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MENTAL SPELLING
Published in MUM, October 1998, Vol. 88, No. 5, pp. 44-46 EFFECT
This gets a strong reaction. If you are not crazy about spelling tricks, you might change your mind after trying this. What makes the effect so strong is that the spectator is neither pumped for information, nor is asked to name the card aloud at any time. It's very direct: They think of a card, and you reveal it. When this is properly performed, the onlooker will have the impression that he or she could have though of any card, which is not true. METHOD The method is based on a six-card stack. These six cards eventually are shown to the spectator for a mental selection. For this particular effect, I use a 24-card stack (four six-card stacks next to each other) because it allows the spectator to have a wider range of cards from which to choose. Here is a possible six-card stack, from top to bottom: Ace of Clubs, Six of Hearts, Jack of Spades, Three of Spades, Five of Diamonds, and the Queen of Diamonds. These six cards are paced on top of the deck. Each card has a numeric value based on the spelling of the card itself, and the order of the cards is arranged according to this value, from lowest to highest. For instance, the Ace of Clubs, the top card of the stack, has a numeric value of 10 because there are ten letters when you spell it out (A-c-e o-f C-l-u-b-s). The Six of Hearts has a numeric value of 11; JS=12, 3S=13, 5D=14, QD=15. If you have the six-card stack on top of the deck, and you secretly cut nine cards to the top (above the stack), and then you deal one card at a time, spelling one letter of the selected card for each card dealt, the last card dealt will be the thought-of card. It's that simple. SETUP Face down, from top to bottom of the deck: AC, 6H, JS, 3S, 5D, QD, 10C, 2S, JH, QS, 9D, 3D, 6C, 10H, KS, 3H, JD, 8D, 2C, KC, 9H, 8S, 4D, 7D, rest of deck. There are four six-card stacks in all. Please notice that the first card of each stack is a Club: AC, 10C, 6C, and 2C. These may be used as key cards during the presentation if necessary. PRESENTATION AND HANDLING False shuffle the deck and have a spectator cut the cards once, bringing the 24-card stack to the middle of the deck. This legitimate cut gives credence to the false shuffle. Turn the deck face up in your left hand and run the cards from your left hand to your right hand, apparently to show the random order. As you do this, look for the Ace of Clubs (the first [top] card of the stack) and get a left-hand pinkie break below the AC as you square the cards. While maintaining the break with your left pinkie, your palm-down right hand, thumb on the inner-short end, and second and third fingers on the outer short end (like a Biddle Grip), turns the deck face down from side to side by levering it clockwise on the left fingertips. As a result of this action, the left pinkie automatically slips out of the break, and, upon completion of turning the deck face down, a step is formed where the break used to be, thereby allowing your left pinkie to easily get the break again (this time above the AC) while holding the deck face down. The next action you will perform is that of a standard Riffle Force. With your left thumb, riffle down the outer left corner of the deck, asking the spectator to say, "Stop." Supposedly divide the deck at that point. Of course, what you actually do is divide the deck at the pinkie break, regardless of where they say, "Stop." Try to time this so that they stop you near the break. That way, there won't be a major discrepancy between the thickness of the packet you cut off and the packet that remains in the left hand after the cut. As you separate the halves, say, "We'll divide the deck at that point." At this moment, your left hand holds the face-down bottom half of the deck in dealing position, and your right hand holds the face-down top half of the deck from above (Biddle Grip). Immediately after dividing the deck, your left thumb pushes off the top card of the bottom half (AC) to the right, where the right hand receives it on the bottom (face) of the top half of the deck. Make sure the AC is squared. You immediately turn up your right hand (palm toward the spectator) to show the face card (AC) on the right hand's half. As you show the AC, say, "I'm going to show you some cards, and I want you to just think of one as it goes by." Slowly show the next five cards in the same way that you showed the AC. After the sixth card (QD) is on the face of the right-hand half, ask the spectator if they are thinking of one of the cards. They usually will think of one of these first six cards (this is the first six-card stack). If they tell you they're not thinking of a card yet, simply show the next six cards in the same way that you showed the first six. Again ask them if they are thinking of one of the cards. If they say, "No," show them the next six cards and so on. After they mentally select a card, put the face-down right half on top of the face-down left half and freely (no breaks to worry about) put the deck face down on the table. This "hands-off" approach gives the spectator the nonverbal impression that they could have chosen any card in