I'm pretty sure he actually got the + and o the wrong way around. He rotates the card when he picks up the envelope from off the floor. I think. As for how he predicts which two cards, well I don't know.

I was thinking that before I read the comment. I believe you are correct sir!

>> ^Jinx:

I'm pretty sure he actually got the + and o the wrong way around. He rotates the card when he picks up the envelope from off the floor. I think. As for how he predicts which two cards, well I don't know.

so wtf?! This is "James Randy Educational Foundation", but he's not educating us of how he did it!!!!!

At least 3 tampered cards in the deck, they look very thick so it wouldn't be too hard to make one of those cards split apart and have a circle and plus once you pull a layer to the other side and open it up.

Doubt they can bend so the guy couldn't shuffle them like you would a deck of cards making the tamper show itself while bending them. And he had the guy moving pretty quick, so he probably wouldn't even register different textures or feelings to the cards while he's trying to perform the tasks the guy is throwing at him.

If they were in a sleeve instead of wrapped like a book cover...or if they weren't put in facing each other like his directions stipulate he couldn't do the trick.

That's my guess, the directions are a little too bizarre and specific.

Although the remaining deck on the floor would be harder to manipulate.


But it appeared that all symbols on the cards can be flipped over and not appear upside down. So the left/right orientation prediction would just be cracking it open and seeing it's wrong (he does this) put it back down to your side wave your hands a lot and talk..re-orient it (very hard to tell if he does) and open it up so they appear in the right location.


But more than likely, the guy handling the cards sets it up for him to be correct and he just has to get the orientation right on the open.

I believe it's actually the "James Randi Schools You Foundation">> ^mxxcon:

so wtf?! This is "James Randy Educational Foundation", but he's not educating us of how he did it!!!!!

Clearly the order is irrelevant as people already pointed out, he had the opportunity to switch the order.

Guessing the cards I think might have just been a matter of odds. First of all, guessing one out of two would be an "impressive" backup to guessing both. In case you haven't done the math, the odds of guessing at least one of the cards in the envelope is... drum roll please, 70%. His first guess has a 40% chance of success. If that fails (60% probability), he gets a second guess which now has a 50% probability (4 remaining options, two of which must be in the envelope). Thus we get P=.4+.6*.5=.7

Guessing both requires a bit of luck, but not as much as you might think because the order doesn't matter. Remember the chance that his first guess was right is 40%, since this is a joint probability we multiply that times the probability that his second guess is right given that his first guess was right. Well, his second guess is 1 out of 4 options, only one of which can still be in the envelope, so the probability of getting both right is P=.4*.25=.1 or 10%. One out of ten doesn't seem that impressive, does it?

So my guess is he does this trick 10 times. Three times he says shucks, there must be bad juju in the air. One time looks like this. Six times he still impresses by guessing at least one of the cards, and even knowing what side of the envelope it was on.

I think he pulls some kind of switch at 1:26. Any casual movement of the hand from a magician usually means he pulled some sort of slight of hand. I cant figure out how switching things could possibly help him, but I would bet it is a factor.

@bmacs27
He clearly says that his chances of guessing the cards are 100% so he knows he'll get it right EVERY time. Just because he doesn't reveal his method doesn't mean there isn't an actual method in place.

He's debunking Mentalism, he couldn't do that if he was wrong eight times out of ten!

There's different textures of the back of the cards, he feels them.

>> ^Sagemind:

@bmacs27
He clearly says that his chances of guessing the cards are 100% so he knows he'll get it right EVERY time. Just because he doesn't reveal his method doesn't mean there isn't an actual method in place.
He's debunking Mentalism, he couldn't do that if he was wrong eight times out of ten!


But that's the point. He's only "wrong" 3 times out of ten.

I mean, there are plenty of ways to do this with a trick but I don't think he cares to. Most of the audience fools themselves into being impressed with the odds by their own poor math. They think he only has a 20% chance to do something he has a 70% chance of doing.

Also, in case anyone was wondering, he does get the order wrong before flipping it.

the trick is making the audience believe he is not friends with the audience member.

>> ^Payback:

There's different textures of the back of the cards, he feels them.


I don't think he'd get the order wrong then. It's possible the cards are slightly different weights, and there's a hidden scale on the desk. I just don't think it's necessary, nor would it prove his point.

I still think it's a combination of his prior odds, and some common mentalism techniques (such as card forcing). I just noticed, for instance, that the circle and the plus are the bottom two on the deck before the deck is handed to the participant. There can only be so many ways of shuffling 5 cards, and he's careful to make sure the participant always holds them face down. That combined with some human behavioral norms (shuffling in certain ways, preferences for choosing cards in particular deck positions) could be biasing the odds even further in his direction. He might even be able to listen to how the cards are shuffled (for instance, to know how many cards taken from the middle to the ends, or ends to the middle, or end to end). Once you add up all these little biases, I bet his odds of getting at least one card are near perfect, and getting both is far higher than you'd think.

