Josh Burch

Penguin Live Lecture

Table of Contents
Table of Contents 1
Introduction 3
Fancy Ketchup 4
Setup 4
Presentation 4
Magic Routine Beats 6
Reactions 10
Setup 10
Presentation 10
Adding Production Value 19
Setup 20
Presentation 21
Manipulation Routines 24
A Pickpocket Demonstration 25
Setup 25
Presentation 26
Making Magic Grow 29
Water Gun Roulette 30
Setup 30
Presentation 31
PK Chip 33
Setup 33
Presentation 34
(Bonus) Word Search 37
Setup 37
Presentation 37
Off the Grid 41
Setup 41
Presentation 41
(Bonus) Twister 49
Setup 49
 Presentation 51
(BONUS) Command Chairs 54
Effect 54
Setup 54
Preparing the Chairs 54
Preparing the Envelopes 55
Presentation 56
Introduction
Thank you for picking up this lecture. It means a lot to me! My passion is creating and
sharing magic, and I’m glad I can continue to share my magic with the community. You
all are the best!

As far as material in this lecture I wanted to focus on magic and mentalism that appeals
to kids and families. Many of us work for kids and family audiences. Often mentalism
comes off as dry and boring.

Each of these routines, while they are not strictly mentalism, is full of color, and unique
props an interesting images. These are images that will help make your magic
memorable, and they are images that kids and families will potentially find interesting.
I’ve done my best to inject these routines with color and life to create a vibrant show that
can be enjoyed by all.

In these notes you will find many thoughts and effects that are not explained in the
lecture. I hope you enjoy these additional pieces of mentalism, they are among my
favorite pieces I have created.
Fancy Ketchup
This is an ideal opener. I think sucker tricks in general are great openers. That's why so
many people use the Vanishing bottle as an opener. And that's why 30 years ago so
many people did the Chinese sticks, or the Pom Pom trick.

These are all tricks which are played a little bit tongue and cheek with the audience.
They all end with a surprise.

When an audience comes to a magic show they come with a lot of preconceived
notions. I think some people come with the idea that they are smart enough to outsmart
the magician, on some level. The vanishing bottle, or other sucker tricks like this,
whether it's hippity hop rabbits, or the vanishing die box, allow the audience a few
moments where they feel like they have outsmarted the magician. Then at the end they
give the audience a satisfactory surprise.

Setup
For this effect you need to pick up a Nielsen Vanishing Tomato Ketchup Bottle. These
are soft vinyl ketchup bottles that look solid but are easy to collapse. The bottles come
with a generic sticker that I have never been a huge fan of so I like to change it up. You
can’t just use any sticker though. The stickers I use are the Disappearing Ketchup
Labels available at disappearinghotsauce.com. These are static cling labels. They won’t
ruin the bottle with glues or adhesives, and they will stand up to repeated crushing
better than regular paper.

You also will need a can of potato chips. I use a VANVENE Potato Chip
Snake-in-a-Can. Again the can looks fairly generic so I swap it out. I use a can of
Pringles but the lid is not strong enough to hold the snake inside. I take the snake and
load it slowly into the can, then take the lid from the snake-in-a-can and press it into the
Pringles can. The lids are usually strong enough to hold the snake in.

Place both the ketchup and the potato chip can in the bag and you’re good to go.

Presentation
Enter holding the bag.
I've always wanted to start my show by pulling a rabbit out of a hat. But, top hats
are expensive, and rabbits are messy. So today I'm going to use a paper bag.

Watch, if I wave my hand over the bag and snap I can produce a beautiful bottle of
ketchup. I know, not quite as impressive as a rabbit but, it gets better.

You see if I wave my hand over the top of the bag and snap I can get the ketchup
to change into a can of potato chips. Not only that but with a wave of the hand
and a snap I can get the ketchup to change back into a bottle of ketchup.

I can do it slower…

With a wave of the hand and a snap the ketchup changes into a can of potato
chips…

You want to see the chips…sure you can see them.

Obviously, switch the ketchup for the can of chips.

See, the ketchup has transformed into a can of potato chips.

If you were to do this at home you would need a bottle of ketchup, and some
chips. Then when you put the ketchup inside the bag you would switch it. I don't
do it like that.

No. The bag’s empty. See? Empty..see?

Wave your hand over the bag, and turn it upside down to apparently show that it is
empty. Be careful to grip the ketchup bottle so that it does not actually fall out.

You don't look convinced, that's fine.

Crush the bag with the vinyl ketchup bottle inside.

People always want to know what's in the can. It's not ketchup. That’s impossible.
You see the ketchup can’t be in the can because that’s where I keep the
SNAAAAKE…

Open the can and send the snake into the sky.
Magic Routine Beats

Once you have learned a trick or effect in magic it doesn't necessarily mean that you
have learned something that you can add to a performance immediately. One small
magical moment does not make for a full routine.

This issue came up when I was hired by a social media magician. He had amassed a
large following online and people had started to ask him to perform for their corporate
parties. Some of these potential gigs were fairly lucrative and glamorous but there was
one issue, the Magician in question didn't have a full show.

I was hired to help him create a full show that stayed true to his brand online that he
could then take and perform in colleges across the country.

We started with the magic that he performed in short videos online and we created
larger longer routines out of these effects. The way we created longer, more interesting
routines was by taking advantage of existing beats in existing routines, and creating a
routine from there.

To illustrate this concept I have this script of a Rubik's Cube routine that follows the
approximate beats of the above vanishing ketchup bottle routine.

Is everybody familiar with one of these? Of course it's a Rubik's Cube.

Apparently, it took the guy who created it 4 months before he solved it the first
time. I'm not quite that fast so we are going to be here for a long time.

No, for that reason we're going to actually use magic to solve the cube. Watch if I
place the cube into the bag and wave my hand over the top I can cause the cube
to solve itself. Even better though if I wave my hand over again we can cause the
cube to mix itself.

Okay I'll slow it down for you. The cube goes into the bag and I wave my hand
over the top and snap. The cube solves itself. Oh you want to see the cube?

Show the cube but hesitate as if there are two cubes in the bag.

Now if you were to do this trick yourself you would need two cubes one that was
solved and one that was mixed up you would then just swap them inside the bag
but that's not what I do. No, the bag I use is completely empty. See?
No it really is empty!
In this way you can see the two effects are very different, in one a bottle of ketchup
vanishes/transforms. In the other because a Rubik's Cube to solve itself.
Here's a rundown of the specific beats that each routine hits…
Beats
Introduction and Opening
Joke
“It goes back” Gag
Slow it Down and Create
Fancy Ketchup
I've always wanted to
start my show by pulling
a rabbit out of a hat. But,
top hats are expensive,
and rabbits are messy.
So today I'm going to
use a paper bag.
Watch, if I wave my hand
over the bag and snap I
can produce a beautiful
bottle of ketchup. I know,
not quite as impressive
as a rabbit but, it gets
better.
You see if I wave my
hand over the top of the
bag and snap I can get
the ketchup to change
into a can of potato
chips. Not only that but
with a wave of the hand
and a snap I can get the
ketchup to change back
into a bottle of ketchup.
Oh, I can do it slower…
Rubik's Cube Opener
Is everybody familiar
with one of these? Of
course it's a Rubik's
Cube. Apparently, it took
the guy who created it 4
months before he solved
it the first time. I'm not
quite that fast so we are
going to be here for a
long time.
No, for that reason we're
going to actually use
magic to solve the cube.
Watch if I place the cube
into the bag and wave
my hand over the top I
can cause the cube to
solve itself. Even better
though, if I wave my
hand over again we can
cause the cube to mix
itself.
Okay I'll slow it down for
 Tension
With a wave of the hand
and a snap the ketchup
changes into a can of
potato chips.
You want to see the
chips…sure you can see
them.
you.
The cube goes into the
bag and I wave my hand
over the top and snap.
The cube solves itself.
Oh you want to see the
cube?

