no distraction and no momentary cover.

12

Two-handed
turnaround

near-end

This is very similar to the previous

move, in that it involves turning the
card end for end. In this case, however,
you perform the detection move with
the ring finger of your right hand as the
card is rotated.
The photos should make this clear.
We will assume that you have started
off exactly as for the previous variation,
by 'sensing' the face of the card with
your left fingers.
Move both hands to the near edge,
ready to rotate the card clockwise.
Position your right ring finger along the
near edge, ready for the detection
move.
The left hand performs most of the
actual rotation of the card, while the
right ring finger skims along the lower
edge, thus detecting the 'wax' or 'no
wax' signal.
Afterwards, you can carry on gently
touching the face of the card for as long
as you like (within reason) before
revealing your verdict.

One-handed
turnaround

top-end

It is almost as easy to rotate a card, and

perform the detection move, with one
hand as with two.
I tend to do this using my left hand, but
you can of course swap left for right if
this suits you better.
Grip the card near the top edge with the
thumb and forefinger. Stroke the face
of the card with your second and third
(ring) fingers as if 'sensing' the colour
vibrations.
Transfer the grip to thumb and middle
finger, with support from the ring
finger if you need it. This frees the
forefinger so that it can rest on the top
edge ready to perform the detection
move.
Execute the detection move as you
manipulate the card with your thumb
and fingers to make it rotate clockwise.

You can then carry on for a little while

longer 'sensing' the card using the same
one-handed style with which you
began.

14

One-handed near-end stroke

This variation uses the detection move
at the near-end, and does not involve
rotating the card.
Start by gripping the card near the
centre, thumb on top and forefinger
underneath. Stroke the face of the card
with your second and ring fingers as if
'sensing' the colour.
(The smaller photos, below, show this
action from below for added clarity.)
Repeat this stroking action several
times in a relaxed manner. Do it again,
but let the ring finger slip on to the near
edge, so that you can perform the
detection move. Then revert to the
'regular' stroking action, and eventually
announce whether the card is red or
black.

Two-handed top-end stroke

This two-handed version stroking action is simple yet deceptive. Hold the card in your
right hand at the near corner. With all your left hand fingers except the forefinger, lightly
stroke the face of the card in a right-to-left motion. Let the forefinger come close to the
top edge without actually touching it. Repeat a few times. During any one of these
repeats, simply allow your forefinger to make contact with the top edge. It is as simple as
that!

Lateral stroke - near ring version

This is the first of two detection moves which involve holding the card
'laterally', as shown.

In this version, the left hand simply strokes the face of the card a few times. It has
nothing to do with the detection move. At any convenien moment, you can perform the
detection move with the right-hand rinc finger, which moves along the near edge as
shown by the arrow.

This is in some ways the most subtle variation of all, since the left har tends
to steal all the attention while the right hand performs the mov<

Lateral stroke - top end version

This is the alternative 'lateral' stroke
detection move.
With the Oat fingers of the left hand,
stroke the face of the card several times as
shown on the right.
To perform the detection move, let your
pinkie rest on the edge of the card as
shown below. Done!

The McAdam Method

Journalist and mentalist Drew McAdam evolved a one-handed method which does not
involve rotating or re-positioning the card.
Pinch the card reasonably tightly at A, between
the thumb and middle joint of the forefinger.
With the tip of the forefinger or middle finger,
touch the lower edge of the card at B. See if you
detect the 'cold, greasy' feel of the wax or the dry,
sharp feel of unwaxed card. This requires only
the tiniest movement of the finger tip.
This method may suit some readers
more than others. I personally prefer a detection
move which relies on feeling the transition from
'non-waxy' to 'waxy'. However, Drew feels this
handling works better for him, and he has used it
very successfully under 'test' conditions.

Final Notes on the Detection Move

This completes our look at the detection move and its many variations. If you work
through them, you will soon develop your own preferred moves and variations.
I hope it is clear that (a) it is easy to perform the detection move, and (b) there is no
reason for spectators to ever notice it. It only takes a fraction of a second, need not draw
any attention to itself, and is naturally disguised as part of a perfectly open and legitimate
action.
Of course, you do not have to use just one preferred variation at all times. Once you have
experimented with the different variations, and found the ones you like best, you can use
several different detection moves during the routine to compound the mystery,

Presentation and routine

So far we have seen:

- how to mark the cards

- how to detect the marks with the detection move, and
- several ways to disguise the detection move
Now we can look at the SWIFT Challenge routine described at the stan of this booklet.
Even if you never intend to present this particular routine, please read through it to get the
gist of the structure. (May I insert another reminder that we will look at other routines,
and non-can variations, in Part 2 of this booklet.)
The basic structure is this;
(a) you intentionally give a rather weak and unimpressive demonstration. This establishes
the theme, and invites the spectators te think and participate.
(b) you encourage the spectators to be sceptical, and to impose whatever conditions
or controls they want
(c) the spectators gradually eliminate all their theories, and are left with an impenetrable
mystery!
You can decide for yourself what patter to use, and how to adapt the routine to suit your
own style. The following notes just concern the psychological structure of the routine.

(1) Establish the theme

Introduce the main theme by saying, for example, "Have you heard those stories about
people who can apparently read with their finger tips? 1 seem to have a limited ability
along these lines. Of course, sceptical types always think it can't be done. What do you
think? Is it possible? Or totally impossible? Or does the truth lie somewhere in between?"
Let this theme sink in. You want the emphasis to be on assessing an extraordinary claim,
rather than watching a card trick. Give people time to choose: is it possible, or is it
impossible?

(2) Give first (intentionally weak) demo

Show the cards. Say that so far you can only manage simple demonstrations, such as
telling whether cards are red or black-Spread the cards face up on the table in front of one
of the spectators. Look away and ask her to pick up any card, red or black, and to turn it
face down. Turn around and take the card face down in both your hands.
Openly look at the back of the card (as you might do if the cards were marked on the back),
and at the spread of face up cards still on the table (as you might do if you were relying on
a stacked deck). Then handle the card as if sensing the colour with your fingertips. Take
your time, perform the detection move, and eventually announce the colour. Repeat with
one more card.
This first demonstration is intentionally unimpressive. Spectators will easily think up
various methods you could be using:
- the cards are marked on the back
- the deck is stacked and you can work out which card you hold
- you are using a 'shiner', reflector or mirror of some kind
- you took a simple 50/50 guess
- someone present is a confederate giving you signals
The purpose of this first demonstration is to establish the nature of the demonstration and
to encourage the spectators to voice their suspicions. Openly encourage this discussion.

(3) Give ^ight unseen' demo

At least one spectator will probably ask if you have to see the card. For the second
demonstration, give the deck to one of the spectators. Turn
19

your back and ask her to select half a dozen cards, some red and some black. Ask her to
hold this packet where neither you nor anyone else car see the cards (e.g. under a table,
thick handkerchief or coat). Turn around, reach under the table or coat or whatever, and
take the packet of cards in both hands sight unseen.
Take your time. Work on the first card, announce its colour, and bring it into view to
show you are right. Repeat with two or three more (no neec to do the whole packet). This
is a stronger demonstration, but spectators will still have pet theories. Encourage open
speculation! This can be a lot of fun.
Some spectators may play tricks on you during this demonstration (e.g. having some cards
face up instead of face down, or selecting all cards of one colour). You will still succeed.
With the cards out of sight, you can check both short edges, then turn the card over and
check both edges again. This will make it perfectly clear whether the card is red or black. |

