RULE OF THREE

Lets begin with a favourite of mine. Why not? This effect

is really strong and can, in the right settings, appear
completely impossible. Best of all, all you need is a deck
of cards and a small stack of blank business cards.
This effect makes use of the brilliant Hoy Principle by
David Hoy. Some noteworthy effects using this idea are
Daves Pin from Michael Murrays book A Piece of My Mind
and Luke Jermays Touching on Hoy from Coral Fang.

Basic Effect
Three spectators each think of a different thought and
write it down. Somehow, the Mentalist manages to divine
all three, before showing that he knew way in advance
what each of them would pick.

Presentation
Three mini slips of paper are shown, with a number 1, 2 or
3 written on each. They are mixed and three spectators
(Brandon, Nathan and Gaz) take a card each and
remember their number. The slips are then torn up.
Ok, so right now each of you is thinking of a number. If
you thought of number 1, think of a simple geometric
shape like a square or circle, nothing too complex like a
star. If you thought of number 2, think of any playing card
for me, but not an ace as theyre too easy. Finally, if you
thought of number 3, think of any two digit number from
1 to 50 for me. Please, no decimals or recurring fractions.
Each spectator writes their thought down on a billet.
These are unmarked and completely normal. The
Mentalist is blind folded and is handed the billets.

He proceeds to correctly divine all three thoughts

perfectly, (e.g. 19, triangle and Q ) before giving a short
but extremely specific character reading on all three
participants.
However, I have to admit something to you. I had a
feeling as to what your thoughts were going to be a week
ago. I gave you (indicates spectator 1) a deck of cards 2
weeks ago, and I asked you to bring it along with you
tonight. Could you please get it out?
The spectator takes out the deck, and with shaking
fingers, removes the cards from the box. He is asked to
count down to the 19th card. It is turned over. Sure
enough, its the Q , and scrawled across the face of it, is
the word TRIANGLE in big black lettering. The Mentalist
never handles the deck, and it is completely
ungimmicked.

Concept
The basic idea at work here is the famous Hoy Principle
by David Hoy. What this means is that all three
participants are actually thinking of the same thought
without realising it.
To set up, take a deck of cards and write the word
triangle across any card. Lets say the 2 . Then place
this at position 36 in the deck. It doesnt matter what card
and what number you use, as long as you know them. You
can then put the deck away and send it to a participant of
the effect weeks in advance.
You will also need a small stack of business cards that are
blank on one side. Draw a medium sized rectangle in the
middle of each card and in one, write the number, in this
case 36, and in the other, write the card, in this case the 2
.

Place these two cards on the bottom of the business card

stack face down in any order. You will also need five mini
slips of paper. On three of these, draw a big number 1 on
it, and then write 2 and 3 on the other two. Make sure the
ink doesnt bleed through. Youre now ready to perform
the effect.
When ready to perform, place two of the slips that have a
1 on them on your lap so you can access them easily.

Performance
To begin, introduce the effect and say that youll need
three random thoughts. Show the three slips of paper
freely and have them examined. As this is happening, get
the two slips in your lap, ready to be palmed. Youll now
perform a simple switch to swap numbers 2 and 3 for the
ones on your lap.
Take the slips back so that number 1 is on top. Hold them
face down and get a break under the top slip. Youre going
to let the two below it to slip onto your lap as you place
the two palmed on top.
Bring your hands together and as you do, briefly dip your
hands below the table and drop the two slips below the
break onto your thighs. Bring your hands back up as they
meet and drop the two palmed slips onto the other hand.
Grab all three with your right hand and spread them on
the table. To the naked eye, it should appear as though
you just transferred the slips from one hand to the other
and spread them on the table. Little do they know the
slips now all have 1 written on them. What fools they are.
Spread them out on the table and have the spectators
take one at random and remember the number. Make
sure to tell them not to show anyone else what number

they got. This will ensure no one will see that all are the
same. Take the slips back and dispose of them.
Now follow the presentation written at the beginning. If
you word is as shown, then all three of the participants
should be thinking of triangle. Each of them also thinks
that the other two are thinking of a card or a number. I
like to follow this script to the letter as it seems as though
you are putting restrictions on the number and card, as
well as the shape.
Take three business cards (careful not to disturb your
stack) and draw three boxes in the middle identical to the
ones drawn earlier. Hand one to each participant and
have them write down their thoughts in the boxes. Again,
caution them not to let anyone else see what they write.
Blindfold yourself and take the three cards face down. Mix
them up and hover your hand over them one at a time to
pick up the auras the cards are leaving.
You can now proceed to supposedly receive the thought
one at a time. Im getting a shape coming through here,
quite pointy, a triangle maybe? Dont react anyone, dont
give anything away. Next, the number. This is quite
central, like 36? And finally the card. Oh thats easy, the 3
.no 2 of hearts!
Remove your blindfold and say quick yes or no, did I get
yours? Ask them one at a time in quick succession and
they will all say yes. Pick up the three cards and set
them on top of the stack casually. Relax a little here and
soak up the applause.
Pick up the business card stack and transfer the top card
to the bottom and turn over the whole packet. Deal the
three face cards onto the table. This is discrepant but will
fly past the audience.

