The Coffee Series.

Episode 2
Think Nguyen
“ Simplicity is the key to brilliance. ”

Bruce Lee
 www.thinknguyen.com

Coffee Series Episode 2, Copyright © by Think Nguyen

Photography and design by the author
Translation by Michael Dawson
First edition PDF, April 2017
All rights reserved worldwide. No part of this publication may be recorded, reproduced, transmitted, translated,
distributed or communicated in any form without prior written permission of the copyright holder.
Print for personal use only
 CONTENTS

INTRO

ME/YOU - YOU/ME

R-P-S SIGN

GOODBYE
 INTRO

Welcome to this second episode! I hope you enjoyed the first one and couldn’t wait to read the second
one. I want to thanks my friend Mike Dawson from Italy that gently offered to help me translate the
second episode. Big hug to him !

I just came back from Italy, for the convention in Saint-Vincent. It was truly an amazing place with
breathtaking landscapes and super tasty food. I hope to see some of you next year over there.

I would like to give a special shoutout to my brother Ricardo Negroni who took care of me the first day I
arrive. I would have been lost and not able to write this second episode if it was not for him (haha).

Let’s be serious, in this second volume, you will find two of my all-time favorites in term of opening
routine. I spoke briefly about the concept of the game in the first booklet. The two routines you will read
rely heavily on this concept. The GAME is the key for me to create a good atmosphere and to connect
with my audience !

Talking about those routines, you will be able to find them very soon in a download project I filmed with
Murphy’s Magic and a second DVD project with Alakazam Magic.

Without further ado, order your coffee and turn the page !

[email protected]
 ME/YOU-YOU/ME

EFFECT

From a shuffle deck, the spectator cut the top half of the deck and then start playing the imitation game
with the magician. It is the do as I do routine. The magician and the spectator shuffle, cut, deal, etc.

In the end, the spectator turns his pile face up and notice that it is separate in red and black ! The other
pile which was shuffle and in a random order, separate also magically in red and black.

MECHANIC

Technique : cull or any sleight that allows a separation (Separagon from Woody Aragon for example…)

The secret behind this routine is old but super interesting. You will have to memorize a part of the deck.
But do not worry, the method to memorize is fairly easy !

 Once the deck is shuffled, memorized the first 10 or fifteen cards from the top of the deck (face
down). All you have to do is memorizing the colors of the cards. No values or suits required.
That is how you are going to procede to memorize those colors1: BBRRR,BR,BBBRRR, etc. =
23, 11, 33, etc.
In brief, you will form 2 digits number everytime to make the process easier. Just try it out, you
will see how easy it is to memorize 15 or more cards…
 Now that the top pile is memorized, let the spectator cut off half of the deck and keep it for him.
He will therefore have the pile with the cards you memorized. Before separating the red and the
black cards, execute false shuffles and false cuts and make them do the same thing as you2.
 Finally, you separate the cards in red and black by making them mime you again. With your pile
you deal the cards according to the series of two digits number you kept in mind.
Example : 23 = 2 cards on the left and then 3 cards on the right.
 At the end of the process, show them your two pile and tell them that now the cards are in a
random order. At the same time cull the cards or use any other method to separate the cards in
red and black.
 Obviously, when they are going to spread their cards, the order will be red and black separated !
But since we are playing this game miming and mirroring from the beginning, because their cards
are separated red and black, yours should be too. Make a magic gesture and show them the
climax!

1Red=R et Black=B
2For better understanding of the routine and the false shuffles and cuts sequences, please take a look at Chad Long :
The shuffling Lesson.
CONVERSATION

This routine, as you have noticed is a variation of the « DO AS I DO ». But instead of having mates that
match you have a version which is impromptu and allows the spectator to separate the reds and the blacks
just like an « OUT OF THIS WORLD » routine. The main advantage is that you can start with a shuffle
deck.

Keep in mind that it is imperative to think of the CLARITY of the effect. It sometimes happens that by
mixing 2 different "PLOTS" the impact of the performance is lessened because of a lack of clarity in the
operation of the routine. Dai Vernon used to say that “CONFUSION is not magic”.

The secret of being able to memorize the colors of a few cards is a "skill" that I call "TRANSVERSE". It
allows you to do a lot of things. This is especially useful in a style of magic where you can improvise a
little (Jazz magic). You will begin notice as you get to know me that I am an artist who tries to collect a
maximum of transversal skills which allow me to create more instantaneous miracles3.

The routine lends itself also to camouflaging the secret. It is the spectator who holds the cards in his
hands and separates them without knowing it because he is simply imitating you. This is a good example
where the presentation serves as COVER for secret.

The part where your participant imitates your reflection is something that you must absolutely exploit to
the fullest. This is the perfect time to relax and have fun with your viewer. Be genuine, have fun and your
audience will feel the happiness you feel in making them live a magical moment. Note that this is an
exercise used in theater initiation.

