Spinney’s One Behind by Jacob Spinney

Effect: You read (or influence) the minds of several different people in a very clean and fair manner and they all get to keep souvenirs (your business cards) that they’re bound to show to all their friends.

Requirements: A pen and a stack of business cards or index cards cut to 3×2. If you don’t have a table to work with, use a spectator’s extended hand. (If you use a sharpie, make sure the ink doesn’t bleed through)

Step 1: Count off three papers while secretly stealing a fourth paper and place the remaining stack of cards on the table.

Step 2: Ask the first person to think of something (a name in this example). Acting as if you’re writing down the name you think they’re thinking of, write down what you’re going to force on the last person.

Step 3: As you begin to place the paper on the stack on the table, have a change of thought and take it back placing it on the BOTTOM of the cards you’re holding as you ask if they happened to change their mind or not.

Step 4: However they answer, you reassure yourself and take the TOP (blank) card and place it face down on the stack; acting as if it was the paper you just wrote on.

Step 5: After you’ve laid down your prediction, you ask the first person to go ahead and for the first time say out loud the name they thought of. Smile and tell him that you’ll save him for the climax. Tell the second person to think of something (a place in this example). Acting as if you’re writing down the place they’re thinking of, write down the name that the first person just told you and place it face down on the stack on the table.

Step 6: After you’ve apparently laid down your prediction, you ask the second person to go ahead and for the first time say out loud the place they thought of. Smile again, acting as if you’re right but you don’t want to reveal it just yet. Holding the remaining two papers as one, look at the last person, write down the place the second person just named, and place the two papers, as one, face down on the stack.

Step 7: Now tell the last person to name a wild animal in the jungle (or whatever force you want to use) and tell him to turn over the top card. Boom, you’re right. Reconfirm with the second person the place they thought of and have them turn over the next card. Boom, you’re right. Reconfirm with the first person the name they thought of and have them turn over the next card. Boom, you’re right. You begin and end clean and the process couldn’t look anymore fair. Of course, you need to remember to have a stupid creepy look on your face while they turn over the papers . . .

Obviously, this can be done with however many people you want. Just steal an extra paper, write the last persons force first, and keep writing one behind. This is also a perfect scenario to be trying out psychological forces as the effect is not significantly deteriorated at all if you get it wrong. Some common ones to use are . . .

Wild animal in the jungle (lion)

A color (red if you make them think quickly, blue if you give them time)

A vegetable (carrot)

Something you imagine seeing out of your window (tree or car)

Two simple shapes, one inside the other (triangle inside a circle)

A number between 1 and 10 (7)

A number between 10 and 50, both digits being odd and different from each other (37 or 35)

This is also a perfect scenario to be testing out your intuitive skills as well by giving yourself the ability to take shots and it being ok if you’re wrong. After you take shots long enough, you’ll begin to develop a sort of mental log of past experiences and get a better idea of the mindset the spectator is currently in so that you can better predict a choice they’ll make ahead of time. That’s when it starts getting reeeally interesting.

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Jacob Spinney is a Mentalist centered in Phoenix, Arizona. After graduating high school, he apprenticed for James “The Amazing” Randi in 2004, consulted in a creative capacity for Criss Angel for his A&E TV show, “Mindfreak,” in 2005, and has been creating and performing since then. One of his first creations was a levitation that built him a huge reputation at his high school and has since been performed by Criss Angel and later marketed by Criss in 2006 with Jacob’s conditional permission MASTERMINDS DVD - SELF LEVITATION. Jacob currently has several projects on the drawing board and hopefully you’ll be hearing more and more about him as time passes.