Even though youve just switched out two cards,

everything should appear normal. Each spectator will see
their thought and what they presume are the other two
peoples thoughts.
Youre now going to do a quick handwriting analysis and
cold reading (Note: see the end for an alternative for this)
Ill just explain this briefly as it should be pretty obvious.
Begin by saying ok, the way youve all written and drawn
your answer is very interesting to me. Well try this with
the triangle drawer first. Dont say who you are, as this
might give me a clue, but what Im getting from you is
Give a brief reading. When youre done, move straight
onto the second person who wrote the number. As this is
no one, you can be as specific as you want as no one can
verify it. The same with the last person.
Now ask each of them what percentage of the
information that I just gave would mean something to
you? As all three got the first, general reading, their
answer will differ, one maybe saying 60%, then 80 and so
on.
Because youll get different percentages, this cements the
idea that all the readings applied to only one person each.
Finally, all you need to do now is say that you knew what
they were going to pick and go into the final reveal with
the deck of cards. Make sure you NEVER go near the cards
so that any watching mentalists dont accuse you of
switches.

Alternative
Here is an alternative to the second phase. After youve
revealed all three thoughts, all the face down cards still
say triangle so you can have them mixed as much as
possible, yet you can identify which card belongs to which

person, as they will always get a card with their thought

written on it!

Final Thoughts
I know this might read a bit dull on paper, but as long as
you keep them captivated and involved, theres no reason
for them to be. People love themselves, so as long as you
keep it centred on their thoughts and ideas, theyll be
hooked!
After showing this effect to a friend of mine, they said that
they liked it but they thought that revealing that you
knew what they would think in advance kind of ruined the
idea that previously I had read their supposedly read their
minds.
This is a good point, but I think that as long as you focus
more on the readings and make it appear as thoughThis
shouldnt really pose an issue; make it look as though the
mind reading was just a casual extra to the main event
(the readings.) But if you just want to reveal the three
thoughts with no deck ending, you can.
Finally. Im sure some pessimists out there will be thinking
what if a participant doesnt pick the triangle? What if is
all goes horribly wrong? The simple answer is that if
youve built up good rapport with your spectators
beforehand, then they wont try and trick you and they
will go for the triangle. Plus, what other shapes can they
choose? Theres really nothing to worry about

OR IS THERE?

I CAN GUESS
PASSWORDS!
Although I dont perform this routine much as it doesnt
really fit my style of performance, Im still pretty proud of
how it turned out and how it all wraps itself up neatly.
Theres a lot of nice little ideas in this routine and I hope
you enjoy!
Credits for this routine go to Luke Jermay for the idea of
gathering two pieces of information or more during the
action of getting someone to write it down.

Basic Effect
Two spectators form a PIN and the mentalist proceeds to
reveal it, before passing on him amazing gift to one of the
other two spectators!

Performance

The mentalist begins by inviting a spectator up on stage

and hands her a small billet.
What I want to talk to you about now is something that I
find quite worrying in todays modern society. And that is,
passwords. If you think about it, theres only one small
word keeping all of your bank details, and accounts safe.
So, Id like to try something with this concept. Just think of
any password you use every day. You can change some of
the letters a bit if you want to keep your password safe.
Fill out the billet and write the password on it, if you dont
mind.
The password is then written down on the billet and
hidden somewhere on the spectators person. The
mentalist claims that they will get back to it a little later.
Another spectator is invited up on stage.
Ok, so what I want both of you to do is think of the last
two digits of your birth year, as the first two digits will be
19 of course. Now, write each of your digits on this billet
and keep the billet close to your chest so no one else
except you two can see the digits.
The spectators comply with the demands.
Ok, Im getting an 8. Look at me theres another 8 as
well. The third digit that Im getting is is, try and
project it to me pleasea 4? Ok, the last one is a big
harder so keep repeating it over in your mind like 3, 3,
3yes? Very good.
The numbers are confirmed to be correct. The mentalist
then claims that he will pass his ability onto the second
spectator. He stares into his eyes for a moment and
passes them a billet. The other billet that contains
spectator ones password is removed and ripped up. The
two stare into each others eyes and the second spectator
gradually gets the password.