Listening to the words of Ascanio, it is a routine that has an "OUTER LIFE" and favors presentation and
connection with your viewer. Either way, I believe all routines should move closer towards that goal.

As for the cull, one of the important points in the execution of the technique is not to flash the fact that
the card slips out of play below the spreading. In order to do this, when performing the cull move, think
about first covering the card completely before pulling it away. At least that applies to the first card. What
I find successful in performing a cull spread is that instead of keeping a steady spread, I tend to break the
spread by separating my two hands whenever I push the spread and/or culled card(s) from hand to hand4.

3 I will talk about this in more detail in future episodes.

4
For more information see: Kostya Kimlat's The Roadrunner Cull DVD. I learned this from Marc
Decoux who has an extraordinary cull where his fingers do not move at all. In my DVD Parallels, I talk
about the way I do the spread cull.
CREDITS

Hugard and Braue - Telepathy Plus

Chad Long - The Shuffling Lesson

Benjamin Earl - The Gambling Lesson

 R-P-S SIGN

EFFECT

The spectator selects a card which is then lost into the deck. A game of "rock, paper, scissors" follows
which gives us the position of the selected card!

MECHANIC

For this routine, you only need to be able to place a card in the 25th position.

 To do this, start by spreading the cards in your hands pushing them by 3 or 2 cards at a time. I
learned this from Dennis Behr. I count the number of cards in this fashion: 3-3-2-2. What I have now are
10 cards. I continuing to spread in this fashion also giving at the same time the following directions: "I will
scroll the cards in this way and when you want, tell me when to stop..." At the end of this sentence, I am
at 25 counted cards (3-3-2-2 / 3-3-2-2 / 3-2). Often people stop me on the 25th, as for a classic force. If
not, I just keep a break at the 25th position and I open the deck at this position so that the card is simply
put there.

 I now put the deck aside and introduces the game: Rock, Paper , and Scissors. Before you start the
game, make sure the spectator knows understands the rules of the game and how it is played! Then I
state: “Here are the rules: we will play rock paper scissors but we will only remember the times where you
win”.

You are now going to start the game by forcing your spectator to win with SCISSOR. To do this, you will
always “throw” PAPER. After that, you will just have to force PAPER by always playing ROCK.

 If we have to summarize the situation, the viewer has now won 2 times. Once with scissors and
the second time with paper. It's a sign! The scissors looks like a “2” (two fingers) and the paper is 5 (five
open fingers)! So, perhaps the card is in the 25th position! (You have already previously placed the chosen
card into this 25th position)

CONVERSATION

This routine is relatively simple in mechanics. It is a perfect routine which allows for you to focus
completely on the presentation.
From a theoretical point of view, it is true that the moment from when the selection is made to the time
when the card is located is quite long. This is why I insist that you find a way for your spectator to
remember his card well. Sometimes it may be necessary to simply view his card while he plays rock paper
scissors with you. I often use as in presentation the line to my spectator that what they are doing is not
conscious but rather intuitive. That unconsciously he really knows where his card is and will therefore give
indications of where we will be able to find it.

Due to the fact that the time between the INITIAL SITUATION and the FINAL SITUATION is long,
the impact is reduced in terms of a magic effect. But it still remains an interesting routine in creating
contact with your audience....or to break the rhythm a bit in the pace of your show or performance. Juan
Tamariz explains that if all the effects presented were too powerful, in the long run the spectators will
react less. To better visualize this, the intensity curve of the magic effect must go up and down, up and
down ... to end up climbing very high! The final CLIMAX in the show.

It is also a routine that I adore presented for the fact that it is original in its approach and amusing in its
performance. Originality is a point on which I try to concentrate on to a maximum. The more you stand
out from other magicians, the more likely you will be remembered. Luke Jermay in one of his lectures
(Luxembourg, 2015) explains to us that everything that others do, don't do it. It is quite radical but by
putting you under these conditions, you will force your mind to tap into its resources and therefore to be
creative.

This concept of rock paper scissor can of course be used in several ways. It's up to you to be creative and
find other useful applications. When we look closer, we can notice that we can force a multitude of
numbers: Rock = 0 Paper = 5 Scissors = 2. Have fun!
 GOODBYE

Thank you for purchasing this second episode of the COFFEE SERIES. Each time I try to inject
theoretical concepts putting forward critic of my routines. All of this in order to acquire a better
understanding of the criteria proposed that once integrated and identified allows us to be more aware of
the magic that we offer.

For those who know me, may have seen my DVD released with ALAKAZAM MAGIC UK at the
Blackpool Convention in February 2017. I have returned once more from England with a second volume
for you! Compared to the 1st DVD, the second contains routines that are much easier to execute. It is true
that DVD was perhaps more appropriate for intermediate level magicians. In short, I hope you will enjoy
the second volume!

Episode 3 of the COFFEE SERIES will surely go out next month! I'll keep you informed and do not
hesitate to subscribe to my newsletter by going to my site: www.thinknguyen.com

I look forward to having your feedback on the content of the series presented so far!

Sayonara x