In Rome Peter Turner

When in Rome

When in Rome

Notes from Italy
By Peter Turner

Devil Publishing, 2014

Copyright © 2014 by Peter Turner
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval

system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or any information storage and
retrieval system now or to be invented, without permission of the
author.
First printing: 2014
Devil Publishing
Editing & layout by:
Mike Vance, vance2276@gmail.com, www.magicmike.org

Peter Turner
Dedication

Zach, I hope to see you performing some of this
material one day. This book is dedicated to you, I love
you little man. The world is your oyster, no matter what
happens follow your dreams.

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Table of Contents
Dedication ............................................................................... v
Table of Contents ................................................................. vi
Acknowledgements ............................................................... x
Foreword ............................................................................... xii
Introduction ............................................................................ 1
Ethics and codes ..................................................................... 7
Your intuition ....................................................................... 15
Effect ...................................................................................................... 17
Breakdown ............................................................................................ 18
The psychological force of 7 .......................................................... 18
Springboard ..................................................................................... 20
On its head ....................................................................................... 21
Full performance .................................................................................. 25
The outs ................................................................................................. 28
Additional idea .................................................................................... 32
Mark Chandaue additional idea ........................................................ 32
Paul Shirley additional idea ............................................................... 40
Credits ................................................................................................... 45
Your Notes/Ideas ................................................................................. 46
Simply overlooked .............................................................. 51
Effect ...................................................................................................... 51
Breakdown ............................................................................................ 53
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Making the effect more ....................................................................... 54
The Matrix moment ............................................................................. 56
The justification .................................................................................... 58
The peek ................................................................................................ 63
Presentational acrobatics..................................................................... 67
Additional ideas ................................................................................... 78
Stealing information ............................................................................ 79
Applying the information ................................................................... 81
Credits ................................................................................................... 84
Name place variation (after stealing the information) . 85
Effect ...................................................................................................... 85
Breakdown ............................................................................................ 86
Updating the oneahead ...................................................................... 87
Additional idea ..................................................................................... 94
Credits ................................................................................................... 95
Your Notes/Ideas ................................................................................. 96
Bold unlock pin divination .............................................. 101
Effect .................................................................................................... 104
Breakdown .......................................................................................... 104
Morgan Strebler additional idea ...................................................... 108
Michael Murray additional idea ...................................................... 109
Credits ................................................................................................. 111
Your Notes/Ideas ............................................................................... 112
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Increment control (force) .................................................. 117
Effect .................................................................................................... 118
Breakdown .......................................................................................... 118
Credits ................................................................................................. 124
Not Ed Marlo’s snap change ............................................ 127

Variation #1......................................................................................... 127
Additional idea .................................................................................. 130
Variation #2......................................................................................... 131
Credits ................................................................................................. 133
Your Notes/Ideas ............................................................................... 134
Positive actions and words speak loudly ...................... 139
Effect .................................................................................................... 139
Breakdown .......................................................................................... 140
Full performance ................................................................................ 143
The anagram ....................................................................................... 161
Additional ideas ................................................................................. 182
Credits ................................................................................................. 184
Your Notes/Ideas ............................................................................... 185
Why star signs? ................................................................... 189
Reaping what you sow ...................................................... 193
Mark Chandaue additional idea ...................................................... 194
Credits ................................................................................................. 196
The Bob principle Hearing stars ................................... 199
Your lucky star .................................................................... 209
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Effect .................................................................................................... 209
Full performance ................................................................................ 216
Your lucky star – Any sign, sure fire ............................................... 221
Effect .................................................................................................... 222
Breakdown .......................................................................................... 223
Nod to star sign .................................................................. 229
Effect .................................................................................................... 235
Breakdown .......................................................................................... 236
Credits ................................................................................................. 240
Your Notes/Ideas ............................................................................... 241
Double star sign revelation .............................................. 245
Effect .................................................................................................... 245
Breakdown .......................................................................................... 246
Be controversial – Think backwards ............................................... 246
Effect .................................................................................................... 247
Back to the effect – Double star sign variation ............................... 252
Additional idea ................................................................................... 260
Credits ................................................................................................. 262
Your Notes/Ideas ............................................................................... 263
Scarred for life .................................................................... 267
Conclusion .......................................................................... 274

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Acknowledgements
Michael Murray, Mike Vance, Dave Garbett, Ryan
Robertson, Kenton Knepper, Bob Cassidy, Atlas
Brookings, Enid Blyton, Paul Shirley, Mark Chandaue,
Chris Bartak and Morgan Strebler.
The groovy gang. My Sound boards, inspirations,

analytical eyes, look outs and most importantly my
friends. I love you guys.

x

Peter Turner

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Foreword

I feel both honoured and privileged to be the one who
introduces this work to you. Whilst Iʹm sure that most of
the readers will already be familiar with the high calibre of
Pete’s work through his prior releases, most will not have
had the good fortune to meet the man himself. Let me offer
you a small glimpse into the world of this “larger than life
character.”
My first introduction to Pete and his work came a few years
back when he released his limited edition book Bigger Fish.
Initially cautious about the high price tag, Pete offered to
Skype me prior to making my purchase.
Taking Pete up on his offer, we embarked upon a

marathon session during which Pete tipped almost
everything from the book. I was immediately taken not
only by his approach to mentalism but how genuinely
passionate he was about the art. I’m seriously convinced
that if I didnʹt have work to go to, we would still be talking
now!
Naturally I was quick to invest in his work and so our
friendship grew. Most often when you finally get to meet
someone in person whose work you admire, they are a
disappointment. With Pete it is a whole different story.
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Despite his outward appearance, he is a very gentle and
caring person.
He gives his time freely and really brings out the very best
in those around him. With Pete there is no ego or hidden
agenda. He is a people person, and in this respect I feel that
he would make a great councillor.
I mentioned above that he was a larger than life character
and I firmly believe this to be true. If Pete told me that he
was not from this world I would believe him. He is so
sickeningly talented. His skill set does not end with
mentalism; he plays the piano better than anyone I know
and that is nothing compared to his guitar work.
Whilst it would be so easy to hate him from sheer jealousy,
he somehow brings out the very best in you. Every time I
speak with him I am enthused; he has managed to unlock
the gates to my own creative talents and almost all of my
recent creations were a direct result of our talks.
I have seen Pete do things that you wouldnʹt believe. He
doesn’t create legends, he is a legend.
Read the words that follow, be attentive, be inspired and
be thankful to Pete for all that he does for us.
Michael Murray
September 2014
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Introduction

What you have here are my notes from Italy. When you
hear the word “notes” it sounds like a brief outline of
what’s important thrown onto paper.
Anyone that knows me knows that I could not do that—I
love to ramble and go off on tangents as I feel that is where
the flavour is. I have done that countless times in these
notes.
I hope the reader gets a feel for who I am as a person
throughout these notes. I have tried to let you (the reader)
know about me as a person as the notes go on, as hopefully
these notes will still be being read long after I am gone.
I have detailed routines that I use presently. These routines
have taken a long time to refine and I am proud of each
and every routine, idea and premise within these notes.
95% of the routines and principles you will read inside
these notes have never seen print and have never been
shared publicly.
I have no doubt in my mind that you will love the material
detailed in these notes. What I hope you take away from
this is a realisation of maturity in comparison to my earlier
works. This should serve as a good representation of
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growth and I am thankful that you have followed my

journey thus far.
Mentalism is an art that is constantly moving and I am
learning and growing daily. I hope you realize when
reading these notes that I am just expressing my opinions
and the way I view things.
If you have an opposing view on how things should be
done or don’t like some of the material, that is fine also.
Mentalism is a purely subjective art form and it is natural
to have different viewpoints.
I hope these ideas spark off ideas and thoughts when you
read/refine/perform these routines, whether it be one line,
an entire routine or a story.
When reading these notes, try to think about all of the
applications you can come up with for each idea. Think
about how you would present these effects—you will
notice after each effect/principle I have added pages for
you (the reader) to add your own notes.
This will make the book completely unique and personal
to you.
So why are these notes here?
Well these are details of some of the things that I shared in
Rome in 2014 that had a great response. There were a lot
of things shared in Rome, so naturally not all of them made
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it into the book. If you were one of the participants in
Rome, I am sure you will remember the impact these
routines had on the class.
I can promise there is something in here for everyone.
So enough of my ramblings,
Enjoy x
P. Turner, 2014

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I
Ethics and codes
This is a simple essay on revealing pin codes. Years ago
revealing a pin code was something I shied away from for
obvious reasons. This is also the opinion of a lot of
performers, as it is a subject area that is very delicate.
I am not here to try to change your opinion of how/what
you should perform. All I ask is for you to think of safe,
creative ways you can reveal pin codes without actually
revealing any delicate information.
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I have come to realise, over the years, people for the most
part don’t care (in England).
If you look at the “Matrix moment” detailed later, you will

notice that you can apply this small principle to gauge
from your participant whether or not they would like you
to proceed in divining their pin code.
I think that in all honesty the key here is asking them if
they are comfortable with it. It is simple: if they are not,
they will say they are not; if they seem unsure (which
should be easy to gauge from their body language), there
are ways to deal with things in such a way that you can
guess the number safely and gain trust simultaneously
from your audience.
I feel whenever you climb inside someone’s mind and start

revealing information you are touching upon things that
are delicate.
There are a few things I want to outline to make this type
of effect safe. This is for the people that don’t already know
(which I am sure a lot will), but I would rather be safe than
sorry.
In any closeup scenario, I would always advise deducing
a phone unlock pin as it can be changed on the spot to
either a new code they are happy for you to guess, or if
they are happy for you to guess the existing code, they can
change the code immediately after the performance.
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This type of effect is about reminding the participant to be
safe, that these sorts of codes can be guessed if the
circumstances are right and not to leave things like
banking, PayPal and email apps open on their phone.
This means there is something positive that has come of
you divining the code.
I try to avoid banking pin codes, as they are

psychologically more dangerous. If I am ever going to
want to seemingly divine someone’s bank pin, I will
always say:
Performer: “Ok, to protect your privacy and anonymity

let’s generate a fourdigit number at random. This could
potentially be a bank pin as it is four random digits. I will
refer to this number as your pin code. I need you to
imagine this number really being your actual pin code.”
If you go back to The Devil in Disguise there is a routine
called “Credit Card #1.” This routine uses four digits off of
their bank card that you use as a substitute as their pin
code. That is often how I would get to a fourdigit number
or “The life equation” from Jinxed/Bigger Fish 2. Each of
these numbers holds no actual relevance, but there is a
beautiful thing that happens when rubberneckers or
eavesdroppers drop in midroutine.
If anyone joins the routine mideffect they will hear you

saying such things as “concentrate on your pin code” and
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see you divining it; to them they witness a miracle as they
missed the first half of what was said. This is a subtle dual
reality but the story they will tell; they will exaggerate and,
of course, it will give you legendary status.
If you are divining a pin for a phone, there are a few things
I would consider. Firstly, a lot of the time when
performing this routine it will be for groups or the
participant’s friends (in closeup) as they tend to
congregate together. This is a more open and relaxed
scenario, but still be cautious. When divining the first two
digits, lift the phone so that only the participant can see
what you are typing. Address the group watching:
Performer: “Keep your eyes on (participant’s) face. Their

reaction should tell you whether I have gotten the
numbers right or wrong.”
Two things happen here: one, the code is kept private from
the group and you can be open with the last two digits,
and two, the audience still has something to watch and
react to.
I have found with this approach, that because the

participant has to react for the first two digits to show
everyone that you were, in fact, correct, the reaction is
normally louder and more exaggerated than it usually
would be as that is what they think you expect them to do.
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I would advise you not to shy away from these types of

effects. They are great to have in your arsenal. Just be
creative with the ways that you apply them. Always be
safe.
That leads us to the first section of the book. Here you will
have a few ideas relating to pin codes with which I have
had no end of fun. Each of these has been something I have
used for a long time, and I hope you get as much mileage
out of them as I have.

