IMA(th)INATION

A treatise on the THINK-A-CARD plot

An ebook created

By

Alex Hinojosa(BMWGuy)
Opening statement

Thank you for purchasing this e-book. I am very happy to be able to offer this to
the community, for it is something that I use quite a lot. Believe me when I say
that this effect is a worker in every sense, and one can personalize it as well.
Without any more further or do, I bring to you Ima(th)ination.

Effect

You have a spectator think of any two digit number. Once the
spectator has done this, you ask him to form an image of a playing
card as well as the suit. With no questions asked, you divine the
thought of card.
You move on with other effects in your set, and just before you retire
for the evening, as an afterthought, you ask the spectator to imagine
their number, and you divine their thought of number.

Thoughts

The above description of the effect is pretty much what the

spectator will remember, trust me, I have performed this
hundreds of times. In the next section, we will go over
everything that you will need so you can go out and perform
this. Many different variations will be taught, and I hope you
choose one that suits your style and/or needs.

Method #1

Props needed: You will need to purchase Richard Sanders/Bill

Abbotts POWERBALL 60, which comes in a package of 6
Lottery tickets along with a DVD

Pre Thoughts

Please do not get discouraged if you do not own POWERBALL 60, in this e-
book other methods will be taught, but I highly recommend you purchase
POWERBALL 60, for it is an effect that is always in my wallet, and it never fails
to get amazing reactions.

As a bonus, at the end of this e-book, I will include my newest effect KU-POW
which combines Powerball 60 and Kioku and brings it to new heights.

Below, I will also share my presentation of POWERBALL 60, which takes all
the heat off the lottery tickets, and gets you way ahead for the final revelation.

Note: I showed both Richard Sanders and Bill Abbott this presentation that you
are about to read at Magic Live 2011, and they loved it!
Full performance script using the POWERBALL 60 lottery tickets

Lets imagine you are at a party or out on the town, and someone asks you to do
something, and you just happen to have forgotten your playing cards, etc, etc.
This is a good time to pull out POWERBALL 60, here is how I get into the
script. From now on, I will be referring to myself as MENTALIST, and
SPECTATOR as your spectator.

Mentalist: “Do you believe in luck?” Or do you believe that some people are
really lucky in life, and never lose a bet or a poker hand”

Spectator: Responds to your question, Yes or no

Mentalist: “That is very interesting that you say that, because just the other day,
I decided to press my luck by going into a convenient store, and purchasing $1
on a scratch lottery card.” “I don’t normally like playing these type of games,
but I decided to try it out just for fun.” I was having a very rough day, and I
thought I might just win something.
“The lottery card was called Powerball 60, and as you can see there are around
60 numbers that are scattered around the card, and the objective is to get a
match of the same number, and you win $10, if you match two pairs of
numbers, you win $100, and if you match three pairs of numbers, you win
$1000.”
“I scratched away the lottery card, and saw that I did not win anything, so I
decided to purchase $5 more in lottery cards.” (Note: When you say the bit
about purchasing $1, you pull out 1 lottery card from your wallet, and when
you say the $5 bit, you pull out the other 5 lottery tickets, making a total of 6)
“I scratched away the remainding 5 lottery cards, and on that day, I was not so
lucky, since I did not win anything.” “You can pretty much say that my
probability was 0/6, which was 0%.” “Since that day, I have always kept these
same 6 lottery tickets in my wallet, since they remind me, that every day will be
better than the next.”

Mentalist: “Would you like to test your luck?” So you could see what type of
luck is coming your way today/tonight, it would be a good indicator for you to
check if you can do better than I did.”

Spectator: “Yes”

Mentalist: “Perfect” “As you can see, there are 60 numbers scattered all over
each ticket.” “Would you please think of a number between 1-60, inclusively?”

Spectator: Thinks of a number.

Mentalist: “Do you have a number locked in your mind?”

Spectator: “Yes”

Mentalist: “Ok, perfect, do you know what “Déjà vu” is?”

