Mentalism:

Virtual & Live

Alain Nu
2022
 Mentalism: Virtual & Live

Alain Nu
Edited by Lynzey Donahue

Copyright 2022 by Alain Nu

Las Vegas, Nevada

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, scanned, and/or stored in
retrieval systems or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise – without the prior written permission of Alain Nu.
 Mentalism: Virtual & Live

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 1

Introduction 2

Nine Card Psychic Solution 4

The 13 Card Mystery 7

Seven Card Rudimentary Clairvoyance 10

Out of this Fold 12

Sacred Geometry 14

Ultimate Solution Book Test 17

Unfabulation 22

Signagram (bonus excerpt from Astrologic) 27

 Acknowledgments

I especially would like to thank my incredible fiancée, Lynzey Donahue, for being by my side and
always loving me, as well as helping to painstakingly edit this work with whatever free time she
could muster. My extreme gratitude goes to Jim Steinmeyer for allowing me to be inspired by
his greatness and giving me permission to print my variations of three of his effects. Also special
thanks to the members of The Mystery Arts Dojo, for their consistent support over the last two
years, and particularly to Robert Bullock, Jamie Salinas, and Vee Souvahn, for their inspiration in
helping me with certain effects contained within. Thank you to Allen Gittleson, Raj Madhok, and
Stuart Palm for always being there with suggestions and creative advice. I would also like to
express thanks to Max Maven, who is both an inspiration as well as a tremendous help with
source references. Thank you to John Bannon for your friendship and for being a lifelong
teacher and creator. Many thanks to my Las Vegas friends – Clinton Billups, April Brucker, Joey
Burton, Juliana Chen, Kevin James, and Katherine Rettke – for their help and support as I
relocated from DC to Vegas. A big reason why I even created Unfabulation was because of a
conversation I had with Juliana. Finally, thank you to my immediate family – my mom Janet, my
sister Sandy and her family, and my daughter Nico – for just always being there for me, despite
the difficulty and patience it takes during these strange times. You all have a special place in my
heart.

1
Introduction

Over the past two years, since 2020, I have seen real ups and downs. At the beginning of 2020, I
had begun headlining a show at the OYO Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, and just as positive
TripAdvisor reviews were starting to build up, March came around, beginning the Coronavirus
pandemic in the United States. Las Vegas shut down, and I was left trying to figure out what I
could do next.

Soon after, I was inspired to start a meet-up group over Zoom, which I call the “Mystery Arts
Dojo.” This is a regular group of performers and creators who just enjoy being creative around
each other. We share and discuss personal ideas as well as jam on new ones. It consists of both
amateurs as well as full time pros from all over the world, some friends from my past, and
others. Noteworthy influencers within mentalism, who are both close friends of mine and “road
warriors,” will pop in from time to time to join the action. It is rare that we sit through an entire
three-hour session and not come up with something new or interesting.

During the entire and ongoing pandemic, the dojo has kept me sharp, creative, and motivated
towards my career as a performer. The dojo helped me pivot toward creating virtual mentalism
shows, and I was able to offer my clients shows ranging from 20 minutes to 75 minutes. Many
of my regular clients took me up on this, as they were struggling to find ways to entertain their
members over Zoom, which people were starting to become fatigued with. I even did a run of
ticketed performances for a virtual theatre that sprang from a world that could no longer offer
live entertainment.

In November 2020, I got called back to headline in Las Vegas for the fifth time in my life. This
would be for the “soft re-opening” of the city and would be accompanied by 42 pages of hotel
regulations for performing live during the pandemic. I would be able to perform without a mask
while on stage, but I could not bring any audience member up on stage, pass things to them, be
passed things from them, and they must watch from a stage that is 25 feet away. I wouldn’t
have even been able to accept the opportunity, had it not been for all the material we worked
on while I was leading the online dojo. Since we were meeting online, everything we worked on
could be considered “socially distanced.” Because of the dojo and the many virtual shows I had
performed, I was actually able to piece together a 75-minute live show under those difficult
performing conditions!

Between November 2020 and July 2021, I was one of the busiest performers in Las Vegas, but
this was primarily due to very few showrooms being open. Five-star TripAdvisor reviews were
coming in, despite my having to perform at a 25-foot distance from the audience. By May 2021,
the audience could be closer, only 12 feet away – and I felt the impact of my shows go way up!
By June, the audience could be 6 feet away, and by July, the audience was even allowed to
come up onstage so long as both they and I were masked. Unfortunately, by August, the Covid
Delta variant arrived, and my showroom at The Alexis Park Resort was shut down. That’s
showbiz ...

2
Nonetheless, having performed more than 100 shows in Las Vegas even during a pandemic, I
am more fortified than ever to perform under practically any condition, which currently makes
me a viable option in the entertainment world.

The material within these pages is a selection of pieces I have worked on over the past two
years. Most of these pieces were fine-tuned during my weekly dojos, so a lot of thought and
input went into each piece. I am indebted to all the members of my dojo for their support and
creative input. Here, you will find real fun takes on three of my favorite Jim Steinmeyer card
effects, a very clean red and black separation/prediction routine, an interesting sacred
geometry presentation for an old math trick, my ultimate solution for a book test routine that
can be prepared with virtually any book, and my take on the mentalism classic Confabulation,
which I call Unfabulation. My handling, however, requires no double-writing, switching, pre-
show or special gimmicks. Plus it takes only as long as writing the prediction to prepare and can
be performed just as effectively live as virtually. Indeed, every effect in the following pages can
be performed both with a live audience as well as virtually over Zoom. I think you will find all
the principles discussed here to be quite unusual, versatile, and used in a fresh, direct
approach.

Also, since the beginning of 2022, and the continuing conditions that keep us in a veritable lock-
down, I decided to embark on making daily appearances on my YouTube channel at
www.YouTube.com/AlainNu. Please help me by subscribing and being a part of its growth. I
believe you will be inspired by some of my content. For now, however, please be inspired by
the content that you are about to read and learn!

Enjoy,

Alain Nu
Las Vegas, Nevada
January 2022

3
Nine Card Psychic Solution
Steinmeyer’s Nine Card Problem from the first of his Impuzzibilities series is one of the most
interesting equations in the world of self-working magic. During the panemic, I realized that it
could play as a remote card effect, so long as the spectator had access to nine random playing
cards at their location. And it didn’t even need a full deck! Just nine playing cards from the
same deck. There have been many different original presentations, using this unique formula,
that have been published in the past, including one of my own collaborations with my longtime
friend, Raj Madhok, called Business Sense in Mind Over Matter, 1998. In Business Sense, I
replaced the use of playing cards with business cards. However, my intention, this time, was to
keep its simplicity as a card trick while also making it feel like some genuine mental ability was
taking place. With those criteria locked in, I came up with the following presentation.

Choose one spectator to use in this demonstration. Have your spectator select nine random
playing cards. Say:

“Go ahead and shuffle your cards, just get your energy into them, while randomizing their order
... Okay? Now you will divide them into three groups of three. You can either do that by dealing
them into three piles, or just laying three cards down into a pile until you have three face down
piles of three in front of you. Why three piles? I don’t know, but whenever you see tarot readers
with their cards, they make you do the same thing ... Now once you have the three piles in front
of you, take your hand and hold it over each pile until you feel psychically drawn to one. Pick up
that pile. You don’t even have to tell me which one it is, but once you have it, look at the card
that is at the bottom of that pile, remember it, and then drop that pile onto any of the other two
piles. Now pick up those two piles as one, and drop them onto the final pile, collecting them all.”

At this point, the selection naturally gets put at the position third from the top, and we are
ready to begin the formula. Credit goes to Bob Farmer, for being one of the first creators to
come up with this way of getting the card to the position third from the top. It is said very
casually, as if to simply get the spectator to collect the three piles into one. The next piece of
the script is my presentation for the handling of the Steinmeyer formula. Follow along with
your own nine cards. As long as you follow the instructions as they are scripted, the trick should
automatically work!

“Are you familiar with magic spells? Let me show you a simple one that we can do together
right now. Here, first choose for yourself a ‘vice’ ... let’s have you choose between four common
ones: either FOOD, DRUGS, MONEY, or SEX. Don’t tell anyone what you are thinking. Most of all,
make sure I can’t see you. Now quietly spell, one card for each letter, by dealing into a small
facedown pile on the table, whatever choice you made – so if you thought of ‘food,’ deal ‘F-O-O-
D’ into a facedown pile on the table. So whatever you chose in your mind, go ahead and spell
that. Alright? Now just drop all the remaining cards in your hand as a clump onto the cards you
just dealt.

“The next part is easy. Pick up the cards from the table. Now we’re only going to deal two cards
to the table into a pile, while saying out loud the letters “V” and “S.” Very good. We just spelled

4
the abbreviation for the word “versus.” Drop the rest of the cards in your hand on top of the
cards you just dealt, like you did before, and then pick them all up again.