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II
Your intuition

This effect is something I consider to be one of the cleanest
pin revelations. One thing I really love about this
divination is that it is not you doing the divining but the
participant, and therefore it instantly adds an air of
credibility to what it is that you do.
First, let me tell you the story of how this came about
(briefly I promise), and then we can get into the routine.
When Michael Murray first performed his incredible

“Springboard” on me, my mind was reeling with ideas. It
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was one of the most versatile principles I had ever come
across, but there was only one issue for me (which I am
sure others will love): the playing cards. I loved the process
so much but felt that it was slightly redundant when using
playing cards, as the possibilities were endless.
I decided the best place to apply the principle would be to
do it for a pin revelation.
I had been toying with a forcing idea of Annemann’s at the

time from 101 Methods of Forcing, which enabled me to
force a fourdigit number every single time (I won’t outline
the force here). From this I was able to use “Springboard”
to get to a participant’s pin code.
The problem was (I am also honest about my own work)
that unless the participant was particularly astute and had
a good memory, it was a difficult process for them as there
was a lot to remember. I am sure you can imagine how
difficult this made performing this if I didn’t have the full
attention of the participant and or the participant had been
drinking or was tired. At Blackpool 2013 I was sitting in
the “Winter Gardens,” and Fraser Parker approached me
to show me where he had taken the idea. He had gotten
the participant to arrive at the number “9” using a
mechanical force, and instead of complicating the process
and “spring boarding” four different digits, he applied a
“Springboard” from the preceding digit to guess the
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participant’s pin code. This had stopped any confusion

and made it easy for any participant. It was incredible.
I was thinking about that particular approach and there

were only a couple of things I didn’t like (some of which
was true for my original variation, also). The force of the
number “9” was too long and the process seemingly (for
me Fraser pulled it off really well) mathematical. Then the
second thing was the participant using “Springboard” to
tell me about their pin code. Psychologically, again I think
it sent alarm bells ringing and made the process more
deduction based and also obvious that all I needed was the
first digit (if the participant was to backtrack). So I refined
it again and here is what I developed. I hope you love it.
Effect
The performer, any place, any time, sits with a participant
and proposes that the participant attempts to guess his pin
code. The participant is asked to simply think of what they
believe the first digit is (they never say it out loud), and
then the second, third and fourth.
The performer writes down his pin code on a business card
and slides it in front of the participant.
He then for the first time asks the participant what they
believe the pin to be.
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Let’s say the participant says 6934. The performer asks the

participant to turn around the business card and, sure
enough, the numbers are 6934.
Breakdown
This is a routine that is incredibly simple and employs the
use of a wellknown principle in mentalism, a less known
but incredibly brilliant principle and a verbal reversal
technique.
The first technique is the old psychological “force of the

number 7.”
(Don’t skip this routine yet thinking you now know the
routine; trust me, you will miss out on something
amazing.)
The second technique is Michael Murray’s “Springboard.”
The third technique is my “On Its Head Principle.”
Let’s break these down, piece by piece, and then connect

them all.
The psychological force of 7
I first saw this in Psychological Subtleties by Banachek. The
force was around long before this, but I thought this would
be an amazing book to reference and credit as even the
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simpler ideas in that book can serve an amazing purpose
in an impromptu situation.
Here I will outline how I would force the number 7 as

though it was just the force, and then later explain how it
fits into this routine.
Here is a simple script to follow that should allow you to
force the number seven:
Performer: “I want you to think of a number from one to

ten, but don’t go for 3 as it seems everyone does.”
That’s it. As simple as it sounds, that effectively forces the
number 7.
Note: I have found if you ask the participant to say out
loud the number instead of thinking it, the hit rating is
much higher, but in this routine you don’t want the
participant saying anything out loud, as the process is
transparent. An alternative I would suggest (this is not
mandatory) is to give them a pen and paper and say:
Performer: “I want you to quickly write down a number

from one to ten, but don’t go for 3 as it seems everyone
does.”
This will have the same effect that saying it out loud does.
It also makes the participant’s job a lot easier, and at the
end you can both turn around your pieces of card for
confirmation.
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The reason this hits more often is simple psychology: when
you ask a participant to think of a number from one to ten
the chances are it will be 7, but because the participant has
never said the number out loud, they have never
committed to it in tangible form and it gives them the
opportunity to change their mind a few times (they can do
this even when they are trying not to be a pain).
Conversely, asking them to say it out loud or to write it
down means that they are committing to their natural
instinct and don’t have a chance to change their mind. If
you really wanted to not use the paper (which I don’t), you
can redirect them back to their original thought.
Performer: “Be honest with me, did you change your

mind?”
If they say yes:
Performer: “Remember, this is all about trusting your

instinct. Go back to your initial thought.”
This, again, just redirects them back to their first thought.
Springboard
Without being rude, I am not going to outline

“Springboard” here because I feel it is easier to explain in
the context of the performance. I also feel it’s easier to
explain in the performance section.
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On its head
For the purpose of a fuller explanation, here I will outline
the “On Its Head Principle” in its simplest form and then
proceed to explain a couple more potential uses for the
principle.
Imagine you are going to force a playing card using a

psychological force (usually the Ace of Spades or the
Queen of Hearts).
Address the participant before the force, saying:
Performer: “I am thinking of a playing card and I want you

to try to guess what it is. Coincidentally, I think this
happens to be your favourite playing card. I want you to
guess what card I am thinking of, and to tell me when you
have a playing card in mind.”
Participant: “Yes.”
Performer: “Let me remove the playing card I am thinking

of from the deck.”
Run through and pick out the Queen of Hearts and place
it face down onto the table.
Performer: “What is the card I am thinking of?”
Participant: “The Queen of Hearts.”
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The card is turned over it is the Queen of Hearts. This is
the way it was originally portrayed in The Portugal Notes.
This is fairly bold as the card could miss, but it is easily
washed away by saying:
Performer: “As you can see by simply guessing, the

chances of you getting the card right are next to none. Now
that you know what my favourite card is, let’s mix up the
deck and do this again using your feelings.”
(I noted an out here just to show how a simple miss can be
handled in a situation like this. From this point move into
an “Equivoque” and have them successfully use their
feelings to find the card.)
I then took the technique further and realised it has many
uses. Using it to its full potential, there is no chance of a
miss (a slight exaggeration, but if there is a miss, it’s
usually a performance fault).
One idea I toyed with was the use as a justification to
handle a billet after a participant had written down a
thought.
Performer: “I know recently you have been questioning

your decisionmaking ability. I want to prove to you that
if you follow your instincts, your own intuition is often all
you need to make decisions. Right now I am thinking of a
name. It’s a name that holds some relevance in my life. You
have never met this person and haven’t heard me speak
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about this person, but if you could tune into my feelings, I
am sure you can pick up on this.
“I want you to relax and trust yourself. Don’t just try to

guess what this is, try to feel what this is. I am not going to
write down this name as I don’t want you hearing the
sound of the pen or letting the way my arm moves to write
specific letters influence you in anyway.
“I want you to write down what you believe the name is.”
A pen and a billet are handed to the participant, and the
participant writes down the name and the billet is folded.
There should be no heat on the billet now because it’s the

participant guessing the name you are thinking of and not
the other way around.
That means if you take the billet, you say:
Performer: “You think you have written the name I am

thinking of inside here?”
This is where you take your peek.
Performer: “In fact, before we open this, it’s best you

ensure there is no way this can be seen through. You check
that it is completely opaque and I will write down what I
am thinking of, as I don’t want people thinking I am just
agreeing with you.”
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Hand the billet back to them and gesture that they should
hold it up.
Write down the name you peeked onto a billet and place it
face down.
Performer: “Before we commit to seeing if you got the

name right, do you think this person has dark hair or light?
(They answer.) Follow your instincts: is this person an
introvert or outgoing? (They answer.) And finally, what do
you feel this person’s star sign is? (They answer.)
“You may think you were just guessing at those details. I
could spend all day telling you that you are correct, but
then again I would say that. There is only really one way I
can prove that you got everything right.”
Slide your billet in front of them.
Performer: “Before you turn that over—it is in front of you

and isn’t going anywhere—who did you believe I was
thinking of?”
They state the name and turn over the billet. It matches,
but more beautifully, it confirms the star sign, the hair
colour and characteristics! Obviously this takes advantage
of my “Confirmation Principle” as well, but you can see by
flipping it on its head, it opens up a basis for more hits and
a nicer presentation.
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I also squeezed in this line: “I know recently you have been

questioning your decisionmaking ability. I want to prove
to you that if you follow your instincts, your own intuition
is often all you need to make decisions.” This sort of thing
gives the participant an air of confidence and therefore has
a therapeutic effect, also killing two birds with one stone.
If you don’t like “spectator as the mind reader” routines,

hopefully this one can convince you to try it out and you
may just change your thinking (Who knows?).
Now that you have the necessary steps to making this
routine work, let’s piece it all together with the full
performance script and “Springboard.”
Full performance
(We will imagine you are acquainted and have performed
a few things on the group.)
“I know recently you have been questioning your

decisionmaking ability. I want to prove to you that if you
follow your instincts, your own intuition is often all you
need to make decisions. I know earlier you were
wondering if it was possible for me to guess a pin code.
The honest answer is, ‘Yes, I can,’ but it wouldn’t be that
impressive as that is what I do. Whereas if you could guess
my pin code, we could kill two birds with one stone.
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“Firstly, it would prove it is definitely possible to deduce
someone’s pin code.
“Secondly and more importantly, it will really show you
just how strong your own decisionmaking ability is.
“The only clue I will give you is that the first digit is not a
three. Think of a number from one to ten. Got it?”
Performer: “Be honest, did you change your mind?”
Participant: “I did.”
Performer: “This is about trusting your own intuition, not

questioning it. Go back to the first number of which you
were thinking. Just so everyone is clear, I am not going to
write down my pin, as I don’t want you to be influenced
by the sound of the pen or the way my arm is moving.
“For the first digit you trusted your own intuition. There
is a good chance that, the number you are thinking of is, in
fact, the first digit of my pin code.”
This is where we will employ “Springboard.”
Performer: “Now that you know the first digit, using your
intuition, do you think the second digit is higher or is it
lower?”
Participant: “Higher.”
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Performer: “By how many?”
Participant: “Two.”
Performer: “Now you believe you know the first and the