Spectator: Responds Yes or No

Mentalist: ““Déjà vu” is something which you have already seen, perhaps in a
dream or while day dreaming”
“I am going to make you experience Déjà vu.”
“Since you have a number in mind, I am going to show you each lottery ticket
once, and you are going to scan for your number.” If you see it just nod your
head yes or no.” “ If your number is not on the lottery ticket, then we will
consider this pile the bad luck pile and place it inside my pocket.” Now, if your
number is on the lottery ticket, then we will leave these face down on your
outstretched hand, and these will be considered the good luck pile.” “At the
end we will have a percentage of probability of the luck you will have.”

At this point you turn your head away as you show them the first lottery ticket,
and put it either in your pocket or on his/her outstretched palm. You repeat
this with the 6 lottery tickets.

You should now know the number, but that’s not important right now, since
you are testing his/her luck.

Scenarios of luck

1 good pile vs. 5 bad pile = 17% probability of luck

2 good pile vs. 4 bad pile = 33% probability of luck
3 good pile vs. 3 bad pile = 50% probability of luck
4 good pile vs. 2 bad pile = 67% probability of luck
5 good pile vs. 1 bad pile = 83% probability of luck
6 good pile vs. 0 bad pile = 100% probability of luck

Mentalist: “Wow, X out of X, you have a __% probability of luck, that if you go
play cards, or buy a lottery ticket today you will win.” “Good job, you did
much better than me.”

Mentalist now puts away lottery cards back into his wallet, and continues.

Note: Now that you know the number, lets say its 48, you have the upper hand,
so now instead of just randomly telling him/her the number, we are going to
raise the effect to new heights.

Example: We will assume the thought of number happens to be 48.

You will now tell the spectator that with the number they have in mind they
will have 3 choices, and they are to choose one.

Mentalist: “So you still have a number in mind, correct?”

“I am going to give you 3 options, and you need to choose one, OK.”

Spectator: “OK”

Note: You will only give them the 3 options below, if and only if they thought
of a two digit number. If the spectator thought of a one digit number, then you
could skip this next part of the script about giving them options.

Mentalist: “Option 1: If you have a two digit number in mind, you could choose
the larger of the two digits.”
Option 2: If you have a two digit number in mind, you could choose
the smaller of the two digits.”
Option 3: If you have a two digit number in mind, you could add
both digits together to get a total.”

Mentalist: “What would you like to do, take the larger, smaller, or add both
digits.?”

Spectator: Answers

Spectator takes the larger or smaller digit

In our example, we assumed the number was 48, so if they take the smaller, it
will be the number 4, and if they take the larger, it will be the number 8.

Spectator wants to add both digits together

In our example, we assumed the number was 48, so if they add both digits
together, then the total will be 12 in their mind.

Forming the playing card value

If the spectator takes the larger or smaller digit from their thought of number, you will
tell them that,that will be the value of the playing card they will form in their mind.
Ex. 4 or 8

If the spectator adds both digits, then, you the mentalist, have two options, and it will all
depend on their thought of number chosen:
In our example, the total was 12, so you can tell them that the value 1 represents an Ace,
2-10 is the number value, 11 represents a Jack, 12 represents a Queen, and 13 represents
a King.
What happens if the thought of number is 88, and they wish to add both digits?
The total will be 16, and you cannot apply the representation from above, so what do
you do?

You have them add both digits, which in this case the total will be 16, then, you the
mentalist, are following along in your mind what he/she is doing, so you know that they
are thinking of the number 16, so you tell them to add both digits one more time, thus
making a total of 7, and now 7 is the value of their card, that they are making up in the
mind.

Continuing the script…..

Spectator has just confirmed which option they would like to use, and you now know
the value of his/her playing card.

Ex. Lets assume that the original number was 48, and spectator chose the higher
number, so they will be thinking of an 8.

Now you will have them think of the color and suit of the playing card in the following
way.

Mentalist: “So, you should now have a value of a playing card in your mind, but we
need to add some color to it.”

Mentalist: “In my hands I have an invisible deck of cards, I am going to deal red cards
over here and black cards over here” “Pick up one of the colors of your choice.”

Invisible deal

Spectator picks up one of the colors, and you now know which color they picked up and
are thinking of, but how?

