Think of a red hammer
The Red Hammer trick relies on the relationship between language and thoughts to subconsciously implant an idea in someone's mind. By creating certain mental images, you can lead people to give you the answers you want.
To perform this trick, write down the words "Red Hammer" on a piece of paper without showing it to the audience. Seal the paper in an envelope and place it somewhere visible throughout the trick.
Ask the audience the following questions, instructing them to think of the answers without revealing them to you:
"What day is Christmas?"
"What are hamburgers made of?"
"What type of government did the USSR have?"
"What side of the road do they drive on in Europe?"
"Can you think of a colour and a tool?"
Finally, reveal the piece of paper with "Red Hammer" written on it and ask how many people thought of that answer for the last question. Most people will have picked "Red Hammer."
The only relevant question in the list of questions is:
"What type of government did the USSR have?"
When people think of the USSR, they see an image of the red flag with a sickle and hammer. This image is retained in their subconscious, leading them to think of a red hammer when asked to name a tool.
Note that this trick may not work with just one volunteer, but in a large audience, many people will have thought of a red hammer.
Magic Tricks
The Four Accomplices
Ask a person to draw four cards from the deck, and think of one of them. When they return the four cards to you, deftly place two of them under the deck, and two on top. Underneath the ones at the bottom, place four cards of any kind.
Then, take eight or ten cards from the bottom, spread them on the table, and ask the person if the card they chose is among them. If they say no, it must be one of the two cards on top. Pass two cards to the bottom, and draw the lowest one, asking if that is their card. If they still say no, take that card up, and ask them to draw their card from the bottom of the deck.
If they say their card is among the first four cards drawn from the bottom, dexterously pick up the four cards that you placed under them, and put them on top. Let the other two be the bottom cards of the deck, and draw them in the same way.
©2023
The Art of the Mentalist
You will learn from this book the principal ways mentalist magicians operate. Each section contains explanations of mentalist tricks that you can try out yourself. Over one hundred tricks are explained.
Mentalist magic is a performing art that requires years of study, practice, dedication, and skill to perform well. Derren Brown is perhaps the best example of someone who uses mentalist techniques. He has honed his skills over many years, and his performances are a master class in mentalism. The tricks that you will learn in this book can be your first steps to becoming a mentalist, and they will enable you to start performing mentalist tricks.
Many of the tricks in this book are easy to learn and perform by inexperienced mentalists. If you are already a mentalist magician, you may discover some tricks in this book that are new to you. If you are a magician that performs other types of magic tricks, it's good to include some mentalist tricks in your act to add variety and interest. The tricks in this book are best performed to groups, but some can be done between the mentalist and one other person. You can make videos of yourself performing tricks and post them on social media sites like YouTube or Instagram to showcase your skills and build your audience.
Each trick in this book is a framework that you can adapt to your own style of presentation and personality. Feel free to create variations of these tricks to make them your own. The best mentalists tell stories to entertain the audience. Stage patter distracts or misleads the audience so that they fail to notice what the mentalist is doing and how they are being fooled. By telling a story, you can engage your audience and create a sense of wonder and amazement that will make your performance unforgettable.
In this book, the mentalist is referred to as either "he" or "you". Of course, the mentalist could be female, but the pronoun "he" is used for convenience, rather than excluding anyone of any gender and pronoun preference.
Use these tricks to amaze your audience by pretending to perform miracles and demonstrate your outstanding powers. Above all, have fun with them and enjoy the thrill of performing mentalism..
