Good news!
There are easy mentalism tricks you can do right now.
That means you can do a spontaneous mentalism trick anytime, anywhere. You can even do it while walking in the streets.
And in this article, we’re going to discuss mentalism tricks tutorials – 3 easy mentalism tricks you can do right now.
You never know when an opportunity to showcase your skills as a mentalist will crop up, so it’s always good to have a couple of tricks you can do on the spot.
Ready?
Let’s begin!
Spontaneous Show Stopper #1: Counting Cards
Before the trick begins, count off ten cards — place one on top of the other.
Once you’ve taken these out, check the card at the bottom of the pile and remember it — let’s say it’s the 10 of Spades.
Place them back on top of the deck and return everything inside its box.
Having your deck inside the box is a nice touch — it gives the impression that you didn’t do anything beforehand, and you didn’t set anything up.
Now you’re ready to begin…
Choose a spectator and have him choose a number between 10 and 20. Be extremely clear about your word choice — if they pick 10 and 20, the trick won’t work.
You don’t want to sound like you’re avoiding these two, and there’s an easy way to get around it if you find yourself in this situation. Reiterate that they need to choose a number between 10 and 20 — people will typically choose another number without a fuss.
Let’s say your spectator chooses 13. Take your deck of cards and deal the same number into a separate pile. Set the rest of the deck aside — you won’t need those anymore.
Tell your spectator to add the two digits of the number he chose — in this case, 1 + 3 = 4. Have him pick up the pile of cards and deal out 4. Tell him to set it aside.
Now it’s time for your reveal…
You can do this in several ways:
- Turn it into a bet. You can up the ante before either you or your spectator gets a glimpse of the card.
- Tell a story. Drawing out a reveal is typically received better than a straightforward one. You can begin with the color, the suit, or the card value. You can build up the tension this way and go for a better reaction.
- Turn it into a prediction. It’s best to start it earlier if you’re going in this direction. You can start writing down your prediction while giving your spectator instructions about how many cards to deal with. After all, everyone can see that you never handled the deck after that.
Regardless of which path you decide to take, it all leads to the same point — It’s the 10 of Spades — the tenth card from the top.
Curious? Try it then.
Spontaneous Show Stopper #2: Magician’s Choice
Magician’s Choice is a great trick you can perform right away as you can use anything in your surroundings. You can even borrow a couple of things from the audience, which gives a feeling of randomness.
The only thing you need to ensure is that you have an odd number of items — typically between 7 and 11.
Having only 5 items makes the trick too fleeting (or, if you draw it out, may become too obvious). Having more than 11 makes the act run too long, thus it’ll be a challenge to keep the audience’s attention.
This trick is a prediction trick.
So once you have your items, spread them out on the table and then make your prediction. Say that you’re going to write down which one you feel will be left last. Fold up the piece of paper and put it aside (or have someone else hold on to it).
Begin by pointing to 2 items. Ask your participant to eliminate one from those you chose. Set the item aside.
After this, switch roles — ask your spectator to point at two items. From there, you take out one. You continue to take turns until there’s only one item remaining.
Take out your prediction — it matches the last item.
This is because the 2 items you pick should never be the one you predicted. And if the person chooses your predicted item, make sure to eliminate the other one. As simple as that.
Spontaneous Show Stopper #3: Guess-A-Word
This last trick is so flexible that you can do it just about anywhere.
Let’s say you’re out with your friends one night, and you suddenly feel the urge to do a mentalism trick. Using some easy-to-find items, you can read someone’s mind right then and there.
This trick needs two things to work: a reflective surface and something you can write on. Easy enough, right?
The reflective surface doesn’t necessarily have to be a mirror, although you can use that, too. Check out your table’s surface — if you can read a reflection off of it, you’re good to go.
Another option is to use a mobile phone. As long as it’s locked, you can use the screen as your reflective surface.
First, do a bit of a setup — nothing elaborate. This trick works best if you put the reflector in its spot about five minutes before you officially begin. It’ll be more challenging for your spectator to connect the dots that way.
Now you can start.
Tell your spectator that you’re going to do a mind-reading trick, and you’re going to need his help. Look for something he can write on. Any sheet of paper would do, but make sure it’s big enough for him to write in big letters.
Trying to read the reflection off a small sheet of paper with inch-big writing is not fun, I guarantee.
If magazines are lying around, you can even tear off one of its pages — make sure it has a light-colored background. If you’re at a restaurant, use a paper napkin. There are a lot of choices!
Fold the paper in half and say you’re making sure the ink won’t seep through later on. Hand your spectator a sheet of paper and a marker.
Tell him to think of a random word. Remember you can always change it to your liking. You can ask for the name of a loved one, a dream vacation destination — it’s your call.
Once your spectator has his word, have him write it down on the sheet — you can even say “in big, bold letters”. Make a show of turning around while he’s doing this.
Reach your hand out and ask your spectator to place the sheet word-side down on your palm. Once it’s in your grasp, turn back and face him.
Handle the sheet as though you’re trying to get a feel of what’s written on it. You can see how natural Jay Sankey’s move is in this video:
This moment is what you use to get a peek at what your spectator wrote — and you do this by subtly angling the paper over your reflective surface. That’s why you need to set it up early — if you do it just before you start your trick, your audience might catch on.
Don’t forget to keep talking to him. It keeps him engaged and, at the same time, distracts him from what you’re doing.
Once you see what he wrote, crumple the paper in your fist.
Time for the reveal!
Since it’s a mind-reading trick, pretend to concentrate as you’re “reading” the paper. You can also tease the word. Start with what the first letter is or make up a narrative about it.
When you confidently say the word, though, you know you’ll be right.
Wrapping It Up
As you can see, you can do these tricks with minimal to no setup. It makes them perfect for impromptu performances.
All you need are very ordinary objects, playing cards, a phone, paper, pen.
This doesn’t mean, though, that you don’t need to put in the work anymore.
Remember, your patter and script are tools just as powerful as your hand movements.
Once you have it down to a tee, though, go through your social circles and confidently show how great of a mentalist you are.