second digits, right?”
Participant: “Yeah.”
(Just quickly cutting in, assuming the participant has gone
for the number 7, we now also know the first two digits! I
know what you are thinking: what if they haven’t? We will
cover this later.)
Performer: “Knowing the first and the second digits, do

you think the third digit is higher or lower than the
second?”
Participant: “Lower by 5.”
Performer: “Perfect, now that you know the first, second

and third digits, let’s do this one more time. Do you think
the last digit is higher or lower than the third?”
Participant: “Higher by one.”
Based on the participant’s decisions, we now know that

the participant believes (if they have chosen the 7) that my
pin code is 7956.
Performer: “Now that you have what you believe is my
pin code, I am going to now write it down. If I was to just
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say it out loud, people might just think you are agreeing
with me for fear of getting it wrong. In all honesty, it
doesn’t matter if you get it wrong—as long as you were
close you did perfectly.”
Write down whatever the participant believes the pin to

be, in this case 7956.
Slide the business card in front of the participant and ask
them to say what they believe the pin is out loud. If it
matches (which it should), incredible; if not there is no
worry as the message at the end is ultimately what I find
important.
The outs
A lot of the time in this routine, there is no need to employ
the out because the participant will often give away what
the first digit is without realising it. For example, if the
participant thinks of the first digit and then says the
second is 3 higher, then I would bet they have gone for 6,
as starting with 7 and going three higher is going to be too
high (in the context of a pin). Similarly, the participant
can’t have gone for an 8.
It can also go the other way and be too low to be a 7. You
can employ clever questions, too. Let me give you an
example.
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The participant is now thinking of the first digit; they say
the second is 5 lower and the third is 1 lower. In this
context it could be
7 (if it hit), 2 and 0.
Before you write anything, say:
Performer: “Be honest, do you believe there is a zero in my

pin?”
If they say No, you now know it has to be higher than a 7,
so it could be 8 or 9 (I have never had anyone choose a 9).
I would then write down 8, 3 and 1 (I then would apply
the “off by one” outlined later). Remember, there is no
harm in asking any question as they are deducing yours.
Instead of answering, give them a slight smile as if to say
“I cannot confirm or deny your assumption.”
If you can fish for one of the indefinite digits, then you will
always know. If you are a little uncomfortable with a
verbal out, here is a mechanical out.
I have thought long and hard and wondered just how I

could end this routine in as strong a sense as the hit (using
a mechanical out), and in all honesty, there is never going
to be a stronger ending. Every single time I have ever
performed this routine I have never had somebody go for
anything other than 6, 7 or 8.
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This means that the “Off by One Principle” fits perfectly as

an out. The problem I found (which I don’t think most
people will have a problem employing) is that if you apply
the “Off by One Principle,” you are taking the hit away
from the participant.
Look at it logically: they were all off by one and you knew
it. It’s almost (in my opinion) like laughing in their face
and saying, “Your decisionmaking ability is s**t, mine is
far superior.”
I then realised that if I softened the blow with a message
then it no longer becomes a problem.
If you are going to hand them a card on which to write
their choice, I would recommend handing them a card
with the following message printed on the back. Don’t
point it out, as you will (if needed) draw their attention to
it later.
“True perfection has to be imperfect.
“In life when you trust your own intuition, you will always
get so close to anything you aim for. You should always
use your intuition whether it be when making a simple
decision or within an intricate social situation.
“You will have truly used your intuition to its maximum
capacity today if each decision you make is just one step
away from where it needs to be.”
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Peter Turner
(Or if you prefer you can just write “off by one.”)
If the digits are, in fact, off by one, then no problem, you
have credited them for doing exactly what they needed to
do.
I would point out verbally that each one was off by one

and then say this:
Performer: “The aim of this entire thing was to have you

see what has been staring you in the face this entire time.
Often the greatest things in life are right under our own
noses and we just don’t see them.”
Gesture for them to turn over the card.
After they have finished reading the card, address the

participant:
Performer: “I think you now know your decision making

is exactly where it needs to be. If you take anything away
from this it’s the ability to view things from a fresh
perspective and above all else to trust yourself.”
Note: As I pointed out I don’t hand them the card to write

down their pin. If you choose to follow the way I perform
the routine, in which I just write something down, I simply
have the printed message on my card and slide it toward
the participant with the writing upside down.
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This way, because it is a block of text and upside down,

they won’t think about reading it. If you notice they are,
just tell them to place their hand on top of it so it cannot be
touched by anyone else at any point.
Additional idea
This is just a quick point about this type of routine.
“Spectator as the mind reader” routines are like marmite:
some people really love them and some people really hate
them.
I am obviously in the camp of loving them…too much!
Even if you are not a fan of this plot, you don’t need to
frame these types of routines as spectator as the mind
reader. You can quite easily turn these types of routine into
influence routines, where you psychologically (or
psychically) implant the thoughts.
Then you are still achieving the same result, yet they are
not reading your mind. You are simply controlling their
thoughts.
Mark Chandaue additional idea
Note from Pete: Before you get to read Mark’s amazing variation

of this effect, let me tell you about Mark.
He is one clever guy!
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Peter Turner
I constantly run my ideas past him and Michael Murray now.
The two of them are happy to pull apart my ideas as they
understand the feel I am going for.
They always offer good alternatives and criticisms that

ultimately make my work better, and if it wasn’t for them I
wouldn’t know what to do.
Even though I haven’t known Mark a long time, I instantly felt

a connection with him—he is genuinely one of the good guys.
I know you will love his take on this. When his book comes out,
get it; you will regret it if not!
My first experience of this effect was when I was driving
up to Bradford to hang out with Pete for a few days. Pete
called me on my mobile to ask how far out I was. I told him
I was about half way and had just stopped for a coffee. He
said, “Hereʹs something to think about while you drink
your coffee.” He then performed “Your Intuition” on me
over the phone. Not for the first time in my life I was blown
away by Peteʹs genius. This is probably the best use of a
psychological force Iʹve personally come across. Pete
explained the out to me and itʹs a real thing of beauty.
However, I perform mostly impromptu and so canʹt be set
up for the out all the time, so I wanted to find a way to
eliminate the out so that all I needed was something on
which to write. My first thought was to push them towards
the psychological force of 7 by limiting them to an odd
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number. I considered changing the script to: “The first

number is an odd number and itʹs not a 3.” However this
still left them with too many options—1, 5, 7 and 9—and if
anything, this was worse than Peteʹs because it still needed
several outs and now they were two apart instead of one.
I changed the script to: “The first digit is an odd number
above 3.” This limited them to 5, 7 and 9, but this still
wasnʹt good enough; I still needed outs and the options
were two apart instead of one, and so this was still inferior
to Peteʹs original version. I needed to limit them further
and so I achieved this by giving them a clue on the second
number like this: “The second number is higher than the
first.” This limits them to 5 or 7 on the first number,
because if they guess 9 on the first number, when you say
the second number is higher they canʹt go higher, and so
they know the first number is wrong and adjust it to 7 or
5…most of the time.
Unfortunately I found that sometimes people think of 0 as
10 instead of zero. I tried to get around this in the scripting
by talking about pins being a combination of four digits
ranging from zero all the way up to nine, but some people
still treated 0 as 10 after picking 9 as the first digit. After
some thought I realised that eliminating the zero would
not only stop this from happening, but it would also help
me to determine whether they started with a 5 or a 7. The
astute amongst you will have realised that with a possible
choice of 5 and 7 for the first digit we are still going to need
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Peter Turner
an out. Eliminating the 0 reduces the number of times we
need an out. With the new script, over 90% of the time I
know which number they started with by the fourth digit.
I will go through my final script and the way I perform it
now, which uses a nail writer, and then I will discuss the
nonnail writer version. Even if you donʹt use a nail writer,
read the whole thing because much of the explanation is
included in that version. I have only included the
important parts of my script to allow you to use your own
wording for the rest.
I begin with a business card in hand on which I have

already nail written the number 5. I do not outright state
that this has my pin on it, but I imply it by lifting the card
slightly when I ask if they believe it is possible to guess
someone’s pin. The important part of the script begins, “As
you have never done anything like this before, I will give
you a couple of clues: there are no zeros in my pin and the
first digit is an odd number above three.” This limits them
to 5, 7 or 9.
Once they have indicated they have a number in mind, I
follow with: “The only clue I will give you on the second
digit is that it is higher than the first digit. How many
higher do you think it is?” This kills the 9 and gives you
the first chance to discover the first number; if they answer
more than 2 here, they must have started with a 5, because
there are no zeros that could be considered 10. Whatever
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their response, I add that number to 5 and nail write the
result next to the 5.
“Iʹm not going to give you any more clues. Do you think
this digit is higher or lower than the second?” Once they
respond, follow up with: “By how many?” I add or
subtract their answer from the second digit and nail write
it next to the second. This is your second chance to tell
whether they started with a 5 or a 7—if the result is higher
than 7, then the first digit must be 5. If the subtracted result
is either 0 or 1, then they must have started with a 7. If at
any point the number indicates they must have started
with a 7, I will casually pocket the card and keep track of
the pin in my head; e.g. 7 + 2 7.
The fourth digit is handled just like the third. “Do you
think this digit is higher or lower than the third?” Once
they respond, follow up with: “By how many?” Again I
add or subtract their answer from the third digit and nail
write it next to the second, unless the third digit already
indicated the first digit is a 7 and so the card is out of play.
This is your last chance to tell whether they started with a
5 or a 7. If the result is higher than 7, then the first digit
must be 5, and a 0 or 1 here indicates the first digit is 7. If
this last digit is where I discover that they must have
started with a 7, then I leave the card in play.
We now are in one of three positions.
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Peter Turner
We know they started with a 7: in this situation I calculate
the pin (e.g. 7+27+1 = 7923) and say, “Be honest, do you
think my pin is 7923?” As I say this I will casually pocket
the card if it is still in play.
We know they started with a 5 and we have the pin written
on the card: in this situation I hand them the card and say,
“Before you look at my pin, what do you think it is?”
We donʹt know whether they started with a 5 or a 7, but
we have the 5 version written on the card. This does not
happen that often because with the 0 removed as an
option, there are only a small number of combinations that
work with both 5 and 7 as a first digit. In this situation I
test on the last digit of the 7 version. Letʹs say we have 5647
on the card. I will say, “Did you get the 9 for that last
digit?” If they say Yes, I will follow up with: “Be honest,
do you think my pin is 7869?” As I say this I will casually
pocket the card. If they say No, then I say, “Never mind,
youʹve never done anything like this and the odds of
getting a one in 10,000 number with the only clue being the
first number isnʹt 3 are nearly impossible.” Note the subtle
reframing here—also known as complete bollocks.
Because we eliminated the zeros, the odds are less than one
in 10,000 and the clue was a little more specific than “itʹs
not a 3,” but they will never question that statement. I now
hand them the card and say, “Before you look at how close
you got, what do you think my pin is?” When they turn
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When in Rome
over the card and see that the number matches, they will
think you were just messing with them, making them
think they had got it wrong, however they will remember
that the odds were 1 in 10,000 and the only clue they had
was the first number wasn’t a 3.
The nonnail writer version is identical save that you