“Now you have a choice of virtues. That’s right. It’s vices vs. virtues. Let’s give you the choice of
spelling either the words: FAITH, WISDOM, HONOR, or RESPECT. Go ahead. Choose between
FAITH, WISDOM, HONOR, or RESPECT and deal the cards while spelling out your choice. Have
you done that? Good! Drop the remaining cards in your hand onto the cards you just dealt. By
making this spell, you have created a little individual mantra about yourself. Say the mantra to
yourself, ‘ (vice) vs. (virtue) .’ It’s interesting how it turns out, isn’t it? Meanwhile, you
have also mixed your card into an unknown position. Think about your mantra as you hold your
hand over the pile. Take a few breaths. Now pick up all the cards again.”

By following the above instructions with nine playing cards in hand from the beginning, what
you will see is that your selection is now five cards from the top of the nine-card stack ... and
THAT is the genius of Jim Steinmeyer. Although it appears the selection gets further lost into
the packet amidst the mix of choices and dealt cards, instead, by going through those
instructions, the card always ends up five cards down from the top of the packet after spelling
and dealing one’s choice of vice vs. virtue in that manner.

In the original Steinmeyer premise, they chose any card in the deck and would spell down to
the value and suit of their selection, in the manner mentioned, using the word “of” in between
(instead of “VS”). In the Steinmeyer formula, the first “spell” needed to be a word from three
letters (e.g., “TWO”) to five letters (e.g., “QUEEN”). In the second, it needed to be a word from
five letters (e.g, “CLUBS”) to eight letters (e.g., “DIAMONDS”). So I chose, instead, to offer
selections of “vices vs. virtues” since it seemed more personal (and interesting) to do it this
way.

At this point, having gone through the simple self-working process, your selection will be five
cards from the top of the nine cards, from being revealed. Other versions of this effect would
now call for you to spell either choices of words like “Truth” or “Lies” to get either exactly to, or
one card away from the selection. Or the selection of someone who has a four or five letter
name would quite mysteriously close the effect from here and make for an adequately
surprising and personal ending.

My choice, however, was to change the shape of the effect to lead away from a spelling
presentation to more of an intuitive presentation:

“Think about the mantra. It will bring out your authenticity. Now turn the top three cards face
up in front of you. Look at them. Try not to change your facial expression too much, but just see
if you notice your card among those three ...” At this point, really act as though you are studying
their face. “No ... I don’t think any of those cards is your card, am I right? Good! That means
that we may be able to do this together!

“Put the three face-up cards together into a face-up pile in front of you. Then lay the next card
from the top of your stack, face up onto that pile ... nope ... that’s not it either, am I right?
Excellent! But I am now getting a funny feeling that your card is very close. So let’s do this next

5
part differently. Let’s take the next TWO cards. Don’t look at them, but put them behind your
back, and then switch them around behind you, with both hands, until you don’t know which is
which.

“When I count to three, I want you to keep one card behind your back, while your other hand
slams the other card face up in front of you, onto that pile of face up cards. Are you ready? One
... Two ... Three ...! TADA!”

During the above sequence, since your volunteer’s selection was the fifth card from the top at
the beginning of the process, it will now be at the top of the stack that remains, when you ask
your volunteer to remove the next two cards and place them behind their back. Technically, no
one knows if either of those two cards are even the selection, so the engagement level is high,
and the initial spelling sequence has mostly been forgotten by this time. Since the selection will
be in one of the volunteer’s hands by the end, in a best-case scenario, you count to three and
say “Tada!” and the actual selected card is seen at that moment. It is surprisingly strong, and
the spectator will always look completely flabbergasted. However, if the card that gets laid
down ends up being the wrong card when you say “Tada!” (50% chance), there is no need to be
embarrassed. Look at your volunteer coolly, and say, “I didn’t say that was your card. I said,
‘TADA!’” This joke always gets a laugh, and it used to be used all the time by my close friend,
the late Jack Birnman, who would always use it when he knew that the revealed card was not
going to be the correct selection. The clever use of this line in this case, however, is that you
actually do not know if the selection will be correct, so the following line is literally used to
make the joke only if the revelation turns out to be incorrect – in which case, after you get the
laugh, you say, “Now there is one card that still remains behind your back. Before you reveal
what it is, please, for the first time, call out the name of the card you chose!” In either case, the
selection is always found in a most dramatic manner, with a nod to the drama created by the
great Chan Canasta, despite the self-working nature of the original Steinmeyer methodology.

If choosing to perform this effect over Zoom (or other virtual platform), I would recommend
that, instead of choosing to do it as a “group effect,” that it is best done as an effect in which
only one spectator is singled out to follow your instructions. Even though it is just a single card
revelation, if presented as instructed, the reaction by the end should be undoubtedly strong.
The fact that you never touch the cards throughout, and that there is “social distancing” being
exercised until the final revelation, will definitely add to the impressive nature of this effect.

6
The 13 Card Mystery
The teleconferencing platform Zoom has been around in the business world since 2013, but it
wasn’t until the spring of 2020 that most of earth’s online civilians discovered it as a way to
hold meetings, teach classes, socialize, and stay in touch with one another while faced with the
quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was during this time that I was headlining at the
OYO Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. I’ll never forget the day that I was told that Las Vegas was
about to shut down. It was the first time in American history that Las Vegas turned its lights off
since it did so for a mere fifteen minutes when Frank Sinatra passed away. I ended up leaving
my things behind and flew home to Washington, D.C., where I stayed with my fiancée Lynzey
for a total of eight months, before miraculously getting called back to Vegas to perform at The
Alexis Park Resort in November. It was while quarantining in D.C. that I started my weekly Zoom
sessions, in which friends of mine would just hang out and share ideas. But because of the
sudden interest in doing shows over Zoom, (which soon after became a viable source of income
for me), we were specifically focused on revisiting older telephone and/or radio effects as well
as mathematical and other ideas that could be adapted to entertain audiences virtually.

One of our regulars at the weekly dojo is a Houston-based entertainer by the name of Jamie
Salinas. Jamie is a very creative, well-read, part-time-pro magician/mentalist, who is a real asset
to the group. He has a discerning eye for both practical and powerful effects. Jamie brought up
The One O’Clock Mystery from Jim Steinmeyer’s Impuzzibilities as a telephone effect that could
also be performed over Zoom. Before long, we had the answer as to how to make it play
extraordinarily large over Zoom as well as a way to change the original One O’clock Mystery
from a force technique to a much more dynamic group effect.

As an aside, in June 2020, my friend Jason Latimer, who is the star of a “magic of science” TV
show, Impossible Science, both online and on PBS, used this premise to entertain a group of
science students, and he had me as a guest on his show to talk about it. Don’t worry, we didn’t
reveal any subtle secrets! What you will find after performing this effect, is that even though
you will have an inclination as to how it works, a strange mystery remains in the nature of its
construction.

The important thing to know about this effect is that it is best suited for Zoom conditions, in
which each individual has a deck of cards and can participate remotely by removing the 13
cards of any suit and by putting them in the correct order. If you have multiple spectators in a
single room, so long as you have a full deck of cards in new-deck-order, it’s quite easy to have
all four people participate. Since the cards can easily be divided into the four suits, each of the
thirteen cards of a suit can go to each of the four volunteers in that room.

Just follow along, as if you were one of those four volunteers in the script below, and then we’ll
continue on the other side.

“Take out the brand new deck of cards that you have there with you at home, remove the
wrapping, take out all the cards, toss the jokers and advertising cards over to the side, and now
separate the different suits from one another, giving three other people in your room, who

7
would like to participate, a set of thirteen cards that make up each suit, but keep a set for
yourself. So you have the four suits going out to yourself plus up to three other volunteers. If you
are the only person there, then just choose whichever suit you would like to work with and
remove them from the rest of the deck, as each person only needs to worry about the 13 cards
in their suit.

“Once you have your cards, I want you all to start in the same order. Hold your 13 cards in a fan
facing you like you were playing a card game. Your ACE should be at the far left of that fan,
followed by TWO, and the rest of the values consecutively, until you finally should see your KING
at the far right. It’s important that we all begin in the same order because this is ultimately an
experiment in synchronicity. What we will discover is that a mysterious synchronicity can be
achieved by using a ‘magic spell.’

“I’m sure you have all heard of magic spells, but what I’m about to show you is a rudimentary
one, in which we will use the act of spelling to create a ‘synchronicity incantation.’ Everyone,
square up your cards and then hold them face down in a packet in your hand. To make extra-
sure we’re all in the same order, look at the bottom card and make sure it’s the KING. I am
about to ask you to simply move cards, one at a time, from the top of your face-down packet to
the bottom, but don’t start yet. First, I want you all to think of a random value. Any card value
between ACE and KING. Spell it in your mind for now. Don’t spell the suit. Only its value. Since
you are each presumably thinking of a different value, we will begin the process of moving your
cards, by having you spell the value you are thinking of. As you spell, move one card for each
letter from the top to the bottom, while spelling the value that you chose. So if you thought of
an ACE, simply spell A-C-E, while moving one card for each letter, one at a time, to the bottom of
the packet. If you are thinking TWO or THREE, DO NOT move two or three cards to the bottom.
You must spell T-W-O or T-H-R-E-E and move cards as you spell, one card per letter, okay? So
whatever value you chose, spell the word, while moving your cards to the bottom. Go ahead
and do that now.