(4) Tackle the 'any cards?' question

At this stage someone usually asks if you can work with any cards, or just your own.
Get this question out in the open! Do not duck from it, do not hide - the truth will not
diminish the effect one iota.
Admit quite openly that it only seems to work with your own cards. You can say
something like, "1 only seem to get results with my own cards, 1 guess because these are
the ones I practise with, and 1 perhaps get attuned to them". You can compare the situation
to a concert pianist who insists on performing with one type of piano, or a top golfer who
only uses a certain brand of golf clubs.
Obviously, you can base your 'justification' on your own character and personality,
particularly if the people watching know a bit about you. Fc example, if I'm performing the
SWIFT Challenge for friends, most of them will know I play guitar. I might say, "It's kind
of like playing the guitar. 1 can always get the best sound, the best results, out of my own
guitar that I use all the time and practise with",
Or, in other cases, I might be performing for people who have seen me indulge my taste
for card spinning (also known as 'card shooting' or 'card flying'). I can spin cards all day,
but it works much better if I use c deck that 1 have 'broken-in' and which feels right to me.
In other words just offer the justification that works best under the circumstances.
Above all, do not worry if you the think the justification for only using your own cards
sounds a little 'hollow' or 'flat'. It makes no difference, because even if some people
suspect the cards are marked some way,

20

they will never solve the mystery. They will have every opportunity to test their 'marked
card' theory, and will eventually have to conclude they were led astray by their own
suspicions.

(5) Give the 'nothing to hide' demo

By this stage, various opinions will have been voiced. Say, "Look, I'll do it so you can all
see I've nothing to hide". Face away from the spectators. Ask anyone to hand you a mixed
packet of red and black cards face down behind your back. Remain facing away from the
spectators, holding the cards behind you at roughly waist height. The spectators can see
your hands and the cards.
Take the top card off the packet, and go through the usual handling. If your first detection
move leaves you uncertain, use the other short edge for verification. If you are still not sure,
try turning the card over (as if from face up to face down) and check again. This will
eliminate any doubts.
In my experience, it is unlikely the spectator will hand you the cards face up to try and
outwit you. If you suspect this may have happened, just double-check your decision before
you announce your verdict.
By this stage, most spectators will suspect the cards are marked in some way you can feel
by touch. This is what you want them to think. The commonest alternative theories I have
come across are (a) someone present is a stooge who signals the colour somehow (b) I can
glimpse the card or see a reflection in some way. Allow the spectators to impose whatever
conditions they want to test their theories. This can be fun, and should be! It can be
especially interesting to watch a group of spectators try to devise a way to prove that none
among them is a stooge.

(6) Give the one-handed demo

Do the same as for (5), but only use one hand. This is not much harder than the standard
'two-handed' version. For some reason, spectators seem to find it more impressive. I'm not
sure why, but they do.

(7) Deal with illegitimate challenges

During the SWIFT routine, you make it clear the spectators can impose any constraints or
conditions they wish, or control the procedure in any way. You can do this with perfect
confidence, provided you remember the precise nature of your claim. You are claiming
you can determine a

21

card's colour by touch alone. This is exactly what you are doing, therefore you can
pass any tests consistent with your claim.
Some spectators may suggest conditions which are inappropriate or illegitimate - either
because they don't understood the claim, or they want to fox you. I once had someone
place a card face down on the table, cover it with his hand and challenge me to name the
colour. Another time, someone challenged me to put on thick leather gloves!
If an illegitimate challenges comes up, keep calm.
First, wait to see if one of the other spectators points out that the challenge is unfair, in the
sense that it is inconsistent with the claim you are making. This often happens.
If not, politely explain the point to the whole group. Say, "I doubt that would work. After
all, what do you think I am... psychic? But seriously, listen to me. Remember what I said at
the start. I can sometimes tell a card's colour with my fingertips. Obviously, if I cannot
touch the card's surface, I can't do it. I never claimed I could."
(8) Conclude and give cards away
By this stage, all suspicion tends to focus on the cards themselves. This is the crucial part
of the trick. I cannot tell you exactly what to do or say, but let me clarify the message you
want to convey.
You do not want to convey this message: "Yes, the cards are marked, but you will never
discover how".
You do want to convey this message: "You suspect the cards are marked somehow? I can
understand your suspicions, but actually there is another explanation you have overlooked.
Don't take my word for it! Please check the cards for yourselves. Examine them any way
you like".
If a spectator thinks he has spotted the solution, let him try to reproduce the effect. He may
get one or two cards right by luck, but he will eventually concede defeat. Be gracious, and
congratulate him on his efforts. Eventually, your spectators will start to abandon the
'marked cards' theory.
Now you can enjoy the sweetest moment of all. Give the cards awav! Say, "Here... keep
the cards. They're yours, as a small gift from me to you. Play cards with them. Do
whatever you want. You can keep them as a souvenir of an interesting experience."
This concludes the SWIFT Challenge routine. If all has gone well, you have treated your
spectators to a stimulating and fascinating voyage into an experience that simply defies
explanation, and which they will never

22

forget. You have encouraged them to address a fundamental question -'What is possible,
and what is not?' - and to discover that the truth may be far more elusive than we often
suspect it to be.
I'd like to add two points which are worth noting if you are interested in presenting the
SWIFT Challenge routine.
(1) Remember this very curious demonstration is more or less unique. Very few routines
work in this way, so it is highly unlikely anyone will have experienced anything quite like
it before. Take care to extract maximum benefit from this! Save the routine for those
occasions when the right people, in the right frame of mind, are in a position to gain me
most from it.
(2) If you get maximum value out of the SWIFT routine, you will genuinely give those
present some food-for-thought, and open their minds to the fact that assessing what is
'possible' or 'impossible' can be very difficult. This is a very good prelude to any other
'experiments' you wish to present in similar vein.
You may find that by having pre-conditioned the group in this way, other effects win an
even better reception than normal. This has certainly been my experience in recent years. I
have found that some of my pet mental effects, which I can usually rely on to get a good
reception, get an even better reception after the SWIFT routine. It seems that after the
SWIFT Challenge routine, many people feel more 'open' to the fact that some extraordinary
things just may be possible... even if they seem contrary to reason or common sense.
Additional throw-offs
There are three ruses which can lend an extra twist to the SWIFT Challenge routine. They
are by no means essential, but I include them here for completeness.
First is the outright guess. Save this for a later part of the routine, when you have already
successfully demonstrated your ability. Take a card, touch its face lightly without
performing the detection move, and simply guess. If you are wrong, a single error will not
matter too much. Just chide yourself for "not concentrating hard enough", and carry on
with your 100% accurate demonstrations. Do not allow yourself more than one outright
guess.
Second is the fake prediction. This too should be saved for the later part of the routine. Say
you sometimes get the 'vibrations' even before you

23

touch the card. Write "black" on a piece of paper and give it to someone. Go on to the next
card. If your prediction turns out to be correct, this adds extra spice to the mystery. If not,
just ruefully admit you got it wrong. After all, your 'precognitive' ability is not the main
issue.
Experienced magicians will know there are countless ways to 'help' this prediction, and to
make sure it always comes out correct. Personally, I think you should just take a 50:50
guess. The prediction is just an addec 'throw-off, and it is nice if it works. However, it is
not the point of the demonstration, and you should not be tempted to make this into a
prediction trick.
A third ruse is to apply special marks to the court cards (Jack, Queen, King) such as a
single wax smear in the centre of each of the four edges These cards, of course, feature red
and black ink. If I detect the special marks, I say, "I'm confused, this card feels as if it is
red and black. How can that be?" Eventually 'realise' that it must be a court card, and show
you are right. From that point on, ask the spectators to stick to spot cards. This is a cute
little wrinkle which has the merit of being consistent with your claim. (For more options
which involve extending and refining the marking system, see 'Extending the SOT
system'.)

Afterword on the SWIFT Challenge...