simply track their choices; e.g., 2 higher than 4 lower than
1 higher. By the end you will either know what number
they started with and can reveal it with: “Be honest, do you
think my pin is xxxx?ʺ or you will be in the position that it
could start with a 5 or a 7. In this case simply write the 5
version on a business card and then test on the last digit of
the 7 version and proceed exactly as described when the
number was nail written.
Some final thoughts and tips: Never draw any attention to
the business card beyond the moment when you say, ʺDo
you think it would be possible to guess my pin?ʺ Here the
emphasis should be on the pin, not the card. If you pocket
the card donʹt make a big deal out of it; in this situation
you want the implication to be that you only needed the
card as proof if they were wrong. When they start with a
5, always put the business card in their hand before they
reveal the number. Personally, if Iʹm doing this one on one,
I donʹt have them reveal the number. I just hand them the
card and say, “Have a look at my pin and see how close
you were.”
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Peter Turner
I prefer the nail writing version. I have found that even

when you pocket the card and never show it to them, they
remember the card was in play before the start. Also when
they start with 5, you have a miracle that is impossible to
backtrack. I originally did the nonnail writer version and
I wrote the 5 version on the card as an out because 7 is the
psychological force. However I have found that with this
particular script, 5 seems to be picked most of the time—
in my experience over 90% of the time. This is great
because often I know this by the second or third digit. If
they go more than 2 higher on the second digit, the first is
a 5; likewise on the third digit if they go higher again they
picked a 5. When they pick 5 as the first digit, you have
been holding a card from the very start and you hand them
the card before they reveal their guess.
Finally, if you are worried about pocketing the card

unseen when they pick the 7 version, simply have a blank
card in that pocket so that you can either pocket or nail
write the 7 version if they ask to see the card (nobody has
ever asked me).
Oh, really finally this time, a massive thanks to Pete Turner
for the original effect and Michael Murray for the principle
at its heart. This is now my favourite impromptu effect and
is also my answer to “What am I thinking?” When asked
that question I respond with, “It doesnʹt quite work like
that; itʹs a cooperative process. Rather than me guessing
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what you are thinking, maybe I can show you how you can
access the thoughts someone is willing to share with you.
Do you think it would be possible to guess my pin?”
I hope you get as much fun out of this routine as I have
had with it.
Paul Shirley additional idea
Note from Pete: Paul Shirley is an incredible thinker and
performer. I first met Paul over Skype and we instantly clicked.
The thing I love the most about Paul is his sense of humour; he
has an addictive laugh and he really brings out the comedic side
in anyone.
I then had the pleasure of meeting Paul in London—what a

weekend! I got a message saying, “Pete, I am in London. Are you
coming down?”
I am not going to go into the stories of half of the things that

occurred that weekend. All I will say is it involved a restaurant
owner trying to get me drunk to have his wicked way, a French
man fighting someone over a cigarette, and a dead body….
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Peter Turner
OK, not a real dead body, but you may get kicks out of this.
Whenever I leave a hotel, I always shape the sheets for the cleaner
to find.
I hope you love Paul’s thoughts.
Let me start with my thoughts on this effect. I think it is
great, and the reason it is great is that it is the participant
that does all of the work for you.
The one thing with this routine is that it is very systematic.
I am going to offer here my thoughts on how to break the
feeling of it being systematic using a simple presentational
tip.
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When in Rome
When you look at the first digit, it is because it is deduced
differently from the rest of the digits that the process at this
point seems natural. When you get to the second digit,
however, I think asking straight out of the gate whether it
is higher or lower can be a little mathematical.
This is easily remedied.
Simply use this script.
Performer: “You instinctively chose what you believed the

first digit to be. I want you to imagine seeing this digit
right here in the air.”
This is where you will pretend to be holding the digit in
the air.
Performer: “I am going to move my hand above and below

where you are imagining seeing that digit.
“I want you to wait till you get a feeling that just tells you
to stop, and whenever you get that feeling just say, ‘Stop.’
If my hand is above the imagined first digit, it will tell you
the second digit must be higher, and obviously if it is
below the imagined number, it tells you the second digit is
lower.
“It is essential you follow your feelings.”
Wait till the participant says Stop.
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Peter Turner
Performer: “Now you know it is higher. (If they said stop

on ‘lower’ you would say lower.) Using the same feeling
that you just had, close your eyes and feel how much
higher.”
They answer.
Performer: “Now that you have your creative juices

flowing and you feel you know what the first and second
digits are, do you think the next digit is higher or lower
and by how many?”
This stops this part of the process from being two steps;

instead of the participant deciding on the next digit being
higher or lower and then having to answer by how many,
it makes the answer one answer. After they have
answered, the last bit is even smoother.
Performer: “Now that you know the third digit, what

about the last one?”
This should now prompt the participant to answer higher
or lower and by how many without having to ask them.
They should say this out loud without thinking because
they are accustomed to the process.
This means that each process is seemingly different and

isn’t as systematic. It will make the process flow to the
point that by the time the participant realises what has
happened, they know the pin code and so do you.
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When in Rome
This is really simple, but it makes a massive difference to
the overall effect not only to the presentation, but it makes
the participant believe they are really picking up on
information. In essence the routine becomes more credible.

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Peter Turner
Credits
Michael Murray – Springboard principle
(“Springboard” 2013 + Piece of my Mind 2014)
Banachek – Psychological force
(Psychological Subtleties)
Art Vanderlay – Serial divination
(Unreleased)
Mark Chadaue – his take on “Your intuition”
(Unreleased)
Fraser Parker – First digit force
(Utsukushii)
Paul Shirley – Feeling it
(Unreleased)

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When in Rome
Your Notes/Ideas
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Peter Turner
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Peter Turner
III
Simply overlooked

This is an incredibly effective phone code divination that
is so simple you will wonder why you had not thought of
it. Don’t overlook the simple nature of this effect; before
dismissing it go out and try it. I promise it gets incredible
reactions.
Effect
Whilst sitting with a group the performer asks if anyone
has a mobile telephone with a lock on it. One of the people
in the group removes their phone and is asked by the
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When in Rome
participant to show someone they trust at the table the lock
for the phone. Whilst this is taking place the performer
makes a conscious effort to look away, so as not to get any
visual clues. Once the participant has completed showing
someone else, the phone is locked and checked to be
locked.
Two people at the table are now aware of the lock on the
phone, and the performer asks them both to think of one
digit in that series of digits. He looks at the participants,
proclaiming, “I think coincidentally you are both now
thinking of the same number. The reason I use the word
now is because you (the performer points to the first
participant) changed your mind. You thought of one digit
and changed to another. As I have been speaking, you (the
performer points to the second participant) have been
contemplating changing your mind.
“Without giving away what the number is, are you both
thinking of…is it the digit in the third position on which
you are now focusing?”
They both freak out, proclaiming it is.
The performer takes the phone. He then turns to the
second participant and asks off the cuff,
“Coincidentally, is the third digit your favourite number?”
She freaks out again, proclaiming it to be true.
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Peter Turner
“Ok, you (points to participant 1) focus on the first digit.”
The performer punches it into the phone; he looks at
participant two, punching in the second and the third
digits. He asks both of the participants to concentrate on
the last number. After a few seconds he punches in the last
number, unlocking the phone!
The performer has successfully managed to unlock a

participant’s borrowed phone.
Breakdown
Any place, any time. I knew I was on to a winner when I
first showed this effect to Michael Murray (when I first
developed it). The reason I knew this was going to play so
strongly was the swear words that came from Michael
when I successfully divined the pin to his phone.
Presentation is what counts with this effect. There are a

few things going on I would like to point out before going
into the method of actually getting the pin code, as in all
honesty that is the easiest part of this routine.
So let’s take a look in steps at what makes this routine

work and then break down each of the steps.
Making the effect more than just a pin code

(psychologically)
The “Matrix moment”
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When in Rome
The justification
The peek
Presentational acrobatics
The reveal
Wrap up
As you can see, there are seven steps to making this
routine work. This routine is an incredibly simple routine,
but piece it together correctly and you have an onthefly
miracle that you can perform anywhere.
Making the effect more
This is something that can be applied to any pin
divination. I believe it makes the effect much more
memorable and also seemingly more impossible.
The way I do this is with a very simple script that makes
the pin code more relevant.
Let’s assume we have asked a participant if they have a

phone with a lock on it.
Performer: “On your phone, do you have a Facebook

app?”
Performer: “Do you ever email from your phone?”
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Peter Turner
Participant: “I do.”
Performer: “How about money transfers and online

banking?”
Participant: “Both.”
Performer: “That’s the amazing thing with technology: it

helps to simplify the way we go about our daily business.
At the touch of a button we can access private messages,
contacts, banking information and private emails.
“When you think about it, it’s a bit daunting to think that
there are only four digits protecting what essentially is our
entire livelihood. Imagine if someone could crack those
four digits; it would show you just how fragile the security
system is on our lives.”
Take a look at the script. You can see how I have taken
something that is considered a luxury and reminded
people just how dangerous it could be if it got into the
wrong hands. The effect is no longer about guessing the
pin to the phone; it is about compromising someone’s
livelihood.
The pin code to the phone is merely a bridge to do that.
As you can see by pointing out little details, you realise
that the premise of the routine grows and it adopts a
natural presentation.
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When in Rome
The Matrix moment
This is nothing more than a beautiful theatrical moment

that I thought I would add. A lot of the time people are
uncomfortable revealing information as sensitive as a pin
code as it can be considered intrusive. This little principle
addresses that situation head on. I remember when I was
younger reading Banachek’s work and seeing a line that
has really stayed with me all of these years.
He said if something is seemingly a problem in a routine,
paint it red (or words to that effect; it has been a while since
I read it). That’s what I decided I would do in this scenario.
I have mentioned in other sources that I draw lots of

influence from children’s books; there is also a vast
number of other sources from which I draw information,
one being films.
I don’t often get a large amount of time to watch television

or films these days, but when I see a movie that I think is
going to be worth the watch, I put it on in the background
when I am writing.
For the readers, Training Day is on in the background now.
The theatrical moment I am about to share with you was
inspired by and practically lifted from (as I am sure you
will understand if you have seen the film) The Matrix.
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Peter Turner
One of my favourite scenes in the film is where Morpheus
offers Neo a red or a blue pill. Here is a quote from the film
that outlines this particular scene:
“This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning

back. You take the blue pill…the story ends, you wake up
in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You
take the red pill…you stay in Wonderland, and I show you
how deep the rabbit hole goes. Remember, all Iʹm offering
is the truth—nothing more.”
I think it is wonderful and this sort of thing fits so perfectly
with what we do.
I loved this line so much it inspired me to ask a similar
question at the start of a pin divination routine. It is a lot
simpler in nature and protects the participant’s privacy
should they not want you to guess their pin code (killing
two birds with one stone). After you have applied the
script that makes the effect seem psychologically bigger,
segue verbally into this:
Performer: “With that in mind I am going to offer you two