Explain a Possible Method If you were to do this at Now if you were to do

and Claim that you don’t
use it
home you would need a
bottle of ketchup, and
some chips. Then when
you put the ketchup
inside the bag you would
switch it, but I don't do it
like that.
this trick yourself you
would need two cubes
one that was solved and
one that was mixed up
you would then just
swap them inside the
bag but that's not what I
do.

Disprove that Method No. The bag’s empty. No, the bag I use is
See? Empty..see? completely empty. See?

You could take the same beats and change the trick and you would still have a great
opener. For instance you could do a cut and restored rope.

Beats Cut and Restored Rope

Introduction and Opening Joke Introduce the rope with a joke and cut it.

“It goes back” Gag Wrap the rope arround your hand, and
claim that it has restored itself. Then
claim that it has cut itself again.

Slow it Down and Create Tension Wrap the rope around the hand again
stealing the knot.

Explain a Possible Method and Claim that Suspiciously hold the rope as if it has not
you don’t use it really been restored.

Disprove that Method Make a magic pass and show that the
rope has been restored

You could do it with a zombie ball routine.

 Beats Cut and Restored Rope

Introduction and Opening Joke Introduce the ball and silk with a joke.

“It goes back” Gag Cover the zombie ball with the silk, and
claim that it is levitating. Claim to make it
land back on the table and show the ball.

Slow it Down and Create Tension Lay the silk over the ball flat on the table
and start the levitation but keep it low.

Explain a Possible Method and Claim that Explain that they look suspicious to think
you don’t use it that there might be something under the
silk.

Disprove that Method Show the ball levitating above and to the
left and right of the silk.

Every magic presentation has beats. This presentation is especially versatile but it is by
no means the only possible format for creating a routine. In fact we can discover the
beats in any routine and apply it to another it just takes a little bit of work.
Reactions
When performing for kids it is helpful for me to establish some ground rules at the
beginning of the show. This is my way of explaining the rules to younger audiences, and
it gives me an excuse to get them all involved. They get to make noise, and I get to
practice calming them down between the interactive portions. I suggest establishing a
“quiet down” symbol in this routine. Something as simple as placing your finger to your
lips is fine.

If you establish what is supposed to happen here at the beginning of the show you can
then use that gesture to calm the audience down if they get riled up, as kids are
sometimes prone to do. This routine also uses signs that you can feel free to use
throughout your show. Instead of asking for applause you can hold up the applause sign
after a trick, or if something funny happens you can hold up the laughing face.
Something like this establishes a good touchstone when creating a larger show, and it’s
an easy way to manufacture a call back.

Setup
At the end of this section you will see 5 reactions you might use online. These are all
emojis and I chose these specific emojis because they are fun to act out. You can use
the ones I provide or use your own. I printed these off and glued them to some 8x10 thin
canvases I purchased at Walmart.

On the back of the surprised face you need to glue your prediction, “SURPRISE WILL
BE THE FINAL CARD”. The cards are then set up in any order as long as the surprised
face is at the front and the applause hands are at the back of the stack.

Presentation
Raise your hand if this is your first time seeing a live magic show. The way we
react to magic online is very different from how we react to magic live. Today, I
brought some reactions we use online and I thought we could translate them to
what they mean in real life.

Pick up the reaction cards, and show a few of them. Be careful not to reveal the
prediction or to change the order.
We’ll go through them one at a time, in an order YOU (point to someone specific)
decide. Have we ever met? No. Have we set anything up? No. I need you to name
a number from 1-5.

I’m going to move these cards one at a time to the back according to your
number. We'll make that reaction and we'll go to the next card according to your
number.

Using the number they name, move one card from the front to the back of the stack and
show the first card. Any number they choose will work just fine, if they choose a multiple
of 5, things get a little complicated but we’ll go over that at the end of this section.

Let’s imagine you have moved the cards according to their number.

I should point out that if you had gone with a different number we would have
ended on a different card. But we ended on…

What follows is an explanation of each reaction. The order you show the reactions in will
be different for every performance. After you explain the significance of a reaction, you
will turn it over where it is, as if you are eliminating that card. Then use the same named
number to arrive at the next card, and the next, and so on.

HAPPY FACE - This is the happy face. If you are enjoying the show this is what
you do. Can everyone make a happy face?

APPLAUSE - This is applause if you like what you see you you can applaud. Let’s
all applaud on the count of three 1, 2, 3… and great!

SAD FACE - Sometimes something sad might happen in a magic show, in that
case it’s okay to cry. I won't judge. Can everyone cry for me on the count of three
1, 2, 3… and great!

LAUGHING FACE - Sometimes funny things happen in a magic show. If you see
something funny you might laugh like this. Everyone laugh like you just heard a
hilarious joke on 3! 1, 2, 3… and great!

One more.

SURPRISED FACE - The surprise face. That's my favorite reaction.

Some of my favorite magic tricks end in surprise, and this trick ALWAYS ends in
surprise. You chose the order of the cards. If you would have chosen a different
number we would have gone through the cards in a different order and ended on
a different reaction. Yet I predicted that we would end with surprise.

Turn over the final card and reveal the prediction.

“SURPRISE WILL BE THE FINAL CARD”

I think that’s worthy of a round of applause!

Casually turn over the stack of cards to reveal the applause card, and take a bow.

They can name literally any number and the surprise card will always be the last card
eliminated. This is the George Sands prime number principle. The only tricky part
happens with multiples of fives. There are two outs I suggest here.

The first is to ask the spectator to name a number between 1 and 5. If they say 5,
reiterate that you are asking for a number BETWEEN 1 and 5.

The other out is to count the cards a little differently. Generally in this routine I will count
“One” and move one card from the front to the back, then count “Two” and move the
second card from the front to the back, and continue. If they choose a multiple of 5 I
point to the first card and count “One” then I move the card to the back. I point at the
face of the next card and say, “Two”. Then I move that card from the front to the back.
This modified count is continued until all of the cards are eliminated and it will ensure
that the surprise card is the final card. You can still get the applause cue at the end.

Note:
I’m sure you have noticed but this effect makes an ideal effect for a virtual magic show
performed over video.
Adding Production Value
One of the great assets of mentalism is that many pieces can play very big despite
small, easy-to-carry props. Mentalism is loved by many for its “packs small plays big
aspects.” At one point I bought into this idea hook line and sinker.

Then I began showing up at gigs with nothing but my case. My show was black and
white, with very little to look at. This is fine for performers working in a corporate
environment, but when I perform for family groups, at schools, scouting events, and
fairs at the park, I like my show to feel more colorful and look more interesting.

I find that this helps especially with younger audiences. Kids will generally be more
engaged if there’s something interesting to look at during the show.

When I started to add more visually appealing mentalism, and production value to my
act two things began to happen from the clients perspective.

Having interesting props on the stage as they took their seats added to the excitement.
When my show was minimal it was like walking into a dinner party, sitting down at the
table and not seeing or smelling any food in sight. The dinner might be amazing but it’s
hare to get excited about something you can see.

Having interesting props and sets on the stage as a prelude to your show is like walking
into a dinner party with beautiful smells in the air. You then see a table full of delicious
foods, and begin to anticipate what each will taste like. I like the energy in this kind of a
performance.

The other benefit was this, as I began adding visual elements to my mentalism and
magic my audiences remembered more of my show. In speaking with my audiences
after a performance they could often times name specific pieces based on the props
used during the show. I appreciate having my magic remembered.

I also avoided a few comments I didn’t love. When my show lived in my case I would
show up at a performance, setup my act, and the booker would say something along
the lines of, “Is that it?” Sure, after I started performing I hoped that they would be blown
away by the value I contributed, but for a moment I could see it in their faces. It was as
if they were thinking, “Is this all I paid for?” I much prefer the reactions I have received

since making the changes above.

Modern Water to Wine
I find myself performing for various different audiences from church groups, to
engineers. I love the effect of changing water to wine but the challenge here was to
create a presentation that would be respectful to people who believe in Christ, as well
as to complete atheists.

