by Brandon Delgado

The main problem I see is one of obtaining information-you need to know what card is selected before you place down your two kings. To get that info, I thought you could use a simple gimmick that I like to call the "Poor Man's NCR Pad." To make one of these, you simply get a pad of Post-Its (a slightly darker color works best for this), and a pencil. Shade the back of the second page with the pencil. Voila! Now, anything written on the top Post-It will be transferred to the face of the third page by the graphite on the back of the second page. It's important that you do a good job with the shading-cover as much of the back of the Post-It as possible, and don't make it too light or dark. Using normal writing pressure should be just fine-you don't want it to be visible through the pages, and too light a shading won't transfer well. Have this on you, and you are ready to create a miracle.

Here's the working of the effect: Ask a volunteer to think of any card from a deck of 52. Once she has a card in mind, pull out your "Poor Man's NCR Pad" and have her write the name of her selection on the pad and take the page for safe-keeping. The next page is blank, so all seems fair, but in reality, the page underneath literally has a carbon copy of what she just wrote.

Take back the pad and say "Now if I were a mentalist, I could just read your mind and maybe write the name of your card on this pad to reveal my powers." Mime writing on the pad and remove the top page as a demonstration of what a mentalist might do. This gives you the opportunity to peek the name of the card your volunteer wrote down. "But, I am not a mentalist, so I need a little help." Set the removed Post-It along with the rest of the pad aside (obviously face down or otherwise out of sight).

Obtain a deck of cards (borrowed is preferred), and go through it with the faces toward you. You will be looking for the selected card, which you will cut or cull to the back (or top) of the deck. Then look for your two of a kind-kings, jacks, jokers, whatever (I'll use kings in this description). Openly remove them and use them to flip the deck face down in your left hand. Obtain a break under the top face-down card of the deck as you set the kings face up on top.

The next couple of moves should happen in one fluid motion and should appear that you are simply displaying the two kings. What you actually do is set up the 3 card packet for the reveal later. So.....pick up all the cards above the break and use your left thumb to peel the top face-up king onto the deck (you might want to keep a slight break under this card). Replace the double card (face up king with face down selection underneath) on top of the deck jogged to the right-only the kings will be showing here. Display the kings to your audience as you say "Here are my helpers-they will find your card..." Square up the three cards and set them on the table, and set the remainder of the deck aside. Recap for you volunteer: "A moment ago, you simply thought of a card and wrote it on a Post-It note. No one knows the identity of this card but you. At this time, I'd like for you to reveal the name of your mental selection for everyone here." As soon as she names her card, spread the kings to reveal a face down card between them. Of course, it is her card.