“At this point, our cards are all in different orders, right? Now … everyone, look at whatever
card is on top of your packet. Remember it’s number or value, and then SPELL whatever THAT
number or value is right now, moving one card for each letter, as you did before. That’s pretty
simple, right? And since magic spells always come in threes, one more time, peek at whatever
card is now on top and then SPELL, do not count, but spell its value, whatever it is, while ducking
cards from the top to the bottom. I assure you that this is the last time we will need to spell
anything.”

At this point, even though it would appear that everyone will find themselves in a completely
different order from everyone else, the clever self-working principle of this effect makes it so
that everyone will now have their cards in the exact order as everyone else. Everyone’s KING
will now be on top of every packet, and their QUEEN will be at the bottom.

The original Steinmeyer effect was not supposed to be a group effect, but rather a fun over-the-
phone effect that you can do casually with a friend. When Jamie first brought this to the dojo’s
attention, I wondered if there was any way I could make it more personal. I felt that so long as I

8
could shift the spelling part into a more compelling demonstration, one more phase, done right,
could increase the potency of the effect by a huge margin. This is what I came up with:

“Now that the magic spell is complete, we move to the synchronicity phase. I just need to see if I
can find ONE PERSON in this group who can help us all bring it together. Let’s see now ... what is
your name? Jimmy? Please, go ahead and out loud, tell us all the VALUE that you thought of
when I first asked you to make a free choice? Five? Perfect! I think you WILL be the one who can
do this! It’s all about confidence.

“Since I told you that we aren’t doing any more spelling. I’m now going to ask you all to COUNT
five cards from the top of the packet to the bottom. Let’s all do this together, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5! Now
everyone, go ahead and make a fist and knock five times on top of the packet you are holding,
1, 2, 3, 4, 5! Everyone turn over the card that is at the top of your packet and hold that card up
to your cameras! (Pause.) Give yourselves a huge round of applause!”

Everyone will now be holding a 5-spot card up to their respective screens, while looking quite
astonished at the sudden realization of the synchronicity that you promised them! As you can
see, by quickly deconstructing the method, the last phase is only a red herring, designed to
make it appear as if whichever spectator you chose, was somehow special, in order to make the
final synchronicity happen. The fact is, anyone could have been chosen, to ask what number
their initial value was. All you need to do is count down to its corresponding value
simultaneously, as opposed to spelling it. That, unfortunately means that if your spectator
chooses a 10 or a Jack, that you must make everyone count TEN or ELEVEN cards to the bottom
of their stack, but these scenarios are quite rare.

The best effect occurs, of course, if they have chosen either a King or Queen. Since the King is
on top, and the Queen is on the bottom, if they chose either of these, just have them knock
three times on top of the deck and say “King, king, king!” or “Queen, queen, queen!” and then
direct them either to the top or bottom of the packet in their hands to reveal it. (It is quite
common for a woman to choose Queen, so when I am choosing someone in my audience at the
end of this effect, I generally try to find a woman who I think may have chosen Queen as her
choice, just in case I happen to get lucky).

In my opinion, the impact of this effect is so strong, I make sure to plan ahead with my clients
so that everyone in my virtual shows is asked to have a deck of cards on hand, so I can be sure
to do it.

This variation to the Steinmeyer original transforms it from an over-the-phone effect into an
interactive blockbuster – whether you pass out 13 cards to live audience members or have your
Zoom audience at home prepared with a deck of cards on hand. In fact, here’s a tip that my
corporate clients love: if time permits, I recommend that they purchase customized decks of
cards with their brand logo as the back design, and then send it to all their virtual guests as
giveaways. They nearly ALWAYS take me up on this option! It’s a relatively low-cost way for
them to make a big impact with a memorable gift with their own branding.

9
Seven Card Rudimentary Clairvoyance
For my final installment of Steinmeyer variations, I take a piece called Seven Cards Examined
from one of Jim Steinmeyer’s later publications, Ensuing Impuzzibilities, and give it a fun plot
along with a little streamlining. It was first brought to the dojo’s attention by my friend, the
very clever mentalist Eric Dittleman. Many of you may know Eric from his very entertaining
appearances on America’s Got Talent and Penn & Teller’s Fool Us.

One of my favorite personal processes for coming up with presentations for more basic effects
is to really try and meditate on “just what is this effect trying to talk about?” For instance, with
Any Card At Any Number, it is ultimately the effect of “perfect symmetry despite apparent
randomness.” For me, with spoon bending, the effect is about “creating the most amount of
energy with the minimal amount of effort.” Performance is ultimately communication. So even
the performance of a self-working trick can communicate an interesting thought or message.

With regard to Steinmeyer’s Seven Cards Examined, it’s the seemingly psychic revelation of a
single card out of seven. However, the process allows for a clean presentation in which you
never have to see what the spectator is doing, so long as they listen and follow your
instructions. Therefore, aesthetically, I wanted to make it feel like a “rudimentary clairvoyance
exercise” with the emphasis on the fact that it is done remotely and at a distance. In essence, it
is likened to a “simple remote viewing demonstration with only seven cards.”

As you can see, much of Steinmeyer’s methodology involves “spelling,” and in Seven Cards
Examined, this is done a total of six times, which I found a little excessive for performing it in a
live setting. So, I developed a way of eliminating three of the spelling phases. Finally, I added
some elements of mental subtlety to make the presentation feel more like it’s about
clairvoyance. Feel free to grab an Ace through Seven of randomly mixed suits, and just follow
along with the script below:

“Here's a fun and simple clairvoyance exercise. It’s simple because there are only seven targets.
But even so, I think you’ll find this to be amazing.

“I will need only one subject. How about you? Run through your cards and remove the Ace
through Seven but make them in all different suits. So now, you will only be using the Ace, Two,
Three, Four, Five, Six and Seven of different suits. Make sure that at least one of all four suits is
represented. Once you have all of them, put them in order, and put the rest of the cards aside.
Go ahead and show everyone what you’ve got, so they can see they are all different suits, as
well. And now shuffle the seven cards so they will be in a completely random order.

[NOTE: When the subject holds the cards up for everyone to see, quickly find the 3 and
remember its suit. For the sake of this example, we’re going to say it’s the 3 of Diamonds.]

“Turn them face up and spread through them to see for yourself that they are randomized to
your satisfaction. Can you see where the TWO is? Cut the TWO, along with the cards beneath it,
and move them so the TWO is facing you at the face of the packet.

10
“I am about to take you through a ‘rudimentary magic spell.’ What you will do NOW, is simply
spell the word ‘TWO,’ while moving one card per letter from the face of the packet to the rear of
the packet, T-W-O [move the cards yourself while you spell ‘T-W-O’].

“Next, spread through the cards face up until you find the THREE. In the same manner as before,
cut the THREE, along with the cards beneath it, and move them so the THREE is facing you at
the face of the packet. Again, as you did before, spell the word ‘THREE,’ while moving one card
per letter, T-H-R-E-E [move the cards yourself while you spell ‘T-H-R-E-E’].

“From here, we will begin a process of elimination. Take both the top and bottom card of your
packet and set them aside, face down, in a pile. I already have no idea which two cards were
just eliminated, so as you can see, the challenge has begun.

“Now as you are looking at your face-up packet, sometimes you will see a Four. (If they say it is
a Four, feel free to take credit for it, but it won’t happen often.) But whether you actually see
one there or not, go ahead and move four cards as you spell F-O-U-R, one at a time, to the back
of your packet. Now, just like you did before, take the top and bottom cards from your packet
and put them face down on the pile of the other cards.

“Turn your remaining three cards face down in your hand. Remove the top and bottom cards of
that packet so that you are left with only one ... but because the cards were face down, there is
a chance that even you don’t know what that final card is, right? Don’t look at it, as I will now
try and use my mind to transcend space and time. All I know is that the cards were one through
seven of random suits.

“As I close my eyes, I can see the color red, but I feel a regal feeling, like diamonds. I will say that
the card you are holding is a diamond, but let me see if I can guess the number. I don’t think it’s
too low of a number, and I don’t think it’s a six or seven. I’m seeing a three so I will say it’s the
Three of Diamonds. Go ahead and turn it over, am I right? Well there you go.”

Since this principle is designed to always force the Three, you will be able to impress your
audience with your rudimentary clairvoyant abilities!

11
Out of this Fold
I developed a great interest in “virtual” and/or “telephone” effects at the beginning of the
COVID-19 pandemic. As mentioned in my introduction, I started a weekly gathering for
mentalists who enjoyed coming up with creative ideas for exploring old, lost, or well-hidden
principles, in order to try our hand at improving them. My friend, Robert Bullock, who is a part-
time mystery artist and full time IT specialist, mentioned this idea to me, which he just
stumbled upon independently while sitting in a cafe playing with his cards. Unaware of this
principle, I contacted Max Maven, who told me that the principle goes as far back, and perhaps
even further back, than W.W. Rouse Ball in the 1896 edition of Mathematical Recreations and
Problems of Past and Present Times with roots in an earlier puzzle that dates back to 1556. It
also appears as a card trick called Pay Off by Walter Gibson published in the first issue of The
Phoenix (1942), as well as in effects later published by Bob Hummer and Karl Fulves. The
following is my take on this principle, and I hope you will find it easy and straightforward.