How could I perform this effect in a way that wasn’t blasphemous to a Christian, or
evangelical to an atheist? I think I discovered a theme that works. I explain that I am not
claiming to do miracles, and I think it would be immoral for me to claim that I was. This
is a point that I think that just about anyone will agree with, and it’s fitting to make that
point while simulating a famous miracle.

There are certain effects in magic that are bonafide classics. These are tricks like
sawing a woman in half, pulling a rabbit from a hat, or the linking rings. Some audiences
hear about these tricks and they get really excited when they get to go to a magic show
to finally see them. I think turning water to wine has a similar appeal. What's nice is that
it isn't quite a cliche to see a magician turning water to wine but when we hear the story
of Jesus turning water to wine, it's natural to wonder what it would have been like.

Interestingly this effect was also performed by another Jewish magician that is super
famous. Harry Houdini performed the water to wine effect for some time in his show. At
that time the trick was cumbersome and difficult to perform. I've put a lot of work into
this trick to make it as easy as possible to perform regularly.

Setup
The props the audience will see for this effect are as follows: a clear pitcher, 4 clear
cups, 3 clear disposable cups, and a small bag of cookies.

Behind the scenes you will also need 2 glass bottles (I use small mason jars with screw
on lids), a ½ teaspoon measuring spoon, and a full teaspoon measuring spoon. You
also need a magic marker, three specific chemicals, some water, and some milk.

The three chemicals you need are potassium carbonate, tartaric acid, and
phenolphthalein. These are not especially dangerous chemicals, the first two
(potassium carbonate, and tartaric acid) are sometimes found in food though you do not
want to eat them. Phenolphthalein is a chemical commonly used to test pool water.

Wear proper eye protection, and keep these chemicals away from your skin while using
them. Also make sure to store them out of reach of children.
I purchase the chemicals I need from loudwolf.com. I get 8 oz Tartaric Acid Crystals, 4
oz Potassium Carbonate Fine Powder, and 4 oz Phenolphthalein Indicator Solution 1%.
I once purchased the 1 oz Phenolphthalein Indicator Solution bottle and liked how easy
it was to use as well, you will just use it up much quicker than the bigger bottle.

Mix the tartaric acid crystals in a glass jar 1 to 1 with some water until the crystals have
dissolved. Mix the potassium carbonate powder 1 to 1 with water as well. The
potassium carbonate will heat up a bit during this mixing process, so keep the bottle
ventilated and allow it to cool down before using. Clearly mark both of these containers.

With a magic marker take the 4 clear cups and mark them with an A, B, C, and D. I go
as far as to mark what each cup will contain:

-On the bottom of cup “A” I write “½ tsp PC”, “PC” stands for potassium carbonate.
-On cup “B” I write “P”, “P” stands for phenolphthalein.
-On cup “C” I write “1 tsp TA”, “TA” stands for tartaric acid.
-On cup “D” I write “P”, “P” stands for phenolphthalein.

I also take a disposable cup and draw a skull and crossbones on the bottom. Indicating
to myself that it is not fit for drinking.

In my case I also carry a card that lays everything out:

A: ½ tsp potassium carbonate
B: A few drops of phenolphthalein
C: 1 tsp tartaric acid
D: A few drops of phenolphthalein
On one disposable cup, fill bottom with phenolphthalein

The four cups are placed on my table in a row, with about half a pitcher of water next to
them. The chemicals are all transparent so they cannot be seen. In my case, out of view
of the audience, I place 3 disposable cups. One cup is filled with milk and placed next to
a small back of cookies. One cup is marked as poison and contains about a tablespoon
of phenolphthalein. There is one more disposable cup that is absolutely normal. Just
like that, you are ready to go.

Presentation
This won’t come as a surprise to anyone but I am not an actual wizard. If I claimed
that I was performing miracles then I would either be a prophet or a fraud. I'm
neither of those things. I'm doing magic tricks. You know that it's not real, and I
know that you know that it's not real. Keep that in mind as I do this next piece.

This one starts with a glass of water.

Remove the untouched, disposable cup from the case and pour some water in it. This
water is completely normal and it is offered to the audience.

Will you take a sip of this? What does it taste like? That's because it is…

Pour some water in glass A.

...Water

Pour the contents back into the pitcher and swirl it just a little.

…Water

Pour some water in cup A.

...Wine

Pour some water in cup B, and watch it turn pink.

...Water

Pour some water in cup C

...Wine

Pour some water in cup D, and watch it turn pink. Here I pause and bow a little.

Now I could stop there. That's what somebody else might do but I'm going to
keep going. If we mix the wine with the water we get more wine.

Take cup B and mix a little of the pink liquid into cup A

If we mix the water with the wine we get…more water!?

Tak cup C and mix it with cup D. It will turn the contents clear.
Again, if we mix the wine with the water we get more wine. If we mix the water
with the wine we get more water.

Suiting words to actions dump the contents of cup A and B into the pitcher. It will turn
pink. Dump the contents of cups C and D into the pitcher and it will turn clear.

But, water's bland and I don't drink. I've always been a milk and cookies kind of
guy.

Remove the poison cup from the case and pour it. It will be a white liquid that looks like
milk.

Who wants cookies?

At this point, if you’re performing for kids everyone's hands will go up. Go into your case
with the cup of fake milk in hand, drop it off under the cover of the lid and swap it for the
actual milk, grab the cookies in the same motion.

Bring the real cookies and milk out and offer the milk to be verified as legitimate by a
member of the audience.

Note:
I specifically use CUPS for this routine, and not wine glasses so that the first color
change comes as a surprise. Some elegance could be added with wine glasses but you
may be telegraphing the changes to come if you start with wine glasses. I prefer the
surprise in my performances.
Manipulation Routines
Kids and families react to visual magic. The gasps during the water to wine routine are audible
when I perform it. I consider the water to wine routine, as written above, to be a manipulation
routine.

I could perform the entire routine to music and the magic would speak for itself. It can be helpful
to have a few manipulation routines in your repertoire that have the potential to appeal to
everyone in the audience. Routines like this can be extremely engaging.

There are two negatives that I see in manipulation routines. They require a lot of setup for a a
few minutes of magic. And the individual magic effects that make up the routine tend to be less
fooling than what you find in single effect pieces of magic.

These two issues pop up with the water to wine effect. With the first, there is a lot of setup in this
routine, even with the modern shortcuts I advise. This setup is extremely simple when compared
to some of the setups used by Rocco, Shin Lim, or many of the other world class manipulators
of our time.

The other issue is also true. The audience can intuit that there is some sciency chemistry
happening to make the changes. That doesn’t make them any less beautiful or startling. It also
doesn’t detract from the chance that they have to see the water in wine effect live. They have
likely imagined the miracle in the Bible. Seeing it live, even if they might be able to guess part of
the method, is similar to watching the Harry Potter films after reading the books. It’s still
entertaining.

Do I think that all magic should be like this? No, I love to be fooled. But I do think there is a
place at the table for this type of magic. Audiences seem to enjoy it. If you have never
performed any type of manipulation in your act I would experiment with it and see how your
audience responds.
A Pickpocket Demonstration
This is a staple of my act no matter what venue I am performing in. I can place it in my
pocket and I can just as easily perform it close up during walkaround, or in a formal
stage show. It plays very big. This is my handling of Transfer by Alexander Marsh and I
explain it here with Alex’s full permission.

On the download, Marsh covers several different ideas you can do with the Transfer
gimmicks. At one point he mentions that you can use this gimmick in a bills across
effect, he then gives you a couple ideas about how it might work. I took this idea and
created a fleshed out routine that I use EVERYWHERE.

Setup
You will need 12 identical bills for this effect. I prefer to use $20 or higher. You can use
smaller bills but it really makes a difference depending on the value of the bills you use.
It is much more impressive to steal $40 than it is to steal $2. To get good bills for this
effect I call forward to a bank and ask if they have sequential $20 bills. If they ask what
it’s for I usually say origami, it’s easier to explain than magic. It’s not necessary to get
brand new bills but it’s easier to work with nice new bills. If I can’t get new bills I will iron
some at home.

