THINK

Copyright 2013 by Adam Kordecki.

No part of this publication may be stored, reproduced, copied

or transmitted without the prior written consent from the author.

Layout and design by Daniel Andersen

ii
This book is dedicated to my father, who sparked my interest in magic as
a kid and helped me get started on this crazy journey. I miss him greatly.
! !
! Don Kordecki (November 12, 1931 - October 26, 2010)

! This book is also dedicated to my wonderful girlfriend, Jen Garrett,

who had to painstakingly sit by me as I wrote this book over and over
and over, helping me edit along the way. Thank you.

iii
CONTENTS
PREFACE v

INTRODUCTION vi

THINK OF A PLAYING CARD 8

REVEALS 16

SUBTLETIES 21

THINK OF A DATE 26

! MONTH 27

! 1st DIGIT 34

! 2nd DIGIT 37

USING THINK WITH OTHER METHODS 41

JUST THE BEGINNING 43

iv
PREFACE
Greetings, All!

Welcome to THINK. Thank you for picking it up.

Over the next 30 pages you will discover my take on a classic

method that allows truly prop-less mind reading. It can be per-
formed anywhere, anytime.

I've included two main presentations, along with subtleties,

and a few ways to use THINK with other methods.

I sincerely hope you enjoy reading THINK and find it worth

performing.

Best,

Adam Kordecki

v
INTRODUCTION
THINK is based on a classic method in mentalism, the Pro-
gressive Anagram (PA). PA's are an excellent way to perform
prop-less mind reading. Although I believe THINK is better
described as a branching anagram, I'll refer to it as a PA for
simplicity throughout the rest of this book.
To my knowledge, PA's started with Stanley Collins in the
1920's. There have been plenty of works on PA's, and while I
haven't had the privilege of reading them all, the few I have
are incredible creations.
My personal introduction to PA's was Contimental by Max
Maven. I remember feeling like I was in mentalism heaven af-
ter reading it! As a side, I was recently in mentalism heaven
again after reading Peter Turner's The Portugal Notes. Great
material from a great guy. My next exposure to PA's was
K.E.N.T. by John Mahood, published by Kenton Knepper, fol-
lowed by The Prodigal by Atlas Brookings, which I picked up
earlier this year and is practically an encyclopedia of PA's. I
highly recommend all these works.
When I developed THINK, I wanted to find a way to branch
out from fishing only for letters when receiving a negative re-
sponse. The graphs in this book mostly just use letters and the
number of letters in a word, but other categories can be used
as well. For example, if you made a PA for colors you could
also use the categories of the color being a primary or secon-
dary color. If you made a PA for numbers you could use catego-
ries such as a multiple of 3 or prime number. With some time
spent thinking of different categories for a subject, one can
construct their own THINK PA.
After receiving a negative response, changing the category,
plus time misdirection, should give your audience the impres-
sion that since you seemingly can't use your mind reading
skills to read specific letters from your volunteer, changing the
category means that you're now starting the mind reading
process over again. Along with the time misdirection, the audi-
ence should forget that you already have certain bits of infor-
mation on what your volunteer is thinking. For instance, in
the playing card diagram, when you receive a negative re-
sponse to there being an 'E' in their thought of value, you'll
move on to saying there is 3 letters in the word. Using the sub-
tleties, including time misdirection, by the time you mention
it being a 3 letter word you should be able to make your volun-
teer and audience forget that you already know there is no 'E'
in their thought of value. As you read through the playing card
diagram this concept should make more sense.
You are about to read two presentations that I use on a regu-
lar basis.
Think of a playing card
Think of a Date
vi
If you've never performed a PA, I highly advise you take the
time to study and implement the subtleties and nuances
which really make this effect work well. Although I do include
the subtleties needed to perform these PA's, I also suggest you
check out the works of Maven, Brookings and the numerous
others who have written on the subject.

Alright, alright, less talk, more mind reading. Onward.

vii
THINK OF A PLAYING CARD
While each PA is different based on what information you’re
trying to deduce, each follow the same basic guidelines:

After learning that you're a mind reader, the most common re-
sponse from a spectator will probably be, "Okay, tell me what
I'm thinking." Of course being the brain decipherer that you
are, you happily oblige.
"I'm going to show you exactly what mind reading looks like.
Think of a playing card. Any playing card at all, it could be
your favorite, someone's else favorite or if you really want to
catch me out, one at random. Do you have one in mind? Per-
fect. I'll give you a few seconds to change your mind if you
want, but if not, stick with the one you have. Remember it and
lock it in. Once you've settled on a specific card do NOT
change your mind."
• All flowcharts start from the top and work downwards. The
starting place is designated by the symbol that has an out-
line.
• A solid line leading from one step to the next signifies the
path you should follow if you receive a yes response. A dot-
ted line is for a no response.
• Finally, once you arrive at this shape:
you’ve deduced the volunteer’s
thought of card/number/etc.
Let’s begin.

What follows is a miraculous demonstration of what mind

reading looks like.

On the next page you will find the first of a series of PA’s pre-
sented throughout this book. These will be your guides to the
THINK method. To be most successful with THINK, study
these until they become second nature. At first this may seem
daunting but once you understand how simply they work, you
should have no trouble.