The effect is simple. Only 10 cards are used: five red cards and five black cards (it doesn’t
matter which cards). While you have your volunteer shuffle the cards, into a random mix of red
and black cards, you present a folded piece of paper that remains in full view from this point
on. You then have your volunteer separate their cards, however they would like, into two face
down piles of five cards each. The only rule is that while the cards are being sorted into the two
piles, no cards are looked at.

The prediction is then unfolded once and it says, “Wouldn’t it be cool if you were PERFECT ...”
The volunteer is asked to look at the cards for the first time, and as it turns out, it wasn’t quite
perfect. The prediction, however, is noticeably still folded. It is unfolded again and read aloud. It
now reads, “However, today you will be off by TWO MISPLACED COLORS ...” As the spectator
now shows that indeed there was but only one card misplaced in each pile, the prediction is
finally unfolded one last time to reveal when it is fully opened, it reads, “1 in each pile!” If this is
for a live show, the prediction can now be handed out to examine and you can take a bow.

As I mentioned, it is almost entirely self-working. To prepare your prediction, use an 8.5” x 11”
piece of standard white paper and a dark colored pencil (I use dark purple). The reason why
colored pencil is best for the prediction is because it will not bleed through the paper and
interfere with the other writing, since you will be revealing the writing slowly as you unfold it.
Write on the paper across its length (it should be positioned in “landscape” while in front of
you), “1 ... IN EACH PILE!” Make sure that as you write these words across the length of the
paper, that you write legibly, but also small enough to be able to conceal the “1” under the tip
of your middle finger as you hold the paper towards your audience at the end. This way, the
prediction will either be able to read as “1 ... IN EACH PILE!” or simply “... IN EACH PILE!” while
the tip of your finger covers the “1.” This is obviously the reason why you don’t spell out “one”
but rather just write the numeral. It should look completely natural to hold the prediction open
at the end while covering the “1” with your finger while displaying the final prediction, in case
that is how it turns out.

12
Next, fold the prediction in half so that the left edge is square with the right edge. Now on the
blank side facing you (it should be in “portrait” now, sized 8.5” x 5.5”), write from the top to
bottom, “However, today you will be OFF BY TWO misplaced colors!” Try to make it fill the
blank side facing you. Fold it in half again, from top to bottom. On that new blank side facing
you (“landscape,” sized 4.25” x 5.5”), write: “It’d be SO COOL if YOU WERE PERFECT.” Finally
fold one last time, left to right (“portrait,” sized 4.25” x 2.75”). On the last blank side, write
whatever you want or leave it blank. I have written “Prediction” and I have also just drawn a
question mark on it. You can be as creative as you like here.

Now you are ready to go. This can be performed in person wherein you are positioned at a
“social distance” from your volunteer, or it can be performed virtually over Zoom. It can even
be performed over the phone. Essentially, there are only three different potential outcomes
when using ten cards in which five are red and five are black. The least potential outcome, but
the most impressive, is when the volunteer actually manages to divide the ten cards
successfully into two distinct color groups. The chances of this are about 1-3%. If this happens,
there is no reason to continue to unfold the rest of your prediction. Their reaction will actually
be so amazed that they were able to get it right, that all you need to do is put the prediction
away and have them take a bow.

Another possibility is that the spectator will divide the cards so that there is only one
discrepancy in each pile. There is about a 10-15% chance of this happening, but it will happen
frequently enough that having the prediction available to hand out at the end creates the
perfect kerfuffle, since those who might try to mathematically break it down will be
flabbergasted by the precision of your (and the spectator’s) accuracy.

It is nonetheless still quite impressive, when the most common of the scenarios gets played out.
This will happen about 85% of the time. You simply read: “However, today you will be OFF BY
TWO misplaced colors! ... IN EACH PILE!” As you unfold to reveal the final message, simply
cover your finger over the “1” and then have your volunteer check the other pile to see that
indeed everything matches up to what you wrote in advance.

13
Sacred Geometry
I am a fan of methods, principles and secrets. I don’t care how old or new, simple or complex. I
have a drive to take any method that interests me and try to streamline, simplify, or pare it
down. If I can eliminate the need to have props, I will do so. But I will allow for simple props, so
long as the presentation is smooth and delivers an Aha! moment or some type of inspiration.

This is my presentation of the classic 1089 force. Parallel to my interest in this mathematical
anomaly that gets you to the numbers 1089 with such random precision, is my interest in
“sacred geometry,” which is the basic idea that at its core, numbers and shapes influence the
universe. From this fusion of interests, a presentation was born.

The effect is simple but strong. From just a quick and entertaining discussion on the power and
properties of certain numbers, your audience is instructed to get out their cell phones and open
up to their calculator apps. They are taken through some short instructions after choosing a
random three-digit number. No sooner than they realize, but the sum total of their results all
add up to a number that has been in full view on stage during the entire time, and the audience
is now told that if their total matches the predicted number, to wave their calculators in the air,
which they do! The end result creates a happy feeling of synchronicity. When doing this over
Zoom, it’s even more amazing to see, as they hold their calculators up to their screens,
everyone now is synchronized on the same number ... 1089!

Special thanks to my weekly dojo, and particularly to Vee Souvahn, for his help and input
toward the completion of this effect. Feel free to read the script below while following along
with your calculator. If you like the flow, feel free to take what you want from the script below
in order to make it work for you:

“People come to Las Vegas and they love to bet on the number seven. It’s funny how people
develop arbitrary relationships with numbers. Maybe the reason why is because all numbers
and shapes actually have a mysterious influence over the universe. It’s called Sacred Geometry –
are you familiar with that term? Obviously, you haven’t gone down some of the rabbit holes I
have on YouTube. Take seven, for example. One of its characteristics is that it stands for Victory.
If you take a seven and turn it onto its side, it looks like a V for Victory. As such it’s considered a
high vibration, magical number.”

Now hold up a sketch pad, and on the right side of the page, write a large “9” for everyone to
see. (Make sure you leave room to write “108” to its left, for later.) To the audience, as a visual
aid, you have simply drawn a 9 on the pad. You now continue ...

“The number nine is one of the most powerful numbers of them all. It’s considered the number
of completion ... like a full circle. As you know, a circle is 360 degrees. If you add those numbers,
3+6+0, it equals 9. Divide the circle in half, 180 degrees, and 1+8+0 also equals 9. Divide it in half
again, 90 degrees, 9+0=9. Keep dividing … 45 degrees, 4+5=9 ... ad infinitum, into the decimal
points. If you add up the numbers that make up the degrees and reduce them to a single digit
number, it ALWAYS ends up 9!

14
“Another number which has strange power is the number 108.” Now write a big 108 to the left
of the 9, in order to create the full number 1089 on the pad in full view for later. This idea
allows you to innocuously write the prediction directly in front of your audience, while
misdirecting them with unusual facts about the numbers.

“108 is strange by the simple fact that it feels a little clunky. It’s not a nice round number like 20,
or 50, or 100. It’s 108 ... and yet ... for those who practice martial arts, there are 108
movements in Tai Chi. 108 movements in each of the five Kung Fu animal forms. 108 beads that
Hindus and Buddhists wear on their rosary necklaces, which means 108 prayers that they count
with the beads.

“Strangely, it was only about 108 years ago, back when they discovered how to accurately
measure stuff, that they realized that it literally takes 108 diameters of the Moon, to reach the
Earth from the Moon’s orbit. It also takes a 108 diameters of the Sun to reach the Earth’s orbit
from the Sun. And it takes 108 diameters of the Earth to stretch across the entire diameter of
the Sun. This Sun, Moon and Earth correlation is pretty remarkable considering how long people
have held the number 108 in such high regard.

“It’s true that all numbers have meaningful characteristics. In fact, how about if everyone takes
out their cell phone. Open it up to your calculator app and hit clear so we all start at the same
place. I’m going to ask you to enter a random three-digit number. Don’t use any zeros and make
sure that each digit is different from one another. Go ahead and enter your three-digit number.
Most likely, everyone is thinking of completely different numbers. However, by going through a
‘yin and yang’ process, we will see if we can all mysteriously synchronize!

“Now that everyone is looking at their three-digit number, the first part of the yin and yang
game is to hit MINUS. Now type in the REVERSE of the number you originally entered. So, in the
case of the number 123, hit MINUS, punch in 321, and hit EQUALS. You now have a new total. It
may or may not be a negative number. For example, I got negative 198 by taking 123 and
subtracting 321. So, in case you do have a negative number, let’s keep it positive tonight. If you
have a negative number, first remember it, then hit CLEAR on your calculator. Then re-enter that
same number, but as a positive number.

“Alright, now that everyone is positive, hit the PLUS sign. Ok, now we’re going to add the
REVERSE of the three-digit number that you see, just like you did before, and hit equals. You
should now see a FOUR DIGIT number ... but if what I said was true at the start, then the
number you will all see on your phones, will look strangely similar to the ones we’ve been
talking about all along. Have we all synchronized? Please hold your phone up to your screen so
we can see that, YES, it looks like we did it. Everyone has now synchronized and we are looking
at a gallery full of one, zero, eight, and nine! Give yourselves a big round of applause!