When you have your bills split them into pairs of similar looking bills. Using rubber
cement you will paste half of the bills together. Of course with rubber cement if you ever
need to use the bills you can carefully peel them apart and rub the glue off. If we look at
a 20 dollar bill in a horizontal position Andrew Jackson is roughly in the center. I usually
paint the left side with rubber cement and allow it to dry. On a matching bill I paint the
right side of the white house side of the bill. This doesn’t have to be exact, in fact I more
than cover the middle portion most of the time for good measure.

Once the glue is dry you can line up the bills and stick them together. Make sure the
bills are completely aligned and press them together. If there are any overhanging
pieces, trim them off. After they are glued, the side of the bill to the left of Andrew
Jackson’s head can be counted as one, the side to the right can be counted as two.

The bills need to be folded. The specifics here will make the bills easier to use during
performance. If you are looking at Andrew Jackson’s face the double side will be on the
right. This side needs to be folded over to the other side. I usually stop short by about
an eighth of an inch, or at the border of the bill. This way I can easily open the bills
when I need to because of the obvious step created on the edge.
You will need 4 gaffed bills like this. That is 4 pairs of glued bills. You will also need 4
ungimmicked bills. I take two of the gimmicked bills and nest them together, and place
an ungimmicked bill on the outside. This bill is folded to the border matching the
gimmicked bills. This is the stack that will change from 5 to 3 bills.

With the other stack you will fold the two gimmicked bills up and fold the three normal
bills to the border and wrap them around the gimmicks. If you open the bills all at once
you can count the bills as 5. If you peel the bills one at a time you can count them as 7. I
stick this stack in the middle of the 5 to 3 stack and we are ready to go.

Presentation
Of course if I told you that what I was doing was real then I'd be a liar, cheater, a
huckster and a fraud. While I might be some of those things I'm not all of those
things.

But I'm definitely not a thief. Today I'm going to give you a behind the scenes look
at how a thief might operate.

For this I need two people. No I won't be stealing your stuff I'll be loaning you
some of mine. Yes this is a good trick to volunteer for because you each get $100.
This is a loan. So please stay here.

That's 20, 40, 60, 80, 100 dollars. Or five bills.

Count the bills by taking them in their folded state and peeling one bill back at a time as
you count. I usually count this stack twice, once by counting the bills’ values and
another by counting the individual bills so that it’s clear that they have 5 bills or $100.

Hold your hand out flat and sandwich the bills. How much do you have? Make
sure there's no way that I can get inside without you knowing.

Their hands sandwich the bills.

And now $100 for you. That's one two three four five bills, or how much? Correct
$100. Hold your hand out flat place your other hand right down on top.

With the second set of bills I open them up all together and fan them out. If everything
has been done correctly we show 5 bills at the top. Down at the base of the fan you hold
the bills together. You can be fairly free with the bills here.
Stay right there. We are going to imagine we are at a bus stop. You two are
waiting on the street, and I wait around the corner until I see the bus. When I see
the bus I act like I am in a rush and that gives me an excuse to bump into you.

That's when it happens. Would you be impressed if somehow I was able to steal
$20? Yes? Great because I was. Twice.

I'm coming for your money next, so hold on for just a moment.

I always remind the second spectator to keep their hands held together, just to prevent
them from spoiling the climax of the effect.

Slowly open your hands. It looks a little bit thinner. There's nothing in my hands.
That's 20, 40, 60 dollars. Somebody owes me 40 bucks.

Here you count the bills by first opening them then fanning them out. This reveals 3
bills. Put this stack away.

You know the smart thing to do here would be to allow you guys to get on the bus
and to take your getaway vehicle far away from me so I can run away with your
money. That would be the smart thing to do. I'm going to do the less intelligent
thing. I'm getting on the bus too.

So we're all riding the bus…

Here I start to bounce on my feet to simulate that I am riding the bus. I then look to my
left and right until both spectators bounce with me. This usually gets a laugh whether
they join me or not.

While riding the bus I just wait for the stop and that's where it happens. Would
you be impressed if somehow I was able to steal $20 from you? It'd be even better
if I stole $40 right? Better for me, not so much for you.

But that's not what happened. While we were riding I saw Carol over here
counting a stack of money. While we were riding I gave you Carol's money so if
there’s a confrontation I can say that I don’t have the money. You do!

Let's take a look, slowly open your hands. You can see it's a little thicker than
before.
There’s a small subtlety here. Compared to the other stack this stack does look bigger.
Because that other stack is fresh on their mind and because they assume that the
stacks were the same thickness at the beginning, they will oftentimes swear that the
stack of money grew inside of their hands.

That's 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120, 140 dollars. You make a great accomplice, take
your newfound skill and use it wisely.

Place the large stack of bills inside the smaller stack and you are reset.
Making Magic Grow
As a teenager I became very interested in close up magic. I began performing close up magic
almost exclusively. I was performing a style of magic that really you could only see if you were
looking down on a table. I began performing like this in larger venues and a mentor of mine
pulled me aside.

He explained that if I would just stand up while performing, more people could see what I was
doing. In turn I could add another zero to my fee.

I don’t know if that has actually played out in my career but his point wasn’t lost on me. If the
magic you are performing is bigger people will pay more money to hire you. Today we can add
production value with audio visual equipment and projection but I still think there is a place to fill
a stage with magic.

There is currently a trend to go as minimal as possible with your magic. I enjoy pushing against
that trend. When someone hires me, I want it to be exciting. I want to fill the stage as much as
possible. This can be a challenge when you travel with your show but I believe that your
perceived value goes up as your show begins to look bigger. As your perceived value goes up
your audience will be more appreciative of your magic and you have the ability to charge more
for your performances.

Bridging that gap between close up and stage magic is difficult. I recommend looking for magic
that works in both venues at first. Transfer by Alexander Marsh is a great example. Ninja Rings
is another. The magic square can work close up as well as on stage. As you build your
repertoire you can practice in smaller venues. Then when you are asked to perform on stage
you can get a larger set of linking rings, or a larger pad of paper for your magic square.
Water Gun Roulette
Russian Roulette routines have been a staple of magic for quite some time. I really hate
that there are so many roulette routines that claim to be safe when they have obvious
dangers. A marked cup is not safe. An electronic pen that tells you where the spike is
hidden is not safe. I personally know two well respected magicians from my home town
who have hurt themselves with roulette routines, one ended up stapling the palm of his
hand and the other ended up smashing his hand through a drywall screw and ending up
in the emergency.

This routine came out of wanting to do a roulette routine that was actually safe. I also
wanted to do a routine I could perform in front of kids and families without worrying that I
was going to put them in danger.

Roulette with water guns seems to make sense, and this is a lot of fun to perform.

Setup
You need at least 5 water guns for this routine. I use Zuru X Shot Water Warfare
Fast-Fill Water Blasters. I got a little lucky and was able to purchase 6 blasters for $45
from CostCo. It looks like they have discontinued this sale since I picked up mine. In
any case you need to get blasters that can fire and also have a “Fast-Fill” feature. This
allows you to quickly fill or empty the water gun.

To set up the gun you need to fill the tank. Close it, then fire the gun a few times.
Prepare the gun for another shot but don’t take it. Empty the gun and dry out the tank.
Although it looks like the gun is empty, depending on the gun you have it might have 1
to 5 more shots in it. The brand I use can get two solid shots from an apparently empty
gun. This is because the water is still inside the tubing of the gun. The gun can stay like
this for several days without leaking, though I recommend getting fresh water each time
you perform.

Set up four guns like this and load the tanks with beans. I actually prefer bean bags, to
dampen the sound but you can easily use beans, marbles, or rocks. I then cover the
tanks of the guns I am using. I will use at least 4 gimmicked guns during the routine. I
think this is the minimal number you should use.

I also have one ungimmicked gun to explain how the guns function. This is loaded with
water. These guns are either placed on a low table or on the edge of the stage. Other
than that, I use a chair with a towel draped over it as a target, the end of the towel falls
into a bucket, and on that chair I place the ungimmicked gun and a colander.