8
King
Let’s start from the top of the PA and work our way down*. Af-
ter you have asked the spectator to think of any card and lock
it in their mind, say:
"In order for this work, I need you to first concentrate on the
value only. Your card is either a Club, Heart, Spade or Dia-
mond, but forget about that for now. Wait… you didn't think
of a red card, did you? I thought so, it looked like you did.
Okay, now just focus on the value of your card repeating it
over and over, only in your mind, nothing out loud please.
Just like that... like King… King… King."
Now there are many linguistics at play in this first bit. It
serves two purposes to tell them to concentrate on the value
since:
• The "mind reading" of the value and suit happen separately.
• It allows for your first opportunity to figure out what suit
their card is.
As you name the suits, pause slightly in between each one,
looking for any subtle facial cues giving away which suit their
card is. The spectator may not give anything away at this point
and that's OK. It's not necessary to know the suit just yet, but
it certainly helps.
*If you own K.E.N.T. by John Mahood, I'm sure you can deduce why the King is at
the top.
"You didn't think of a red card, did you?" This part is very im-
portant. It allows you to fish out the color of their card and
seem as though you're correct regardless of their answer. If
they say, “No,” say, "I didn't think so, it looked like a dark
color."
That tells them you "mind read" the color black. If they say,
“Yes,” say, "I thought so. It looked like you did." Saying,
"looked" conveys to them that you're reading their mind or fa-
cial cues to determine the color.
Your response to their answer should be very natural and a bit
nonchalant. You don't want to draw too much attention to it.
You had just told them to temporarily forget about the suit,
and then interrupted yourself with the "Wait…" because you
noticed a flicker or subtle cue about the color they were think-
ing. Drawing too much attention to your response may seem
you had planned it all along.
Now that you've figured out the color, and possibly the suit,
you tell them to focus on the value of their card repeating it
over and over in their mind, not out loud. I believe it's impor-
tant to tell them to say it in their mind, not out loud, and be
clear in those instructions because many times the spectator
will just blurt it out.
After that say, "Just like that..., like King… King… King...”
This again serves as a two purposes:
10
• To give them an example of how to repeat the value over and
over in their head, which adds a nice, Old Witch Doctor's ef-
fect*.
• Just as in K.E.N.T., a clever way to eliminate the King. If
they're thinking of a King, the spectator will 9 times out of 10
tell you they're thinking of a King, either by verbally telling
you or nonverbally showing their surprise at your correct-
ness.
In the rare case that they have indeed picked the King, but ei-
ther their poker face is very convincing or they didn’t under-
stand something that was being said, the King ends up in the
same place as the Jack and the 4 during the reveals. Later on
I’ll explain what to do if you find yourself in this pickle.
The Letter E
Next, you want to determine if the value of the spectator’s
card (when spelled) has the letter E. It should seem as if this is
the point when the mind reading begins. You can separate
what happens from this moment and everything that just hap-
pened with the King and the suits. Again, reinforcing the idea
of not drawing too much attention to your questioning the
color of the card.
I’ll usually reposition the spectator and say something along
the lines of, "If you would please step over here, just like that
and we'll get started*.”
Figuring out if their card has an E in it’s name will split all 12
remaining values into two groups.
No: Jack, Six, Four & Two
Yes: Ace, Queen, Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven, Five & Three
"Take a deep breath in… and out... Good. I want you to begin
to imagine and visualize the value, and only the value, of your
card as a written word. Remember not to give anything away,
but let's say you were thinking of the 5. You would then imag-
ine and visualize the letters F-I-V-E, or if you're thinking of
the Jack you would see the letters J-A-C-K, understand?
Good, now I want you to genuinely do this for me please, imag-
ine and visualize the written word of the value of your card
right here, as if it were written in the air in front of you."
Just like before, there are a few linguistics at play to help you.
It helps to make your instructions clear. Getting them to take
a deep breath in and out serves as an Old Witch Doctor's prin-
ciple, and helps the process of them following your instruc-
tions.
Notice in the second sentence how I say to imagine and visual-
ize just the value. Say that to reiterate your instructions. If at
any point you think your spectator might not be following, do
11
not hesitate to ask them if they understand what to do. It's not
worth it to assume and have something go wrong later.
The beginning of the next line says, "Remember not to give
anything away.” To the spectator it should seem as if you're re-
peating yourself to make certain they have a poker face, but as
I said before, doing so will put them into a state of mind of try-
ing so hard not to give something away that they end up sub-
tly giving something away.
Giving them examples of what to do not only reinforces your
instructions but also gives you a chance to possibly see if
they're thinking of one of the examples. You could choose any
of the remaining 12 values but I think it's good to use one num-
ber and one picture card. It not only covers both bases of num-
ber or a picture cards, but also helps reinforce that they're
visualizing the correct things.
As the mind reading begins, I normally act as if I'm trying to
look for subtle facial cues to see the letters they're imagining.
If I were truly able to read minds and see what they're think-
ing, it may take a moment or two to get used to who I'm work-
ing with and how they visualize information. I don't go over-
board doing this but I would normally spend about seven sec-
onds looking at them saying things like "If you could just
make those letters a little bit bigger… yes like that, thank you."
Another way, "If you could just imagine those letters in a
bright red font, just the brightest red you could possibly imag-
ine… yes, like that, thank you."
It's also another great opportunity to utilize the Old Witch
Doctor's principle*. You could reposition them again as if it
would help you read their mind more clearly. This part is es-
sential in my performances because I think it helps give my
audience members a glimpse into the process of mind read-
ing.
Now this may sound crazy, but to determine whether the
value of their card has an E, I tell them, with the utmost confi-
dence, that one of the letters in their word is an E. It may
seem risky, but if you do this with conviction, I assure you
that you won't look stupid or unskilled**.
After saying there is an E in their word, the spectator will usu-
ally, without prompt, tell you if you're right or wrong. In the
rare case that they keep a poker face and don't respond, I just
raise my eyebrows and ask, "Right?"
If you get a positive confirmation, then clearly your demon-
stration of reading their mind is going well, and you can move
on to the next letter N. I will get to that letter in a couple
pages, but for now let’s focus on what to do if their response
is, “No.”
*The Old Witch Doctor’s principle, a term coined by Banachek, is the idea that if
you spend time and effort making an action or movement, it must have an effect.
**Kenton Knepper's 2005 release Mind Reading goes into great detail about "know-
ing" information when mind reading. If you don't have this book please do yourself
a BIG favor and go buy it!
12
4 Letter Word
It's too suspicious to continue guessing letters if you get a
negative response because it can seem obvious that you're fish-
ing. Instead, show a slightly puzzled look on your face and ask
them, "Are you sure there is no E in your word? Please make
sure you're certain. Okay, in that case, I'm going to try some-
thing a little different with you. I want you to continue visualiz-
ing the letters, but shift your attention and count how many
letters are in the word. Be careful not to give anything away.
Don't allow your eyes to bounce from one letter to the next or
I may be able to easily see how many there are. Count them
over and over in your mind, not aloud, please. Thank you, just
like that."
First, ask if they're completely certain that the word does not
have an E for two reasons:
• You want to act as if you’re confident in your mind reading
abilities, and you really should have gotten that correct.
• You also want to double check that the spectator didn't make
a mistake, overlooking an E in their word. It can happen and
if you don't make sure they're correct, it'll mess up the rest of
the effect for you.
After double checking with them, quickly move into the next
phase so as not to spend too much time being "puzzled.”
Quickly change your expression to a focused state. The sen-
tence, "Okay, in that case, I'm going to try something a little
different with you," suggests that this clearly doesn't happen
very often, and that they are unique. This is flattery, instead of
giving the impression that you need to do something different
because they're bad at focusing.
Moving on, "Visualize that number in large print, bright and
vivid, really see that number as a crystal-clear picture as if it
were floating in the air right in front of you. Really see that
number big, bright and clear for me."
After saying this, begin silently counting out the number three
with your index finger as if it were a bouncing ball counting
along each letter. If I'm facing the spectator I count from right
to left. They’ll see it as left to right, just how people normally
count the letters themselves.
The value they're thinking either has three (6, 2) or four (J, 4)
letters. As you count it out a few times be looking for any reac-
tion to see if they are indeed thinking of three.
If there's a negative reaction, or “no” reaction, then I subtly
shake my head in a no fashion and begin counting out four let-
ters. Of course you can start with four letters and do every-
thing vice versa.
Throughout this entire process of figuring out their thought of
card, try to imagine what card you might pick if you were that
person. If when you get to this phase, you believe they may
have picked a Jack, then start counting four letters.
13

At this point in the performance you should know whether
they're thinking of four letters (J, 4) or three letters (6, 2).
Later in this book I explain how to ascertain which card of the
pair they’re thinking of and how to reveal it in the Reveals sec-
tion. For now, let’s continue as if they had said, “Yes,” to
whether an E was in the word.
The Letter N
At this point you've just received a positive response to the let-
ter E, and while it may seem to the spectator that the mind
reading has just begun, by now you’ve eliminated 36 cards (ei-
ther all the red or black cards, plus all the Kings, Jacks, 6’s, 4’s
and 2's).
Eight values remain: Ace’s, Queen’s, 10’s, 9’s, 8’s, 7’s, 5’s, and
3’s.
Just like with the letter E, you're going to say, with the utmost
confidence, that the letter N is in their thought of card. Doing
this will split the cards into two groups of four: A, 8, 5, 3 & Q,
10, 9, 7.
If your volunteer responds positively, skip ahead to U or V. If
you get a negative response, move on to the 3 letter word
stage.
3 Letter Word
With the negative response to the N (which includes A, 8, 5
and 3), just like with the letter E, you should double check
with your spectator. Always double check, it's easy for your
spectator to make a mistake which will of course throw you off
the correct track. You can use the same script as in the E
phase, just modified for N. Here it is again.
"Are you sure there is no N in your word? Please make sure
you're certain. Okay, in that case, I'm going to try something a
little different with you. I want you to continue visualizing the
letters, but shift your attention and count how many letters
are in the word. Be careful not to give anything away. Don't al-
low your eyes to bounce from one letter to the next or I may
be able to easily see how many there are. Count them over and
over in your mind, not aloud, please. Thank you just like that."
The next thing you do is also the same as the 3 Letter Word
section, except that the possibilities are now either three, four
or five letter words. Continue with the bouncing ball gesture
but only do five counts, not four or three. If you get a negative
response for five counts then you’ll have to guess whether it's
four or three and in the end, it can look like guesswork. In-
stead, if you get a positive response to the five counts you're
now in the position of revealing either the 8 or the 3, and if
you get a negative response to the five counts you're ready to
reveal either the A or 5.
14
U or V