This next bit of business is credited to the wonderful Derren Brown, and his “Invisible
Deal.”

Try this, imagine you are holding a deck of cards in your hands, and someone is next to
you, and you are explaining this to him/her. Tell him/her that you are going to deal the
red cards(at this point gesture to your left, as if dealing red cards), and black cards(at
this point gesture to your right, as if dealing black cards). Ask the person to pick up a
pile, and watch the position in which this person picks up the pile.
Example: if the person picks up the pile on the right, then they just picked up the black
cards, or if they picked up the pile on the left, then they just picked up the red cards.

Note: It is very important that you gesture and state the colors, for if you don’t really
explain this part well, then chances are the spectator will just pickup a color, and think
of a color at random. If this happens and you are unsure which color was picked up,
you can always ask……” Did you pick up this pile over here or this one(while gesturing
to the left or right).
OK, so let us recap, you now know that the have, in our example, lets say a Red 8 in
their mind. The last bit of business that we need is a suit, and you just perform the
Invisible Deal once more.

You know now that in their mind they have the 8 of Hearts, lets say as an example, and
they never wrote anything down, no visible cards were necessary, and everything was
made up on the spot in their mind.

You may then reveal it any which way you would like.

There are two ways which I like to reveal

Reveals

1) Take out a real deck of cards, pull out the thought of card and put it on the
table, and then ask the person to name their card
2) Break the reveal into a three step process, in which you divine first the
color, then the suit, then the value of the card, with no playing cards
present.
3) Drawing duplication

Outs

If you are unsure of the outcome of the invisible deal, then since you already know the
number, then you have a ¼ chance in nailing the card.
Here are several ways, which will help you increase your chances:

Mentalist: “So, you have a card in your mind, now think of the color for me, for
example, Red, Red, Red”?

Here I am using a call out ruse, in which you give an example of the color, but you are
eliminating one of the colors in the process.

You need to look at the reaction of the spectator at this point, if there is a reaction, you
know that his/her card is red, and if there is no reaction, then you know his/her card is
black.

So, you now know that for example, his/her card is either the 8 of Diamonds, or 8 of
Hearts.

You can play it two ways from here on out:

1) Use the callout ruse for the suit as well

2) Look through the playing cards and put the 8 of Hearts on the table, and
place the 8 of Diamonds on top of the deck.
Have the spectator name the card, if it is the 8 of Hearts, have him/her turn
it over, but if the card was the 8 of Diamonds, then take the face down card,
put it on top of the deck, and perform a double lift, showing the 8 of
Diamonds.
Notes: These are extreme circumstances, and they have never happened to me before,
but they could happen, so I am providing ways for you to be able to get out of a bad
situation if you are ever in one.

Ok, so what happens, if you are not comfortable using the Invisible Deal, what can you
do to have a better shot at being able to get the correct card.

Forcing of a card

This next bit comes from two wonderful creators, Ran Pink and Ben Harris, in which
you will force a card on the spectator, and they will not even know it.

So in our example, we assumed the person had the number 48 in mind, they chose the
higher digit which is 8. They now have an 8 in mind.

Here is the force:

Mentalist: “If you have the numbers 1, 3, or 5, please think of a club.”

“If you have the numbers 2 or 4, please think of a heart.”
“If you have the numbers 7 or 9, 11(Jack), or 13(King),
please think of a spade.”
“If you have the numbers 6, 8, or 10, or 12(Queen),
please think of a diamond.”

You have now forced a card on the spectator, in this example, since they have the
number 8, then they are thinking of the 8 of Diamonds.

To finish, you can use any type of reveal you want, please use your imagination, I only
listed 3 on the previous page, but there are many.

Here are some more reveals, just to give you an idea:

1) Stigmata
2) Using Kennedy´s Whisper, where you make the spectator the mind reader
3) Ashes on Arm
4) Christopher Weihl “Burn Notice”
5) You can also take out a real deck of cards, place the thought of card on top, top
palm it off, and place in your pocket, as you state that you had previously pre-
predicted, since it’s the only card in your pocket

After you reveal, you can continue to perform other effects, and at the end, before you
leave as an afterthought, you turn the the spectator, and ask him/her if they still
remember the number that they had originally thought of, they will.