>> ^waynef100:

the trick is making the audience believe he is not friends with the audience member.


never seen a comment that fits the avatar pic better :-)

THIS

You only have to learn 5 characters of Braille.
It's why they go face in - to ensure that the Braille on the card backs is outermost.
It's why he could tell which way round they are if pressed.
It's why it works 100% of the time.

>> ^Payback:

There's different textures of the back of the cards, he feels them.

driving me nuts trying to figure this out.

Wow... he should take that on the fool Penn and Teller show.

So he's feeling through the envelope? (still sealed closed at 5:30 when he marks the outside of it)

If the texture/braille were raised high enough for this... might be hard to miss as the audience guy

>> ^antonye:

THIS
You only have to learn 5 characters of Braille.
It's why they go face in - to ensure that the Braille on the card backs is outermost.
It's why he could tell which way round they are if pressed.
It's why it works 100% of the time.
>> ^Payback:
There's different textures of the back of the cards, he feels them.

>> ^Jinx:

I'm pretty sure he actually got the + and o the wrong way around. He rotates the card when he picks up the envelope from off the floor. I think. As for how he predicts which two cards, well I don't know.


He doesn't. Pay attention to which way it's facing when he pulls it out. The plus sign should be on the side of his left hand where his four fingers are. He moves it to the other hand, and it would be on the thumb side. Then he grabs it in the other hand, again on the four-finger side, like when he first pulled it out. Just watch closely.

at first I thought the trickery is in the "opaque black paper" sleeve, which actually hides the 2 cards that he predicts, regardless of how the deck is shuffled, but on 2nd viewing, I doubt it.

it was an awfully thick deck for only being 5 cards, maybe they are weighted... 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 "units". although he would have to train a LOT to be able to tell the difference between 17 (16+1) and 18 (16+2). I doubt any human could do this reliably, at least without the audience participant noticing something funny about the cards.

my guess is that each card has a metal strip(s) embedded in different spots, and the top cap of his Super Sharpie is a strong magnet. notice that he waves it around several times, front and back, before making his actual guess. If the magnet is strong enough, he wouldn't have to touch the paper to still be able to feel a slight tug.

I say it's in the cap, because he removes the cap and sets it aside before writing on the envelope - this way it wouldn't accidentally "stick" to the envelope.

comments welcome...

This is how I see it.

At the 6:00 mark he takes a peak. I'm pretty sure he realises they are the wrong way around because at this point he distracts the audience with talk as he switches the black slip from hand to hand several times and in the process turning it 180 degrees (at the 6:11 mark).

Otherwise a good trick.

>> ^ForgedReality:

>> ^Jinx:
I'm pretty sure he actually got the + and o the wrong way around. He rotates the card when he picks up the envelope from off the floor. I think. As for how he predicts which two cards, well I don't know.

He doesn't. Pay attention to which way it's facing when he pulls it out. The plus sign should be on the side of his left hand where his four fingers are. He moves it to the other hand, and it would be on the thumb side. Then he grabs it in the other hand, again on the four-finger side, like when he first pulled it out. Just watch closely.


I did. He does. When he switches hands the second time it goes thumb side to thumb side. Watch it again.

Besides... he wouldn't obviously peak at the cards, then close the thing and wave it all around if he wasn't switching the sides.

Some how I don't think the trick is as complex as you guys make it out to be, he isn't a magician, this isn't a show. Its prolly something stupidly simple, and yes it may be because he knows the person.

Um... He most definitely is a magician. A damn good one. He's been performing for over 60 years.
>> ^jmd:

Some how I don't think the trick is as complex as you guys make it out to be, he isn't a magician, this isn't a show. Its prolly something stupidly simple, and yes it may be because he knows the person.

>> ^spawnflagger:

.. my guess is that each card has a metal strip(s) embedded in different spots, and the top cap of his Super Sharpie is a strong magnet. notice that he waves it around several times, front and back, before making his actual guess. If the magnet is strong enough, he wouldn't have to touch the paper to still be able to feel a slight tug.
I say it's in the cap, because he removes the cap and sets it aside before writing on the envelope - this way it wouldn't accidentally "stick" to the envelope.
comments welcome...

I like spawnflagger's magnetic sharpie idea. If this isn't how the trick is done, it certainly could be done this way.

he sees the two images on the table he throws the evelope on throught the manila evelope that has a black FABRIC over them... not paper.. the two images he can see together and figure out quickly which two they are and simply switches them around when he reaches form the envelope off the floor. the end...

i only watched it once and figured it out... you guys suck

i mean, why throw them on the table to take a sip of water... and you can clearly see the "black paper" isnt holding the "fold" at all during the pre unveiling scene... sheesh