###

If you’ve arrived in this ideal position, it’s because you've re-

ceived positive responses from E and N and you’ll want to
keep this fantastic momentum going.

Just as before with the E and N, you're going to say that

!
there's either a U or a V in their word. The obvious difference
with this is that you're saying two letters instead of one. You
can justify this by saying, "Now is this a 'U' or a 'V'?". This is a
line from Patrick Schlagel's book "Mnemosign". You'll want to
say this to your volunteer as if you can see that they're think-
ing of a 'U' or 'V' but because of their similarity in shape, it's
very difficult to distinguish. While Schlagel came up with this
clever line, I also have to give credit to Atlas Brookings for
coming up with the idea to use it here.

If you get a negative response, say, "Are you sure there is no U

or V in your word? Please make sure you're certain. Okay I
must be confusing the U with an upside down lowercase n.
Let’s try this…"

You're now at the point of revealing either the 10 or 9.

If you've received a positive response from the U or V, usually

the spectator will tell you which one it is, you're ready to re-
veal either the Q or the 7*.

*This is the best possible outcome. You’ve now received only positive (yes) re-
sponses to your statements, and appear to be the real deal.
15

THE REVEALS
When I first began performing THINK, I would narrow it
down to two cards and simply guess. If I knew it was down to
the Jack or the 4, I would guess which one I think they might
pick. If I thought they picked the Jack, and was wrong, I'd
show a confused look on my face, saying something like,
"Really? You didn't think of Jack? You're not trying to throw
me off are you? Okay, really imagine that card floating in the
air in front of you and in your head scream it at me, really try
to tell me.”
Wait a few seconds, then I'd show a sign of relief on my face
then say, “Of course it wasn't Jack, that was stupid, you
thought of the 4."
This isn’t all that bad, but I’ve since devised various means of
achieving a cleaner ending. Let’s first remind ourselves of the
possible PA outcomes:
Jack and 4
One thing that these reveals all have in common is an impor-
tance for observing your volunteers reactions. You will be em-
ploying some clever linguistic tricks, and being able to know
when you’ve successfully found their card will save you from
missing the mark. The first scenario of either the Jack or 4 is a
perfect example.
Once you've gone through the elimination process and layered
in a bit of time misdirection, you’re ready for the big reveal.
Start by focusing on the volunteer, and after a moment, hold
up four fingers. This is where checking for a reaction is impor-
tant. If there isn’t one you say, "Yes, four, four letters in the
word, right?". Pay close attention to the beginning of that
statement, after saying, "Yes, four," give a slight pause to
again check for a possible missed reaction. When you make
that pause, remain natural and confident.
If still no reaction, continue with, "Four letters in the word,
right?" (even though that is a question, you say it with the com-
plete confidence since you already know the answer).
Along with ease and being natural, your wording, too, should
be seamless. The whole process is incredibly convincing when
you’re not stumbling over your words or sounding rehearsed.
The most likely outcome is now that they have picked the
Jack. You can reveal this by spelling, “J-A-C-K, four letters in-
16
deed,” pointing to a finger for each letter. Enjoy the reaction
and take a bow!
There is, however, one other possibility. If you remember at
the start of the effect, with the guessing of the King, I men-
tioned there is a small chance your spectator could have ei-
ther; a. an amazing poker face which mislead you at the time,
or b. didn’t understand some part of the exchange. In the case
where the 4 or J are not the cards they’ve chosen, you can be
sure it was the King all along. Simply say,“The Jack can easily
be confused a King because of their shared masculinity.” Com-
pliment your volunteer on being very clever and trying to
catch you out as you enjoy your applause. This is so rare you’ll
probably never experience it, but you are now prepared for
any possibility.
6 and 2
Tell the spectator to concentrate intensely on their card and
ask to borrow their hand. Take their fingers and form a peace
sign, which means they’ll be showing two fingers. Briefly
gauge their reaction. If they're thinking of the 2 they're most
likely going to react positively.
If, instead, you get confusion or no reaction at all, take their
other hand and form it into four fingers being held up then
bring the two hands together showing the number 6.
Although not many words are spoken, you must use a bit of
showmanship to convey that you are reading their mind. You
could introduce some of your personality here. If you wanted
to portray muscle reading abilities or an ability to acutely read
facial expressions, this is a prime opportunity.
Ace and 5
Many “think of a card” routines have always started with
"Don't pick the Ace, it's too obvious.” While the spectator be-
lieves you're wanting them to be more random, as if that were
possible, that of course just eliminates four cards out of the
deck for you. I considered using that for this effect but a much
cleaner option is available, and it gives you the freedom to say,
"Think of ANY card in the deck" at the beginning of the effect.
After telling them to concentrate and think of their card say,
"Now, if you fit into the statistics, someone like you with (de-
scribe features about that person: hair color, eye color, their
clothes, shoes, personality, etc…) would likely choose the
Ace.” Look for a reaction, if none continue on with, “However,
you wouldn't go for the first thing that popped in your mind,
you'll try to catch me out by going for the 5." I really like when
they're thinking of the 5 instead of the Ace because the line,
"You wouldn't go for the first thing that popped in your mind"
implies that they first thought of the Ace. This, to the audi-
ence, looks like you've not only read their mind in the mo-
ment, but you knew their entire thought process. It doesn't
17

