The magician removes a prediction from his pocket. A spectator is given three imaginary silver coins to hold and place on the table before him. In their imagination, one coin is selected. The spectator, again using their imagination decides whether the coin is heads side up or tails—let’s says they call heads. All this is done without the spectator saying a word. The magician draws the spectator’s attention to the prediction. The spectator opens it to reveal a blank piece of paper. The magician draws the spectator to the other contents of his pocket on the table—one coin, and it is heads side up—matching their imaginary choices exactly!
________________________________________
This effect, a variation on Max Maven’s ‘Positive/Negative’ was inspired after seeing Derren Brown perform his ‘Invisible Deal’ routine. The spectator does not say anything until the very end of the routine, which, I believe, makes it quite a strong revelation, as well as making it difficult to re-construct.
Fig.1
For this routine, you need a 10p coin with a large ‘X’ drawn on the tails side (Fig.1), and a blank billet, folded. These should be in the same pocket, with nothing else in there with them.
Working
1. Explain to the spectator that this routine uses only the imagination. It’s going to be important that the spectator actually follows the instructions you give, so stress that to them. Remove the 10p piece form your pocket and, after checking its orientation, put it heads side up on the table (hiding the ‘X’ side). As you do this, state that you have a ‘prediction in your pocket…along with some other stuff’. Now bring out the folded billet and place it in the centre of the table. Once done, ask the spectator to keep their eye on the prediction, just to make sure you don’t change it later. You’re aiming for them to assume that the billet is the prediction, when in fact it is the coin, though you don’t want them to realise that just yet. By being purposefully vague by not saying ‘written prediction’ or ‘folded prediction’, you cannot be accused of deceit at the end of the effect.
2. Hand the spectator three imaginary silver coins – a 10p, 20p and 50p (feel free to substitute your own currency). Get them to imagine the coins in their hand and visualise what each looks and feels like. Stress the importance of listening to you and following what you say, “As you feel the coins in your hand, I want you to place them one by one onto the table. Please genuinely imagine the coins and remember them as you place them down…saying to yourself 10p…. 20p…. 50p,“ as you say, “10p… 20p… 50p.” You mime placing a coin onto the table as you say each coin. By doing this, the spectator will place the 10p down first, 20p second and finally the 50p (This principle is
used by Derren Brown in his ‘Invisible Deal’ routine). Get them to ‘see’ the coins on the table and know where they placed each. Remember where they placed the first ‘coin’— this is the 10p and this is the coin we are going to force via Equivoque. This is dealt with the same as the standard equivoque technique—you just need to remember where they placed the 10p.
3. When you have forced the 10p coin, ask them to visualise both sides of it, which helps with reinforcing which coin they took. Then ask them to flip it in the air, letting it land onto the table. When it has landed on the table, ask them to visualise which side landed uppermost, again without saying anything out loud. To help build the image, ask them to draw an imaginary black ‘X’ on the uppermost side of the coin. Since it will not matter which side of the coin is chosen, they can change their minds as often as they wish, so feel free to offer them the chance.
4. Reinstate what has happened: the spectator has freely imagined, then chosen a coin and called heads or tails without saying a word about his choices. Ask him to reinforce both the coin and side to memory. So far, you know he has the 10p, but you don’t know whether it is heads or tails side up. It doesn’t matter, because you don’t need to.
5. Draw the spectator’s attention to the prediction. He should naturally go for the piece of paper and unfold it. While he is doing this ask him which side he drew the black ‘X’ on. What happens next depends on his answer:
If he says the ‘tails’ side, wait until he sees the blank prediction and say that the paper isn’t the prediction, the prediction was the other item from the pocket. Again, restate that he freely chose a coin, which he has never told you and imagined drawing an ‘X’ on one side. Draw his attention to the coin and ask him to look at it. He will find his chosen coin with a black ‘X’ on the tails side!
If the spectator chose heads, again clarify that they freely chose a coin and imagined it landing on the table, heads side up, even though you asked if they wanted to change their minds. Point out the coin resting on the table. It is a 10p coin, heads side up, exactly matching his imaginary choices.