Preparing the cards
At the risk of labouring the point, whenever you use Sense of Touch, do take your time
applying the wax to the cards. It may be time-consuming. but the results are worth it.
Some correspondents have suggested various ways of marking up blocks of cards, using
clamps and vices and similar kit. However, it is difficult to do this securely without
leaving some sort of evidence that the cards have been worked on. It is also hard to make
sure each card is coated evenly.
I prefer to take the 'sure and safe' route of carefully marking the cards one at a time. This
helps me to feel 100% confident that the effect will work reliably.
I suggest that you do not try and use the same deck for more than one performance of the
SWIFT Challenge routine (even if you do not give the cards away). In my view, it is never
100% reliable a second time. I believe you really must mark up a brand new deck for each
occasion.

24

Checking the cards

Whenever I have marked a deck ready to perform the SWIFT Challenge, I
conduct a final check as follows.
Mix the red and black cards together, but not by shuffling. I do this by gently dealing the
cards at random into several piles, then re-gathering and re-dealing. Any normal form of
shuffling will involve handling the edges of the cards, and at this stage you want to keep
the edges as pristine as possible.
Make sure your hands are clean and dry. Put the mixed cards face down on a clean surface
in front of you. Take the top card, and see if you can determine its colour just by touch. If
you get it right, put it to one side in the 'tested' pile. If you get a red card wrong, re-wax it
and replace it among the cards still to be tested. If you get a black card wrong, it must have
accidentally picked up some wax that should not be there. Carefully rub its short edges
along a dry cloth to remove whatever trace of wax it has picked up, then replace it among
the cards to be tested.
Eventually, you will have a complete deck of 52 cards, and be confident that you can
identify the colour of every card by Sense of Touch alone. Put the cards in their card case
and you are all set.

Extending the SOT system

It is possible to extend the SOT marking system to code more than just a card's colour. I
have often added a second set of marks to code another characteristic, such as high or low
value (as shown in the photo).
Of course, you can use the SOT markings to code any
characteristics you want: to tell even cards from odd, or
court (picture) cards from spots. You are not restricted 10
marking the deck into equal halves. You could, for
example, mark just the cards of one particular suit (e.g.
spades). In performance, you could force this choice of
suit and then offer to try and use your Sense of Touch to
detect only the cards of this 'chosen' suit.
I tend to use the second set of markings as a reserve. I go
through the standard SWIFT presentation and 'prove' I
can tell red cards from black. At this point, I am happy to
end the demonstration. However, if the

25

mood is right, I casually announce that I can sometimes also tell whethe' cards are low or
high in value. Having defined my terms (e.g. low = ace to seven) I then give one or two
more demonstrations, further compounding the mystery.

Detecting suit and value

Journalist and mentalist John Sherwood was among the first to suggest extending the
Sense of Touch marks to code a card's suit and value. He suggests the following. On the
narrow edge of a face-down card:
- marking the 'left third' indicates hearts
- the 'middle third' indicates clubs
- the 'right third' indicates diamonds, and
- no mark at all indicates spades
Of course you mark the other short edge of each card in the same way. A similar pattern of
'thirds' applies down the long edges:
- the absence of preparation indicates an Ace
- the 'bottom third' indicates 2-3-4
- the 'middle third' indicates 5-6-7
- the 'top third' indicates 8-9-10
For a Jack, Queen or King, mark the two 'corner thirds', leaving the centre portion clean.
To guess a card's value, always state the middle of the 3 possible values (3, 6, 9 or Q) so
you can only ever miss by one.
John is the first to acknowledge this coding has its drawbacks. It only works with the card
face down, and yiou may feel it requires too much handling of the card, or too fine a touch,
to be practical. However, it is included here as a possible system. John adds it may help to
use poker-size cards, which have a wider 'short' edge than bridge-size cards.

Sherwood's Two-Phase Routine

John was one of several correspondents who suggested that the SWIFT Challenge routine
could lead naturally to Paul Curry's 'Out of this World'. (I assume the reader is familiar
with OOTW. If not, see the Appendix). John's suggested two-phase routine runs as
follows.
With a deck marked as above, prepare by removing the court cards and sorting into reds
and blacks. Mark the Queen of Hearts with pencil dots on the back (or a faint crimp). With
the court cards face UP arrange them as follows, from the face of the packet to the rear:

26

- JD, QS, KH, JC

- all remaining blacks
-QH
- all remaining reds
Put this packet of 12 cards on the face of the deck. You're all set.
Display the deck and introduce the SWIFT Challenge routine. Say the :ourt cards are
confusing, as they feature red and black ink, and so you A/ill remove them. Remove the
packet of 12 court cards, and fan the top 1- or 5 slightly (JD, QS, KH, JC seen most
clearly). Clarifying the point, :ake out the KH and show that it is a 'red' card but features
plenty of ^lack ink. Casually replace it under the packet of 12 with the rest of the
eds. Do the same very briefly with the JD. Turn the whole packet face iown and set aside.
Vith the remaining 40 cards, demonstrate the usual SWIFT Challenge outine. As you call
red and black cards successfully, discard them on the able into two haphazard but separate
groups.
n the course of the routine, identify one spectator who would make a 'ood subject for Out
Of This World. Ask her to give you the next card. ^s you touch it, act startled and exclaim,
"Wow! I got a sudden flash! )o you already know what it is?" Perform the detection move
and say, You have an unconscious projective ability, and I got a very clear "npression. I'm
almost positive it's the six of clubs or very near."
Sepeat this fuller identification no more than two or three times with this erson. Say, "Can we
try a more personal test of your ability?"
>ssemble the two groups of 'tested' cards on the table, false shuffle and 3lit the red and black
blocks. Take the set-aside court cards and insert iem in the deck, red side to red block, black
side to black block. You re then ready to perform 'OOTW with the QH marked as your
'half-ay point' for crossing over the colours.
ote: During the SWIFT phase, someone may try to fool you by iduding one of the set-aside
court cards. You will be able to tell scause of the secret marks. If this happens, act confused
and then 'alise' what has happened. Chastise the culprit, and then invite him to st touch the
face of the card. Then read his mind and name the card!
-us can be stunning, especially if you are blindfolded.
f course this is merely one way to combine a version of Sense of Touch ith a version of
OOTW. Several people sent me others, and you may ime up with your own.

Diminishing the challenge element

While the SWIFT Challenge routine can be highly entertaining, the 'challenge' aspect may
not always be appropriate. For example, if you often perform in bars or restaurants, you
may want to diminish the 'challenge' aspect. For one thing, it is probably too slow for these
venues, and you may want to avoid encouraging your spectators to 'challenge' you so
openly - in case they start taking the same attitude to your other material!
Enrico Leoni is a seasoned performer with plenty of experience
t presenting magic
and mentalism in bars, nightclubs and restaurants. To diminish or avoid the 'challenge'
element, he suggested an alternative presentation, which I now call...

LeonPs Touch

Enrico suggests that as you present the routine, you provide a light-hearted commentary in
which you yourself raise various suspicions the group may have. You can even make it
sound as if the suggestions are coming from the group, rather than from you.
For example, after the first demonstration, you say, "Look at Jane... a die-hard sceptic! I
Doesn't believe a word of it! You think I'm cheating, Jane? Tell you what, just for you,
let's cover the cards up altogether..."
Followed by: "What was that? You think maybe Jane's in on it, and helping me?
Would she do a thing like that? Actually, looking at her, maybe she would! Okay, someone
else pick the cards. Anyone. I'll do fl so you can all see the cards and I can't. I'll turn my
back... I hope you'K all still here when I turn round again...".
Followed by: "Looks like you're still not convinced. What do you want.-blood? Some
people think I've a camera up my sleeve. Wanna frisk me. Jane? No? Shame, I thought my
luck had changed. Look, sleeves rollec up. No cameras or trapdoors. I tell you, I can't
figure it out either. Ma;. I really can tell red from black by touch alone. I'll do it one-handed,
slow-motion, no funny stuff."
And so on. This approach is faster and more dynamic. It gets around thai 'challenge'
problem, since you are very much still in charge, and it also provides plenty of scope to
involve the group of spectators. Yet the miracle still happens, and you can, of course, still
give the cards away if you wish.