matter if they actually thought of the Ace at all since you're
just implying they did. The audience will know no differently.
8 and 3
This one again uses the volunteers fingers. Just as before you
ask to borrow their hand, specifically their right hand. You
then form their right hand into a 3 using their thumb, index
and middle finger. If you get no reaction from the 3, ask to bor-
row their other hand and spread all the fingers evenly making
a 5, put those together and you've got 8.
The reason I use their right hand to make the 3 is because if it
ends up being the 8, when they hold their hands together
showing the 8, it'll be in the same position as if they counted it
out themselves starting from left to right.
The reason to use the thumb, index and middle finger is be-
cause that's how most people would count it out on their own
hands. It's only a minor detail and you can choose to use it or
not. Like the 6 and 2 procedure, you can either be silent while
doing this or add in a bit of patter. Your choice. Remember:
silence is a very powerful performance tool when used effec-
tively.
10 and 9
Ask them to hold out both hands in front of them, palms faced
forward as if making a stopping gesture. After mentioning
that they're thinking of a number you say, "Now look closely
at your hands. Do you see the number you're thinking of right
now?” Look for a positive reaction. Technically, they can see
their number either way, but a strong reaction indicates the
10. If there’s no strong reaction, or hesitation occurs, “Can you
imagine it floating right in front of you?" Then put down one
of their fingers down showing the 9. As long as your pauses
aren’t too dramatic and lengthy, you'll seem as if you're mov-
ing the mind reading process along instead of guessing.
Queen and 7
Other than getting lucky with the King, the Queen and the 7
are the best outcome possible. When looking at the progres-
sive anagram you'll notice that when the outcome is Queen or
7 you've gotten all yes answers or positive hits. A nice feature
of both the Queen and 7 is that statistically, they are more
likely to be chosen. A Queen is likely to be chosen by a woman,
and a 7 is likely to be chosen when the volunteers is thinking
of a number 1-10.
For this reveal, you'll discover whether it's the Queen or 7
when mentioning that you're seeing a U or a V. Use this oppor-
18
tunity to spot any reactions as you go back and forth between
saying, “U... or V...”
If the spectator is giving nothing away, be bold, be confident
and guess the Queen.
The Suit
Finally, all that's left is to reveal the suit of their thought of
card. You may have a good idea of which suit they're thinking
of based on any cues from the beginning when you named
them. If not you’re looking at a 50/50 chance of getting it cor-
rect*.
Let's say you’ve revealed their card as being the Queen, and
you already knew it was a red card. This then leaves you with
either the Queen of Hearts or the Queen of Diamonds. You
could simply say both suits aloud, stating that the image is not
clear enough to distinguish between the suits. You could also
take advantage of the fact that enough time has passed since
you nonchalantly discovered the color of their card.
“Turn the color up for me as if you could adjust the bright-
ness. Yes, indeed, this is either a heart or diamond, I can see
how vivid the red is.”
*Remember, you already know the color of the card from the beginning of the effect.
This will either be seen as confirming that they have picked a
red card, or for those who missed it, will further prove your
abilities.
You could equally say for a card with a black suit, “I can see
you’re having trouble making the color bright and vivid since
it’s a black card.”
At this point you could go back and forth between the suits
and look for facial cues or any tells. Otherwise, as Derren
Brown puts it, if you're going to guess, you may as well guess
all the way. So instead of naming both suits, pick one and go
for it.
If you are correct, I expect you will be showered with virgins
and money. If you happen to be wrong, simply correct your-
self. By this point, you have revealed their thought of card and
your audience will be astonished!
Now I realize that relying on facial cues or just guessing can
seem daunting to some, so to solve this issue you could simply
use the Out to Lunch principle with a stack of business cards
in each pocket. The left pocket would be prepared with Clubs/
Spades and the right pocket would be prepared with Hearts/
Diamonds. You could openly write your prediction of the suit
with the pack from the black or red pocket (as needed), cover
it with your thumb and have the participant initial the lower
portion. From there, you have them reveal the suit and you've
got a guaranteed hit.
19
The idea to use the Out to Lunch principle for the suits was
also from the wonderful mind of Atlas Brookings. Again, if
you're a fan of using PA's you really should get his book "The
Prodigal" now!

###

l. om
m
ai .c
co
gm ic
c@ ag
gi am
ma in
ve ch
lo 52
to w.
ww

20
 you're new to building rapport, I suggest learning as much as
you can. Personally I have learned an incredible amount about

SUBTLETIES
The importance of subtly and nuance cannot be overstated
when talking about mind reading. A convincing performance
building rapport from reading the works of Jerome Finley, es-
pecially from his massive release "Thought Veil". His atten-
tion to detail while explaining his routines is incredible and
shows that putting forth the extra effort to build rapport can
create miracles!
One of the easiest way to build rapport with anyone is to sim-

l. om
and a weak one are separated by how thoughtful the per- ply smile. Smiling can change the mood of any interaction, it

m
former is about the details of their show. can change the mood of an entire room of people. This is es-

ai .c
co
sentially simple to do but there is a catch. Your smile must be

gm ic
THINK relies heavily on linguistic tricks that can be utterly
genuine! Whether your audience is consciously aware or not,
convincing if you are mindful of everything from your body

c@ ag
most of the time they can tell the difference between a genu-
language and ease, to your choice of words and timing.

gi am
ine smile and a fake smile. Genuine smiles include wrinkling
around the eyes, commonly known as crow's feet.

ma in
I’m going to now give you advice that will allow you to maneu-
ver most situations with ease and confidence. No amount of

ve ch
Be nice and respect your audience. There's no need for the god
reading it will suffice. You must get out there and put these
complex in magic. I believe our art is meant to bring others in
lo 52
ideas into practice. It may take a few (or many) performances
to experience wonder, not to prove that we're better than
to w.

before it all clicks, but you’ll be glad you put in the effort.
them. If your character uses insult humor, you can still show
ww

The first subtlety I want to discuss is something I always do respect to your audience, even if it's in a subtle manner.
before beginning any effect, routine or performance, and that
Pacing and leading are very powerful tools in a mentalists arse-
is building rapport. There are numerous benefits to having
nal. I'm not going to go into extreme detail with these but I
well established rapport with your volunteer and it helps espe-
will describe the basics. Pacing is essentially doing as your vol-
cially for THINK. I have found that volunteers who are in
unteer does. Breathing and blinking in sync, matching(mirror-
good rapport with me give off more obvious body language
ing) gestures, body movements, vocal tone, mood, emotions,
cues and tend to more often forget any misses that may have
personality, language patterns and more. I'm sure this seems
happened. There are many methods for achieving rapport
like a lot to take in(and it is), but if you practice each one, one
with your volunteers and I will mention some here but if
21
at a time in everyday interactions, they will all eventually be- time, allow the alpha to still feel as if they are the one in con-
come natural. Start by simply matching the breathing pattern trol. As my friend Jerome Finley says, "When in doubt, go
of someone in the same room as you. Once that becomes natu- back to pacing.".
ral, do it while talking to someone (again, to be effective, you
Always be mindful of your own body language. A generic mind
must do this without drawing attention to it). Finally, match
reader might ask their volunteer to think of anything, write a
their breathing pattern while performing. Once this is mas-
few things on their pad, then reveal their thought. While this
tered, repeat these steps with matching their blinking, then
can be impressive in itself, it lacks an explanation(whether
matching gestures, and so on until you've put it all together.
truthful or not) of the process of mind reading. As an audience
It's a long and arduous journey but well worth the effort! If

l. om
member, to attend a performance of a mind reader, a basic ex-
any mentalist says it's not worth it, just remember this impor-

m
pectancy is to see how one reads the mind of another. Show

ai .c
co
tant advice, "I'm always right.*”
the audience your process, you're the expert. When I perform,

gm ic
Leading is essentially making your volunteer, unconsciously, I absolutely believe that what I’m doing is real. Constantly ask

c@ ag
pace your movements, breathing, blinking, etc. After you've yourself, “If I was genuinely reading this person’s mind, what

gi am
effectively paced your volunteer, begin to lead them and see if would it look like? What would it feel like?”
they follow. You can lead by changing your posture, your

ma in
It’s up to you and your style if you wish to be perceived as hav-
mood, vocal tone, etc. and observe your volunteer to see if

ve ch
ing genuine psychic abilities. I find it more interesting to show
they follow you. Next time you're at a restaurant, look for a
my audience how what appears to be mind reading can be ex-
lo 52
group of friends and watch their interactions. It's usually
plained in non-supernatural terms. Besides, when performing
to w.

pretty easy to see who is the alpha male and/or alpha female
convincingly enough, a percentage of your audience will still
of the group. Watch as the other members of the group pace
ww

walk away thinking you have mind reading abilities anyway

the alpha. It's good to be able to effectively observe who is the
alpha if you're table hopping, you'll want to pace then eventu-
ally lead the alpha because once you're leading the alpha,
you'll be leading the entire group. Most of the time, leading an
alpha is a game of give and take. Your goal is to eventually
lead and become the alpha of the group, while at the same
*This advice is drenched in sarcasm! :)
no matter how modest you are.
One step you could take to enhance all of the above is consider
an acting class, or even better, an improv class. Even if you
perform as yourself, not using a character, acting classes can
still help your performing abilities overall. Improv classes are
especially helpful for learning how to think quickly, adjust to
any disturbances and effectively deal with hecklers.

