Someone solve this trick!

[krisricey]

Morning all,

I'm sure this trick is super simple, but it has myself and a few of my colleagues stumped and the chap who performed it (also a colleague!) will not reveal his secrets!

So, we're all sat around a dinner table for our work Christmas meal. He borrows 3 bottles of beer, lines them up next to each other and turns around. He asks me to touch one bottle - I touched one on the label, very very lightly. He then spins back around.

Theatrics start, hovering his hand over the bottles ... and selects the correct one that I touched. 9 times out of 9 he got it correct, not just from me but from other staff too!

We didn't move the bottles, and we didn't keep eye contact with him either. We simply very lightly tapped the bottle in varying places but he guessed it right 100% of the time!

Someone tell me how!!

Cheers

Chris

 

[RealityOne]

If he won't tell, neither will we.

 

[krisricey]

I'm sure his reasons for not telling are far different from yours, RealityOne! He's just being difficult as he can see how much it's winding us up! Would love to perform the trick myself on the kids over Christmas ...

 

[WitchDocIsIn]

Clearly he's psychic.

 

[RealityOne]

He's just being difficult as he can see how much it's winding us up!

Don't you just love that feeling? There are several ways that this can be done. We don't provide methods in the forums. I know how I'd do it, but that doesn't mean that is the method your friend used.

Read Annemann's Practical Mental Magic. The effect isn't in there, but there are lots of methods in here that could be used.

 

[kolebear]

O my gosh! I was going to recommend an Annemann's book too! Mental Mysteries! Such a coincidence.

 

[krisricey]

Sad to see no one is willing to give me any ideas! Nevermind, I'm sure i'll find out eventually - would have been a great one for Xmas parties

 

[Maverick85]

Think of it like this; if one of the members of this forum paid $49 to learn the effect... why would we be compelled to give it away for nothing? About half of the really good effects, you have to throw money down to learn them. There's no lamp to rub to summon forth a genie to teach us for nothing. I hope you can understand why we're a little leery to give away that which we've paid money to get. You wouldn't spend $50 on a pair of gloves to immediately throw them in the trash.

It's not because we don't know you, it's because it's dumb to give away something you paid to get. Even when professionals share a trick they've innovated there's the question of how many zeros go on the check.

 

[krisricey]

I understand that. To be honest, that chap who told my guy about the trick is pretty dense so I'm suprised it's such guarded knowledge!

 

[WitchDocIsIn]

Sad to see no one is willing to give me any ideas! Nevermind, I'm sure i'll find out eventually - would have been a great one for Xmas parties

We did give you ideas. What you want is a spoon fed answer.

 

[Fox13]

Sad to see no one is willing to give me any ideas! Nevermind, I'm sure i'll find out eventually - would have been a great one for Xmas parties

There are a few things I would like to precise.

First we value much more something we paid for. If I pay 50$ for a trick or a book that contains a trick I wish to learn, I will have much more appreciation for this trick, and it is more probable I will spend the required amount of time to learn it properly and not disclose it afterward.

The same can be said about the things we achieve through hard work and time. The more we invest ourselves in learning an art, the more we appreciate the amount of work that is required to achieve some level of proficiency. Take dancing or playing an instrument for example. Most people know it takes time and dedication to master such art forms; it is therefore natural to assume it takes a long time to perform those well. However, magic is about making things look natural, impossible. Therefore, the hard work is not seen nor obvious. One can really grasp the work required once it has been experienced, I think. And, by experience, doing a trick too soon will risk resulting in a bad presentation that will just ruin the experience for the spectators.

This feeling of amazement is what drives most people to learn magic. We want to learn how it's done. But learning how a trick is done, comes with another feeling, disappointment. Once you know the method of a trick, you cannot unlearn it; that feeling of amazement is gone forever. It is like solving a puzzle, it bring a feeling of pride in solving it, but the most fun part is actually the action of solving it.

So, be careful about wanting to know how things are done, unless you intend to transmit this feeling to others. And even then, you can only appreciate it if you dedicate yourself to learn it the right way, by putting in time and dedication. RealityOne gave you a starting point; from here it will be up to you.

 

[Timewise64]

When I was a young kid, and just started really learning and practicing magic, I had a friend who's big brother was a very good magician. I saw him perform at our grade school and he did a trick that involved sticking a hat pin in a balloon, and it did not pop the balloon. I was amazed, I had to have that trick. So I started working on my friend. He eventually, said he could not tell me the secret as his brother would kill him! I kept at him and after a week or two he said he would 'sell' me the secret for $5. Now in the early 1960's five bucks was a ton of money, but I was determined to get the money. I eventually earned the money and bought the secret, I was embarrassed that I had not figured it out, but I finally had the trick! My point is that magicians have always kept tricks secret, unless they sell them to other magicians, that is the creed...!

 

[RealityOne]

We did give you ideas. What you want is a spoon fed answer.

Knowledge isn't given, it is earned. I've given you the way to earn the knowledge by picking up a book and reading it. If you love this type of magic and want to perform it, reading Annemann will be a joy. You will learn a method for this effect and so many others. Also, you will appreciate the value of secrets because they were not given freely but sought out and earned.

This feeling of amazement is what drives most people to learn magic. We want to learn how it's done. But learning how a trick is done, comes with another feeling, disappointment. Once you know the method of a trick, you cannot unlearn it; that feeling of amazement is gone forever. It is like solving a puzzle, it bring a feeling of pride in solving it, but the most fun part is actually the action of solving it.

So, be careful about wanting to know how things are done, unless you intend to transmit this feeling to others. And even then, you can only appreciate it if you dedicate yourself to learn it the right way, by putting in time and dedication. RealityOne gave you a starting point; from here it will be up to you.

This. Exactly.

If I told you the method, you would be severely disappointed and there is a chance you wouldn't even believe me. The moment I told you, you would stop feeling amazement and intrigue and would just feel like you were suckered. Most of our methods are not complex, the beauty lies in the simplicity.

Our responses are not an attempt to be obnoxious or to be superior because we know a secret and you don't. Our responses are based on how magicians have always responded. You have to remember that magic is our craft, our art. Our ability to amaze the audience depends on our ability to keep secrets. Without secrets, there is no amazement and no astonishment.

 

[krisricey]

I see where you're coming from. I do appreciate the mystery around it, I'm a perfect example of the awe involved.

 

[ProAma]

More people need to study Economics and how people actually function. You do not buy anything unless you value it more than the price.