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Second Sight
'Second Sight' is a shortly with a surprise finish. It can be
reserved for occasions calling for an impromptu presentation. To a large
extent, the success of this effect is related to the ability of the
performer to dramatise the need for the spectator to make the second
transfer of cards in order to reinforce the telepathic message being
relayed from the spectator to the performer though extrasensory
perception.
Presentation
The performer asks a spectator to cut off a packet of about ten to
fifteen cards from a face down deck and to give them a thorough shuffle.
The spectator is then told to secretly note and memorise the bottom
card. If the card does not appeal to him, he can shuffle the packet
again and take the new bottom card as the one to be remembered. The
spectator is requested to think of a number between one and ten and then
to secretly remove this number of cards from the top of his packet and
transfer them to the bottom.
If the spectator will concentrate sufficiently on his selected card and
number, he will attempt to find the spectator's card. After a bit of
card manipulation behind his back the performer confesses that he is
receiving an unclear message due either to the fact that the spectator
is not concentrating strongly enough or to the fact some outside
influence is interfering with the signal. In either case, a
reinforcement of the message is necessary. This is accomplished by
handling the packet back to the spectator and instructing him to again
transfer the same number of cards from the top of the face down packet
to the bottom as was done before.
Following this second transfer, the performer states that he is now
receiving a fairly clear message but to amplify it still further he will
place the packet closer to the spectator. After a great exercise of
mental effort, the performer reaches in the pocket of the spectator and
removes one card.
Method
Under the pretense of searching through the packet for the
spectator's card the first time, the performer reverses the order of the
entire packet. Hence, when the spectator transfers the second group of
cards from the top to the bottom, the spectator automatically brings his
memorised card to the top of the face down packet. As a result, the
performer needs only to reach into the spectator's pocket and remove the
top face down card to perform a miracle of mental
telepathy.
Explanation
Let x equal the 'thought of' number of the spectator, a number that
must be less than the number of cards originally removed from the deck
at the beginning of the trick. The x cards are transferred by the
spectator from the top to the bottom of the packet. Under the pretense
of locating the spectator's card, the performer reverses the order of
the cards in the whole packet. When he hands the packet back to the
spectators there are x cards between the top of the packet and the
spectator's card. In transferring another x cards from the top to the
bottom the second time, the spectator automatically exposes his
memorised card as the top card. The performer has only to reveal this
top card at the proper moment to perform a startling mind reading
effect.
Comments
A clever alternate presentation of this card effect runs as follows.
Instead of reversing the cards in the packet while they are held behind
his back, the performer varies the routine by instructing the spectator
to deal them out one by one in a face down pile. The performer explains
that as this is being done he will attempt to sense and stop the deal at
the spectator's card. Actually he lets the deal run to completion. At
this point the performer admits that he is not getting a sufficiently
strong impression of the spectator's card and to strengthen the mental
image he request the spectators to once again transfer the same number
of cards as he did before from the top to the bottom of the packet.
At this stage, the performer knows that the spectator's card is now at
the top of the face down packet. The disclosure of the card, of course,
could be announced here at once but a bit more deception to hide the
simple principle involved is a far better routine. Thus the performer
should proceed by asking a second spectator to assist him by suggesting
a number that is less than the number of cards in the card packet. This
being given, the first spectator is asked to deal this exact number of
cards off the top of the packet. The performer concentrates on this
dealt off heap but after a moment of concentration confesses that things
are not yet right. Placing the dealt cards back on the spectator's
packet he hands the assembled packet to the second spectator with the
request that he try his hand at dealing off cards corresponding to his
suggested number. This being done, the performer asks the first
spectator what his card was. On turning over the last card dealt by the
second spectator they are found to be the same. The performer naturally
thanks thee second spectator for helping him out of an awkward
situation.
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