So you see, passwords arent as secure as they seem.

Thanks for helping me out tonight and wait a minute,
do you have a mobile phone? Yes? Well Id consider
changing the code on it from 5 2 9 3 to something a bit
less obvious! Thanks for helping me out!

Concept
There are quite a lot of little ideas hidden within this
routine, but what I like is that at the end, everything ties
itself up in a neat way. The first stage will be a peek and
some common sense, the second phase an instant
stooge.
Begin by writing PLAY ALONG, THE PASSWORD IS
_________ on a billet and place it face down on the bottom
of the stack. Then, take a piece of card and on it write
Date of Birth __/_/____ and Password _______. Writing the
D.O.B in this fashion ensures they will write down their
birth year as well The lines represent a blank area where
the participant will input the required information.
Finally you will need to set up a peek. This can be done
any way, but the simplest way that I like to do it is to cut
a hole in the back of an envelope. I also have a normal
sealed envelope in my pocket which I will switch out.

Performance
Begin by inviting two spectators up on stage. Once youve
introduced the effect, ask the first spectator to think of
any password that they currently use on their computer.
Hand them the billet and youre now going to use some
clever wording to appear as though they are only writing
the password down. Point at the D.O.B and say fill this in
for me then point at the password section and say and
write your password there as well. A bit of DR here
ensures that no one realises the date of birth has been
written.
Take out the envelope with the hole in it (careful not to
flash it) and load the billet in face down. As you speak,
casually seal the envelope and hold it up so you can see

the information. Now in the action of searching for your

pen, you can easily switch it for the other envelope in
your pocket. I wont go into too much detail about this as
you can probably figure out your own method being the
experienced performer you are
Have them sign what they believe is an envelope that
contains their password. Alternatively, you could just peek
the information and not switch the envelope, but I think
you get a bit more freedom this way. Say that you will get
back to the password a little later.

VANISHING POINT
This effect came about quite a while ago when trying to
come up with an effect that was pure. By pure I mean
nothing is written down, no gimmicks are used and
everything is, as they say, organic. Id just been fooled
by an effect that was so simple it was crazy. The guy
who showed it me had kept me hanging for months, and

when he finally told me how it was done, I was blown

away.
So I came up with this effect. The next time I saw him, I
performed this. And fooled the pants off him.

Basic Effect
A deck of cards is borrowed from a member of the
audience and shuffled thoroughly by anyone who wishes
to mix them. A card is merely peeked at, but somehow,
the Mentalist always knows!

Performance
The Mentalist asks for a participant to help him with his
next cardboard creation. A deck of cards is borrowed
from him (lets call him Steve) and the cards split into four
random piles.
Ok, so you look like a smart guy. You probably know all
the tricks using key cards and secret helpers and that
sort of crap. So what Ive done is split the deck into four
piles. Pick em up on at a time and shuffle to your hearts
contents.
The helper does just this. He shuffles the packets on at a
time. The packets are then gathered and squared.
Right, so Im going to turn my back and what I want you
to do is lift up a section of cards anywhere, peek at the
card, then slap the deck back together and thoroughly
shuffle. You done? Good.
The Mentalist should have no inkling as to what the card
is. He stares into Steves eyes.
Im getting a red card, yes. Look at me please, its a
heart yes? Ok, now think about whether or not its a
picture or a number card...its a number card. Now for the

value. It a high card, is it not? I thought so. Look at me

here, the 8, no 9 of hearts yes? Thank you very much.
Steve confirms this is the card and the deck is fully
examined, and there are no gimmicks or stacks to speak
of. What I love about this routine is that it is totally
impromptu and can be performed at the drop of a hat. I
like to use this effect with the move monkeys as it really
confuses them.

Concept
This effect is extremely simple, and all it relies on is
making sure
To begin, have any deck of cards borrowed and shuffled. It
isnt crucial that it be a full deck, but it will make the
effect easier to do. After it has been examined, pick it up
and spread the deck with the faces towards you.
As soon as you spread the deck, upjog the first two cards.
You now want to upjog the values one to ten of the same
suit as the second card. In the below photo, you can see
that the second card is a heart, so all of the hearts have
been upjogged except the picture cards. This is all done
so only you can see the faces.
Strip out the upjogged cards and place this packet face up
on the table. You can slightly spread the packet to show
red and black cards. With the remaining cards, do the
same action but this time, really do remove random
cards. Repeat this two more times. You should now have
four packets that supposedly contain random cards, but
the first packet is actually full of hearts and the five of
clubs, which will act as a cover card to hide all the hearts.
Turn all the packets face down. See the presentation at
the end for how to turn all this into a plot. Have the
spectator mix the four piles one at a time until they are