28

Part 2: Related effects

So far we have looked at the Sense of Touch principle as applied to a regular deck of cards
and the SWIFT Challenge routine. However, it can be used in countless other ways. This
is good news for magicians who like a little variety, and for those mentalists who would
rather chew a cactus than touch a deck of cards.
The only limit on applying the Sense of Touch principle is your own imagination which,
given that you had the wisdom to purchase this booklet, is probably near limitless. At the
very least, Sense of Touch can be used with
- blank cards (e.g. blank business or playing card stock)
- other printed cards (e.g. ESP or tarot or zodiac cards)
- your own custom-made card designs
In the rest of the booklet, I offer some ideas to get you started. They are not as good as the
ones you will dream up for yourself. But first, a brief interlude concerning marks and
methods and Sense of Touch.

Interlude: Of marks and methods

There are two kinds of 'marked cards' and hence two families of routines which
employ them.
The first kind are cards which secretly convey their identity - suit and value - to the
performer. Adding 'code' marks to the back design of a deck is as old as the hills, or at
least as old as gambling. There have been countless twists and variations, and new ones
emerge on a regular basis. The excellent Ted Lesley Working Performer's Marked Deck
has been one very popular addition. The Ted Lesley system, as marketed by Martin Breese,
comes with a truly excellent booklet of instructions, ideas and routines. I think this booklet
says more or less everything worth saying about marked cards and how to use them wisely.
At the time of writing, this booklet is still available (see the Appendix).
Sense of Touch is not a 'marked card' system in this sense, since it is not primarily
intended as a way of coding a card's content (even though it can be used this way, see
'Extending the SOT System'),
Sense of Touch properly belongs with the second kind of 'marked cards' i.e. cards secretly
marked so the performer can distinguish one card or one set from another card or set
which seems identical. Such marks may be either visual or tactile. As every mentalist
knows, a tiny pin-prick 'bump' on a card's surface is practically indetectable if you do not
know it is there. Yet to the performer who knows where to feel for the bump, it

screams its presence with perfect clarity.

Every marking method has its pros and cons. It is true that a smart and determined
spectator, given sufficient time and opportunity, could discover pin-prick cues, or the Ted
Lesley system, or almost any other marking method. This is not usually a problem. It is
very rare to encounter such spectators, and there is seldom any need to engage with their
ultra-inquisitive tendencies or grant mem the opportunity to pursue their suspicions.
However, there are some occasions when different priorities apply. In some cases, the
mentalist may wish or need to use a method offering the strongest possible deceptive
resilience. For example, he may be the type to make strong claims of the "This is not a
trick, and what I am doing is real" variety. Or he may choose to perform for exceptionally
sceptical or challenging audiences, such as psychic researchers or prominent sceptical
authorities, and he may wish to indulge their desire to scrutinise anything and everything
to the hilt.
More commonly, the mentalist may wish to present his material as if he relies not on
'psychic' ability but on various semi-plausible ways of achieving his results: body language,
non-verbal communication, face-reading, psychology, neuro-linguistic programming,
awareness of laten' primitive senses which amount to 'intuition', subtle cues deriving from
l contemporary
human physiology... and so on. This is something of a trend in
mentalism (at the time of writing), and there is no doubt fl plays well.
I would suggest that in these cases, where strong deceptive armour-plating is crucial. Sense
of Touch is a powerful ally. It allows you, as tht performer, to encourage and
accommodate any amount of suspicion. investigation and scrutiny. Over the past twelve
years or so I have presented the SWIFT Challenge routine to many different audiences,
| even inquisitive sceptics trained to detect and expose psychic-flavoured trickery. No-one
has ever come close to discovering the method, even though granted every opportunity to
explore every suspicion. All have j confessed themselves lost for an explanation.
'
I accept that not every mental routine requires a marking system as subtle as Sense of
Touch. Where pin-pricks, bends, crimps and other marks will suffice, I use them.
Otherwise, I use Sense of Touch, and hai had a lot of fun doing so. I hope you will do the
same.
Now let us look at some other effects which exploit the SOT principle.

30

SOT with Blank Cards

You can get blank business card stock from any printer or print-shop;
blank playing card stock from most magic dealers; and blank filing card stock from any
office or stationery supply store. Use whichever card stock you prefer, so long as you can
write on it, it is opaque, and it will take the Sense of Touch markings. You are all set to
have fun presenting miracles.
Hot Or Not
Consider the standard 'Living and Dead' routine. You hand out blank cards to several
spectators. While you look away, one writes down the name of someone deceased and the
rest write names of people still breathing. The cards are gathered, mixed and returned, and
you amaze all and sundry by somehow discerning the 'dead' name.
There are countless variations and methods, some relying on secretly marking the one card
on which the 'dead' name is written. The Sense of Touch principle is one marking option.
On the presentational side, I feel that 'Living and Dead' is a good theme if performing for
the local branch of Macabre Depressives Anonymous, but otherwise best avoided.
Here's an alternative. One of the most popular websites ever created was based on the
theme of 'Hot or Not'. People posted photos of themselves (or friends) to the site, and
visitors voted on their attractiveness on a scale from 1-10. Why did people do this? Why
was this so popular? I have no idea. But it does give us a nice, modern twist to the
traditional 'Living and Dead' test.
Take five blank cards and mark the first in the usual SOT way. Hand the five cards to a
female spectator. On the first, while you look away, she writes the name of a famous
movie star whom she considers sexy and attractive. On the other four, she writes the names
of other popular actors whom many women may adore, but whom she personally doesn't
like. She mixes up the cards and hands them back.
Say you will use your skills at reading her character, plus subtle nonverbal clues, to guess
which actor she considers 'hot'. You proceed to evaluate each of the five names while
telling her to try and avoid giving you clues. For example, you might say things like,
"Okay, who do we have here? Tom Cruise. Let me say that name again while I look at
your face: Tom Cruise'. Right, now the pupils of your eyes didn't change, nor did I see any
subtle change in the blood flow to the cheeks - which is another classic sign of arousal.
Besides, I think you're actually quite a

31

thoughtful person, even if you don't always advertise the fact. And Tom. well, great movie
star and all, but not many people's idea of Mr Intellectual. Frankly, I doubt he fits your
notion of a soul mate. So, hot or not... I'm pretty sure that in your book, he's a 'not'."
Carry on in this vein until two names remain. Say you're having trouble making your final
evaluation, so you will have to simply try and read her mind, or at least her heart. Gaze
deeply into her eyes. Invite her to imagine watching the sunrise in the arms of the actor she
actually fancies. Invite her to visualise the scene, "... and to feel the warmth of that special,
magical moment when your lips are kissed by... " and you insert the correct actor's name.
There is immense scope here for fun, entertainment and thinly-veiled flirting. (At the risk of
stating the obvious, if the flirtatious element is not right for you or your audience, avoid it. If
it will give offence in any way. to anyone present, avoid it. Otherwise, have fun with it!)
Read up on body language, 'face reading', NLP and similar subjects to provide
fodder for your assessments.