the middle of the deck. The only thing you have to remember is which group of six cards they got their card from. This is easy because, between each six-card stack, you asked them if they were thinking of a card. After you put the deck on the table, say, "Make a mental picture of the card. Really try to see it. Think of the color of the card. Think of the suit. Try to picture the Spade, Heart, Club, or Diamond. Also, I want you to actually see the letters of the card in your mind. For instance, if you were thinking of the Ace of Diamonds, I would want you to think of three words: Ace - of - Diamonds, and to actually see the letters A-c-e o-f D-i-a-m-o-n-d-s." I mention all four suits because some people simply forget which is which. I also spell out the Ace of Diamonds so that when it comes time for the spectator to spell, they won't fumble (and they'll know to include "of" in the spelling). For the sake of example, let's say they thought of one of the first six cards; say, the Six of Hearts. After your patter (as described above), pick up the deck from the table and run through the cards face up (from your left hand to your right hand), looking for the AC. (If they thought of a card from the second group of six cards, you would look for the 10C and so on.) When you reach the AC, count nine cards to the left of it and upjog the tenth card. This will be the card about which you supposedly have a "certain feeling." As you square up the face-up deck, obtain a left pinkie break below the ninth card. Being careful not to accidentally show the face of the upjogged card, remove it and place it face down on the table, explaining that you have a "certain uncanny feeling" about the card. At this point, you still hold a break below the ninth card. Simply cut the cards at the pinkie break (or double undercut them). Run through the face-up deck and hold it fanned in the left hand for a moment. Pick up the X card from the table with the back facing the spectator and place it next to (to the right of) the QD (the last card of the first six-card stack). As you do this, explain to the spectator that you are putting it into the deck at a certain location that will serve as "a sort of physical prediction" (see patter under Effect). Square up the deck and put it face down in the left hand, dealing position. The AC is now tenth from the top of the deck. Explain to the spectator that you will slowly deal cards to the table. Ask them to think of one letter of the mentally selected card for every card you deal. When they reach the final letter, they stop you. Don't say a word here. Just turn over the last card dealt. I guarantee they will react! If you perform this for more than one person, you may have the spectator write down their thought-of card so that the other audience members can enjoy the effect, too. Also, if you plan to repeat the effect the same day, don't forget to remove the X card (the physical prediction) and replace it in the deck where it won't interfere with the stack. CREDITS For related spelling tricks, see the following books: 125 Magic Tricks Performed with a Regular Deck, "Spelling Trick," p. 10; Charles Jordan's Best Card Tricks, by Karl Fulves, "The Simplicity Speller," p. 87; 52 Amazing Card Tricks, compiled by W.F. (Rufus) Steele, "Jiffy Speller," p. 61; and Encyclopedia of Card Tricks, edited by Jean Hugard, five versions, pp. 53-55.
WHITE MAGIC WORDS: I'll bet most readers will dismiss this as "too complicated" and/or "too difficult"; but if you like the concept of having a spectator spell to his card (and, remember, this is a classic concept so it must appeal to spectators), Tom's clever method is worth serious consideration. Two strong features are that the spectator is never asked to name his card aloud and that he appears to have a free choice in selecting it. This will take considerably more effort to learn than similar card spelling effects, but it is also considerably stronger. © 1995 Tom Interval 
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A deck of playing cards is shuffled and cut. While the performer looks away, he shows a spectator the faces of several cards, one at a time. The volunteer is asked to just think of any card as it goes by. The magician continues to show the faces of different cards until the spectator is satisfied with his selection. The spectator is asked to create a mental picture of the card and to visualize the letters of the card (i.e., A-c-e o-f C-l-u-b-s). The performer, who has the look of intense concentration on his face, removes one card from the deck and places it face down on the table. "I'm getting a certain feeling about this card," says the performer. "I'm going to place it back in the deck at a certain location where it will serve as a sort of physical prediction. You'll see what I mean in just a moment." Without showing the card's face, he places it back into the deck. The magician says he will deal some cards face down onto the table. For every card dealt, the spectator is to think of one letter of the mentally selected card. When the final letter is reached, the performer is told to stop dealing. Without saying a word, the magician turns over the last card dealt: It is the thought-of card.