“But think about what just happened. Did it happen for a deeper reason? There are, in fact, 108
inches in every nine feet. There are 108 stitches in every Major League baseball, and nine
innings in every game of American baseball. So be inspired with what just happened tonight,

15
because now that you know about the mysteries of 108 and nine, you may start seeing their
patterns in unexpected places. As you continue to recognize these patterns, the connections you
make may become more and more profound.”

16
Ultimate Solution Book Test
I have thought long and hard about the classic mentalism “book test” throughout my life and
have had a love/hate relationship with the concept as a whole. Personally, I have never been
interested in the manner that is most often used, a specially-printed book that makes the trick
work. To me, it seems to be the easiest way to do it, and therefore, the method best to avoid.
Since the audience must be convinced that the book is “real” it is technically best to use a book
title that is familiar to most audience members. And often, you don’t get this option with
specially-printed books.

As a fulltime performer, I place great value on other aspects of the whole performance. I am a
big proponent of direct, engaging, and dynamic performances, so I tend to put those criteria
ahead of process. I wanted an effect in which it made sense to choose more than one word to
reveal. I also wanted the selection of the words to move quickly, so there is as little time spent
on that as possible while maintaining the feeling of a free and fair selection. I wanted to avoid
having to call out letters at random, but rather create a feeling of real mindreading in the
moment. I wanted to be able to give away the book at the end of the effect, or have the book
be thoroughly examined to ensure that the book was not specially prepared. I wanted an effect
that would be easy to set up and work in either big or intimate settings. Finally, I wanted to do
more than the traditional “reveal a word” from a book, which has become commonplace in the
repertoire of many mentalists. I addressed each of those conditions and came up with a simple,
effective eight minutes of entertainment using virtually any book title.

The effect makes use of one ordinary book that can be given away at the end of the
performance. Three volunteers are used, and yet, there are five amazing revelations. Each
action is justified. Everything builds to a climax which leaves everyone in your audience in a
state of disbelief. Special thanks to my friend, and co-conspirator, Raj Madhok for his
suggestion of creating a phrase or sentence using the selected words.

Effect: An ordinary book is introduced. For the best effect, ask your meeting planner what the
CEO’s favorite book is. That way you can order it and prepare it in advance, using your client’s
favorite book! You riffle through the pages, and ask three volunteers to call stop randomly and
read the first word on the page they stopped at, as you look away. The last of the three persons
to choose a word gets to hold onto the book and examine it to be sure that no words repeat
and that the book is legit. As each volunteer concentrates on their word, you start by babbling
out synonyms of the word they are thinking of, but then manage to always land on the final
word being each chosen word. After the three words have been revealed, and applause
generated, a step further is taken as it appears the three words can also be fashioned into a
short phrase or sentence that forms a relatable thought! As a final kicker, a flip chart, which
has been turned away on stage the entire time, is spun around to reveal the exact phrase that
was, just moments ago, conceived of!

Secret: I will first address what appears to be a discrepancy in the effect. Yes, I actually do go
through the entire process of first reading the minds of three people, one at a time, only to
later turn around a flip chart, to display the three words I just “telepathically” revealed, already

17
written there all along. Yes, I can see why that might disturb some. All I can say to that is,
sometimes entertainment doesn’t make sense. Sometimes our job is to just give people
entertainment. Of course, you can choose to not include this part in your own presentation.
However, it catches the audience so off-guard, that I can heartily relay that it was a true high
point in my show in Las Vegas each time I performed it. I also performed this effect at the 17th
International IONS (The Institute of Noetic Sciences) Conference for about 400 people in 2017.
It was so strong, I remember at the end when I revealed the other side of the flip chart, the
applause kept going for what felt like 20 to 30 seconds!

In my book, Word Work I, I mention my first learning of the secret that was passed down to me
from a local part-time mentalist and full-time photographer for the Smithsonian Institution, Doc
Dougherty (from Washington, D.C.). It is simple, subtle, and I have been using it ever since I was
about 18. Simply, it is a specific handling for making very subtle short pages. This way, so long
as the book is a paperback, you can easily have pages selected by timing the spectator’s calling
stop with the moment you riffle to a short page, and thus, a force word is easily attained. There
are a few specifics to the making and handling of the short pages (I will get into this in a bit)
that have to do with the construction of the overall effect. For now, find a paperback book,
grab a pair of scissors, a pen and some paper. The paperback book must also be one in which
most of the pages are filled with text. Let’s get you started.

In order to prepare for this effect, you must start at the ending first. There is a bit of creative
finagling in this first part, but it actually goes by rather quickly. It usually takes me between 5
and 15 minutes to prepare any book for performance. Generally, I start at the back of the book,
about 30 to 50 pages from the last page, and then I write down the first word on every left-
hand (even-numbered) page, moving from the back to the front, until you are about 50 pages
from the front. There are a couple of rules regarding writing down words: First, only write down
words that have more than 5 letters. Second, if the first word has less than 5 letters, but the
second word looks good and has more than 5 letters, go ahead and write down both words, as
you make your list (if the second word is used as a force word, it is easy to direct your spectator
to that word after finding out that the first word has less than five letters). Third, if the first and
second word of a page are both short words, but the first word on the second line looks good,
write it down, since it too would be easy to direct the spectator to if it turned out to be an ideal
fit. Finally, if you encounter pages that look confusing or you see no sign of a good force word,
just skip over it. By the end, you will be looking at a list of 20 to 60 words, if not more. Meditate
on that list of words until you can figure out a three-word sentence from it. Try to make the
sentence feel inspirational to the type of show you are doing. It actually isn’t as difficult as it
sounds. Something always manifests that is perfect, no matter which book you use.

I usually perform this effect with copies of the 325-page book I wrote called, State of Mind. So
once you know what book and what words you will use to force on your audience, you no
longer have to go through the word-list part of the preparation. From State of Mind, I have at
least three phrases that I can use interchangeably. One example is “Realizing Subconscious
Synchronicities.”

For this writing, however, I decided to pull a book off my shelf and use it as the example. It is a
book that I’d highly recommend, and it was written by my friend and consciousness scientist,

18
Dean Radin, entitled Supernormal. It took me about 10 minutes to set up the book as
mentioned above, and it is now ready to perform. After flipping through and making a list of
about 30 words, I considered the list, and after careful selection, chose the words, “intention,
across, and connections” on pages 220, 180, and 128, respectively. The idea is that the phrase
“Connections across intention” makes enough sense to be seen as an alleged concept written
for the book as well as a theme for the show itself to be revealed on the flip chart. If you decide
to use Supernormal, as per this example, take an extra thick marker and write the words
“Connections Across Intention” on the flip chart as large as possible, in order to reveal later.
Otherwise, once you know which book you want to use, and you know which pages have the
words you will later form your three-word phrase or sentence with, go ahead and write that
phrase on your flip chart.

Now to prepare the pages. Get your pair of scissors. It’s better if they are sharp. Just as you
started by making the list from the back of the book (although it really doesn’t matter from
which direction you start), go to the page nearest to the last page. In the case of Supernormal, it
would be the word “intention” on page 220. You will notice, after some experience with this,
that some books use heavier paper stock and others use a lighter stock, and thus, the paper is
thinner. In the case of Supernormal, it is a thinner, lighter, paper, which means you will cut four
pages per force word. Books with a heavier paper, you only need to cut two pages per force
word. Most people think of a short page as being a single page that is cut its entire length to
shorten the page. What I am about to show you, is how unnecessary that is. Technically, you
only need the page to be shorter at the point at which you will riffle past it with your finger.

Follow these instructions carefully. It’s quite simple, but in order to do it best will require a bit
of a steady hand while using a sharp pair of scissors. I will go through the actions of doing this
with Supernormal, so you can use it as a template to prepare whichever book you decide to
use, after you have your selected words. Make sure you first know the page numbers that each
of your words are on. Lay your book on the table so that it is upside down, with the back side of
the book facing you. Crack the book slightly and flip to the force page closest to the back of the
book. In the case of Supernormal, it would be the word “intention” on page 220. The way the
book is positioned, you will be looking at the word “intention” upside down, closest to you. Get
your scissors. Because the book is only cracked open a little bit (like about an inch to three
inches), you can, while holding your place at page 220, flip four pages past page 220 in order to
easily get a hold of that clump of pages (221 through 228), while keeping them separate from
the other pages. All four of these pages will need to be shortened by just barely, but you will
not cut down the entire page. The reason why I say you will shorten either two to four pages is
because depending on how heavy or light the paper stock is, will determine the amount of
pages you will need to shorten. If it’s a light paper stock, you will need to shorten up to three,
but sometimes even four pages. With Supernormal, it’s a very light paper stock, so I had to cut
through four pages. If it’s a heavier paper stock, you will only need to cut two pages. With the
pages now separate from the other pages I will start at the very top (closest to you), and with
the scissors, cut a very slight sliver, less than an 1/8 of an inch to the left from the top of the
right long edge facing you, through the cluster of two to four pages, along the top long side and
then carefully tapering it to blend into the actual edge of the long side of the page within about
an inch or two from where you started. Done correctly, the book will be completely
examinable, yet will have three pages shaved near the top immediately following each page

19
that contains a force-word. The slight imperfections of alignment in the pages will just look like
a manufacturing error and go completely unnoticed, especially if the cuts are very slight.