22
Next I want to turn the emphasis on learning to read your vol-
unteer. When working with volunteers, the most important
thing you can do is to pay attention to what they are doing*.
Pay attention, and steadily you’ll begin to notice a host of sub-
tle, nonverbal cues as the volunteer goes through the mental
process Think requires. These can then be used to enhance
any of your mind reading performances. I will going into the
basics here, to learn advanced material I suggest studying the
I know what you're thinking, if eye movements don't tell you
what someone is thinking or if they're lying, then why is it im-
portant. The reason for noticing the eyes movements and the
muscles around the eyes is to create a baseline. This is BY
FAR the most important aspect to reading your volunteer. A
baseline, in other words, how they behave normally, or their
conversational habit. To learn your volunteer’s baseline, sim-
ply ask them a few questions unrelated to the effect and watch
how the retrieve the answer.

l. om
works of Dr. Paul Ekman (not a magician, by the way).

m
A fun way to do this is to play a lie detecting game. After learn-

ai .c
co
Where to start? The eyes and the muscles around the eyes.
ing a few basic truths about your volunteer and observing how

gm ic
I've posted a graph of how to read a person's thoughts by they tell the truth, ask them to remember something they did

c@ ag
watching their eye movements. You can find it here. last week. They are then to tell you four facts about what they

gi am
did. Three should be true and one should be a lie. While they
I've seen this graph explained as truth in some NLP books and are telling you the facts, look for any patterns. Despite what

ma in
even taught in psychology classes at universities. The problem many people believe, a person may look away when trying to

ve ch
with this graph is when it is scientifically tested, the results remember a truthful detail, and when a lie is constructed, may
lo 52
show it is not reliable in the least. From what has been scien- hold eye contact to see if you believe them when telling the lie.
tifically tested, it seems that there are no common eye move-
to w.

This isn't always the case but whatever it is, the lie is usually
ments for thoughts, lying, etc. Check out this scientific study when the person does something apart from the usual pattern.
ww

by magician and psychologist Richard Wiseman.

If I'm wrong or this study is incorrect and you have proof,
please contact me with the proof and I'll be happy to change
my views and update this book for future purchases. If you
simply disagree with me or this scientific study, don't fret,
there's plenty of room on the Internet forums for your com-
plaints. ;)
Although many of us do similar facial and body movements,
every person is different and does different body language
movements for different reasons. If you simply go by the as-
sumption that because your volunteer looked up and to the
left (from their perspective) you are beginning to put that per-
son in a box. Doing so can throw you off when that volunteer
does something out of the box. Those assumptions can make
you blind to the truth, don't underestimate your volunteers.
23
Having this mindset keeps you on your toes and is an easy
way to have and subtly show respect for your volunteers.
Whether it's true or not, I personally imagine my volunteers
are more clever than I am so I have to work especially hard to
try to be one step ahead.
When performing with the THINK method you’ll want to keep
an eye out for certain moments where these patterns become
visible. Notice the persons eye’s flicker as you call out a series
of numbers or suits? Notice a slight widening of the eye lids?
Do their eyes glance towards a certain hand when you’re an-
choring two bits of information?
I wouldn’t get too carried away with the eyes alone. Be sure to
take a look at their mouth as well, especially their lips. When
someone is trying to hold something back they will often
purse their lips or try to keep them as still as possible. Because
of this, it’s extremely easy to notice any slight upturning of the
lips. This should be considered a positive response when
you’ve mentioned what they are concentrating on in that mo-
ment.
Learning to spot these types of cues will enhance your per-
formance abilities beyond the average mind reader. If you
choose, they can also be used to explain how you read their
mind. Not only will most people not realize they gave anything
away, but many will also wish they had your powers of obser-
vation.
If you are interested in learning more about nonverbal com-
munication, I encourage you to read up on Dr. Paul Ekman.
He has written several, reputable guides to reading faces and
emotions.
The final subtlety I’d like to make mention of time misdirec-
tion. This is the technique you will employ so the volunteer
would have a tough time backtracking and discovering the
method.
Traditional misdirection is when the audiences attention is fo-
cused on one thing to distract from something the performer
does not want them to see. Time misdirection is similar but
uses the passing of time to create a disconnect in the volun-
teers mind between two connected events.
Remember when you found out what color the card was? Re-
member how quick and nonchalant you made it seem? When
you are performing the reveal at the very end, you can use the
large gap in time to your advantage. Revealing the suit sud-
denly becomes far more impressive.
Remember when you guessed incorrectly at some point along
the way and changed gears, trying something different with
the volunteer? Well, in doing so you’ve created a distraction, a
new pathway. If the volunteer goes back in their memory, they
will have a much harder time figuring it out since you moved
on to a different way of reading their mind.
Keep in mind, when revealing information, embrace long
pauses and delays. Spewing out cards and numbers at the very
end will not impress if there is no climax. Make sure you take
24
the time to build suspense, add a bit of drama, and for God’s
sake, make it magical.

Finally, while I specifically developed THINK to be used with

a single volunteer, it can certainly be used with multiple volun-
teers. It can be quite a challenge to remember where each vol-
unteer is on the diagram, but doing so actually covers your
misses very well. With multiple volunteers, you can read all
their minds at once. Just like before, start with the letter 'E'
but instead say, "I'm not sure who this is coming from but I

can see an 'E' in the value. Which of you has an 'E'?" The more
volunteers you use, the higher the chance that you'll always
get a positive response from at least one of your volunteers.
This works a lot like how psychics throw out information to a
crowd and see who responds.

###

25
THINK OF A DATE

If you’ve just finished the first half of the book, this presenta-
tion will be easy to follow. If you’ve skipped ahead without
reading the last 14 pages, what the hell are you doing?!? Go
back to the beginning. Really, go. I’ll wait here.

The main difference in this presentation is that there are three

PA’s. One for determining the month, one for the first digit of
the date, and the last for the second digit of the date. Individu-
ally, they are easy to follow, and you should have no trouble if
you spend a little time with each.

Using these PA’s, you’ll not only be able to figure out any date
someone is thinking of, but also their birthdate, or anyone
else's for that matter, and even their zodiac sign. You can also
use the Second Digit of the Date PA to deduce any thought of,
single-digit number.

To keep everything clear and consistent, all the scripts that fol-
low will be worded as if you’re figuring out someone’s birth-
date.

Ready? Let’s do this.