Presentation
It can be dangerous to steal from somebody you don't know. Which is what
brings us to the dangerous part of the show.

I have with me five…loaded…water guns…

Each water gun works the same. We have a tank up top with a window so that you
can see the water. We also have a trigger. This trigger is just a decoration, it does
nothing. To fire the gun you have to pull back on this handle here. That's not the
only way to get your friends wet, you can also use the quick release button and
dump out the contents of the water. This is what that looks like.

I show how the gun works, firing it into the towel, and then dumping it out into the
bucket.

That is probably the fastest way to soak somebody with these water guns and
that's what we're going to do today.

These guns are just a little bit different. I have covered up the windows on the
tanks so that you can't see what is inside. That's because three of these, like
many of you, are full of beans. One of them is full of water. We are going to use
our combined psychic powers to determine which gun contains the water and we
will try to avoid that gun.

At this point you could have the guns mixed for good measure, or you can go right into
the trick.

Can you come up and join me? We have guns one, two, three, and four. Please
choose a gun.

Take this colander. The colander has little holes the holes are small enough that
they will catch the beans. They will not catch the water. Hold it up, let's see how
you did.

I dump the beans into the colander.

Looks like you're safe this time, point to someone else.

It's a little more likely you're going to choose the gun full of water. Take the
colander.

Dump the beans out.

You're safe.

Now choose one more person. Maybe not somebody you know, there’s a good
chance that they will get wet. Choose a gun. Take the colander. And you're safe.

Give all of our volunteers a round of applause. That means that this gun has the
water!!!

Finish the routine by firing the gun. If it is an outdoor summer show I will fire the gun into
the air allowing the droplets to dissipate and fall onto the audience. In kids shows this
gets a fun reaction. With my guns I can usually get 2 shots. With larger guns, you may
be able to get more but that is generally enough to show that the gun is full of water.
PK Chip
This was created from the ground up. I had the thought to make a coin spin on my
finger. I lacked the tools to create the gimmick I had in mind so I used a poker chip. I
changed my approach with the poker chip as well as the spinning method. Then I was
left with a trick that wasn’t super impressive. That’s when I added the second phase and
it really took flight.

During close up and walk-around gigs this is one of the strongest things I do. It is a
visual piece of magic that happens in the spectator’s hands.

Setup
You need four poker chips to do this effect. Two are completely normal. The other two
are gimmicked.

To gimmick the first chip you need to drill a hole in the chip. You’ll need a candle, a pair
of pliers, and a pair of needle nose pliers. Light the candle and take hold of the poker
chip with the pliers. Hold it over the candle and heat the inner edges of the hole. Take
the needle nose pliers and make the hole smooth. Allow the chip to cool and check to
see if your finger fits through. That’s all for that chip.

For the second chip you need two needles. Take the needle, heat up the tip with the
candle and poke it into the edge of the poker chip, on the other side. I prefer to sink the
needles in just off center not directly across from each other.

Once the plastic cools you will clip the needles as close to the chip as possible while
leaving a small metallic pivot. These small pins on either side of the trick chip are what
allow you to make the chip mysteriously move.

Place the chip with the pins in it in your left pocket, with an ungimmicked chip. Place the
chip with the hole in it along with another ungimmicked chip in your right pants pocket.
In practice you don't need to use both pockets, but I find that this is probably the easiest
way to perform this effect. It resets instantly in this configuration.

With the chips in your pocket you are ready to perform.

Presentation
A moment ago we used our combined psychic powers to avoid getting soaked.
When I was a kid I used to watch X-Men on Saturday mornings. Professor Xavier
was a psychic. He can move things with his mind, bend metal, predict the future
and read minds.

For the last part of the show we're going to imagine as if sidekicks are real and
that I am a psychic, like professor Xavier. I haven't quite worked up the bending
metal with my mind but I thought I could try something with a couple of poker
chips.

Stick both hands into your pockets. Place the chip with the pins in a left hand finger
palm and openly remove the ungimicked chip. With your right hand you'll remove the
other ungimmicked chip. Place both of the ungimmicked chips in the open palm of the
right hand and offer one to a spectator.

I've got two poker chips. I'd like you to take one.

Position the remaining chip in your right fingers ready to be finger palmed.

Hold your poker chip up like this.

At this point I don't make a move out of it, but I curl the right hand fingers so that they
hold their chip and finger palm. I bring the right hand over to the left hand and I remove
the left hand chip from the finger palm. Adjust the chip so that the thumb and finger
contact the small pins on the chip.

If you were to shake it, or blow could you cause that chip to move?

At this point in the routine we are canceling methods. This small exercise shows the
audience that it's more difficult to move a chip in the fingers then they might initially
think.

Focus all of your energy over here. We are going to try to move the chip. We're
going to try to make it spin.

The best way that I can describe the technique for making the chip turn is to relate it to
the haunted key. You were going to very slowly tilt forward and to loosen your grip on
the chip. If you're using a heavier chip it will turn more readily. Also, placing the pins off
center helps to some extent. I usually allow the chip to make a 180 turn, but you can go
more or less depending on your style.

Just like with the haunted key it is helpful to move slowly. Build up some tension before
causing it to move.

While the chip turns I will ditch the normal chip in my pocket and switch it for the chip
with a hole in it. By the end of the term I am holding the chip with the hole in it in my
right hand finger palm.

You will notice that if you hold one chip between the finger and thumb in front of your
face, and then drop your hand down to your waist the poker chip is now in a French
drop/spellbound position.

This is exactly what I do. I relax the left hand which holds the chip with the pins. I
perform a spellbound move where I switch the chip with the pins for the chip with the
hole in it. Carefully keeping the hole covered with the right fingers.

With my dirty left hand, holding the chip with the pins in the left hand finger palm, I take
the ungimmicked chip from the spectator and put it away in my pocket. I then asked the
spectator to hold their hand out flat.

Here you can relax, just hold your hand out like this. We’ll try to bend the chip in
your hand.

I rub the chip in the center of their palm until I am covering the hole with just my pointer
finger. Press your finger through the hole.

You usually can start to feel it before they see anything, something is happening.
The chip isn't bending…

Push the finger all the way through and show it to everyone.

That's for you. That's a before and an after.

At this point I reach into my right pocket, and show the ungimmicked chip. I will then
hand both chips out for examination. This last move is a little discrepant because
apparently you ditched the coin in your left pocket, but if you ask for both chips back you
can place them both into your right pants pocket and you have reset.
(Bonus) Word Search
This was created at the same time as the poker chip trick above. These represent my
first attempts at creating mentalism effects. This is a trick that I have used for many
years in many forms. At one point I even blew the Word Search up to the size of a large
poster. I no longer think this is necessary. All you need to do to perform this is to print off
the two included puzzle pages, and solve them. Actually that’s why I am including this
effect here. It might be difficult to create your own poker trick, but it’s easy to create this.
A book test with a single book page seemed novel to me when I created this. At this
point I don’t even think I would call it a book test. This is my approach to mental yarn.
The first thing I did was to create a reason to have a list of seemingly unrelated things.
That list is the word bank in a word search. From there I had my premise.

Setup
Print off and solve the puzzles provided. Circle each of the following clues on the first
puzzle: Sand, Blue, Seagull, Sea, Sunshine, Boat.

The second puzzle needs to be filled out in the same way but you will see that the clues
are slightly different. This is on purpose. Circle the following on the second puzzle: Salt,
Blue Eagle, Pea, Sunshine, and Bath.

On both puzzles circle the name “Steven” in the center of the puzzle. Make a couple
markings (such as underlines, check marks etc.) to the other clues as if you were using
them to show which words have already been found. Both puzzles should look the
same despite the difference in clues.

If you notice, this puzzle makes a picture of a boat when solved. This will be the big
reveal.

Fold the puzzles in thirds so that just the clues are visible from the outside. Start with
the first puzzle in your hands to help you out, this puzzle has the letter “A” in the top left
corner. The other puzzle has a “B” in the top left corner. Place Puzzle B in your pocket.