To test how well this method forces a word, take the book and hold it with your left hand at the
spine, so that it faces you, and imagine that a spectator is in front of you. Take your right
forefinger, and starting at the top-rear of the book, riffle the pages towards you, so that, from
the spectator’s view, she will see the first words of every left hand page, running from back to
front, as you do. However, as you riffle to the short pages, you will feel a distinct “click” that
indicates you have arrived at a force word. You should also be able to visually see the slightly
shorter pages where you will need to stop at the first force word. The manner in which you will
riffle through the pages will be rapid enough that it should be fairly easy to time the spectator
saying stop as you hit a force page. Each spectator is timed to stop where each of your force
words are. After careful consideration, I chose this to be my way of arriving at the selection,
because it is the fastest way to do it, and since there is a bit of an urgency to get through that
part quickly, the spectators are all quite pliable in that moment. Because the manner of
selecting the three words happens so quickly, there is complete justification as to why the book
should remain in your hands during this process. To cancel out any suspicion that the book
being used has been doctored, once the third word is selected, the third spectator is asked to
just hold onto it, and to examine it, if she likes. Although finding spectators who will be “too
selective” will sometimes occur, I find that I am able to be equally as stubborn during those
times and just force them to take the word I want them to take, in order to “save time” or just
move on to choose another, more pliable, volunteer.

You will find that the above method is very effective, especially if the words are spaced far
enough apart in the book, which will make each selection feel quite free. However, if two or
more of your force words are only within a few pages from one another, you won’t want to
make the short pages too close to one another, as it would make timing the force to either
specific page potentially awkward. In such instances, it’s easy enough to cut a half moon sliver
starting about three inches from the top of the page. Therefore, by just riffling three inches
below from where you would ordinarily start your riffling in order to get the first force page,
you can avoid hitting the first force page, by running your finger along a lower position down
the long side of the book. Usually, you can find words far enough apart that you won’t need to
do that. However, in the case of Supernormal, and my force word choices, I did have to lower
the shortened part of the page to get to the second force page unobstructed.

The rest, after the above preparation, is just crafting a fun presentation. But think how
beautiful that simple set-up makes for the final moment? Three random words, from a
completely examinable book (and one that can even be the guest of honor’s favorite book, with
some advance preparation) are chosen. Each word is now individually divined in the most
dynamic and intriguing way, but then the plot thickens as the chosen words are all noticed to
create a phrase! As a final kicker, the three-word prediction can be revealed at the end, clearly
written on your flip chart all along.

I will leave the presentation for you to come up with. After all, depending on the book, it can
change the presentation quite a bit. Some have chosen not to make the final prediction at the

20
end. However, as mentioned earlier, while in Las Vegas, I would reveal the prediction every
night, and it always received surprised gasps and exclamations from the audience at that point.

When revealing each word, rather than calling out letters, I would call out synonyms of the
words leading up to the actual word. So, as an example, if I were to reveal the word “intention”
I would say:

“Concentrate on the word you chose. This word has something to do with a desire, does that
make sense? Something that you want to do, or something that you are going to do, right? Like
a desire or a wish, or a want, or an intention. Go ahead and say it, what word are you thinking
of? Intention?! You see how we got to that? That’s amazing! Give her a big round of applause!”

When constructing the phrase for the audience from the chosen words, say something like,
“Let’s now take it even farther. So you chose the word, ‘intention,’ you chose the word
‘connections,’ and you chose ‘across.’ Let’s see ... how about if we look at it like this:
Connections ... Across ... Intention. Connections across intention! That works, right? In fact, not
only does that sort of make sense, but it especially makes sense in the case of what I am talking
to you all about tonight. Because when using our minds most effectively, we are constantly
making ... (turn the flip chart around) Connections! Across! Intention!”

This effect is best performed in live settings, however it is actually not that difficult to do
virtually, especially if you do it with the CEO’s favorite book. Just have each spectator call stop
as you riffle at the camera and time their saying stop just as if you are doing it live. By doing it
this way and holding the page right up the camera, so everyone on Zoom will see each word,
the only part that you need to be convincing of is that you didn’t peek to look at any of the
words stopped at. Just be a good liar, when doing this effect for your virtual audiences.

Allow me to get a little philosophical here for a moment. The reason why it doesn’t matter
whether they believe you peeked at the words or not is not too dissimilar from the reason why
it’s okay to psychically reveal the three words slowly, only to show that you have had those
exact three words predicted all along. The reason why is simply because you are an entertainer.
Further than that, you are a mindreading mentalist entertainer. So when your audience goes to
see you, they are going to be entertained by the notion of mindreading and stuff that will “blow
them away.” The act of revealing three words which were seemingly randomly chosen by
calling out synonym after synonym until each word is mysteriously divined, is done in a fast
paced and engaging enough manner, that each moment is just as astonishing as it is dynamic.
That is exactly why the audience came to the show – to see someone read minds and be
amazed. But what will undoubtedly blow their minds, is the moment that you reveal that the
three words can form a phrase and that that very phrase has been predicted all along. It’s pure
entertainment, and you get to give the book away as a souvenir at the end. If virtual, you can
sign it to the person on camera and then send it to them the next day. It’s 100% pure
entertainment every time.

21
Unfabulation
For nearly my entire career, I have searched for a particular “Holy Grail” in mentalism. I wanted
to create the closest effect to Alan Shaxon’s Confabulation, as I could get without using any
double-writing, pre-show, or switches as part of the method. I also wanted the effect to feel
genuine and believable, while at the same time creating the same kind of audience impact
which Confabulation always seemed to have. It took until I started performing in Las Vegas
during this pandemic for me to come to this solution.

The reason why I came to this solution was due to my conditions in Las Vegas when I started
again in November 2020, I was not allowed to go anywhere near my audience, much less pass
things to them or have them pass things to me in any manner. Not only that, the audience was
no less than 25 feet away from the stage! This was one of my favorite solutions that manifested
from this dilemma.

EFFECT: A wine glass with three rolled scrolls is presented. Each scroll is tightly wrapped and
tied with a ribbon. The performer removes one of them, stating that they each contain random
fun facts. As it is unrolled, it is seen largely printed on the scroll, but also read aloud: “Most
people still believe in astrology ...” The performer gets a show of hands of how many people in
the room still believe in astrology. Usually, it’s not that many, which is good for one or two
laughs, the excuse being that perhaps the average of a more global consensus would show that
statement to be true. The next scroll is grabbed as “fun fact number two” is announced, and it
reads: “Most will not admit their belief in astrology.” The audience usually laughs as this is
shown and read aloud. Before getting to the third scroll, a poll is taken: “Let me show you what
I mean by that. How many of you know what your zodiac sign is, by show of hands? How many
of you know what animal or symbol your sign represents? How many of you know how to spell
your zodiac sign? Now there is an EASY way to do this and there is a difficult way to do this. I
will begin with the difficult way ...” At this point, two volunteers are chosen to stand up and
concentrate on the spelling of their sign. Within a short amount of time, both of their signs are
revealed. A third person is asked to stand, and they are asked point blank what their sign is. As
they answer, the performer jokes, “That is correct! And THAT, my friends, is the easy way to do
it! Thank you! I’ll be here all week ...” But now the three women are asked to continue standing
and think of a two-digit number, while a number is written on a blank sketch pad with a large
felt marker. After each spectator announces their thought-of number, the performer looks a
little confused. “Well, you’re ALL WRONG. I was thinking of 25 ...” The sketch pad is turned
around to show a large number 25 printed in the middle of a large circle. “Wait, someone came
pretty close to that, though, didn’t they?” One of the three admits that their number was
indeed 27. “In the world of mentalism, that’s actually a technicality that is known as, ‘Off By
Two!’” The audience laughs, but now, curiously, the performer asks for that participant’s name.
”Lucy ... now that is interesting ... because before the show I did actually jot down some fun
facts, but this last one was more of an impression I had ...” As it is unrolled, it is read aloud: “A
woman named Lucy will be the closest. Probably off by 2.”

PREPARATION: Okay, it is not exactly Confabulation, nor was it my objective to come up with
something that would be stronger than the original, but what I do have here is a multi-layered

22
revelation effect, which requires such little pre-show that it’s even hard to call it that. There are
no switches or double-writing, and yet it ends with the revelation of a very powerful prediction
that has been sitting out in the open during the entire time. Furthermore, it takes no more than
5 minutes to set up, just before the show, and quite plays to the strength of the original
Confabulation despite the two routines not using the same method at all.