26
November
Just like you do with the King in the playing card PA, you be-
gin with November here. The entire effect is easiest if it is
eliminated first.
"Now, listen carefully to my instructions and this will work. I
need you to concentrate on the month you were born. Just the
month for now. You can do this eyes open or closed, which-
ever is easier for you.
I want you to imagine yourself alone in a movie theater, sit-
ting in your favorite spot. The lights slowly dim to darkness
and the projector lights up the screen showing a month by
month calendar. Imagine that calendar flipping through all
the months, and once you've seen it move through all twelve
months, I want you to allow it to begin flipping again. This
time make it stop on the month in which you were born. The
month you were born is displayed in big bold letters in the cen-
ter of the screen. Not out loud, just in your mind, I want you
to begin repeating your birth month over and over to yourself.
Remember: do this just in your mind, and genuinely do this
for me, please. Over and over, just like that... like November…
November… November."
This scenario of the movie theater is an example of getting the
spectator to actively visualize. You're free to use any sort of im-
agery you see fit, but I find this works quite well. Giving them
the option to keep their eyes open or closed is not necessary,
but I usually add it in as an Old Witch Doctor's effect.
When you have your spectator repeat their thought of month
be sure to be clear in your instructions, telling them to say it
only in their mind. I learned that lesson very quickly and you
may too if you aren’t explicit in your instructions.
When you say, "Just like that, like November… November…
November" it serves two purposes:
• To give them an example of how to repeat the month over
and over in their mind.
• It's also a way to guess which month is their birth month
without looking like you're guessing. If they're thinking of
November, it's very likely they'll react positively. Because of
this quasi, dual reality, you need to deliver that line in an am-
biguous fashion so it could be interpreted as either you've
just read their mind or you're simply giving an example.
If you don't get a reaction from saying November, you'll now
move into the next phase, which to the spectator, should look
like the mind reading is starting.
The Letter R
The next piece of the PA is the letter R. This starts off just the
same as the playing card PA. You are going to say a letter of
the alphabet that you believe to be in their month.
28

To give a visible distinction between the instructions and the
beginning of the actual mind reading, I usually reposition the
spectator slightly and say:
"Alright, if you would please step over here, just like that, and
we'll get started. Now take a deep breath in…, and out. Good.
Keep repeating the month over and over, remember only in
your mind, nothing out loud. That always seems to take away
the challenge.
Hmm…, okay, if you would please focus on just a few letters
near the end of the word. Just a few near... the... end… R.
There's an R in there."
After saying there’s a R in their word, the spectator will usu-
ally, without prompt, tell you if you're right or wrong. In the
rare case they keep a poker face and don't respond, just raise
your eyebrows and ask, "Right?". It's quick, and doesn't usu-
ally stay in the memory as a question being asked, but instead
a simple confirming of what they’re visualizing.
If you do end up having to ask, remember to ask with confi-
dence. You don't want to give off the impression that you're
guessing.
If you get a positive response, you can skip ahead to the letter
E.
4 Letter Word
If you get a negative response to the letter R, don't worry, I've
got you covered. At this point, it's too suspicious to continue
guessing letters in the word. To solve this issue, show a
slightly puzzled look on your face and ask them,
"Are you sure there’s no R in your birth month? Please make
sure you're certain. No? Okay, I'm going to try something a lit-
tle different with you. I want you to continue visualizing those
letters but instead of focusing on the letters specifically, I'd
like you to count how many letters are in the word. Count
them over and over in your mind, not out loud for me, please.
Take another deep breath in, please…, and out..., good. Count
them over and over. Yes, thank you, just like that."
Again, you ask them if they're completely certain that their
month does not have a R to double check with the spectator
that they didn't mess up from being nervous or forgetful. It
can happen, and if you don't make sure they're correct the rest
of the effect is wasted.
After double checking with them, quickly move into the next
phase so as not to spend too much time being 'puzzled.’
Quickly change your expression to a focused state. You now
need them to focus on a different aspect of the word for it to
work.
The sentence "Okay, I'm going to try something a little differ-
ent with you" suggests a couple things:
29
• Saying that sentence, plus the puzzled look, gives the impres- you told them to imagine their month floating in the air in
sion that this clearly doesn't happen very often. from of them.

• It's making it personal to your volunteer to say that you're go- If you get a negative response or a “no” then subtly shake your
ing to try something different "with you.” Be sure not to give head and begin counting out three letters instead. At this
the impression that you need to do something different be- phase in the diagram, if their birth month does not contain
cause they're bad at focusing or anything negative. Say it in a four letters then it must be either May or August. You can of
way that highlights them as being unique and compliment course count out six letters instead of three, but I personally
your spectator whenever possible. You're confident in your always count three. If I'm correct then I was only one off.
mind reading abilities but if something doesn't work out, be
If you're correct in that their month has only three letters then
sure to put the responsibility on yourself. Keep this short,
of course their month is May. Although you could reveal their
and hopefully the spectator will not remember it happening
month as May, at this point, I would wait until you’ve learned
later when they recall their experience.
all the info. I'll explain why shortly.
Continue on with, “Visualize the month in large print, bright
If instead you get a negative response to four and three letters,
and vivid. Really see that word as a crystal-clear picture as if it
their thought of month is August. I would not correct myself a
were floating in the air right in front of you, counting the let-
third time to say there's six letters in the month. Treat it just
ters over and over."
like before and move on to a ‘different way’ to read their mind.
After saying this, begin silently counting the number four with
Because you know with complete certainty that the month
your index finger as if it were a bouncing ball counting along
they’re thinking of is August, you can either immediately
each letter. As you count it out a few times look for any reac-
move into a reveal, or use my preferred method. You start by
tion to see if they’re indeed thinking of a month with four let-
making a comment about how this just isn't working and
ters. If you’re facing the spectator, count from right to left so
you'll have to come back to it later. I prefer this because when
to them it's left to right: how they would count the letters
you reveal everything at the end, it’s much more difficult for
themselves.
the volunteer to backtrack. Since you openly admitted to hav-
Another nice touch when you’re performing this is to silently ing trouble determining the month, they won’t immediately
mouth, “One, two, three, four.” As you count for the second or think you were guessing months at random.
third time, bounce your index finger across the letters. If you
do this, bounce your finger in front of their face. This is where
30
Making a comment on coming back to it later is effective be-
cause you don't want to focus on being wrong for too long. In-
stead of focusing on being wrong, praise the spectator for hav-
ing the ability to keep their thoughts locked in their mind. It
makes for a much better reveal at the end. You come out look-
ing more impressive while at the same time having shown
them they also have an amazing mind.
August is perhaps the worst case scenario in the month dia-
gram but fret not. If you add in these subtleties, you'll still end
up looking like a talented little devil.
Another option is to skip that step all together. Once you get a
positive confirmation of four letters you can say you'll come
back to it later. Move on to mind reading the date on which
they were born, and at the end when you get to the reveal,
guess either June or July. Again, if you get it wrong, make the
comment about it being very difficult to distinguish between
June and July*. More importantly, don't worry about being
wrong. Play it cool. Remember, mind reading is hard.

Returning to a positive response to there being four letters,

The Letter E
then they're thinking of either June or July.Immediately con-
If you’ve arrived here that means you've just received a posi-
tinue with, "Good and that's a J and a U, June… or July, June
tive response to the letter R. What’s more, by now you have al-
or July…"
ready eliminated five months: May, June, July, August and
Pause slightly after June to gauge their reaction. Sometime November. Just like with the letter R, you're going to say with
the spectator will react instantly and you don't need to men- complete confidence that the letter E is in their month. Doing
tion July. If you don't get any reaction to June or July the first this will split the months into a group of three: January,
time you say them, go ahead and set visual anchors. Gesture March, April; and a group of four: February, September, Octo-
with your right hand, June, then gesture with your left hand, ber, December.
July. Do this while keeping eye contact so to make the ges-
tures appear only in their peripheral vision. The spectator will
likely look towards, point their nose, adjust their torso, point
their feet or all of the above towards their birth month.