A Touch of Graphometry
'Graphometry' being a blend of 'graphology' and 'psychometry', of
I course!
You hand out blank cards to five spectators. Each provides a sample of their handwriting.
Cards are gathered, mixed and returned. Looking at each card, you give a 'graphology'
reading and return the card to its correct owner.
This is standard repertoire, offering many presentational options. All you need is some way
to secretly mark the five cards in a 1-5 sequence, and remember which spectator gets which
card. The rest is just acting, presentation and cold reading. There are many ways to secretly
mark the cards, and SOT is one more option. For example, you could apply the wax
markings as follows:
- short edge, one end = 1
- short edge, both ends with central gap = 2
- long edge, one end = 3
- long edge, both ends with central gap = 4
|
- no marks = 5
May I add just one small suggestion about the pseudo-graphology routine. If you just invite
people to 'write anything', you can hit small snags. Some people 'freeze' and cannot think
what to write. Others write things which provide clues as to the writer, hence defeating the
object o'

32

the exercise. (This can happen no matter how strenuously you beg people to avoid making
this mistake.) To avoid these problems, tell your spectators what to write, and to get them
all to write the same thing.
What should you get them to write? It can be any word or phrase you like. However, why
not get them to write something like, 'John Smith read my mind and [ enjoyed it',
obviously substituting your own name. This is as good a 'text sample' as any other, plus
you get free advertising for as long as they keep the card which, if you make it a
memorable occasion, they may well do.
Lover Hater
In 'Hot or Not' we marked one card in a set. In 'A Touch of Graphometry' we marked each
card in a distinct way. Another option is to have two sets of cards, one set all marked and
the other all unmarked. If a card from either set is transferred to the other, you will be able
to tell which is the 'stranger'.
This principle can be disguised in many ways. Here is just one option. Take eight blank
cards, and divide them into two groups of four. Mark one set using Sense of Touch (e.g.
add wax marks half way along each short edge). Leave the other set unmarked. You are all
set.
On the first set of four cards, invite a spectator to write the titles of four songs she loves.
On the second set she writes four songs she hates. All this is done without you seeing.
Invite her to swap any card from the 'Love' set with any card from the 'Hate' set. If you are
now given either set of four cards, you will easily be able to tell which is the stranger,
thanks to Sense of Touch. The presentation is up to you.
One option is to sit facing the spectator. Start with the 'Love' set, one of which she actually
hates. Hold up each card one at a time with the writing facing towards her and away from
you. She can read what is written on the card, you can only see the blank back. You can
now apparently tell whether she is looking at a song she loves or hates purely by studying
her facial expression - even though you tell her to 'keep a poker face'. Everyone will
suspect you rely on pupil dilation, this being a common piece of 'body language' folklore.
However, you can demonstrate that it still works even if she puts on sunglasses, or
half-closes her eyes, or tilts her head down,
Ibu can structure the actual revelation however you wish. For instance, 3ive each of the
four cards a quick evaluation. Extract some gentle
-lumour from the four choices. Eliminate two of the choices. Hold the
-wo remaining cards to yourself so no-one can see which is which. Ask
-he spectator to hold out her hand. Take out the card which you know is

33

the stranger, the 'Hate' card, and place it face down on her palm. Say you are confident this
is the song she hates. She names it. Invite her to turn the card over. Applause all round!
You can now repeat the effect with the other set of four cards. Say this will be harder,
because the spectator has now had some practice at concealing her emotions.
You can also vary the subject matter. Instead of songs, you can base the routine on movies,
places, TV shows, celebrities, ice-cream flavours or anything else you think has potential.
Another option, which will not be to everyone's taste, is 'embarrassing activities'. On set 1
the spectator lists four embarrassing things she has done, and on set 2 she writes four she
has not done. This offers rich scope for rather unsophisticated humour, derived from (a)
what she considers 'embarrassing', (b) what she admits to having done, and (c) her friends'
doubts as to her veracity As I said, not to everyone's taste... but for some groups, on some
occasions, this plays very well indeed.

SOT with Printed Cards

By 'printed cards' I mean any kind of readily available pre-printed cards other than regular
playing cards: ESP cards, tarot cards, zodiac cards, alphabet cards, number cards and so on.
Tel-ESP-athy
Using the Sense of Touch principle, it is very easy to mark 5 ESP cards so that you can tell
which is which by touch alone. You could use a 1-5 code such as that used for 'A Touch of
Graphometry'. Alternatively:
- no marks = circle
- short side, corner marked = cross
- short side, middle marked = waves
- long side, corner marked = square
- long side, middle marked = star
With five ESP cards marked in this way, if someone hands you one face down you can
mentally 'divine' which one it is. You would never actually do this, of course, because it is
wretchedly dull and unimaginative.
A better alternative is to have two sets of ESP cards, both marked as above. The spectator
takes either set, and you take the other. He holds his cards out of view under the table and
you do the same. Invite him tq mix his cards while you pretend to do the same (actually
keeping them

34

in a known order). The spectator chooses any of his cards and hands it to you face down
under the table. You say you will choose one of yours at random. Take his card, work out
which one it is (via the secret marks) and find its twin among your cards. Place this pair
face down on the table. Repeat four times, pretending that this is an experiment in
coincidence, or synchronicity, or mind rapport, or telepathy, or remote cause and effect...
or whatever theme you care to wrap yourself in. At the end, show that all five pairs match.
If the spectator looks at his own cards each time he chooses which one to hand over, this
looks like a test of mind-reading. Alternatively, if he hands you cards without himself
knowing which is which, then it looks like clairvoyance or strange coincidence.
Another variation on the above is to involve two spectators who have some connection they work together, are in a relationship, are related, have interests in common etc. The
first takes one set of the five cards. You hold your set of cards in a known order under the
table. When Spectator 1 makes his choice of card and hands it to you, invite Spectator 2 to
name any number from 1-5. Say you will simply count down to that number in your packet,
and pretend to do so. Of course you simply match the appropriate card as before, but it
seems as if the spectators are actually making all the choices.
Self-ESPression
Using an approach similar to the above, you can seemingly help a spectator demonstrate
her own innate ESR Here is one way to go about
this.
A word of preamble. There is an 'alternative' diagnostic procedure called Applied
Kinesiology (AK). Suppose you have five seemingly identical opaque containers, four
containing something healthy (e.g. orange juice) and one containing a solution of rat
poison. You do not know which is which. You hold these in your left hand one at a time
while the AK 'Operator' tries to depress your outstretched right arm. According to fans of
AK, when you hold the 'healthy' substance, you have 'normal' or 'healthy' strength, and it
takes a certain amount of force to depress your arm. When you hold the 'unhealthy'
substance, such as poison, your muscles are weaker and it takes less force to depress your
arm. Hence the AK 'Operator can tell which is the 'poison' container - even though you
yourself do not know what is in each container when you hold it.
This is a wonderfully powerful theme for a mentalism routine. Use one set of five ESP
cards, marked so that you can secretly tell which is

