Onto the table you place a sealed envelope and a 10, 20
and 50 pence piece. The spectator chooses one of the coins
and the others are discarded. The chosen coin is flipped so it
lands heads or tails.
The envelope is opened, turned upside down and a folded
piece of paper falls out. The spectator opens the folded
paper to reveal a prediction. You have correctly predicted the
not only the chosen coin but whether it would land heads up
or tails up.
This simple routine introduces two important concepts important to
mind reading and mental magic.
The first is known as magician’s choice and can used in many
mentalist effects. Although the spectator appears to be getting a
free choice, they are choosing exactly the coin you want them to.
For instance, if you want them to choose the 20p piece, invite them
to choose two of the three coins. If they choose the 10p and 50p,
you ask them to push those to one side, leaving them with the 20p.
If they choose the 10p and 20p, ask them to push the 50p to one
side. Then ask them to choose either the 10p or 20p. If they choose
the 20p, say “You chose the 20p. Then that’s the one we’ll use,“
and ask them to push to 10p to one side.
If they choose the 10p, ask them to push it one side and say, “And
you’re left with the 20p. That’s the one we’ll use.”
Then ask them to flip the coin. See whether it lands heads or tails
and ask them to call it out.
This is where the envelope comes in and as you’ve probably
guessed by now, all is not as it seems.
This is our second important concept - multiple outs. We've already
seen this used in the first effect, where two outcomes were covered
by two different predictions. Effects that use this concept have more
than one way of finishing, so you need to have all possible
outcomes covered.
You will need two identical brown pay envelopes. Take one
envelope and trim off about 1mm from the bottom and sides. Trim
off the flap so you are left with what used to be the front of the
envelope: a rectangle of paper just slightly smaller than the
envelope.
The trimmed envelope slips inside the other envelope, creating two
compartments.
You’ll also need two predictions, one that reads “You’ll choose the
20p and it will land head side up” and another that reads the same
but ending “tail side up”. Place one prediction into each
compartment and stick down the flap.
When you slit open the envelope to reveal the prediction, slip your
first and second fingers inside to open up the envelope. As you do
so, push the flap back or forward depending on which prediction
you need to reveal. Once the flap is in place, hold it there with your
thumb and finger, then tip the envelope upside down so the
appropriate folded prediction falls out.
As the spectator is unfolding and reading the prediction, slip the
envelope into your pocket.