happy the cards are all mixed. Of course it doesnt matter

how they mix them as all the hearts will stay together in
one pile. Gather up all the packets making sure the hearts
is on top.
Now, you want to cut the cards to centralise the hearts
packet. However, if youre doing this for a woman, cut the
cards do that the hearts are bang in the centre. If, on the
other hand, youre doing it for a man, place the hearts a
little lower down in the deck. The reasoning behind this
will become apparent in a moment.
Place the deck face down on the table. Now, to the
audience, the deck should appear completely shuffled.
Say that in a minute, when you turn round, the assistant
is to cut the deck about the middle and to peek at a card.
As you do this, you are going to demonstrate what they
are to do by cutting off a quarter of the deck and flashing
the face card. See picture two. This is just to show the
assistant what to do so that they are one hundred percent
sure.
Square the deck and turn around. As you do, say so cut
off ABOUT HALF and remember the card. Nine times out
of ten, they will hit the hearts packet. I will cover outs of
they dont later. With your back still turned, have them
square and shuffle the deck.
The reason for placing the hearts in slightly different
positions depending on their gender is because Ive found
from experience, when asked to cut about the middle
women will go right for the centre, but men will cut a bit
deeper. Obviously, this is not an exact science, but it does
make a difference.
Ok, so you now know that the card is a heart, but youre
going to present this as three hits. Have them place the
deck down and stare into their eyes to receive their
thoughts. Again, see presentation at the end for all of

this. First reveal that its a red card, then a heart, then a
number card. Now all you need to do is fish for the value.
Pretty cool, right?
Begin by saying Im not getting a high card, am I? If they
say yes, reply with yeah I thought so but if they say no
reply with no I didnt think so This is an old technique
but does the job perfectly. Lets say it was a high card.
Look at them and call out the values five to ten, as though
studying their facial expressions. Now say this is quite
high, is it not? If they agree, you can assume its the nine
or the ten. If they say not really, its a six or seven. If
they have trouble answering, its the eight. The same
applies with the low values, but ask, this is quite low,
isnt it?
You should now have a choice of two values. Simply call
either out. If they react, finish here. If they dont,
immediately click your fingers and say eliminated,
because your card was the and say the second value.
And thats all there is to it.
Presentation: Do you believe in mind reading? Not the sort
of Derren Brown psychological stuff, but pure mind
reading? No? Well, hopefully I can change your mind.
Have you got a deck of cards I could use? Good, mix them
up for me.
Now, Im sure you know a lot about special cards and
special orders and that sort of stuff, so were going not
going to use any of those and make sure the cards are
properly mixed (Take cards and separate into four piles.)
Now weve got four piles here, so what Id like you to do is
shuffle the packets one at a time, so that there can be no
possible order to the cards.
Right, so are you happy the cards are completely mixed
up? Yes? Right, lets get down to business. (Gather up
packets and centralise the suit packet.) Im going to turn

away and what Id like you to do is cut the deck ABOUT

THE MIDDLE and remember the card you see.
(Demonstrate what the assistant must do.) Right, so Ill
turn round, and tell me when youve done. You have?
Right good, now shuffle the deck. Can I turn back around?
Ok good.
Now lets recap. This is your deck you shuffled. You then
shuffled the deck even more and just peeked at a card. So
if I could know your card that would be pretty impressive
right? Ok, just look at me. This is a black card yes? A club?
Right, this is when things get trickier. Look at me. This is
a number card, yes? Ok, Im not getting that its above
five, am I? No, I didnt think so. This is quite low, yes? Like
the two of clubs? Yes? Well, hopefully, you now
understand that with a little thought, anything is possible.
(Finish with a cheesy and motivational line.)
Outs: Ok, lets be frank here. This effect doesnt always
work. Once every so often youll get a spectator who
misses the block, and gets a different card. And, although
this section is called outs, I dont really have one. So,
when it does happen, and you get the colour or suit
wrong, I will say something like: sorry, there are just too
many thought going on in your head. Could you write your
card down on this piece of paper for me? Then just resort
to a centre tear. Not too clever, I know, but as it happens
so rarely, I dont have an out.
You could, of course, try and fish your way out, but you
must be ready with lots of double meaning sentences
such as the value, it isnt high is it? and so on.
Final thoughts: One final tip I would like to add is that if
the spectator looks a little confused when you say the
sentence about whether the value is high or low, it means
they have selected the five.

Also, the card they may pick might be the cover card, in
our example the five of clubs. Always remember the cover
card, so that if the card isnt red, you can go with that one
as the second guess! And thats all there is to know!
Credits: Jason England - The Unreal Work