35

which. Nominate any spectator (preferably female) as the Subject for the experiment.
Show the ESP cards and have anyone else mix them face down.
Face the Subject, hold your right hand face up and invite her to rest her left hand very
gently on it, palm to palm. Ask the Card Mixer to hand you one of the five ESP cards at
random, keeping it face down so that in theory no-one knows which one it is. Take the
card in your left hand, holding it flat and parallel to the floor or table. Invite the Subject to
reach under the card with her right fingertips and gently stroke its face. Invite her to try
and 'sense' which one it is, as you gently recite the five options over and over: "Circle,
cross, waves, square, star."
Take your time, and secretly determine which card you are holding. Rotate the card if you
have to (under the guise of helping the Subject gain a clearer impression).
All you have to do now is pretend to detect some sort of subtle reaction which suggests the
Subject herself is somehow sensing the card's identity. Make up anything which sounds
sufficiently plausible. I suggest you draw on the kind of jargon associated with non-verbal
communication, body language, face-reading, neuro-linguistic programming or any other
fashionable trend of the day.
For example, you might say, "Ah... there! Did you notice that? The last two times I said
'Cross' your whole body leaned forward very slightly, indicating some sort of approval. It
was almost imperceptible, but at some instinctive level you seem to be responding to
'Cross'. Let's see if you're right." And of course she is as right as you want her to be.
For an extra convincer, try this. Offer an initial assessment as above, but do not go straight
to the revelation. Instead, having told the Subject that you think she is responding to
'Cross' for some reason, repeat the process of reciting the five possibilities. It is now very
likely that she really will respond to 'Cross' in some way, simply because you have planted
that suggestion. Then you can proceed to the revelation. This is powerful magic that can
seriously tinker with what a person believes is real or possible. This either makes it worth
doing, or worth avoiding, depending on your point of view.
You can of course use a routine of this kind in conjunction with any other ESP card effect.
See the Appendix for suggestions.
Tarot Touches
By this stage I hope you are beginning to see that Sense of Touch has countless uses as an
all-purpose, sure-fire, indetectable way of secretly

36

obtaining information. It can be used in place of many traditional marking methods, either
as a simple preference or because you want the deceptive subtlety that the Sense of Touch
principle provides.
Many routines that can be done with regular cards or ESP cards can be done equally well
with tarot cards. For example, take any five of the 'major arcana' cards which are easy to
recite as a set. You can then perform 'Self-ESPression as above. Instead of reciting 'Circle,
cross, waves, square, star' as the five choices, you might say. 'Sun, moon, star, world,
lovers'. Different wrapper, same effect.
Or you can take the 1-5 of two tarot suits, e.g. 1-5 of Swords and 1-5 of Coins, and
perform 'Tel-ESP-athy'.
If you want to revert to the SWIFT Challenge type of routine, but use tarot cards instead,
then try this. Select five of the major arcana cards which are named after human figures,
such as Emperor, Empress, Lovers, Fool and Magician. Use the Sense of Touch principle
to mark these. Add the 1-5 of Swords, but leave these un-marked. Introduce the ten cards
and have anyone mix them up. Say you will try to differentiate between "the animate and
the inanimate, the human energy aura and thai which is unliving". You are then all set to
demonstrate that you can somehow differentiate the two kinds of cards - animate and
inanimate -by touch alone. This is at least as interesting as sorting reds from blacks, and
lends itself to countless presentational dressings.
[f you want to use more than five cards of either type, you can. You just have to guard
against potential confusion. Of the 22 major arcana cards, 9 are named after human figures
(Fool, Magician, Priestess, Empress, Emperor, High Priest or 'Hierophant', Lovers, Hermit
and Hanged Man). However, all 22 tend to depict human figures except for the Tower and
the Wheel of Fortune. For example, 'Justice' is usually depicted as a woman holding a
sword and scales. The precise details may vary from ane tarot design to another, and it is
your call whether 'Devil', for example, constitutes a human figure.
SOT with custom-made card designs
^t the risk of stating the obvious, you can get some blank card stock and draw or print
anything you want on them. to suit any theme under the sun. There are many ways of
going about this. You may have sufficient artistic talent to draw your own designs directly
on to card stock, or you may find a graphic artist to do it for you.
another option is to prepare your designs and find a print shop which ;an 'silk screen' them
on to blank card stock for you. This can be just

about affordable, especially if you dream up a set of designs so good that other magicians
will happily buy a set from you.
Alternatively, it is not hard these days to find a computer with some graphics software and
a colour inkjet printer. With such tools it requires no great artistic merit to produce
worthwhile designs and print them on to blank card stock. Unfortunately, inkjet ink on
blank card stock tends to stay wet and smear. The most practical solution I have found is to
print on to transparent inkjet labels and then affix the blank label, bearing your design, to
the card.
(Note: Home and office printers are improving all the time. A few years from now the
above may seem laughably archaic, as we all happily use hand-held 3-D full-colour
holo-burners to emblazon anything with any image instantly. But at the time of writing, it
is fairly sound guidance.)
Whatever design cards you create, the Sense of Touch marking principle can be applied to
them. The sky's the limit! Here is just one example of what you can do.
Chromatouch
Mentalist and Gothic Magician Ben Whiting suggested a Sense of Touch routine based on
colours and personality. He got the idea from the Luscher Color Test (see Appendix for
more about this).
Ben's idea lends itself to a routine similar to 'Self-ESPression' but based on colour. Get
eight pieces of blank card stock. On each, print a different coloured square (Dr. Luscher's
colours were grey, blue, green, red, yellow, violet, brown and black). On four of the cards
write a desirable trait pertaining to psychic ability, e.g. 'Intuitive', 'Insightful', 'Perceptive'
and 'Open-minded'. On the other four cards write less desirable traits e.g. 'Negative',
'Closed-minded', 'Uncaring' and 'Shallow'. You can leave the backs blank or give them a
neutral design.
Use Sense of Touch to mark the four 'desirable' cards. Place the eight cards in any suitable
container such as a slim card box. On the back of the box glue four coloured squares (but
no words), the colours corresponding to the four 'desirable' cards. These four squares form
your prediction.
To present, talk about the psychological research into colours and inner personality. Take
out the card box without flashing the four prediction squares on the back. Remove the
eight cards, and set the box aside so the prediction squares remain out of sight. Show the
cards, call attention to the colours but say nothing about the words. Explain that the
'normal way to do the test would be to look at the colours and make choices,

3&

but that you want to try a different approach - using the inner eye!
Select one of the women in the group to be the Subject. Let's suppose her name is Jane. Sit
facing Jane. Lay your right palm face up on the table, and ask Jane to place her left palm
face down gently on top of it. Have someone thoroughly mix the eight cards face down
and hand one to you. Hold this in your free left hand. Invite Jane to use her right fingertips
to reach under the card and stroke its face while you hold it, and try to sense if she feels
'sympathetic' to it or not.
Explain that as Jane touches the unseen colour, you will try to detect very subtle clues
which indicate whether she is 'sympathetic' to that card and its colour, even though no-one
yet knows which colour it is.
Thanks to the marks, you know whether the card is 'desirable' or not. If it is, pretend to
detect some 'clue' that Jane is sympathetic to that colour. For example, "Actually, I don't
know if you noticed, but your hand actually relaxed very slightly, indicating some rapport
with this colour, whatever it turns out to be". If not, say something like, "Ah... now you
may not have realised it. but your breathing has increased slightly and so has your pulse,
which is an innate response to threat or hostility, so for some reaison you are rejecting this
colour".
Work through all eight cards, making sure the four 'desirable' cards get chosen as the four
to which Jane is most 'sympathetic'. Time for the double climax. Turn over the four
'rejected' cards and show that they correspond to generally 'negative' traits. Then turn over
the other four, [o show what wonderful intuitive gifts they denote. Finally, express the
Jiew that Jane may be even more intuitive than she realises. Invite her :o put the cards
back in the box. She does so... and discovers the four :oloured squares which directly
correspond to her choices. Gasp, applause and paradigm shift.
f you are going to present 'Self-ESPression' and 'ChromaTouch', you
nay like to read up on things like Applied Kinesiology' so that your aatter has that
satisfying ring of authenticity.
Bonus Idea from Phanthomas: 'A Softer Touch'
Austrian magician and mentalist Phanthomas was one of several people vho provided
invaluable feedback on Sense of Touch prior to )ublication. He also reminded me of a very
different and highly ieceptive method which can be used for similar effects.
-et us assume you wish to present any effect in which the basic aim, rom the performer's
point of view. is to detect one card which is lifferent from the others. For example, going
back to the 'Hot or Not'