If after all that they still give nothing away, confidently guess
either one. If you’re correct, perfect. If not, blame the fact that
*You could even say you were off by one (nod to Kenton).
June and July can very difficult to distinguish while reading
minds.
31
5 Letter Word The Letter B
Starting with the negative response to the letter E, be sure to If you've received two positive responses from R and E you’ll
double check with your spectator as I’ve mentioned many continue with more letters. This phase is a bit different from
times before. the rest because it's not necessary to determine the month. At
this stage of the process, the rest of the months all contain the
"Are you sure there is no E in your month? Please make sure
letter B so saying so is a freebie. Use it to help build confi-
you're certain. Okay, well I'm going to try something a little
dence, further prove your abilities and practice your showman-
different with you. I want you to continue visualizing those let-
ship*.
ters but instead of focusing on the letters themselves, I'd like
you to count how many letters are in the month. Count them
over and over in your mind, not out loud, for me please. Over
and over, just like that, thank you." The Letter M
As you can see this is the same script from the 4-Letter Word
In the same way I’ve talked about throughout this book,
section except the R is replaced with E. Use the same bounc-
You’re going to tell your spectator that their month has the let-
ing ball gesture to determine the amount of letters. If you get
ter M. If you get a negative response then you'll know their
a negative response to their month having 5 letters, the month
month is either February or October. If you'd like you can ei-
is January. I prefer to treat this outcome just like August, and
ther move into counting the letters to determine which one is
say, “This isn't working and we'll come back to it later.”
correct, set visual anchors, or my preferred method: a confi-
If you get a positive response, then their month is either dent guess at the end.
March or April. If you'd like to know for sure at that moment
If you get a positive response then you're on a roll! September
you can set visual anchors just like before with June and July.
and December are the only months left.
If not, wait until the end to guess. Since April comes after
March you can use the line about being off by one if you guess If you find yourself in this fortunate position, you have some
incorrectly.

*It’s nonessential, so if you want to skip it, by all means.

32
considerations. Normally I'd suggest you confidently guess,
but since you've only received positive responses, a negative
response would kill the momentum. Instead, when you’re re-
vealing everything say, "I know the month you’re thinking of
is either December or March. December or March… Decem-
ber..., or March…"

I know you're thinking, “Why the hell would I say March?”

Right? Of course I'm right. I'm a mind reader! The reason is
I'm gauging their reaction. If their thought of month is Decem-
ber, then when you mention December or March they'll usu-
ally continue keeping a straight face so as not to give anything
away. If that's the case then you can assume it's December.

If however their thought of month is September, then they'll

either correct you, saying you’re wrong. You can reply, "I
know I was wrong, I just had to be sure you were thinking of
September" or instead of correcting you, they'll show a smirk
on their face leaking joy that they've outwitted the big fancy
mind reader. If this is the case, say, "Hmm..., well between De-
cember and March I'd say you were born in September." You
were right all along*!

###

*Just like in many mind reading or magic effects, it's a wonderful surprise to lead
your spectator to believe that you're about to mess up the big reveal and instead,
cleverly show you knew all along.

33
 The beginning of this script is much like the beginning of the
month script. The sentence "For now I want you to focus on

FIRST DIGIT OF DATE the first digit, just the first digit. So, you're thinking of the
25th…, just focus on the 2, okay?" is very important. You've
got to say it in such a way that it could be interpreted in two
different ways. The, "So, you're thinking of the 25th…" needs
to be said as if you're telling them what they're thinking. You
Two then gauge their reaction quickly to see if you're correct.

If you don't get a reaction then continue, "… just focus on the
“I'd like you to focus on your birth date. Just like before, I'd
2, okay?" and that will give the impression that you were sim-
like you to imagine yourself sitting in the same movie theater
ply providing an example. I tend to touch their shoulder as I
as before, seeing your birth date on the screen. For now I want
say, "you're thinking of the 25th" which, if correct, provides
you to focus on the first digit, just the first digit. So, you're
the moment I’ve read their mind. If incorrect, I then point to
thinking of the 25th…, just focus on the 2, okay? Or if your
my head when I continue with, "Just focus on the 2, okay?"
birth date is a single digit number, think of the first digit as a
zero. Does that make sense? Good. It's not necessary to use the 25th as your example*. So long as
you use a date between the 20th and the 29th, your first guess
Now take a deep breath in…, and out... Imagine that first digit
of the first digit will be a 2 in the diagram.
as a written word, appearing in big bold letters on the movie
screen. Again, don't see it as a number but as a written word. When telling your spectator to focus only on the first digit, pay
So if you're thinking of the 25th, imagine the word two for the attention to their reaction. If they show a slightly confused
first digit. Does that make sense? Alright, good. Keep repeat- look it usually means their birth date is a single digit. As con-
ing it over and over in your mind, not out loud, just like that..., firmation, you may also notice your spectator nod after you
two… two… two." say, "Or if your birth date is a single digit number, think of the
first digit as a zero" because they now understand what to do.
To determine your spectator's birth date there are two dia-
A confused look is more important than a nod because a nod
grams to go through so you must ask them to focus on each
on its own could just be a simple acknowledgement.
digit one at a time. The First Digit of the Date PA is extremely
easy. As you can see, there are only two steps, the letters O
*I use the 25th because it's my birth date.
and N. You can remember this as “ON.”
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 The Letter N
Always be sure to ask, "Does that make sense?" after those in-
structions because they can be confusing. If at any point in
your performance you notice your volunteer looking confused,
If you get a negative response from the N, their number is 0.
do not hesitate to check that they understand everything. If
not, it can lead to a ruined effect. "Are you sure there is no N in your number? Please make sure
you're certain. Okay, let's come back to this later. I want you
The line, "Just like that, two…, two…, two." is the same as the
to now focus on the second digit…"
Playing Card and Month scripts used in place of King or No-
vember. If you get a positive response, their number is 1.

The Letter O ###

Next you continue with the diagram, confidently saying the let-
ter O. If you get a negative response, their digit is 3.

"Are you sure there is no O in your number? Please make sure

you're certain. Okay, well let's come back to this later. I want
you to now focus on the second digit…"

Because you know their first digit is 3, you can use a bit of
time misdirection, come back to it later, and move on to the
second digit.

If instead you get positive response, you move right onto the
letter N.

