| Baffling pretend-psychics abound in the magical | | | | the spectator-volunteer called out to the psychic. |
| world of card tricks. All are tricksters who | | | | A simple mind-boggling trick, to be sure. |
| entertain and amuse. | | | | TELEPHONE-PSYCHIC TRICKS |
| THE TRICK | | | | Telephone psychic tricks abound. They are similar |
| Consider this supernatural & strange magic. I ask | | | | to the blindfolded magician who knows all and |
| a spectator-volunteer to call out a card, any card. | | | | sees all while his eyes are covered. Most such |
| I go to the phone, call my friend, the psychic, say | | | | magic acts use elaborate codes so the magician |
| hello several times, and give the phone to the | | | | can transmit lots of information to the 'psychic.' |
| spectator-volunteer, who reports that the psychic | | | | Such elaborate tricks don't fit here. |
| told her the identity of her mentally Chosen card. | | | | I chose this trick because it involves a minimal |
| WOW. | | | | secret interaction between the magician and the |
| How did that happen? It may help if you answer | | | | 'psychic' cutting down on the amount of time and |
| the following questions: How did the psychic know | | | | labor. |
| the card the spectator-volunteer called out? Why | | | | NO HANDS CARD TRICKS |
| did I say hello twice? How did I communicate the | | | | In my two Family Magic books (I & II), I discuss |
| mentally chosen card to the psychic? | | | | the concept of the 'No Hands Card Tricks,' tricks |
| The wizard knows all. I did the trick this way... | | | | so easy to do that the magician does not touch |
| THE SECRET | | | | the cards. Instead, he gives the deck to the |
| People suspect elaborate codes account for this | | | | spectator-volunteer and coaches her to do the |
| trick. Not this one. As soon as the 'psychic' lifted | | | | trick. 'Family Magic II has over 50 tricks of the 'no |
| her phone to her ear, she slowly counted from 1 | | | | hands' type. |
| to 13. When she said the value of the card, I said, | | | | Not only did I not touch the cards during this |
| "Hello." | | | | 'psychic' trick, no one else did either. The identity |
| Then she said the suits slowly. When she said the | | | | of the card was conjured up in the mind of the |
| correct suit, I said, "Hello." | | | | spectator-volunteer. |
| In this way, I conveyed the mentally Chosen card | | | | |