Presentation
A magic trick has a lot in common with a puzzle. They both contain a mystery.

Show the folded puzzle and let them get a glimpse at the solution. Do not dwell on this.

We are going to create a mystery with the clues on this puzzle. First we need the
scene of the crime. Take a look at one of the circled clues and make a mental
picture of it. For example, if you thought of the word ‘tree’, picture a tree as part
of a forest with a cabin and so forth. Do you have an image in mind?
As I explain this I put Puzzle A away in my pocket. When it’s convenient I will reach in
and pull out Puzzle B from my pocket. Usually my reasoning for putting the puzzle away
in the first place is to free up my hands as I explain what they are to do with their
selection. I always make sure to pull Puzzle B out before they make their next selection.
They should believe that it is the same puzzle.

Let’s say that this was a murder. There are a handful of suspects: Lenny the
Lumberjack, Gary the Gambler, Steve the Sailor, Fred the Firefighter, and Terry
the Teacher. Which suspect fits your location?

They reply with, “The Sailor”.

Steve the Sailor is the murderer. Just to recap: you created a crime scene in your
mind and chose a murderer at random. You need to know that you were
subliminally influenced. As I open this puzzle you can see that when it is solved it
draws a picture of a boat, as if to suggest the sailor. Every boat has a name
written on the side, and this boat has the name ‘Steven’.

Each of the circled words forces a beach or seascape. When you name your suspects,
be sure to include Steven the Sailor. You can use the other suspects that I mentioned
above, or make up your own.

Because you have switched the puzzles, you can hand Puzzle B out for examination to
those watching though, I wouldn’t suggest having the participant inspect the puzzle too
much after the trick. The force words have been changed on this puzzle making it
difficult to reverse engineer.
A W E R T Y U I O F P A S D F G H J K L

Z X C K B O A T D I C E S A N D V B N M

Q W E E R T Y U I R O P A S D F F G H J

K L Z Y X C V B N E M Q W E R O T Y U I

O P A B S D F G H M J K L Z X R C V B N

M Q W O E R T Y U A I O P A S E D F G H

J K L A Z X C V B T N M Q W E S R T Y U

I O P R A S D F G C H J K L Z T X C V B

N M Q D C A B I N H P E N C I L W E R T

Y U I O P A S D F E G H J K L Z X C V B

C H A L K T R E E S E A S U N S H I N E

Q I W E R T Y U I O P A S D F G H J C K

L Z T X G O S E F H Y C V B N M Q N W E

R T Y Y U I O P A S D F G H J K A L Z X

C V B N T M Q W E R T Y U I O L P A S D

F G H J K R L Z X C V B N M U Q W E R T

Y U I O P A U S D F G H J B K L Z X D F

S E A G U L L C V B N M M Q W E B O O K

Q W E R T Y U I K O R A C E C A R P A S

C A R D S D P A P E R F R E S C U E G H

Chalk Blue Tree Matches Sunshine Rescue

Sand City Seagull Cards Ambulance Dice

Forest Truck Keyboard Cabin Lizard Paper

Book Fire Race Car Sea Pencil Boat

B W E R T Y U I O F P A S D F G H J K L

Z X C K B A T H D I C E S A L T V B N M

Q W E E R T Y U I R O P A S D F F G H J

K L Z Y X C V B N E M Q W E R O T Y U I

O P A B S D F G H M J K L Z X R C V B N

M Q W O E R T Y U A I O P A S E D F G H

J K L A Z X C V B T N M Q W E S R T Y U

I O P R A S D F G C H J K L Z T X C V B

N M Q D C A B I N H P E N C I L W E R T

Y U I O P A S D F E G H J K L Z X C V B

C H A L K T R E E P E A S U N S H I N E

Q I W E R T Y U I O P A S D F G H J C K

L Z T X G O S E F H Y C V B N M Q N W E

R T Y Y U I O P A S D F G H J K A L Z X

C V B N T M Q W E R T Y U I O L P A S D

F G H J K R L Z X C V B N M U Q W E R T

Y U I O P A U S D F G H J B K L Z X D F

C E A G L E L C V B N M M Q W E B O O K

Q W E R T Y U I K O R A C E C A R P A S

C A R D S D P A P E R F R E S C U E G H

Chalk Blue Tree Matches Sunshine Rescue

Salt City Eagle Cards Ambulance Dice

Forest Truck Keyboard Cabin Lizard Paper

Book Fire Race Car Pea Pencil Bath

Off the Grid
I love the magic square. I think it's one of the strongest things that a magician or a
mentalist can do. I also have a really hard time doing the math required for this effect
when performing live.

So, in this version I have done all the work behind the scenes. In my view this is just
about the simplest way to perform a magic square. You can perform the magic square
by itself of course but I will be combining it here with a kicker ending.

Setup
I have memorized my magic square after doing it a whole bunch of times but I still use
several fail safes just to make sure I don't forget anything while performing.

To memorize the square I imagine that I am memorizing a phone number line by line:

14 11 A 5
B 4 14 10
7 C 9 12
8 13 6 D

On a whiteboard I will then make a grid and subtly mark each square with a pencil. In
addition I take a piece of masking tape, write the same grid, and stick it to a large dry
erase marker that I will use during the routine

This way if my memory fails me I can still write down the magic square. It's okay to
reference your crib during this routine just be subtle.

Once you have everything set up, you're good to go.

Presentation
Everyone, on your chairs you have a small golf pencil and a piece of paper. If you
could all remove those pieces of paper on the pink sheets it asks for a celebrity,
on the yellow, for an occupation, and on the blue it asks for a color. If you could
each write something down on your card, that would be great. Once you’re done I
need you to fold up your piece of paper and place it in this box.
There is a lot of writing to be done with a magic square. I like the idea of giving the
audience something to do while you generate the magic square. You could also have
everything written down before the show if you would like. Working alone as I often do I
prefer to have it all happen at the same time.

The small slips of paper are all labeled with the prompt of what I want to reveal. In this
routine I use “Celebrity”, “Occupation”, and “Color”. As these are written on they are
folded and placed in a billet switching box. The box I use is the AmazeBox by Mark
Shortland. More on that in a moment.

I’m going to give you a prediction, and I need you to hold it high above your head.
Keep it up there. Since your hands are full I’d like you to make a choice.Think of a
number from 50 to 100.

It’s important that everyone knows that this is a free choice, yes? We haven’t set
anything up have we? No, of course not. I’m going to play a quick simplified
game of Sudoku with your number okay and I’m going to do it as quickly as I
possibly. Are you ready?

Say your number out loud!

I have performed this magic square using a secret number as well as a known number.
It works either way. In this routine I add some other complexity so I chose not to get the
number secretly. Using the Magic square to reveal a secret number is very powerful.

Once you know what their number is, all you need to do is subtract 30 from it. That
number goes in square A. Add one to the number you wrote in square A, and write that
new number in square B. Add one to the number in square B, and write that number in
square C. Add one to the number in square C, and write that number in square D.

The same thing as broken down below:

Their number is X

X - 30 = A
A+1=B
B+1=C
C+1=D

14 11 A 5
 B 4 15 10

7 C 9 12

8 13 6 D

Great, that's what I got. Now before I explain what this is I need to make sure
everyone has placed their piece of paper inside the box.

Just to recap: You all thought of something at random and those thoughts were
gathered inside of this box. This person over here is holding a prediction and
they also thought of a random number from 50 to 100. Using that number I
createdthis grid.

Check this out. You said… and in a few seconds I was able to find four numbers
that add up to your number…

I now point out all the different ways that I was able to calculate the spectator's number.
I think magicians look at this stage and they think that it takes a long time and it gets
redundant. And to that I say, that's kind of the point.

I first point out the rows and columns and then I start to take a bow. That is impressive
enough to make a good magic trick.