routine, you may want to detect the one card on which the 'Hot' name is written.
To prepare, lay the card you want to mark on the table, with the back uppermost. Now
bend the top left corner up and down several times. Do not bend the corner so much that
you leave any creases or other signs that the corners have been bent. Phanthomas suggests
that 15-20 gentle back-and-forth bends are about right, but you will have to experiment
with the cards or card stock you are using. Do the same with the diagonally opposite
corner.
You now have two corners which can be felt as softer. Merely by picking the card up and
laying it down again, you can feel whether or not the corner is 'softer'. This tells you all
you need to know.
Suppose you are performing 'Hot or Not' and you have five cards, one of which bears the
'hot' name. Phanthomas suggests that one by one, you lay each of the cards down on the
table or on the assisting spectator's hand. In performing this simple action, you can tell
whether or not the corner is 'soft', so you already know if it is the 'hot' name or not. Hold
your right hand two inches above the card, and place all the emphasis on this action as if
the right hand seemingly senses the correct 'vibrations'. Once you have 'assessed' these
vibrations, announce your verdict and move on to the next card.
This method, somewhat under-used by mentalists, is subtle and deceptive yet very
dependable. A version of the same idea features in Step 2 of Corinda's 'Thirteen Steps to
Mentalism' where it is called the Sujan Location. Corinda suggests that it still works even
if the cards are placed inside envelopes.
My sincere thanks to Phanthomas for mentioning the possible application of this principle
to the kind of effects featured in this section.

40

Final notes
Using someone else's deck or cards
By carrying a small length of candle round with you, you can of course mark up any cards
you come across, provided they are in good enough condition. This makes it possible to
perform Sense of Touch routines using someone else's deck! For example, if you are
staying with friends you may find it possible to grab half an hour to yourself and secretly
mark up their deck of cards.
Drew McAdam, one of my Sense of Touch 'test pilots', prepared a deck and then planted it
with a co-operative local shop-keeper. The shop concerned was just across the street from a
local newspaper office. Drew went to see a journalist at the paper, and among other
miracles offered to show his new 'skill' of touch reading. The journalist needed only slight
encouragement to nip across the road and "buy a new pack of cards" -naturally ending up
with the prepared deck!
Giving the same idea an extra twist, perhaps you know someone whom you see regularly,
and who keeps a stack of her business cards on or in her desk. During a sneaky covert
moment, help yourself to 5 of her business cards. Take them away, and use Sense of Touch
to secretly mark them 1-5. At a suitable opportunity, re-load the marked cards where you
found them, and offer to try an experiment in ESR Take the five business cards, and on the
blank side draw the five Zenner symbols using the customary association (l=Circle,
2=Cross, 3=Wavy Lines, 4=Square, 5=Star). Given that you can tell which card is which by
Sense of Touch alone, you can now perform miracles of telepathy, eyeless sight or
whatever!

I have deliberately avoided saying much about patter. This is something you can only really
decide for yourself, to suit your own style. However, 1 would emphasise that as with all
mentalism. good patter can greatly add to the flavour of any of the effects mentioned. For
example, during the SWIFT Challenge, you could take the line that red cards feel 'warmer'
or 'brighter', or that black cards feel somehow negative and 'unfriendly'. Little touches like
this can greatly enhance a given theme, and make the effect more memorable.
I have seen at least one performer take the line that black ink is denser and feels very
slightly 'heavier' than red ink! Rather surprisingly, at least

one very intelligent onlooker considered this plausible. Which patter line is an acceptable
embellishment to the effect, and which is too preposterous to utter in front of intelligent
people, is a judgement you can only make for yourself.
Protecting the Secret
I think it would be nice if the Sense of Touch principle were to remain a well-kept secret. I
assume you feel the same way, since you paid for it.
There are many places on the internet where people discuss magic. Some forums, like the
Magic Cafe managed by Steve Brooks and his team, are admirably well-run by people who
care about magical creativity, and who protect magic secrets. Other internet forums are
possibly less careful.
Suppose some person blabs about SOT on the internet and happens to mention the secret. I
suggest you join in the same forum or newsgroup, and post a reply. In a friendly, polite and
respectful way, point out that this person got it wrong, and that SOT actually works in a
different way. To back up your point, say that you have the actual SOT manuscript right in
front of you, as purchased from lan Rowland's delicious website, and offer to quote directly
from it. Then you quote from any one of the paragraphs below. You will be telling the
truth, because you really will be quoting from this manuscript! As it happens, the
paragraphs below are complete nonsense.
After one person has responded in this way, another of you can respond in a similar fashion
saying that both the explanations given have been incorrect, followed by quoting another of
the nonsense paragraphs below. Remember: only quote one of the daft explanations below
at any one time.
If we all protect SOT in this way, we should at least lay enough smoke and mirrors
down to keep the true secret hidden for a little while. And maybe we will have some fun
at the same time!
Here are the nonsense paragraphs to quote from. None of them have anything whatsoever
to do with the real secret, and some are more nonsensical than others,
With the Chroma magnet applied as described, you will note that it responds only
if a red card is in the vicinity. Black cards have no effect. The silent vibrations tell
you all you need to know. The Chroma magnet, which is not really a magnet at all
in the true sense, works over a range of 18-24 inches, depending on performing
conditions.

42

Having mixed the SOT chemical solution as instructed, apply to the pad of
your forefinger and allow to dry. If you experiment with some spare cards
of your own, you will note the way it reacts to the red ink of red spot cards,
whereas it does not react at all to the black inks typically used in playing
card manufacture.
The reflection gimmick provided is the first of its kind, being entirely
invisible and transparent from every angle. However, once you have
practised using it, as detailed in section C, you will be ready to exploit its
remarkable optical properties to perform the Sense of Touch effect.
As a few experiments and trial runs will show, the specially modified
Thumb Cap, unlike a thump tip, is literally indetectable, even at very close
quarters with people physically examining your hands. Yet the mechanism
inside will unfailingly tell you the colour and value of the card when used
as described.
The colour sensitive plastic material, which was developed in the
aeronautical industry, has never before been exploited in this way. As you
will discover when you play around with it, following diagrams 3-7, you
can readily mold the pliable material around your hand, thumb or finger,
and then readily be able to distinguish red from black, or high cards from
low ones, even if only a small portion of the plastic material is used.
To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time that scent has been
applied in this way to the divination of a card's value or suit. The fact that
there is, quite literally, nothing to smell, and that nothing needs to be
applied to the cards themselves, is what makes the principle so deceptive.
The peculiar acoustic properties of the material provided, which should be
enough for many hundreds of performances, will allow you to determine
the face value of the cards even though you can't see them, as detailed in
pages 4-5 of this manuscript. Do be careful, however, not to give away the
fact that you are listening for the information. What to do in noisy
environments? See the appendix on page 12.