choices. The first choice is you tell me you are not happy
with me guessing your phone code in front of other
people—and that is totally fine—and we will take this no
further. Or you let me try to read you to ascertain the code
on the phone, and in doing that, you allow me to open up
a Pandora’s Box of information.
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When in Rome
“The choice is yours.”
Respect the participant’s choice. If they don’t want to go

any further that is great as you have completed the effect
without ever having to do anything, and it suggests when
the participant says No that they believe you could guess
the code. I have found in any scenario where someone has
said No (which is very infrequent) that someone else at the
table steps in with their phone to guess theirs. So if you
were adamant on showcasing your ability, there is usually
someone there that will want you to do it. If the participant
says they want you to try to guess it, proceed.
The justification
This is where you will set up the method.
Performer: “I want you to open up your phone for me and

to scroll across to your calculator. I will explain why in a
moment.”
This is very important: watch the participant looking for
the calculator. If they access it using a shortcut or any other
method, avoid moving into the next phase (I have never
seen this happen).
When the participant gets to the calculator, address them:
Performer: “I want you to nominate one of your friends to

help out.”
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Peter Turner
(There doesn’t have to be anyone else there. I will outline

a oneonone justification but I find it nicer if there are
multiple people.)
Performer: “I am about to turn away, and when I turn

away I want you to type in your phone lock, the phone’s
code, into the calculator. This means you don’t have to say
it out loud or to hold up a number of fingers to let (the
friend’s name) know exactly what the code is.
“Keep the code on the screen as I am going to give you
another instruction.”
Briefly turn away.
Performer: “Give me a clear Yes when you have typed it

in.”
Turn back around and look at the participant and her
friend that she nominated.
Performer: “You both now know what the code is. The
reason I looked away is I didn’t want you thinking I had
somehow seen the way you typed it in. I want you both to
quickly look at that number and think of a digit in that
series of digits.”
They both say they have.
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Performer: “Just press the lock on the top of the phone,

wipe the phone’s screen on your top so there isn’t any
indication via fingerprints of what buttons were pressed
and then hand the phone to someone else at this table that
doesn’t know the code.”
The phone is locked and then it is handed to someone else.
Performer: “I want you to go to the unlock screen on the

phone and just to type in a random code.”
(This serves two purposes: one, it shows that the code can’t

just be guessed, and two, when the person types in a code
and it doesn’t open, it suggests that the phone is really
locked to a watertight degree.)
Performer: “Now that you have seen the phone is well and
truly locked, I would like you to try to read (participant’s
name) to get the code to unlock the phone.”
The person with the phone attempts to unlock it and fails
again.
Performer: “To be able to create a connection with

someone can take a lifetime. You know (participant’s
name) a lot better than I will ever know her, and you can
see how difficult reading her is. I think it is safe to say I
will be trying to do this under test conditions. Are we all
happy the phone is well and truly locked and the only way
I am going to be able to open it is if I read (participant)?”
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Peter Turner
The group at this point is forced to agree. We have
nonchalantly pointed out and killed several methods here.
Fingerprints on the screen are very much a viable method,
as is watching someone’s fingers when they type, and so is
guessing (to a degree).
The reason for handing over the phone to someone else
first is to subtly suggest the phone is locked tight and there
is no way to get in there. It also shows that the lock is
working. When I first started performing this routine some
time ago, I had a couple of people say, “Maybe the phone
lock hadn’t activated, as I am sure there is a minute delay
before it goes on.”
I found the solution in handing over the phone to a friend
of the participant and simultaneously (accidentally, of
course) added to the presentation and created a beautiful
justification for handling the phone to get the peek.
The problem I found when I first started performing this
routine was that I took the phone directly from the
participant (so I could get the peek) and then handed it
back to them. This is often a similar problem for a billet
routine. If you look at a lot of the better billet peeks, the
only piece that is illogical (but flies just fine) is when the
performer takes the billet back, gets the peek (using
whatever justification) and hands it back to the participant.
I didn’t want that.
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When in Rome
Handing it to a third person and having that person follow
specific instructions gets everyone accustomed to each
part of this process, so when you ask for the phone to be
handed to you, there is no heat on it whatsoever.
The reason there is no heat on the phone is because the
phone has already been handed out and it has been
demonstrated that it can’t be unlocked.
Now that you have psychologically solidified this fact,

move on to the peek.

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The peek
This is by far the easiest part of the routine. Before I talk
about the handling of the peek, let’s take a look at how it
works.
You will notice I have purposely chosen a lightcoloured
image from Google so you can see the buttons clearly.
If you take a look at the photo it says “slide to unlock.” If
you were to slide the screen to the right, then you would
go to the code screen and there is no way you could access
the phone.
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When in Rome
However there is a little something extra on the screen I
bet most people who have an iPhone will have forgotten
about or not noticed.
Look at the bottom of the screen. There is a little arrow that
points up (or a little tab, depending on the phone).
If you slide this up, the following screen will appear.
Look at the bottom series of buttons, and you will see the
calculator!
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Peter Turner
The calculator can be accessed even when the phone is
locked. If you were to tap the calculator button now, the
code they typed into it will be there for you to view openly.
I liken this to an electronic billet peek (minus the billet).
By pressing the Home button (the round one on the front)
it will return you to the “slide to unlock” screen. There is
also something beautiful that happens if you press the
Home button (after seeing the calculator) and then
proceed to unlock the phone: you will notice that the
calculator doesn’t pop up…the menu does!
This means that psychologically when the screen unlocks
and it goes straight to the menu, it leaves no room for the
participant to backtrack. This is because they don’t see the
calculator and therefore will forget it was ever part of the
process.
If the calculator pops up, then it is the last thing the
participant sees and therefore it is the last thing they
remember.
Let’s talk about the mechanics of the peek. The mechanics

are incredibly easy; they just require good timing.
I am going to break this down into steps. I was initially
going to use photos, but it is so simple that it doesn’t need
it.
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When in Rome
First, after asking the thirdparty participant (the one

trying to guess the code) to lock the phone, reach out with
your dominant hand to take it back, and upon receiving it,
while your arm is extended, press the Home button (the
only button on the phone). Let the people sitting with you
see the “slide to unlock” screen. As you bring in your arm
toward your body (a big movement), slide up the arrow
tab.
Press the calculator key, and then casually place the phone
into your nondominant hand (keeping the phone toward
yourself) whilst simultaneously saying, “Hold out your
palm for me,” (to the owner of the phone) and extending
your right hand.
The calculator will be open now and the code will be on
the screen. Keeping the screen toward yourself and NOT
looking at the code yet (it is tempting, but don’t), take hold
of the participant’s wrist (with your free dominant hand)
and direct their extended palm a little closer to you.
Now reach back with your dominant hand for the phone.
This is where you take your peek; this is the crucial part of
the peek timingwise.
As soon as you see the code, press the Home button again.
This will change the screen to the lock screen again.
And finally, place the phone palm up into the participant’s
hand. When you do the final bit, the reason the timing is
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Peter Turner
so crucial is you need to press the Home button while
moving towards the participant’s extended hand.
You may be wondering what the reason is for moving the
phone from the dominant hand to the nondominant and
then back to the dominant. The pretence is to take their
outstretched palm, to move it closer, which you can’t do if
you have a phone in that hand, and to place the phone face
up into the outstretched palm.
Just for fullness of the picture, let me explain what the
participant is seeing while this takes place. They see the
“slide to unlock” screen when you take back the phone,
you ask them to hold out their palm, you place the phone
face up in it and they still see the “slide to unlock” screen.
You can see why this is so psychologically convincing. The
move is not difficult to learn and is over in a matter of
seconds, in the time it takes you to ask the participant to
extend their hand and for you to place the phone in their
palm.
Presentational acrobatics
This is the most important part of the routine and will take
the most amount of practice. This section of the routine is
presentation based, so you can play with it to suit your
liking. I am going to outline the way I tend to do this
(remember, this can go differently based on the
participant’s answers).
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When in Rome
The situation we are in thus far is that two participants
know the code, as do you (unknown to everyone else
watching), and the mobile phone is currently on the hand
of the owner of the phone with the “slide to unlock” screen
displayed.
Don’t worry about pressing anything just yet.
Look at the two participants and address them, saying:
Performer: “I want you both to think of one digit in that

series of digits for me.”
Give them both a second to think and confirm, and then
counter:
Performer: “What’s interesting about the human mind is

when a human is asked to think of a digit in a series of
digits, the brain tends to flit as it is naturally indecisive; it
will think of one and in most cases change to another for
whatever reason.”
You are looking for a reaction here; if both people react,

both have changed their minds. A reaction may be a little
smile or them trying to stay straight faced and in some
scenarios them even freaking out.
If one reacts and the other doesn’t, then chances are one of

them changed; if none react, there is a possibility that
neither of them did.
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Peter Turner
Anyway, I always say this line:
Performer: “Wouldn’t it be interesting if both of you right

now were drawn to the same digit?”
I have found most people tend to think of the second digit
to begin with and then change to the third digit, the
outside digits being psychologically less appealing (maybe
because they seem too obvious).
Anyhow, I wait till they say it would be interesting. If you
find one of them reacted subtly, you can say:
Performer: “I think with you, you thought of one and

changed your mind, whereas you stuck with the first one
you thought of. Be honest, is either of you thinking of the
digit in the third position?”
There is a good chance they both are; if not, most certainly
one of them is, and on rare occasions neither of them will
be. Either way it doesn’t matter, but the bestcase scenario
is that both are thinking of the same digit (it happens a lot).
This is where in the effect description you will have
noticed I point to one of the participants and ask if this
digit is their favourite number.
I have performed this and the third digit has been a seven,
and it genuinely was their favourite digit so I have thrown
this out and gotten a hit. I know what you are thinking:
why put that in the effect description if you can’t do it
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When in Rome
every time? Well, you can using the old trusty

“Confirmation Principle.”
All you have to do is say to one of the participants:
Performer: “I don’t want you to react or give anything

away; even the smallest movement can lead me to the
number. What I find slightly strange is that I think
coincidentally the digit you are thinking of is your
favourite number…. But what’s important is the number
you are thinking of is…umm…a 6 (or whatever number
falls in the third position).”
When they react, it confirms to everyone else that this is
their favourite number, but to the participant, by saying,
“But what’s important is,” you are basically telling them
to disregard what you just said if you were wrong.
It’s tiny little scripted moments like this that make the
biggest difference. The smallest changes in verbiage are
what make this work.
So what if neither are thinking of the third digit?
Simple, look at each participant in turn and address one of
your choosing.
Performer: “Are you thinking of the first, second, third or

fourth digit?”
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Peter Turner
Never ask, “Of what digit are you thinking?” This will
compel the participant to tell you the number they are
thinking of instead of the position of the number.
When the participant tells you the position of the digit, you
know the information and reveal it.
I am very playful in this section and jazz it up; you know
the information and therefore you can get each participant
to think of whatever sequence of numbers you like and
reveal the information that way.
I will outline one way to perform this, but because of the
free and easy nature of this effect I urge you to try and
change it up each time you perform it.
Full performance
Let’s imagine that you had become acquainted with all the
people sitting at the table. You will notice right up until the
“Presentational acrobatics” that there are only subtle
changes.
Performer: “Is there anyone at this table that has a phone
with a number lock on it?”
Lauren: “I have.”
Note: I asked for a number lock because this avoids a

swipe, which should more or less eliminate Android
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When in Rome
phones. If you see an Android, ask if anyone else at the
table has a phone with a number lock on it.
Wait till they bring out the phones and then “feel for the

best participant,” obviously selecting the person with the
iPhone, saying, “I think I will work with you for this.”
Don’t make it about the phone, make it about the person.
Performer: “Perfect. On your phone do you have a

Facebook app?”
Lauren: “Yes.”
Performer: “Do you ever email from your phone?”
Lauren: “I do.”
Performer: “How about money transfers and online

banking?”
Lauren: “Both.”
Performer: “That’s the amazing thing with technology: it

helps to simplify the way we go about our daily business.
At the touch of a button we can access private messages,
contacts, banking information and private emails.
“When you think about it, it’s a bit daunting to think that
there are only four digits protecting what essentially is our
entire livelihood. Imagine if someone could crack those
four digits. It would show you just how fragile the security
system is on our lives.”
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Lauren: “It really is. I am nervous now.”
Performer: “Don’t be nervous, just think about what I said.