Begin by setting up your three scrolls. I use a sketch pad that is 11” x 14”. It really doesn’t
matter if you roll the paper into scrolls, or just use folded slips, I just think it looks good as a
stage effect when you have the three scrolls rolled up and tied with a ribbon in a wine glass.
Using a fat felt marker, write “Most people believe in astrology” on the first page, making sure
to try and fill the entire page with bold print. Carefully tear that sheet out and then write the
second message on the next sheet, “Most will not admit their belief in astrology.” Tear that
sheet out. Then write, “A named will be closest. Probably off by 2!” Do not
tear this page out just yet, until after you fill the rest in, just before your show. Have three
pieces of ribbon tied into loops with a bow, so that the loop is about 2/3 of an inch wide. Tightly
roll the two scrolls so that they can fit into two of the ribbon loops. Put a slight dog-ear fold at
the two corners of the second prediction in order to secretly mark it for identification for later.
Technically, you will be able to tell the difference between them because the writing will bleed
through enough for you to see which scroll is which, but it does help to be sure.

At this point, in order to set up the rest of the effect will require that you go to where your
audience will be, along with your two prepared scrolls, the extra ribbon loop, your sketch pad
and your marker, find a wine glass you can use, and locate a spectator whose name you can
acquire before the show, without them ever knowing you found out their name. This is done
either by overhearing a conversation or just asking the host for a few names of people who
would be good sports if you were to call on them during your show. Once that is known, it is a
simple matter of filling in the last message, tearing it out, and rolling it into the last scroll. Put
the three scrolls into the wine glass and have it ready to go, by the time your show starts. It’s
really just three messages written on three pieces of paper, a pen and a pad. That’s your entire
set up!

METHOD: Just in case you do not know a branching zodiac system, I will teach mine,
Signagram, at the end of this book. In fact, if you don’t know a branching system, stop here, go
to the back of this book to learn Signagram and then come back.

Now that we have a general idea of what is going on here, allow me to explain some of the finer
points of this routine ...

1) Part of the strength of this routine is that it never appears that you ever know the spectator’s
name who you call on. And yet, each aspect of the routine plays into each other importantly
throughout. In other words, since it is never known that you ever knew the name of any of the
spectators, the surprise in seeing the spectator’s name written on the final scroll will later shock
the audience. Therefore, it is important to make sure that you do NOT ask for anyone’s name at
any point during this demonstration. This can be sometimes hard to do, especially if you are
used to calling on people by asking for their name.

23
2) The third scroll will technically contain four revelations in a row. People will ask: How did you
pick the correct gender? How did you know the correct name? How did you know which one of
them would be closest? How did you know that they would be off by two? This is what makes
the effect feel so much like Confabulation, and yet the prediction is always out in the open,
large enough to read from a distance, and never is there any whiff of a switch or anything
underhanded being done.

3) The first phase of using a “What’s My Sign?” type of effect on two random strangers to start
it off is important, because it establishes that none of the spectators have been prepared. The
two who begin the process will swear up and down that they were never in on it, because they
definitely weren’t. I use my own branching system called Signagram (from my book Astrologic,
2007) which is very efficient. Whichever system you use, however, the idea I use from my own
technique, can be used with any branching zodiac system. Simply use one branching anagram
on two people simultaneously, calling out letters one at a time, as if through some mysterious
inspiration, and slowly reveal the letters in each sign, until both signs are known. The reason for
using two spectators instead of just one, is because more skeptical minds will already believe
that you are doing exactly what you are doing anyway. Thus, it is just a more impressive
demonstration when you do it with two people at the same time. It takes about the same
amount of time to reveal two signs as it does one, and you will simply get more credit for being
able to do it with two people simultaneously. Despite any spectator skepticism, however, you
should still always present Signagram as if you have stumbled upon each letter by some
uncanny synchronicity. Nothing heightens the moment here better than good acting. The main
purpose will ultimately, and most subtly, establish how you can create a mysterious connection
with two random strangers despite never having met them. And you will receive some applause
for revealing the two signs off the bat.

4) If your third scroll includes the name of a woman, make sure that the two initial spectators
which you choose are also women. If the third scroll includes the name of a man, make sure
that the two other people you choose are guys.

5) The idea of using a form of pre-show that is technically not even pre-show, sprang out of
necessity from not being able to be near my audience when I first arrived back in Vegas. I
realized that although I could not interact with anyone, I could still stealthily acquire at least a
few names from the groups coming in to see me. I always make sure to choose the person who
has the most common sounding name so it always feels somewhat plausible. And with that, I
came upon the inspiration that two pieces of information can be written into the final message.
Both the gender and the first name of one person who I can recognize for later. Then, by using
the “off by two” principle, originally published as Con Test by Max Maven in 1981 in Magick
#293 (compiled by Bascom Jones), you can also add both that s/he “would be the closest” as
well as “off by 2!” Ultimately, that’s a four-way prediction kicker!

The Third Volunteer: You have just revealed the zodiac signs of two spectators who you have
never met before. Remember, you also told them that you would do it the hard way first, and
then you did, in fact, with two people at the same time. Your third volunteer is always the
person who you predicted in the third scroll, but nobody else needs to know that. Just point to
that person now, as if you are calling on them at random. Tell the audience that you are about

24
to see if you can make yet another strange connection. Simply tell that person to tell everyone
their sign out loud. Two things can happen here. Either they will reveal that their sign is the
same sign as one of the other spectators, or they will call out another random sign. If they call
out a sign that matches one of the other two spectators, use this moment to create another
mysterious connection. Exclaim, “Another synchronicity! That’s SO CRAZY because I am a
______” Call out the remaining spectator’s zodiac, and even though you probably will have to
lie (which you can later tell them you weren’t serious about), you just created a four-way
synchronicity! However, if they call out a different sign than the other two spectators, simply
say, “That is correct!” Either way, something happens, and at worst, it feels like you set them
up for a joke by saying, “And THAT, my friends, is the EASY way.”

Now that you know everyone’s zodiac sign, you will now ONLY call them by their astrological
signs, which will continue to emphasize in everyone’s mind that you do not know any of their
names.

Thinking of a Two-Digit Number: Calling the three of them by their zodiac signs, ask each of
them to see if they can think of the same two-digit number as you do. Take out your sketch pad
and marker.

This is the part of Max Maven’s Con Test that I altered slightly. As much as I love the off-by-two
ruse, I wanted to keep the consistency of using a fat marker to write the number, and if
possible, I wanted to avoid needing to carry a swami gimmick with me. My method is to use
pure misdirection. Casually flash the fact that the page facing you on the sketch pad is blank.
And act like you are coming up with a two-digit number in your mind. Then as you pretend to
write a number, discreetly draw a large circle in the middle of your pad, as you pretend to write
down a two-digit number. Say, “My thought has been committed. Please tell me, what number
did you think of?” Ask each volunteer to reveal their number, ending with the third spectator.
Whatever the third volunteer says (we’ll say she says 27), you must write down a number in the
circle on your pad that is “off by two” from the last volunteer’s selection. Before you do that
however, look at what you apparently wrote on the pad and feign confusion. Then say,
“Actually, you’re ALL WRONG ... I was thinking of 25.” What I realized was that the moment you
say, “You’re ALL WRONG,” a strange thing happens with the audience. Everyone’s “screens”
automatically clear, and there will be about a three-second period of time when no one will
think about anything in particular, because everyone will believe that you need to start over. So
in that three second moment of misdirection, and immediately after you say “You’re ALL
WRONG” you will simply and clearly write 25 in the center of your circle. However, in order to
finesse the dirty work, be obvious at pretending to draw a large circle around the number you
just wrote in. Now turn the pad around. It will appear as if you just drew a circle around the
number before showing it, and the misdirection is perfect.

It will look exactly as though you had three random spectators think of a two-digit number and
they were all wrong, except for the one you wanted to be “off by two.” And no one is any the
wiser. All you have to do now is play for the moment. Say, “Wait, someone actually came pretty
close to that, though, didn’t they? Was it you?” Here, I will now point to the wrong person on
purpose. What happens, at this point, is that your third volunteer who actually was the closest,
and in fact the one whose name is in your prediction, will push back, and say “No, I was the

25
closest!” And this is how you reel them in. Continue by saying to her, “Well, in the world of
mentalism, that’s actually a technicality that is known as, ‘Off By Two!’” The audience will have
a bit of a laugh, but now, curiously, ask your participant to call out her name for the first time.
”Lucy ... now that is interesting ... because before the show I did actually jot down some fun
facts, but this last one was more of an impression I had ...” As the last scroll is removed from
the wine glass and unrolled. It is read aloud: “A woman named Lucy will be the closest. Probably
off by 2.”

Special thanks to John Bannon for being the first to tell me about the Off By Two ruse many
years ago. It was also his suggestion to miscall the spectator “who was closest” in order to
psychologically commit the third spectator to being the closest to the off-by-two number.
Originally, John told me that Bill Malone used this on him, but years later I discovered that it
was, in fact, Max Maven’s original idea all along.

I have had so much fun with this routine, having performed it over 100 times over the past
year. I can say that it is a genuine worker. I have performed it in the worst conditions and got
the biggest reactions too. I ordinarily used it as an opener to my Las Vegas show, but I have also
used it as a stand-alone piece at comedy clubs, as well as even closed a few sets with it. It’s
even super easy to convert to a virtual show.

Have fun with all of the pieces in this book. All it takes is for you to have the routines
committed to memory, and they will always be there for you, whether your talents are
requested virtually or live!

Alain Nu
January 2022

26
Signagram
from Astrologic, by Alain Nu, 2007

Inspired by Ray Grismer’s “What’s My Sign?”, this was my first attempt to work on this
branching anagram concept used to divine zodiac signs.