A note about originality

To claim to have invented something 'new' in magic is generally either very brave or very
foolish. However, to the best of my knowledge Sense of Touch is effectively new and
original. More specifically, the originality lies in the fact that it is:
a. a tactile marking system
b. applied to the edges of cards, which is
c. invisible once applied, and
d. only detectable by applying a specific action, and which
e. can be used to code any card characteristics you wish
Less crucial to the 'originality', but worth mentioning, are the facts that Sense of Touch
requires no special kit or equipment, works with any cards or card-like items, and is
inexpensive.
I circulated Sense of Touch to several friends prior to publication, including Darwin Ortiz,
David Britland, Jack Avis, Lewis Jones and others. They all provided useful feedback, and
the consensus view was either that Sense of Touch could be described as 'new', or that at
the very least I had managed to re-discover a principle so little-used and little-known as to
be effectively 'new' to the vast majority of today's magicians and mentalists.
Of course, magicians have been secretly marking cards ever since there have been cards
and magicians to mark them. However, there have been very few tactile edge marking
systems, and none (as far as I can tell) which fit the criteria listed above and offer the same
possibilities as Sense of Touch.
For completeness, let me mention the relevant precedents I have been able to come up with
since I first hatched SOT, or which kind friends discovered for me. Hoffmann's 'Modern
Magic' (1876) includes the item 'To Distinguish the Court Cards by Touch', which
employed tiny abrasive edge ridges. Gus Southall's 'Card Puzzle' in 'Abra' #456 (1954)
explored this same theme. The item named 'A Sticky Solution' in 'Vernon's Chronicles:
More Lost Inner Secrets' used diachylon to render certain cards detectable by touch alone,
as did Jack Groom's 'Acme Spirit Test' (1929). The Vernon book also refers to wax as a
tactile marking system used by Ralph W. Hull in his Argus Wonder Cards', which it seems
was being advertised and marketed by the 1930s.
A.D. Livingstone's book 'Dealing with Cheats' has a comprehensive chapter on marked
cards, and refers to 'pegging' (a subtler form of pinprick marking) and 'nailing', a form of
edge marking, but nothing which matches the characteristics of Sense of Touch. The slim
but fascinating

44

volume, 'Koschitz's Manual of Useful Information', dating from 1894 but reprinted in The
Gambler's Bookshelf series, discusses a wide variety 3f marking methods, including some
edge-marking methods. However,
->one of these match Sense of Touch, and the booklet seems to have ittle faith in the
edge-marking methods it details, warning that these
-nethods can usually be detected by any suspicious observers! Friction is a deceptive ally
is nothing new - the 'slick' card is well-known, and Sob Hummer's 'Magic Carpet' (1945) is
one of several tricks to exploit he principle.

4ax Maven and David Britland were both very helpful with their time nd expertise, and
found most of the precedents listed above. I wish to ilace on record my sincere thanks to
them both. Jack Avis and Ben Vhiting also came up with relevant reference material, and I
thank them oth for their assistance.
en Whiting. Enrico Leoni. John Sherwood. Phanthomas, Lewis Jones nd Drew McAdam
all provided practical and constructive feedback. I lank them and my other "test pilots' for
their contributions to this lanuscript.
pecial thanks to Martin Breese for sound advice, guidance, contacts, ispiration and fun.
[an Rowland. London, April 2002,
Jblished by lan Rowland Limited. This booklet is only available from ww.ian-rowland-com.

Appendix

Paul Curry's 'Out of This World*

'Out of This World' was published by Paul Curry in 1942, and is widely regarded as one of
the greatest card tricks of all time. Although it has since appeared in many magic books, I
think anyone interested in this classic effect should read Curry's own manuscript which,
among other places, appears in 'Paul Curry's Worlds Beyond' (Hermetic Press, 2001). This
is a truly outstanding compilation of Curry's best material which I recommend
unreservedly. It is available from Stephen Minch's Hermetic Press or your favourite magic
dealer.
Numerous writers have added their own twists and variations to the 'standard' OOTW
effect. Curry himself wrote some follow-up pieces about his famous creation, including
The "World" Revisited', 'Best of Possible Worlds' and 'A Show of Hands', this last being a
trick using the same basic principle to achieve very different ends.

Tricks with ESP cards

I imagine there are almost as many tricks with ESP cards as there are magicians. Picking
and choosing can only be an exercise in personal preference. One which I like is Larry
Becker's 'ESPITOME' from 'Larry Becker's World of Super Mentalism Vol. II'. I may add
that in my opinion pretty much anything by Larry Becker is worth knowing about.
Another excellent item is Paul Curry's 'Matchmaker', which is found in 'Paul Curry's
Worlds Beyond' and also turns up in Paul Harris, 'The Art of Astonishment' Vol. 3, where
it is re-titled The Break-Room Boredom Buster'. This superb and near self-working trick
can be done with almost any cards, but two sets of 5 ESP cards would be a good choice.
David Britland's 'Zennerphobia' and 'Consumer Control' are two more excellent ESP card
effects, and both can be found in his superb book 'Psychomancy', which I recommend
highly. 'Zennerphobia' has the distinctive merit of being an ESP card trick for which no
actual ESP cards are needed, since the spectator simply makes mental choices.
Last but not least, I must mention the excellent 'Mind Novas' by Stephen Minch, a book
entirely devoted to tricks and routines with ESP cards. Like everything produced by
Stephen Minch, it is well worth reading and studying.

46

An Interesting Book
If you are going to present any Sense of Touch routine, you may like to get a book called
'How to develop and use psychic touch' by Ted Andrews (LLewllyn Publications.
Minnesota). Subtitle: 'Learn to "see" through touch'. I am not making this up! It is a real
book from an author ^ho apparently believes one can cultivate the ability to see through
touch alone. The book itself might provide some useful material for aatter, and leaving a
copy lying around could prompt an opportunity to demonstrate your gifts. Maybe it will
teach you how to do it for real!

rhe Luscher Color Test

mentioned Ben Whiting's idea for a routine loosely inspired by the
-uscher Color Test. The LCT was published in 1969 by Dr. Max
-uscher, a Swiss professor of psychology. It is a personality analysis tool )ased on sequential
colour preferences, and was sold as a book with 8 :oloured cards. It seems to be out of print at
the time of writing, but ;opies can be found lurking in second-book stores. Incidentally, the
>ook is a wonderful treasure chest of lines, themes and statements for iny mentalist interested
in cold-reading or routines based on personality. )r. Luscher's follow-up book. The 4-Color
Person, is one of those how-3-live-a-wonderful-life books, offering a "passport to a new life...
and a ew you!".

led Lesley Marked Deck booklet

t the time of writing, Martin Breese markets the Ted Lesley Working erformer's Marked Deck
and still supplies with it the excellent booklet 'hich says more or less everything worth saying
about marked cards nd how to use them well. Martin's website is: www.abracadabra.co.uk .

Sales Boost Section

The current best-seller lists (here in the UK) are dominated by books devoted to cookery,
gardening, interior design, DIY, pets and royalty. I have therefore decided to add this
section in case it helps this booklet to sell.
While preparing your Sense of Touch cards, why not also prepare some tasty Leek &
Potato Soup? Take lib leeks (sliced), 2 diced carrots, 1 large potato (diced), a handful of
split red lentils, vegeterian stock cube, and seasoning. Place all in a large saucepan with
water to cover, bring to the boil and simmer for 20-30 mins while you go back to preparing
your deck of cards. Once the soup has simmered, cool and put in a food processor and
blend as required.
If you prefer tomato soup, why not grow your own? Remember, if you crowd your tomato
crop, you will get reduced yields. Each large indeterminate plant needs a 3 foot spacing in
the row with the rows at least 2 feet apart. Smaller determinate plants can stand a 2 foot
spacing in the row with the rows held at 2 feet apart.
The room where you practise Sense of Touch and other tricks probably contains carpet.
Before purchasing a carpet, consider the following points: How is the room going to be
used? Will it have heavy or light traffic? Is there direct access from outside, or will the
carpet be away from entrances? Will the carpet receive direct sunlight?
If the room also needs redecorating, here's a tip: don't throw away old hardened paint
brushes. They can often be salvaged. Try soaking them in hot vinegar and then combing
through with an old fork. You can also simmer them in boiling vinegar and wash in hot
soapy water.
If the room has electrical cords in it, you may find your cats chew them. Try putting the
cords into a cardboard tube such as a mailing tube.
There is no instance of Sense of Touch being performed for members of the British royal
family. We do know, however, that in 1863, Edward, son of Queen Victoria, married
Princess Alexandra, daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark.
Published by lan Rowland Limited. This booklet is only available from www.
ian-rowland-com.

48