With what I said in mind, I am going to offer you two
choices. The first choice is you tell me you are not happy
with me guessing your phone code in front of other
people—and that is totally fine—and we will take this no
further. Or you let me try to read you to ascertain the code
on the phone, and in doing that you allow me to open up
a Pandora’s Box of information.
“The choice is yours.”
The participant thinks for a few seconds.
Lauren: “I am happy to try this.”
Performer: “I want you to open up your phone for me and

to scroll across to your calculator—I will explain why in a
moment.”
The participant follows the instruction.
Performer: “I want you to nominate one of your friends to

help out.”
Lauren chooses a friend, Ryan.
Performer: “I am about to turn away, and when I turn

away, I want you to type in your phone lock, the phone’s
code, into the calculator. This means you don’t have to say
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When in Rome
it out loud or to hold up a number of fingers to let Ryan
know exactly what the code is.
“Keep the code on the screen as I am going to give you
another instruction.”
Briefly turn away.
Performer: “Give me a clear Yes when you have typed it

in.”
Lauren: “Yes.”
Performer: “You both now know what the code is. The
reason I looked away is I didn’t want you thinking I had
somehow seen the way you typed it in. I want you both to
quickly look at that number and to think of a digit in that
series of digits.”
They both say they have.
Performer: “Just press the lock on the top of the phone,
wipe the phone’s screen on your top so there isn’t any
indication via fingerprints of what buttons were pressed
and then hand the phone to someone else at this table that
doesn’t know the code.”
The phone is locked and then it is handed to someone else.
Performer: “I want you to go to the unlock screen on the

phone and just to type in a random code. Now that you
have seen that the phone is well and truly locked, I would
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Peter Turner
like you to try to read Lauren to get the code to unlock the
phone.”
The person with the phone attempts to unlock it and fails
again.
Performer: “To be able to create a connection with

someone can take a lifetime. You know Lauren a lot better
than I will ever know her and you can see how difficult it
is to read her. I think it is safe to say I will be trying to do
this under test conditions. Are we all happy the phone is
well and truly locked and the only way I am going to be
able to open this phone is if I read Lauren?”
Take back the phone and apply the peek.
Performer: “I want you both to try something for me: I

want you to think like the other person. I want you,
Lauren, to think like Ryan, and Ryan, I want you to think
like Lauren. With thinking like the other in mind, I would
like you to imagine the pin written in the air and to think
of one digit from that series of digits.”
They both confirm they are doing that.
Performer: “What’s interesting about the human mind is

that when a human is asked to think of a digit in a series
of digits, the brain tends to flit as it is naturally indecisive;
it will think of one and in most cases change to another for
whatever reason. Ryan, I think you think Lauren would
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When in Rome
think of one number and then change to another, whereas
Lauren, I think you think that Ryan would instantly stick
with one.
“Wouldn’t it be an interesting coincidence if both of you

were thinking of the digit in the same position right now?”
Performer: “Is either of you thinking of the digit in the
third position?”
Ryan confirms he is.
Performer: “Ryan, you believe Lauren would have gone

for the digit in the third position. Lauren, in what position
is the digit you believe Ryan would have picked: first,
second, third or fourth?
Lauren: “The second position.”
(We know Lauren is thinking of the number 3 and Ryan is
thinking of 4. I hope you are following this so far; this is so
much easier in performance to explain.)
Performer: “Lauren, are you thinking of the number 4?”
Lauren: “No.”
Performer: (looking slightly confused) “Ok, Ryan are you
thinking of the number 3?”
Ryan: “No?”
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Peter Turner
Performer: “I am sure I was getting the digits three and

four. Lauren, what is the number you are thinking of?”
Lauren: “Three.”
Performer: “Ryan, how about you?”
Ryan: “Four.”
Performer: “Ah, I think I understand what has happened.
Because you were thinking Ryan would choose three, I
assumed that’s the number Ryan had chosen, and because,
Ryan, you thought Lauren had chosen four, I picked up on
it as Lauren had actually chosen four!
“We can work as a group for the last two to avoid any
confusion. Both of you focus on the digit in the first
position for me.”
(I purposely get them the wrong way around, to set me up
for them to think of things together to apply a “Hoy”style
principle in a moment.)
The performer looks at Ryan, then Lauren and finally back
to Ryan.
Performer: “I think this is either yours or your favourite

number—this doesn’t happen too frequently. Is the first
digit the number seven?”
Both participants freak out.
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When in Rome
(This is why you should always read the full

performances. Each participant will assume that whatever
digit is called out is the other person’s favourite number,
if it is not theirs. This is an added touch not in the
“Breakdown” section of the book.)
Performer: “You guys really are doing amazingly; just the
last digit to go.”
The performer hovers his hand over the top of the phone
for a few seconds, and then instead of calling anything out,
he goes to press a button and then changes his mind.
Performer: “Focus for me.”
After a few seconds the performer presses a key and the
phone opens up!
The table goes wild.
Additional ideas
With a routine like this, it all comes down to presentation.
I have never had one person call me on the calculator.
When I performed this for Mark Chandaue and Michael
Murray for the first time, each one of them opened their
calculator this way all the time and it completely went over
the tops of their heads!
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Peter Turner
Another thing to take into consideration when you are

using someone else’s phone is to gather other pieces of
information.
After unlocking someone’s phone, I will sometimes (if the

situation warrants it) move into Isabella’s Star 2 and apply
something a little devious that I use all the time and create
absolute miracles.
Let me tell you about a little move that you can apply
openly that no one will notice and will give you a host of
information to use after a time delay. I will first outline the
simple method (which doesn’t have to be used in
conjunction with this routine; it can be used with Isabella’s
Star 2 or any other calculator or picture effect) and then
how to use it in a simple but effective way.
Stealing information
When you borrow the iPhone, very openly find the

calculator, and make sure the participant can see the
screen. Make sure they know you have gone straight to the
calculator.
Lift the calculator toward yourself for a second and double
tap the Home button. Do this while casually talking; no
one will be suspecting anything happening yet so there
will be no heat.
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When in Rome
When you double tap the Home button (the only button
on the front of the iPhone) it will bring up a submenu
allowing you to jump between other open applications on
the phone (essentially a quick access menu).
As you scroll from side to side, you will notice the open
apps. If you look closely at the open message app or the
WhatsApp app, you will notice the names of the people
they have been texting!
This is a very small font; if you are struggling seeing this,
simply click on the message button (the little bubble), or
the WhatsApp button, and it will open that app for you to
get your peek of a name more clearly.
When you have the information you need, double tap the
Home button again and select the calculator.
This sounds on paper like a lengthy process, but I do this
all the time, and once you have it down, it takes just a few
seconds to get the necessary information.
Note: I have found on females’ phones that they will

usually put love hearts next to their partner’s name when
they store it in the phone. If they do it makes it very, very
easy to directly get them to someone specific and to nail
that.

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Applying the information
This is ultimately very simple and it will give you a natural
time delay. After you have performed for the first
participant (you have stolen the information from the
phone), move on to performing for someone else in the
group.
Normally I have found this works better in groups of

three, but it will work with any size group.
Use a standard billet guess to reveal the name of the next
participant, and almost every time it prompts the other
two people to say, “Guess a name I am thinking of.”
That is a perfect moment because, of course, you now have
a piece of information you can do this with billetlessly,
meaning that it will completely sell the fact the first time
around you didn’t need the billet and were just using it for
insurance or affirmation (depending on your justification,
if any).
So I know what you are thinking: how do we get them to
think of that name? The honest answer is we don’t!
We are going to make it seem like we have and then take
the credit for the hit.
Let’s say you peeked the name Markus. We have no idea

who that is or what relation they are or anything.
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All you have to do to the participant is let them do a “silent

reverse fish.”
This sounds very complex but it is, in fact, very simple.
Say to the participant:
Performer: “I want you to keep changing your mind

among names that mean something to you—maybe
people you have recently talked to, friends, family, any
name that has a connection to your life—and I will try to
pick up on one that is standing out more than the rest.”
They do this.
Performer: “The first thing I am feeling is that there is a

male name that is standing out to me more than the rest. I
am not sure of the reasons why just yet. Ok, and there is a
hard sound at the start, like an M, M, M. Focus on this
person clearly for me.”
At this point, when you throw out male, their brain begins
to fish for the name without them saying anything out
loud, and when you say the letter M, their brain will do the
same thing. They should now be thinking of the person
you want them to think of—it will be highly unlikely that
they will not be.
Performer: “Can you tell me the reason why you are
thinking about this person? And be careful not to say this
person’s name.”
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This is a beautiful subtlety because they will give a reason
which will suggest to everyone else that they really did
think of this person and that there was a reason for it, and
that is, of course, why you were picking up on it!
Now all you have to do is finish with the revelation.