And you reveal it or name it in any way you see fit. It is a real shocker for the spectator,
because they did not expect this.
Post Thoughts

This is my preferred way of doing this entire effect, since nothing is written down,
and everything is so pure and imagined. I have killed with this effect, carrying it
out fully, and the first kicker really shocks the spectator, since they imagined a
card, and then out of the blue you were able to name it or predict it, but I believe
that the aftermath working in conjunction to the card reveal works great, because
all the tension is gone, and they are not expecting anything from you anymore,
since you are ready to leave and say goodbye, then you hit him/her with the
unexpected by naming their original thought of number from you testing his/her
luck. Trust me, the spectator will always remember you!

Method #2

Props needed: Business card/billet and pen

Pre Thoughts

On occasion I have done this method, which still plays really strong, but I still feel
Method #1 is stronger.

Peeks/Center Tears

For this method, you will need to know how to peek a business card or billet.

Here are but a few:

1) Richard Osterlinds Center Tear

2) Millard Longmans Acidus Globus
3) Doug Dyment R2-D2 Tear
4) Ran Pinks Think Pink
5) Acidus Novus peek created by Al Mann
6) PJ Tear by Gerry McCambridge

You have the spectator write a number from 1-100, and then you peek the
information. You continue form script above in order for them to choose an option
and form a playing card.

I personally use the Acidus Novus, as it has served me really well over the years.

Note: You can be safe that they will not choose 100, by stating, please don’t use
something easy like a 1 or 100, make it hard for me.
Impression devices(to name a few)

1) MindBuster by Labco
2)John Riggs impression devices like the Brown Hornet, butterfly, skeeter.

Peek wallets w/ or w/o SUC feature(to name a few)

1) Stealth Assassin Wallet by Alakazam

2) Showdown Wallet by Outlaw
3) SUC wallet by Strivings

Post Thoughts

The advantages that this has over Method #1 is that the number selection is much
wider, since it spans from 1-100, rather than 1-60. The disadvantage is that you
need to have someone write something, but everything is justified, so there are
times where I use this method. Some of you may argue that Method#2 is better
than Method #1, that is why I have included both methods, so that you may pick
and choose.
If you have another method that you personally use that I did not list here, please
feel free to use it.
One that comes to mind, for example, is Bill Dekels “Digit”
There are many ways to gain access to a thought of number, I encourage you to use
your imagination, or use your favorite method that works for you.

Conclusion

This effect has gotten me bookings time and time again, and it is because of these
combined layers, that the method gets hidden so well, that not even the most
critical spectator will be able to back track. I have had a lot of fun performing this
over the years, and I am sure so will you.
If you have any questions, or would like to chat sometime, please feel free to email
me to [email protected], or find me on Facebook, or Skype,
via the same name. I am BMWGuy on the Café.
I am always up for a jam session, and look forward to speaking with many of you
soon.

Bonus #1 KU-POW(Kioku + Powerball 60)

I have decided to include this bonus for those of you that currently use
POWERBALL 60, and also own Outlaws KIOKU.

Method:
Once you lock in on the persons memory from KIOKU, then you will switch to
POWERBALL, and test the persons luck, per above. Have the person think of the
age they were when the specific memory happened that they are thinking of.
You now know the specific memory that the person is having,
Example: Eating ice cream…..plus you also know what age they were, per
POWERBALL 60. So you may now do some cold reading, which you are more
than likely to have a higher probability to hit, since you know the persons age.
Bonus #2 Dunninger Think-A-Card

This version is geared more towards a stage setting, though I have done it close-up

Method:
You have a person think of any card in the deck, free choice.
You may have the person just think of a card at random.
Once the person, has a card locked in their mind, you will instruct them that
whatever card they have in their mind, they are to assign a letter to it:

Ex, Ace = A
Two = B
Three = C
Four = D
Five = E
Six = F
Seven = G
Eight = H
Nine = I
Ten = J
Jack = K
Queen = L
King = M

So lets say the person is thinking of the 8 of Diamonds, so they will have the letter
H in their mind.
You now ask the person to think of someone very close and dear to them that
starts with that letter.