36

SECOND DIGIT OF DATE
Seven
"Alright, for now let's move on to the second digit. Allow all of
your attention to focus only on the second digit. Just like be-
fore, imagine the number as a written word in big, bold letters
on the screen. In fact, imagine that movie screen growing big-
ger and bigger, growing twice as big. See that written word of
the second digit twice as large. Focus on that word, repeating
it over and over, only in your mind, not out loud, please. Just
like that, good, like seven… seven… seven."
The first sentence, "Alright, for now let's move on to the sec-
ond digit" plays an important role. Hold off revealing any-
thing until you’ve figured out their entire birth date, unless
the first digit is 2*. Same goes for the month, unless it's No-
vember. I find the method is hidden more effectively when
you use a bit of time misdirection. We’ll get to that in the Sub-
tleties chapter.
Next, you have your volunteer again imagine their second
*This being the number that’s eliminated first in the diagram.
digit as a written word in big bold letters filling up the movie
screen. I change it up a little bit this time by having them imag-
ine the movie screen double in size. The purpose of this, while
not necessary, is to give the Old Witch Doctor's effect making
this process seem necessary to the mind reading.
Remember, you can use a different form of imagery if you pre-
fer one to that of the movie screen. Since mind reading is a
very abstract concept, it is important to use a means of show-
ing the audience the process you go through to accomplish it.
The Letter E
I think you're clever enough to figure out what happens here.
You say the letter E is in their thought of number. If you get
positive response, you can move on to the Odd Number.
Even Number
If you get a negative response to the letter E, then it's time to
stop guessing letters. Just as in many of the other scripts you
continue by asking, "Are you sure there is no "E" in your num-
ber? Please make sure you're certain. Okay, well I'm going to
try something a little different with you. Hmm… I can see it's
an even number… and I think there's just three letters in the
word."
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This is another freebie round, and you should always take the
opportunity and use it.
3 Letter Word
That last line, “...and I think there’s just three letters in it” has
the potential of being wrong. The only way it’s incorrect is if
their second digit is 4. The consolation is that you now know
their entire birth date. As always, I highly recommend using
time misdirection before revealing everything. When their sec-
ond digit is 4, you've just received two negative responses, and
revealing it immediately could make the method transparent.
Something you could do right away is after getting the nega-
tive response from the 3-Letter Word line, ask your spectator
to say all the numbers 0-9. Tell them to do their best not to
give anything away. You can use this opportunity to display
your body language reading abilities, commenting on how
they end up giving away the very thing they are trying to hide.
Multiple of 3
If instead you receive a positive response to the, “...just three
letters...” you'll know their second digit is 2 or 6. You can
guess, set visual anchors, or, as I prefer, can say their number
is a multiple of 3. If you get a negative response to this, their
second digit is 2. If you get a positive response, their number
is 6.
Odd Number
You’re here if you received a positive to the latter E. Normally
getting a positive response with these diagrams you'd con-
tinue guessing more letters, but this is the exception. Instead,
confidently declare their number is odd.
If you get a positive response, move on to the letter N.
If you get a negative response, then their number is either 0 or
8. Mention that you’d like to try something a bit different by
doing some muscle reading. Ask them if they're right or left
handed and move to that side of their body. Ask to take con-
trol of that arm. Because 0 and 8 are similar in shape, move
their arm in a circle and gauge their reaction. If you get noth-
ing, begin moving their arm in a figure 8. Gauging their reac-
tion, you'll soon discover which is their second digit.
The Letter N
Two responses later, it's now time to say there’s an N in the
number. If you get a positive response, move forward with the
final stage: the letter O.
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5 Letter Word The Birth Year
If you get a negative response to N, it's time to stop guessing I don't usually do this myself, but you may also be interested
letters. in revealing the year the volunteer was born.

"Are you sure there is no "N" in your number? Please make The way I would do it is to guess in your mind which decade
sure you're certain. Okay, well I'm going to try something a lit- they were born in. Then use the Second Digit diagram to fig-
tle different with you. I want you to continue visualizing those ure out the last digit of their birth year.
letters but instead of focusing on the letters themselves, I'd
If you're doing this with someone who looks to be in their
like you to count how many letters are in your number. Count
twenties, and their last digit is 6, then it's very likely they were
them over and over in your mind, nothing out loud, for me
born in 1986, making them 27.
please. Thank you, just like that."
You may want to be careful in figuring out the year someone
Continue with the bouncing ball gesture, guessing that their
was born though, since some people are easily offended. If
number contains five letters. If you get a negative response,
you’re in doubt but want to go for it, try subtracting a decade
their second digit is 5. If you receive a positive response, their
off your guess. Tasteful flattery will score you big points.
second digit is 3.

###
The Letter O
Congratulations. At this point you've received three positive
responses from your volunteer, and you're in an ideal posi-
tion. The only two remaining numbers are 1 and 9. You’re to
say that their number contains the letter O.

If you get a negative response, their second digit is 9. If you

get a positive response, their second digit is 1.

40

USING THINK WITH OTHER METHODS
Deckquivoque
One of my favorite methods to use with THINK is Joshua
Quinn's Deckquivoque, from his great book Paralies. I don't
have the right to reveal Quinn's clever method, but I can tell
you that Deckquivoque is "A well-honed system for using
equivoque to force one card out of fifty-two, plus thoughts and
strategies for using equivoque with large numbers of objects
in general.". Deckquivoque is wonderful and I highly recom-
mend Paralies to any mentalist.
For the final reveal I usually have each volunteer write down
(in big letters so everyone can see) their thought of card and
have them reveal at the same time. Or you can hand a deck to
v.A and ask them to pull out their card but keep it hidden,
then ask v.B to do the same thing and you'll get this great mo-
ment of confusion as v.B tries to find the now missing card
from the deck.
Because of the way THINK works, without revealing the
thought of card, you know it's one of two cards (KC or KS, 4H
or 4D, etc.). How do you know which one to force? Well, you
don't. Just guess! If you end up being "incorrect" it can still
look amazing because it's as if v.B has thought of v.A's card
mate (KC and KS, 4H and 4D, etc.). I never frame the presen-
tation saying both volunteers will think of the same card so
neither the audience or the volunteers know what to expect.

For the routine I gather two volunteers (v.), v.A and v.B, and
isolate v.B so that v.B cannot hear what's being said for a mo- Card Index
ment. In a stage show setting, I give v.B noise canceling head-
I know using an index doesn't fit with being propless but if
phones to wear and music plays so there's no way v.B can hear
you use a card index then this is a fun idea nonetheless. After
anything. In a casual or impromptu performance I have v.B go
using THINK to determine their thought of card, I then use
to another room or just put their fingers in their ears and hum
my index to secretly load their card in an envelope(or any
to themselves. I then have v.A think of any card and use
other sort of prediction) for a surprise prediction. I personally
THINK to determine it without revealing it. I then have v.A
use Daniel Madison's The Advocate and load it into Oz Pearl-
and v.B switch places. Now, v.A has the headphones on, I use
man's stapled envelope from Into the Abyss. THINK can also
Quinn's Deckquivoque to force v.A's thought of card onto v.B.
be used with Kenton's wonderful creation Kolossal Killer.

41
 Credits

Max Maven - Contimental

John Mahood - K.E.N.T.
Atlas Brookings - The Prodigal
Kenton Knepper - Mind Reading
Joshua Quinn - Paralies
Daniel Madison - The Advocate
Kenton Knepper - Kolossal Killer
Patrick Schlagel - Mnemosign
Jerome Finley - Thought Veil
Dr. Paul Ekman - Facial Action Coding System
Dr. Richard Wiseman - The Eyes Don’t Have It
William Larsen Sr. - Out to Lunch Principle, “Finger Prints”
! in Sphinx, July 1923
JUST THE BEGINNING
Tah-dah! That's it. I really hope you enjoy THINK, it has cer-
tainly served me well.

Put in the practice it deserves before performing it; it’ll be

worth the wait. Even more important, have fun with it! I real-
ize the thought of memorizing diagrams and scripts may seem
daunting at first, but I assure you, it’s not that tough. And just
think, once you learn it, you've got impromptu mind reading
you can do anywhere!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this book. I
can't wait to see the incredible presentations and applications
you make out of this.

Best,

Adam Kordecki

AdamKordecki.com

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