RIASE

Always begin the letter calling procedure by asking if the spectator knows what her zodiac sign
is. It’s important that you always ask your spectators to concentrate on their own zodiac sign,
because there is always a chance that they won’t know how to spell the different signs. But if
they are thinking of their own sign, your chances are increased.

This effect requires that the volunteers know how to spell (correctly) the zodiac sign that they
are thinking of, but it will also take into consideration that some people may not know the
exact spelling of their own sign, and is designed to potentially accept possibilities such as this by
having you call out the most obvious letters that could be found within each spelling.

You will first need to memorize the code word- “RIASE.”

Pronounce it whatever way you’d like, but most importantly, remember how to spell it, as this
word will be the backbone to this system. You’re also going to need to remember five secret
words. Although these words have no meaning in real life, they are essential to get you through
this system. The secret words are: Rei, Ias, Ar, Sa, and Ess. Don’t worry- you’ll never have to say
the words out loud to anyone; you’ll only call out the letters used to spell these words. Calling
them out in a very special way will help you divine any thought-of sign. Just try to remember
these as “secret words.” Especially, you must remember how to spell them. By doing so, before
long, you will be able to divine the thought of any of the twelve signs of the zodiac.

Notice that the code word “RIASE” is made up of all the capital letters in the five “magic
words.” Just knowing this will help you to remember both the code word and the secret words.

The basic rule is that you must first call out the first letter of each secret word— in other words,
simply recite each letter of the code word “RIASE” until the spectator tells you that a called-out
letter is not in the sign she is thinking of.

When the letter called is NOT in the spelling of the thought of sign, you will move to the spelling
of the secret word that begins with that letter. This is the basic premise, however there are
some nuances that will also be important to learn. For now, however, let’s have a look into the
“definition” of each secret word...

REI: unlocks the signs Gemini, Leo and Pisces. Once you have your spectator concentrating on
her sign, close your eyes and tell her that you hear an “R” sound, and then ask her if there is an
“R” in the spelling of her sign. If she says no, act as if you weren’t concentrating properly. Tell

27
her that you’ll try to make it easier on yourself and then ask her if there is an “E” (second letter
in the magic word “REI”). She will say yes no matter what. Make a mention that you are not
good with the vowels, since you can’t hear them in your mind. I always mention this when using
this system, even though I call out vowels. This way, on the occasion that I’m wrong, I can point
out that I told them earlier that I’m not good with vowels. It gets a good laugh since you’re
taking credit for having predicted your own failure. Tell her that you are sensing that the “E” is
the second letter in the sign that she is thinking of. If she says no, you know that she is a Pisces.
If she says yes, you’ll know that she is either a Leo or a Gemini. Consequently, if she says no,
you can backtrack by telling her that you are seeing it backwards—“it’s the second from the
end, isn’t it?” She will have to agree, since most Pisces’ will know this. Continue by asking if
there is an “I” in the spelling of her sign. If she says no, you know she is a Leo (For this, you can
make the comment about how you’re not good with the vowels—“See? What’d I tell you?”). On
the other hand, if she says that yes, in fact there is an “I”, you will know she is a Gemini.

In summary of the above, first react to your not getting the letter “R” by switching gears, and
then announcing the letter “E.” Knowing the placement of the “E” pretty much redeems your
first miss with the “R”. The placement of the “E” at second from beginning will determine
whether or not she is a Pisces (which has an “E” second from the end of its spelling). Following
up by asking if there is an “I” will determine whether or not she is either a Gemini or a Leo.

IAS: unlocks the signs Taurus and Cancer. Before announcing the letter “I”, make sure to make
mention of the fact that you are not good with the vowels. If she says no to the letter “I”, let
her know that you had that feeling that you wouldn’t get it right (On his Video Mind series, Max
Maven uses this premise, which makes for a good out,). Since there is no “I”, you now know
that she is either a Taurus or a Cancer. The rule now is to go to the second letter of the magic
word IAS, the letter “A”. Say, “I’m sorry, it was a letter ‘A’. It’s the second letter in the spelling of
your sign, yes?” You don’t need to worry this time since an “A” is at the second position in both
Taurus and Cancer; you’re covered. Now, you announce that you also heard an “S” (the final
letter in IAS). If she says no, say, “Are you sure? I thought I could hear an ‘S’ sound…” She will
have to say that there is an “S” sound in the sign she is thinking of (the middle “c” in Cancer).
Now you can reveal she is a Cancer. If there is, in fact, an “S”, you know that she is a Taurus. I
tried to make this system work around most “no-responses” received.

AR: unlocks the signs Virgo and Scorpio. Act surprised when getting a yes response to
announcing the letter “I” from the RIASE-code since, after all, you are not normally good with
vowels. Act as if you will try your luck again with the letter “A”. If she says no, act as if you
expected that your luck was going to eventually run out. Ask them to concentrate again on the
letter “R.” Say, “I’m sensing that the ‘R’ is about the third or fourth letter…” This statement is a
soft hit, but now you close in with “Is it the third letter?” Whichever way she responds to this,
will determine if she is a Virgo or Scorpio for the obvious reasons. Even though this last
statement has potential to miss, even when it does, it still somehow psychologically comes
across more as a “near hit.”

SA: This two-letter word unlocks the signs Libra and Capricorn. If you have gotten this far in the
RIASE-code, you know that your volunteer is now only one of 5 signs. Say, “I am sensing that
there is also the letter “S”? If she says no, it will have been your first miss. “Ok, wait, let’s go

28
back to the ‘A’. It isn’t near the beginning of the word is it?” Here, an interesting premise is
being used. You are purposely vague in how you deliver the last line as a question. Saying this in
this manner makes you appear correct regardless of how the spectator answers. For lack of
knowing what else to call it, I’ve dubbed this as the “ambiguous-negative-pump” principle. In
other words, if she says yes to your statement, you continue by saying “The second letter from
the beginning!” which makes you look as if you were going there all along. If she says no, you
say, “No, in fact, it is at the end of the word, yes?” This, once again, makes you appear as if you
were already there. Either way, the ambiguous-negative-pump principle is designed to feel like
a hit. No matter, by the spectator’s response, you will be left to divine, in whatever manner, her
correct sign, be it Libra or Capricorn.

ES: unlocks the final three signs left to determine— Aries, Sagittarius, and Aquarius. If you’ve
made it this far in the RIASE-code, congratulations, but be careful here! The following can be
tricky. With the affirmation that there is an “S” in the thought-of sign, announce that you will
try once again for a vowel (remember, going for vowels is apparently tough for you). Announce
that you are getting the impression of the letter “E”. If the spectator says yes, be careful
because there is a chance that she might not be concentrating hard enough and be quick to
assume that there is a letter “E” is in the word Aquarius or Sagittarius. Say, “Are you sure it’s an
‘E’?” If she is sure, reconfirm by saying “And I feel like I got all the letters right, but scrambled?”
If she says yes, you have her pegged as an Aries.

If she tells you that there is no E, you now know that she is either an Aquarius or a Sagittarius.
Continue by saying, “Let’s go back to the ‘S’. It doesn’t begin with the letter S, does it?” As you
can see, just as with the secret word “SA”, with “ES” you use the ambiguous-negative-pump
principle. To maintain a level of integrity as a mentalist, it’s more powerful to use the
ambiguous-negative-pump principle as few times as possible. Don’t worry though, with the
RIASE-code, no one will hear it more than once as you divine a sign, even though it appears
more than once in the system. Of course, if she responds that her sign does begin with the
letter “S”, you are ready to reveal that she is a Sagittarius. If she says no, it doesn’t begin with
the letter “S”, say, “No, but it DOES END with the letter ‘S’, yes?” You are correct; she is an
Aquarius.

SIMULTANEOUS MULTIPLICITY

Generally if I am working a progressive anagram structure in which I am calling out only letters
of the alphabet, I will do it with more than one person at a time. I believe it is always more
impressive to perform this effect with two (and sometimes three) people simultaneously.

After all, it is possible to do. Simply have each person concentrate on repeating in their minds,
the name of their own zodiac sign, and then mention that you had a strong sense of the letter
“R”. While getting everyone’s response to this first statement, if one or two people say that
there is no “R”, so long as ONE PERSON out of the three says that there is an R in the spelling of
his sign, you can count your statement as a “hit.” So then you move on to the next letter of the
code, and so on, until you know which of the five “secret words” can be ascribed to each of
your three volunteers. From there, you can work with them individually, and know before too

29
long, each of their individual zodiac signs. I have been playing with this since Max Maven wrote
Thabbatical dubbed this the “SM Concept,” for Simultaneous Multiplicity.

When I find myself in situations where I am performing this for a larger audience, another ruse
that I will use is to “take a poll” by asking my audience, “By a show of hands, how many people
know what their zodiac sign is? Now by a show of hands, how many of you know the animal or
symbol that your zodiac sign represents? How many of you can spell your zodiac sign?”

You will now find two volunteers from this group to stand in the audience. The two who you
will find are two who you noticed raised their hand on the third question. You have now
perfectly justified your reason for having these people concentrate on letters.

30