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A Close-up Prediction Effect

Effect: The mentalist shows five cards bearing the numbers one through five on each. After
displaying them he then hands them to the spectator and says he will demonstrate an act of mindreading, but before doing so he will write something down. To do this, the mentalist appearingly writes something on a card and lays it face down in full view. The mentalist then asks the spectator to lay down one of the five cards, and then repeats it with three more until there is only one card left. The mentalist asks the spectator to focus primarily on this card to experiment with. The mentalist focuses, and writes what he says he thinks is the number being thought of, and lays it down on the table. The mentalist asks what the thought of number was, and the spectator answers, 2. The card is turned over to reveal the phrase You are thinking 2. But furthermore, the mentalist brings back the idea of the card that he wrote at the start and turns it over. It shows the numbers 3, 1, 4, 5. The spectator turns the cards he had layed on the table over one by one revealing them in the exact same order.

Method: This employs a variety of principles including

Marked Cards Misdirected writing (double writing) Switch To start, have five cards with their backs marked in a noticeable manner to know which card is number one, two, three, four, and five. As well, have a stack of cards with the very top card blank, and the next with the phrase You are thinking Start off by laying the top blank card down as a prediction, although not directly stating it is such. Next, you will have the spectator lay four cards down in any order they like on top of each other. As they lay each down one by one, you must read and memorize the marking to know the order in which they lay. Once one card is left, you should know the order. Turn over a double lift, and expose the blank surface of the card to write supposedly the number you feel they are left thinking, when in actuality you write down the four digit sequence you have memorized. Then, turn back over the double and act as if you are going to place it face down on the table when in actuality you have a different thought and turn it over to yourself and correct what you may have missed. This is your chance to write and indifferent number, cross it out, and then write the correct number left and then lay it on the table. Ask the spectator what the number left was, and as they say you can turn over to show you correctly guessed it. But then, to heighten the effect, you bring up the prediction made at the start

while at the same time bringing the indifferent card to the top of the deck in order to make a double lift to show the real prediction.