The next series of steps is where you will execute the Dunninger ploy:

You call out to the spectator to come up and join you on stage, and as he/she
approaches you literally ask the person as you are shaking hands, the name of the
person he/she is thinking of.

Position: You now know the name of the person, in this example, let us say it is
Hector, plus since Hector starts with H, you also know he is thinking of the 8 of
Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs, or Spades.

You tell the spectator that you will try and find his/her card, as you pull out a deck
of cards, from your pocket, and you do the following:

Place the 8 of Diamonds on top, 8 of hearts second from the top, 8 of clubs eight
cards down from the top, and very casually place the 8 of Spades in your pocket.

You now take your pad or dry erase board, and tell the spectator you will try and
guess the card, but in reality you write the name, Hector.

You ask the spectator, I think I have the card you are thinking of, by the way,
what was the name of the person you were thinking of, they will say Hector, as you
show the dry erase board or pad to the audience, being careful not to show the
spectator.

You have just created a very sneaky dual reality, in which the audience believes
you have read the persons mind by getting the name correct, when actually, you
knew all along, thanks to the Dunninger ploy.

You now, ask the spectator, to name the card he/she is merely thinking of, and you
are in a position to show any of the cards in the following manner:

Before I ask for the thought of card, I hold the top card in my fingertips, (8 of
Diamonds, in our example), on top of the deck is the 8 of Hearts, the 8th card is the
8 of Clubs, and in your pocket is the 8 of Spades.

So I now ask the spectator to name his/her card:

Scenario #1: 8 of Diamonds Perfect, since you are holding it in your fingertips
Scenario #2: 8 of Hearts Replace 8 of diamonds on top, and do a standard
double lift
Scenario #3: 8 of Clubs Count 8 cards down, to the 8 of clubs
Scenario #4: 8 of Diamonds In your pocket.

Another way to do this, without using cards, is to simply fish for the color and suit
of the card, using the call out ruse I explained above in this ebook.

Thoughts:

I feel Scenario #1 and #4 are the strongest, but bear in mind that Scenario #2 and
#3, could also be quite strong, depending on how you present the effect.

I have performed this effect hundreds of time just like Ima(th)ination from above,
and it never fails to get a great response, especially the part about getting the name
correct.

Another idea, is that you could if you want first reveal the playing card, and as an
afterthought, pretend to jot down the playing card, and write the name, in our
example Hector, and then you ask the spectator on stage, “by the way, what was
the name of the person you were thinking of”? And thus, you will have also created
the same effect.

I have tested out both methods, and I personally like naming the name first, and
then the card, since once you get the name right, the audience believes pretty much
that you can tap into the spectators mind that is on stage, so the card could not be
that much more difficult, but the extra kicker comes in, when you either have the
card in your pocket, on your fingertips, on top of the deck, or the exact number
down in the deck.

I really hope you use this, it has served me well for many years, and I hope it will
do the same for you.
Credits

Brown, Derren “The Devils Picturebook” DVD.

Harris, Ben “Silent Running” e-book.
Pink, Ran “White Room” e-book.
Abbott Bill and Sanders, Richard “Powerball 60” marketed item.
Roth, Rick “Kioku” marketed item.
Wilson, Gregory “Double Take DVD”
Mann, Al “Acidus Novus” 1979
Quinn, Joshua “ParaLies”
Maven, Max “No Grey Elephants in Denmark”
Banachek “Psychological Subtleties”
Fingers, Jimmy “Inconceivable” book.
Cassidy, Bob “Chronologue” marketed item
Dunninger, Joseph “Dunninger ploy”

Special Thanks to

Paul Vigil
Jimmy Fingers
Ran Pink
Gabe Abelson
Max Krause
Fabian Moreno
George Robinson
Rus Andrews
Chris Rawlins
Peter Turner
Armando Lucero
Ben Seidman
Luke Jermay
David Affieri