14 11 A 5

B 4 15 10

7 C 9 12

8 13 6 D

14 11 A 5

B 4 15 10

7 C 9 12

8 13 6 D
I then point out the four squares in each corner, and the four corner squares. Then I
pause.

14 11 A 5

B 4 15 10

7 C 9 12

8 13 6 D

14 11 A 5

B 4 15 10

7 C 9 12

8 13 6 D

Then I show the four diagonal squares and the four center squares.

14 11 A 5

B 4 15 10

7 C 9 12

8 13 6 D

14 11 A 5

B 4 15 10

7 C 9 12

8 13 6 D

14 11 A 5

B 4 15 10
 7 C 9 12

8 13 6 D

In my mind that's a good kicker. The audience is super impressed at this point, and
most people would stop.

I like to run with the gag even further, and just add to the ridiculousness. I always point
out the pen diagonal corners, as well as the corners of the squares of nine. Then I finish
with the line…

14 11 A 5

B 4 15 10

7 C 9 12

8 13 6 D

14 11 A 5

B 4 15 10

7 C 9 12

8 13 6 D

14 11 A 5

B 4 15 10

7 C 9 12

8 13 6 D

14 11 A 5

B 4 15 10

7 C 9 12

8 13 6 D
 14 11 A 5

B 4 15 10

7 C 9 12

8 13 6 D

14 11 A 5

B 4 15 10

7 C 9 12

8 13 6 D

Any way you put it those numbers add up to your chosen number. And that
number was a completely free choice!

So the trick goes from impressive, to very impressive, to ridiculous. I like that it builds
like that. We are going to make it even more ridiculous in a moment.

Let's look at some other free choices! You all selected something and you placed
it in this box.

At this point I will introduce the billet box. I have already switched all of the selections for
forced billets. All of the pink billets have Justin Bieber's name on them, all of the yellow
billets have Farmer written on them, and all of the blue billets have a yellow written on
them.

Will you reach in and remove a pink paper, you yellow, and you a blue? Open it up
and read the contents. Go ahead and stand where you are.

This will be the last thing I do.

PINK - You are thinking of a celebrity. Given the age of everyone here, the likely
music tastes and the likelihood that you are trying to catch me out. I’d say this is
a youngish celebrity. Male. Are you thinking of Justin Beiber?
YELLOW - You are thinking of an occupation. This is a common occupation that
many of us learned about in childhood. This person deals with animals. You’re
thinking of a cowboy, yes? No? A farmer?

BLUE - You are thinking of a color. Watch my hands red, orange, yellow, green,
blue, indigo, violet. Cyan, magenta, yellow. This is a primary color, yes. Yeah
that’s what I thought. You’re thinking of yellow.

Take a seat. Give them a huge round of applause.

Wait! You three could have chosen any slips of paper and you all could have
written anything down and you could have selected any number.

Well, I knew exactly what you were going to do before you did it. I knew you
wouldn’t believe me either and that’s why I made a prediction.

I knew you were going to select the number you did, and I used a computer to
generate this grid of numbers for me. I'm not some sort of a super genius. I then
wrote it up on the back of a specific photograph, cut it up, and I placed it inside a
bag. I gave that bag to you.

You don't have to mention that the grid was generated by a computer. I do because the
magic square is something that is easily found online. If a spectator is familiar with
magic squares from some area of life that’s fine, this next part will still come as a
surprise.

Can I see that prediction?

There's a stack of photos inside. Each of these photos has a number on the back
and each of these numbers happens to correspond with a number on the grid.

This is almost correct. Most of the squares correspond with a square in the grid. All of
the squares except for A, B, C, and D. On those photos I still write a number that
corresponds with a magic square, but most of the time I will avoid showing that number
and will instead misscall the numbers on those squares. In the routine below I have
created places to pause for the misscalls.

There’s 14, 11, and you can see it starts to make a cowboy hat.
Instead of showing the number on the back of Square A, I talk about the picture. If I
want to actually misscall the number I just look at the white board and say the number
that is written outlouad while neglecting to show the number on the back of the photo.

5, 10, 15, now we see Justin Bieber's face.

Again, I can lay the photo down without saying anything, or I can miscall it. Don’t show
this photo.

7, and now we see his jacket happens to be yellow. 9, 12.

That is Justin Bieber, dressed like a farmer, wearing a yellow jacket.

After the final misscall I splay the last three cards out so it is clear that I am not
miscalling any of these.

Remember, you could have chosen any slip of paper, you could have written
down anything, and you could have selected any number, yet I was able to predict
EVERYTHING just like a real psychic.

That's my show. Thank you very much.

The note I would shareconcerning the final image is to start with the picture then work
backwards. For me I knew I wanted to use Justin Beiber. I found a funny image of him
wearing a cowboy hat and created the other three predictions based on that image.

Another approach is to use and AI app to combine a few seemingly unrelated

categories and have the app create an image that fits the “random” selections of your
audience.
(Bonus) Twister
I saw David Copperfield perform in 2018. The biggest thing to stand out about his show
was the fact that virtually every effect he performed seemed to be completely original to
him. On the car ride home this was at the back of my mind and resolved to make my
magic more original.

Inspired by Copperfield, this was the trick that I created on the six hour drive from Las
Vegas to Salt Lake City. I built it, and I closed my show with it for a couple years. I
competed with this routine and ended up winning an award for this effect. It’s a little
involved so I do it less often now than I used to but I am still very proud of this piece of
magic.

It has changed a little over time. As it is, this is my favorite version.

Setup
You need to purchase a Twister Board. They are usually under $20. Remove the
spinner from the box and pull the plastic board out. I use 2 long dowels at the top and
bottom of the board to hold it steady. I wrap the top of the board around each dowel and
duct tape it down. This way, if you hold one dowel it will display the entire board.

I usually hang the board on my Easel, but if it is windy ask for the help of two tall
individuals and have them step on one dowel while holding up the other. This should
keep it steady for most outdoor shows. Leave the Twister Board hanging so that it

You need two predictions for this effect. The first is in the form of sweat bands. I use a
colorful multipack with the same colors as you will find on a Twister Board Red, Yellow,
Green, and Blue.

I place a red band around my right wrist, a blue band around my right ankle, a yellow
band around my left wrist and a green band around my left ankle. These are pulled up
into the sleeves of my coat and pants so they are not visible.

I also clip the following picture onto my shirt under my jacket.

On large note cards, I print the following directions, 1 per card. Each set of directions
corresponds with a hand or foot.

Down, Down, Down, Right, Left

And make a pencil dot on the back of each of these cards. These cards are for the left
foot.

On the next cards write:

Right, Right, Right, Left, Down, Down

Mark these cards with 2 pencil dots. These are for the right foot.

On the next cards write:

Up, Up, Up, Left, Right, Left

Put three pencil dots on these cards. They are for the left hand.

On the next cards write:

Up, Right, Right, Left, Right

Leave these unmarked.

These are all placed in a stack.

In addition to all of this I also have laminated cards with a picture of two feet, and two
hands each labeled “Right Hand”, “Left Hand”, “Right Foot”, and “Left Foot”. I place a
loop of masking tape on each appendage and place them in my case.

Presentation
Perhaps there have been times during this show that I was controlling your
actions, well this time I want you to control my actions. We are going to play a
giant game of Twister and you will determine how I move.

I need four people to come up and be my hands and feet.

Select four people from the audience.

I have several directions here in my hands, and each of you will receive a couple.
I want to give you the opportunity to change which you will receive so I’ll
countdown from 10 and you will all change places. Okay...10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

While they are changing their positions I give the cards a series of cuts to suggest that
they are being mixed as well. I then hand each spectator a set of the cards. I had first
person all of the cards with a single pencil dot. The next person gets all of the cards with
two pencil dots. The third person gets the cards with three pencil dots, and the fourth
gets the cards without any markings.

If you were in any other position, you would have received a different set of
directions right? Mix the directions in your hands.

We’ll start in the top left corner with my left foot. That’s you.

Remove the left foot icon, and start with it in the top left hand corner.

Read off the directions you have in your hand. If we ever reach an edge of the
board I’ll pop around to the other side like in pac man.

They read off their directions and you tape the foot to the green circle you land on.Ask
for the next set of instructions, this time starting at the left foot. Continue like this until all
of the limbs have been placed.

Despite their constant mixing as long as you go through the limbs in the same order as
specified in the setup, you will match the prediction everytime.

Okay, that gives a location for every limb. It looks like left foot green, right foot
blue, left hand yellow, and right hand red. There’s no way that I would have been
able to control your actions. You chose how to stand and you mixed up the
directions.

I brought with me a prediction. In fact, I am wearing a prediction!

Push back your sleeves and pant legs to reveal the bands.

That’s okay, but you’ll notice that there are many green spots, many yellows,
many blues, and many reds. It would be better if I could predict the specific spots.
And I did. I said I’m wearing the prediction and I am.
I then take my jacket off revealing the prediction.
(BONUS) Command Chairs
In 2015 the magicians in my area participated in a group audition for a booking
company that promised that they would need a bunch of magicians for upcoming gigs.
The gig promised to be lucrative so a bunch of magicians auditioned. It was set up so
that we could each see eachothers acts.

I performed this to close my set and have been pestered by the various magicians
watching about it ever since. So, I’ve decided to include it here.

Effect
This is a chair test using three chairs and three spectators. Initially, the magician
predicts which of nine envelopes each spectator will choose. The magician also predicts
where each person will sit. Everything in this routine has been designed to produce the
illusion of absolute chaos. Each spectator has two clear choices to make, and the
magician cleanly predicts both choices.

The use of three chairs and the spectators’ descriptions was inspired by a chair test
performed by Max Maven. Max’s effect was different in virtually every other way, but it
was one thing that got me thinking about this style of chair test.

Setup
For this effect, you will need nine double envelopes that lock. I’ll let you know right now
that the best envelope of this style is Black Door by Ricardo Berdini. The Black Door
envelope is a magnetically locking envelope. The spectators can handle them without
suspicion.

I will explain this routine as if you are using these envelopes, and I’ll give a less elegant
solution you can make with your own envelopes at the end of the article.

You also need three chairs. I prefer folding chairs.

Preparing the Chairs

On the bottom of each of the chairs, you need to affix a prediction. I prefer to use the
physical characteristics of people. On the bottom of each chair I write, “This participant
has dark hair,” “This participant has blond hair,” and “This participant wears glasses.”
These descriptions are written in bold on the bottoms of the chairs so that when the
chairs are folded it reveals the predictions. I use folding chairs so that I can walk down
the row folding the chairs to reveal their predictions at the conclusion of the routine.
Preparing the Envelopes
As part of the routine, each participant makes a selection from 3 envelopes. These
envelopes are all gimmicked and will switch a fair billet for a force billet.

If you are using the Black Door envelopes, in each of the envelopes’ unlocked
compartments, you need to place a billet with one of the three force descriptions on it. In
the first three envelopes, you will insert, “This participant has dark hair.”

In the next three, “This participant has blond hair.”

In the final three envelopes, you place, “This participant wears glasses.”

In the locked portion of each envelope, you need to place a humorous dummy
description. Each envelope will contain an actual description in one compartment and a
joke description in the other. When it comes time to perform I move the dummy
description so that it hangs out of the envelope just a bit. This makes it easier to open
the locked portion when I am showing all of the contents of the envelopes.

These are the dummy descriptions I use:

This participant has dark hair.

This participant has blonde hair.

This participant is a woman.

This participant is wearing green socks.

This participant is wearing glasses.

This participant is wearing pink.

This participant is wearing a hat.

This participant is 12 years old.

This participant’s pin # is 2938.

During the routine, all of these will be read and locked inside the envelopes so the
participants cannot select them. It is fun to have some that are very specific or possibly
humorous, but remember to include your actual force descriptions amongst the dummy
descriptions for continuity. They do not need to be inside the actual force envelopes.

Preparing the Stage

The envelopes are placed on a table to the side. The dummy descriptions are hanging
out a bit for ease of access, and the force descriptions are tucked away in the open
portions of their envelopes. The three chairs are placed center stage with the
predictions ready to go, hidden on their bottoms.

Presentation
Where you sit in a restaurant, a classroom, or even a theater tells me a lot about
you. I need three different personalities to join me here on stage, and I will select
you based on where you are sitting.

The magician steps into the audience and begins to select participants. You are looking
for people who fit the descriptions on the chairs, and you only need one of each. When I
perform, I will sometimes remark on where the person is sitting and give a quick
throwaway reading.

Oh, you are on the front row! I could use an eager person for this next piece. I
want to avoid the people in the aisle; they are all too often ready to leave. Those
in the middle tend to be among the most social.

This patter helps fill the dead time, gives motivation for a less than random spectator
being chosen, and sets up the premise of the demonstration.

The magician now invites each spectator on stage to sit down. There is one rule of
thumb here. They should not yet sit in a chair that fits their description.

I believe, based on the actions you have made tonight, that I can predict the exact
decisions you will make. To test this, I need the three of you to stand up. When I
clap my hands you are all going to sit in a different chair.

I will often reiterate to my participants that they can sit in any chair as long as it is not
the chair they are currently sitting in.

They stand up and select a new chair. About half of the time they will sit in the chair that
matches their description. If they do not, the magician continues with the script.

Great! There’s no possible way I could have predicted where you would sit. That
was a good warm-up. We’ll do it one more time.

Turn to the three people on stage and say the following line.
I need you to each sit in a chair that you have not yet sat in.

They then move one more time. Either way, this forces them to sit in the chairs that
match their description. As long as none of the participants sit in the same chair twice
there are only two possible outcomes.

This is how it looks when they are brought up on stage:

CHAIR A CHAIR B CHAIR C

PARTICIPANT B PARTICIPANT C PARTICIPANT A

When they are asked to move to a new chair they can either sit here:

CHAIR A CHAIR B CHAIR C

PARTICIPANT C PARTICIPANT A PARTICIPANT B

Or here:

CHAIR A CHAIR B CHAIR C

PARTICIPANT A PARTICIPANT B PARTICIPANT C

If they don’t match up the first time, we just have them repeat the exercise once. It’s
counter-intuitive and feels very fair despite their actual choices being extremely limited.

Each of these envelopes contain a specific description. In a moment, each of

these participants will choose an envelope. My hope is that the envelope they
choose will describe them in some way.

The dummy descriptions are all read aloud and locked into their envelopes. The
descriptions that don’t seem likely to match will often elicit some laughter from the
audience.

Each participant is given three envelopes (each one containing their specific
description). They are asked to mix them up, select one, and give the rest back.

Let’s see how we did!

I start with the dark-haired participant, then the blonde, and I finish with the spectacled
spectator. These descriptions all match, which is impressive, but they are all
progressively more specific as well.

“That is a perfect match! But wait, I want you all to know that I not only knew what
envelopes you would choose, I also knew who would come up and where they
would sit. If you could all please stand behind your chairs.”

They do this. The magician then walks down the line folding the chairs, revealing how
the chairs that they sat in match their descriptions perfectly.

Notes:

I used to perform this where they would select their descriptions and then shuffle up
their chairs. This might be more powerful but I could never juggle the positions in my
head all that well. At one event, I actually messed up because of this. The current
choreography is easier for me to keep track of.

If you want to avoid having them shuffle between chairs twice, you can always place a
second prediction on the backs of the chairs to cover another outcome. I would rather
end clean.

A Diy Double Envelope

Here is a simple envelope I have also used for this effect. All you need to do is cut out
the face of an envelope (Fig1).
Fig2
Slide it into another envelope (Fig 3.)
Fig 4
Fig 5
Fig6
Tuck the flap over the inserted piece (Fig 7.)
This envelope’s design uses the flap to lock the dummy description away while the
section that is open holds the force description. It is important if you go this route that
you guide the spectator as they remove the description (you probably should open the
envelope yourself). You don’t want them undoing the flap and finding all of your secrets.