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Credits
Michael Murray Additional thought

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Peter Turner
IV
Name place variation (after stealing the information)

I did say that this works best in groups of three. Here is a
routine that I find is so lovely and yet so simple in its
workings. When refined it is an absolute masterpiece.
Here is what the effect will look like.
Effect
The performer addresses the two participants—we will

call the participants Michael and Bill.
The performer sets two unique tasks, one for each

participant.
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When in Rome
The performer addresses Michael and explains that he, the
performer, is thinking of a particular city. He sets Michael
the task of guessing the city. He explains that the first city
Michael will think of will be a guess, and therefore based
on probability he would be wrong if he stuck with his
initial choice.
He asks Michael to keep changing his mind through a

variety of cities, but whilst doing it to imagine his voice
(the performer’s) saying the names of the cities in his head.
The performer writes down the city he is thinking of and
drops it into a wine glass on the table. He then turns to Bill
and asks Bill to think of a name of someone in his life. He
then writes down this piece of information (without Bill
saying a word) and drops this into the glass as well.
For example, let’s say that Michael said the performer was
thinking of Manchester and Bill was thinking of Markus.
The glass is tipped and the papers opened to show that
both are, in fact, right!
Breakdown
After you have performed a routine guessing a name (or
any other piece of information) with traditional
methodology and the other two participants are asking for
you to do the same on them, you will move into this
routine.
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Peter Turner
(Remember we have stolen the name already using the

method outlined above.)
This routine really only uses two simple principles.
The first is the oneahead principle. This is a principle that
is often used incorrectly and is often done so badly that the
secret of it is very obvious to the participants. Where I am
from (as many performers will attest that have visited me)
in the local bars many people use the oneahead as a means
to get free drinks, and therefore when I created this simple
update and it flew past the people that used this every time
they were out, I knew that it was just right.
First I will outline how I have updated this wonderful

principle.
Updating the oneahead
One of the biggest problems that I always struggled to

come to terms with in the oneahead was asking someone
to say the piece of information out loud during the process
of a oneahead. It really sent alarm bells ringing, and I had
a range of questions that I wanted answering based on it.
One of the most common mistakes made in the oneahead
is this ghoulish line: “Can you tell everyone here what it is
you are thinking of?”
(If you use this line and it works for you that’s great, but
for me it doesn’t and was a pet hate.)
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You can see how this could instantly set alarm bells
ringing in the participant’s head, and because this
principle is commonplace and widely known, it pretty
much ruins the effect before you have gotten through half
of the premise.
Just because this is commonplace does not mean it cannot
be used effectively against people that already know this
technique. Here is how I tackled the problem of getting the
participant to say something out loud in a logical fashion.
Performer: “Now I know you have come into this in a

slightly sceptical sense. So if I was to guess something you
were thinking of, you may think I somehow heard you
saying this thought out loud or come up with the most
ridiculous methods as to how I guessed what you were
thinking.
“But, if you were to guess something I was thinking, then
it proves beyond any shadow of a doubt that we all have a
sense of intuition, which we often overlook.
“So, I am thinking of a random word, which you are going
to guess. I am not thinking of something profane.
“I want you to start thinking of random words. Now, the
first set of words you think of, based on probability, will
be wrong. So I want you to change your mind over and
over again.
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“Trust your own intuition. Maybe focus on the kinds of
words that you think I would think of.
“Right now, being a fairly sceptical person, you will

probably be thinking of ridiculously long words like
antidisestablishmentarianism or supercalifragilistic
expialidocious.”
(This is a tiny little subtlety I use with real sceptics, as these
are generally the first set of words they think of. It is
commonplace that these people think of these words, but
as I am telling them to change their minds from these, it
ensures I don’t have to write down a word down like that,
which would completely give away the game later on.)
Performer: “I am going to write down my word and to

commit to it, and I just want you to keep changing your
mind even after I have committed to a word.”
The performer writes down a word, screws up the paper
into a ball and drops it into a wine glass. (In performance
this would be the second participant’s word; more on that
later.)
Performer: “I am going to give you five more seconds to

change your mind, and whatever word you say out loud
is going to be the word that you commit to.”
Now I count down from five to one and point at the
participant and they will say the word out loud.
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As you can see via the scripting, there is a logical reason
for them to say the thoughtof word out loud now. They
have to, to commit to it, and they don’t have a piece of
paper to do so.
The point here, I think, is going the extra mile to wrap up
what we do. It is very easy to stick to what we know or
what we are taught and to do it that way over and over
again without changing anything. The phrase “if it is not
broken don’t fix it” doesn’t really apply to mentalism.
Anyway, we are not fixing it per say, just giving it a new
lick of paint.
It is the same with these notes: there will be a few things
that you will really like, some you will moderately like and
some that you will hate. That is the nature of the beast.
Remember, when reading any type of material there is
value in everything. If you don’t like a premise, change it;
you like a premise but don’t like a method, change it; you
just like one line that is in there, use it elsewhere.
Take these notes and build upon them to create your own
miracles; you are not bound to doing things the way I do
them. I have said it before and I think this is a beautiful
place to say it again: mentalism is purely subjective.
Back to the situation at hand—where were we?
Ah, we have updated the oneahead.
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Now there is the matter of applying it in this scenario.
Let’s say the participants are again called Michael and Bill.
Full performance
(We will imagine that we have already gained the

information we need from the participant’s phone.)
Performer: “Now that I believe we all have a connection, I
would like to attempt a triangle of intuition.
“Michael, I know you have come into this in a slightly

sceptical sense. So if I were to guess something you were
thinking of, you may think I somehow heard you saying
this thought out loud or come up with the most ridiculous
methods as to how I guessed what you were thinking of.
“But, if you were to guess something I was thinking, then
it proves beyond any shadow of a doubt that we all have a
sense of intuition, which we often overlook.
“So, I am thinking of a city that means something to me.
You are going to guess this city.
“I want you to start thinking of random cities. The first set
of cities you may think of, based on probability, will be
wrong. So I want you to change your mind over and over
again.
“Trust your own intuition. Maybe focus on the kinds of
cities that you think I would think of.
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“Being a fairly sceptical person, you will probably be

thinking of the city we are in right now and you would be
wrong. It may not even be in this country.
“Bill, I would like you to think of the name of somebody
that means something to you. In fact, scan over all the
people from within your life; for example, friends, family
and acquaintances, and the reasons that you may think of
these people.”
Both participants nod to confirm they are following the

instructions.
Performer: “Michael, I have written down here the place

that means something to me. The only clue I am going to
give you is that this is a place that I went with my
Granddad.”
The paper is screwed into a ball and dropped into the wine
glass.
What you have in fact written, is the name that you stole
from the phone. The reason for the glass and screwing
the paper into a ball—screwing them up is not essential,
but it just aids the next process—is when the glass is
tipped over, the balls will fall out and naturally make it
difficult to follow which ball is which, mixing
themselves up in the process of falling. This saves you
from having to swap billets, which is not technically
difficult, but again, it’s one compromise I really disliked.
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Another thing about the wine glass is the stem; it
psychologically seems that you have never touched the
contents of the glass because the stem is separate from
the bowl of the glass.
Performer: “I am going to give you five more seconds,

Michael, and whatever city you say out loud will be the
city that you commit to.”
Five seconds pass and Michael says the city out loud.
Performer: “You instinctively feel that is the place I went

to. Bill, I am going to tell you what I am feeling so far.
“As you scan over all of these names I am seeing more
male names than female, so probability would suggest that
you will settle on a male name. I am also feeling, as you
are scanning over the male names, one starting with a hard
sound like an M or an N. In fact, it is definitely an M.
“Can I ask you why you thought of this person?”
Bill: “This is my Dad. I went to see him today.”
Performer: “Ok, I feel I am ready to go for this.”
This is where you will write down whatever city Michael
said onto a piece of paper; the paper is then screwed up
and dropped into the glass with the first piece.
Performer: “What is your dad’s name?”
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The question here will change depending on the reason
they give. Let’s say that it is someone they visited earlier.
You would ask, “Who was this person you visited
earlier?” It is really a tailormade question to force them
to say that name and not change.
The glass is tipped and the paper is opened to reveal that
both pieces of information have been guessed.
Additional idea
I would make an effort to mark one billet, in a subtle way,
so you know which is which when they fall out.
This means that when they fall out you can choose the
order in which you reveal them. I would personally reveal
the information on the billet you guessed first and open
the billet where the participant guessed your thought
second.
This means the participant gets the last hit, as for me that
is the most impressive billet of the two. You could even
have Bill (the second participant) mix them up and use
equivoque for the participant to “instinctively” deduce
which billet is which.
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Credits
Bob Cassidy – Name Place routine

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Your Notes/Ideas
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IV
Bold unlock pin divination

Before I get into this pin divination, let me stress that this
is not for everyone. I have used this a few times now and
blown away even the biggest sceptic.
It is really one of the simplest ideas in here, but on paper it
seems ridiculous and convoluted. That’s because it is. I
won’t lie, but some of the best effects in history have come
from ideas that were so convoluted people overlooked the
method.
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Here is a simple example of a couple of things in the past I
have done that took so much effort for a few seconds
payoff.
Look at the “Dreams” video on YouTube, the one with the

shooting star. The method to get the thing that she wanted
as a child was a hypno preshow. I hypnotised her the day
before, asked her openly what she wanted and then
hypnotised her to forget I had ever asked.
But that wasn’t the convoluted bit as that is fairly standard.

The bit where I went to ridiculous lengths to make the
effect happen was driving over a hundred miles to find the
book and having to drive a hundred miles back.
All for the “Moment.” People who know me know how

sneaky I can be: I often carry a redbacked and a blue
backed oneway force deck to lectures with me.
Before the lecture I will ask someone if they have a deck of
cards and tell them that I want to make a prediction that
will occur later in the lecture.
I then ask them to turn their back as I don’t want them

seeing and as they will play an important part later.
I then place my oneway force deck into their box and take
their deck with me (obviously the colour I put in depends
on the colour of their deck).
I then say to them:
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Performer: “I have placed one card in a particular position.

I want you to sit near the front in the lecture, and if I ask if
anyone performs with cards, raise your hand so I can see
you.
“I will ask if you have a deck of cards I can borrow. Just
hand me the deck where I made the prediction. I will
openly ask you if you know the order of the cards, which
you don’t, and there is no way in a second I could know
the order.
“Please don’t hand the cards to anyone else or look at them

as I don’t want people thinking you know where
particular cards are. Can you promise me you won’t
change the order or touch them?”
They promise at this point and off I go. All I have to do

now is force a playing card and I have the cleanest version
of an ACAAN with a borrowed deck. For those people
wondering if this is similar to the one I do over
Skype/online, no it isn’t, but I will go to ridiculous lengths
to make anything happen. The only clue I will give you is
I never use stooges in these type of effects (online or live)
or preshow (in the online versions you may have seen).
But the moral is: to make miracles happen you have to put
in the mileage, and most are based on ideas that are so
ridiculous they fly so far under the radar.
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That is similar to this effect: it happens in real time and in
front of everyone.
This effect was based on something I saw in an Alex
Pandrea lecture. He did an effect where he recharged the
battery of his phone by touching it.
I liked the idea, but it was very magical—too much so for
my taste, plus it was his phone. My mind started to race
with ideas that I could use the application for and this hit
me.
I have since refined the idea and I like this routine very
much because of its bold nature.
Effect
The participant’s mobile telephone is locked and without

any effort you seemingly unlock the phone.
Breakdown
The core of this method is simply a screen shot. Yeah, you
heard me right.
If you take your mobile phone—I know the buttons on an
iPhone; you will have to seek your manual or use Google
for any other phone but all smart phones do this—and
press the Home button and the Lock button and you hold
them for less than a second, it will capture any screen you
are currently on.
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This is how this is going to help you.
Ask a participant if they mind you using their phone to
show them something. I have never had someone say they
mind.
Pick it up and get it onto the lock screen.
Quickly screen shot, and then address the participant and
ask them to unlock the phone, but to keep the code private
from everyone as it is not for them or you to know.
When they hand you the phone, proclaim:
Performer: “I know what you were thinking just then:

wouldn’t it be awesome if I could have opened your phone
for you…guessed the code? You were thinking that,
right?”
They will have thought this. I have had people hand me
their phones and say, “Why don’t you guess it?”
At that point tell them you will when you know them a bit
better and that you will come back to it later.
But let’s pretend they have unlocked it and you are
applying the line about what they are thinking (outlined
above). While you are saying that line, go into the picture
gallery and the last picture taken will be of the screen lock.
Then click on the picture to enlarge it.
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You will notice two white bars across the picture.
Simply tap the picture one more time and it will look just
like the lock screen.
Then address the participant again.
Performer: “In fact, would you mind me trying to guess
the code?”
I have never had anyone say No at this point; if they do
say No, simply delete the picture and move into another
effect.
If they say yes, feign pressing the Lock button on the top
of the phone.
Then swipe to slide the picture to the previous picture and
back again quickly so it looks like you slid to get the unlock
screen.
See the video below for details, as this part is hard to
describe in writing.
Turn the phone so the participant can see the lock screen
(what they are actually seeing is a picture of the lock
screen).
Tell them you will keep the digits hidden from everyone
else. Hold the phone towards yourself and tell them to
focus on the first digit.
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Press the screen anywhere (nothing happens anyway, but
it looks like you typed a number). Repeat this for the next
two digits.
When you get to the last one, you are going to apply an
important move: you are going to press the Home button
(the round one on the front) and turn the phone toward
the participant (this takes practice to get the timing right).
It will show the menu screen and look as if you have just
unlocked it!
They will see it flash bright and the menu open up and
assume you have correctly guessed the code.
Now all you have to do is go into the pictures and delete
the photograph (under the guise of going to the calculator
or messages to type in a prediction).
To erase the photo, click on it and the white bars will come
back; click the recycle bin and finish by pressing the delete
button.
There is now no evidence on the phone to suggest that you
didn’t get the code.
I suggest you try this. The reactions from it are great and
this is perfect when you are in a scenario with someone
who is not playing ball and complying with the above
effect (“Simply overlooked”).
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Morgan Strebler additional idea
Note from Pete: When I shared this with Morgan, he instantly
started batting ideas towards me—all amazing! An hour later he
called me back, and what he shared with me I am about to share
with you.
I love this idea and it ensures you end clean without having to
go back into the photos to delete the evidence.
This is a really simple idea, but often the simplest ideas are
the ones that make the biggest differences.
As Pete mentioned, this ensures that you end clean with
no evidence left on the phone. The way to do this is to
delete the photo while “unlocking the phone.”
You will notice when you angle the phone towards

yourself, if you tap a digit on the photograph (essentially
tapping the image) the white bars will appear at the top.
If you look at the bottom corner you will see a little picture
of a waste bin.
Click the waste bin after pretending to work out the
second digit. The audience will believe that you pressed
another digit.
You will notice that a little box pops up asking if you want
to delete the photo.
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Click the little box in place of the third digit, and the
evidence is now gone.
For the last digit you never touch the screen. You actually
press the middle button using Pete’s “Double touch” and
turn around the screen as it opens. The phone can be
handled directly back now and you don’t need to worry
about the participant finding any evidence.
Michael Murray additional idea
One of the things that Peter and I had noticed when
performing this routine is that the participant often asked
afterward, “Ok, so what was my code?”
This is obviously a big problem, because you don’t know

the code.
Here is my simple solution that is reminiscent of Pete’s

“Bob Principle.”
If the participant asks that question, simply reply with:
Performer: “Obviously, I don’t want to say it out loud for

everyone else to hear. Come hear.”
Lean in and whisper.
Performer: “I have no idea, it was just a lucky fucking

guess.”
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(Obviously, feel free to take out the profanity, but in the
right scenario it makes a big difference.)
The participant will react at this point to what you said,

making the audience believe that you, in fact, did guess the
code!
Look at the scripting: “Obviously, I don’t want to say out

loud for anyone else to hear.”
To the audience they will assume you mean the code; the
participant will think you want to hide the fact you just
pressed anything and just guessed a secret. You could lean
out and then say:
Performer: “Sometimes in life when you follow your

instincts you just get lucky.”
This stops the participant from telling anyone after you

have left that you just guessed, as you said it out loud and
therefore there would be no need. This really illustrates
working smart, not hard.

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Credits
Morgan Strebler – Additional idea
(Unreleased)
Michael Murray – Additional idea
(Unreleased)

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Your Notes/Ideas
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V
Increment control (force)

This force, as I am sure you will come to realise, is a lovely
little force.
The reason I have decided to outline this force in these
notes (if you wondered why the force was seemingly
placed in here at random) is because this force is perfect
for the first number in “Your intuition.”
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There are a number of applications for this force. Let your
imagination run wild. I am currently exploring lots of
applications for this force and will detail my findings in
my “Book of the demons”
Effect
Variation #1: The performer asks a participant to think of
a playing card.
Without any fishing the performer can name the thought
of playing card, or if desired, have it as the only card in a
completely examinable wallet.
Variation #2: The performer asks a participant to think of
any letter of the alphabet—the participant never says this
out loud.
The performer also says very little and only talks when he
is instructing the participant.
The performer then asks the participant to take that letter
and to think of a country that starts with that letter.
The performer is able to deduce the country.
Breakdown
This force can be used to force anything that goes up in
increments (or anything that goes up sequentially; i.e., 5,
10, 15), and more than that it also teaches a valuable lesson
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(I think) about how to take things that are not considered
useful within a specific art and, with a little bit of work and
refinement, make them incredible and totally practical.
The original concept goes back to the “stop force” or
“timing force” using playing cards. Don’t worry, this effect
isn’t done using any cards at all, but to understand how it
works you need to understand the timing force.
This is also referred to as the “stop force” or the “dealing

force.” To quickly refresh your memory, it’s the force
where the performer deals down the cards one at a time at
a particular pace and the performer asks the participant to
say stop at any point, which usually forces the sixth card.
The first thing I did with the force was to eliminate the
cards and to replace them with a beautiful invisible piece
of theatre. I hope you enjoy what I have done with it.
To start with I will explain how the stop force is done with
playing cards (after all, this is a great way to practice the
pacing).
At first this will seem bold, but I promise once you have
the timing down, it is so easy and will work 99% of the
time.
Take a deck of playing cards and place a force playing card
in the sixth position. When you are sitting with a
participant, start to deal down at a moderate pace.
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When you have dealt two cards, look at the subject and
say:
Performer: “Yeah, say stop.”
(Say it in a tone that suggests that they should have known
they were saying stop. Their brain will freak out at this
point and they will say stop on the sixth card.
Get the pacing down, and once you have, you can force
any number. The card they stop at will always be four
cards after you have said, “Yeah, say stop.”
That is, if you want to force the tenth card, then use the

stop line after the sixth card and then they will stop on the
tenth.)
Once you have gotten used to the pacing and you’re
comfortable, you are ready to practice the Increment Force.
Here is the scripting/difference between the Timing Force
and the Increment Force.
Performer: “In a moment when I ask you to think of

something, itʹs essential that you say nothing out loud.
“If I ask you to think of moving your arm, I donʹt want you
to do it, just think of it. Stay as inanimate as possible; donʹt
blink, nod or say anything out loud.”
(This may sound like overkill, but itʹs essential and it
ensures things go the way we want.)
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Performer: “I am going to touch the air like this (tap a full
stop in the air). Every single time I touch the air like this
(touch a different spot in the air), I want you to imagine
letters of the alphabet going up in increments.”
Here we will give the participant a demonstration.
Touch the air while simultaneously saying, “A,” touch the
air again and simultaneously say, “B,” and repeat for C.
Whilst doing this, remember the pace of dealing down the
cards as the same pace is going to apply theoretically; it is
like you are dealing invisible playing cards into the air
(without making a dealing motion).
Performer: “In a moment I am going to do this without

saying a word. The only time I will say anything is if I want
to give you an instruction. It’s essential you count in your
mind up through the letters every time I touch the air. Do
you understand that?”
This will force them to verbalise a Yes or nod their head.
When they do you want to remind them:
Performer: “Stay as still as possible and don’t say

anything.
“Are you ready?”
Start to touch the air (implying the same pace as you
would deal a playing card onto the table).
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After the second air touch, say:
Performer: “Just think stop.”
This will force the letter “F” (or somewhere in that very
near vicinity)—I rarely miss on this. Continue to touch the
air but increase the pace after a few letters, and when you
have estimated you have counted all the letters, wipe the
air clean. The number of touches really doesn’t matter as
the participant stops counting after they have thought Stop
on a particular letter.
(This will subtly suggest that you went through the entire
alphabet and the subject had the free choice to stop
anywhere. More importantly, this is beautifully theatrical.)
Address the participant:
Performer: “You are now thinking of a random letter, and
neither of us said anything out loud; everything was done
in our minds alone. Do you agree that letter was a
completely free choice?”
Performer: “I would now like you to think of a country
that starts with that letter. This ensures that there is no way
I could have somehow influenced you to think of a
country, as fate decided what letter you would stop on,
and that ultimately helped you make the decision on the
country.”
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I would like to remind you that you are not just limited to
forcing the letters in the region of the letter “F.” Here is an
example of how you could force the letter “I.”
Continue to touch the air until you point to the letter “E”
and then apply the line, “Yeah, think stop.” This would
force the letter “I.” The reason this works is it forces the
participant to just stop a few letters after the letter “E.”
If you wanted to force another letter for whatever reason,
it’s easy as long as you remember this line: “A few before.”
What do I mean by that?
I would go to the letter I wanted to force (let’s say we

wanted K). I would then count a few letters back, K – J – I
– H, and that would be the letter “H” and therefore that is
the letter on which I would apply the line.
The force for the value of a playing card would be done in
the exact same manner. I always force the Six of Clubs. I
just apply the forcing line after the number 2.
I know what you are thinking right now: that doesn’t help

you with the suit, right?
For that I apply something very simple that flies straight
under the radar that I call “Not Ed Marlo’s Snap Change.”

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Credits
Jean Hugard – Stop force
(Royal road to card magic)
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VI
Not Ed Marlo’s snap change

There are two approaches for this: one is the simple and
effective approach and the other is the bold approach. I
will let you decide which I prefer.
Variation #1
This variation is something you will have to just try to see
the effectiveness of it. It is essentially a verbal subtlety that
ensures you know the order in which the participant
changes their mind. It is a clever take on “restricting
without seeming restrictive.” The participant gets slightly
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less from this than the audience, but it flies straight under
the radar so I never worry.
Performer: “To make sure you know the four suits, can
you say them out loud for me?”
Participant: “Clubs, Hearts, Spades and Diamonds.”
Performer: “In a moment I am going to snap my fingers,
and every time I snap my fingers I just want you to cycle
through the suits.”
As you say the word “suits,” snap once close to your body,
snap a second time a few inches from the first time and
then snap a third and fourth time, each time a little farther
than the last time you snapped.
I understand that it is a very difficult instruction to

understand in text. Essentially you are nonverbally
suggesting to the participant: “Each time I snap my fingers
I want you to move to a different suit.”
Because you used a specific word in your scripting, the

word “cycle,” the participant won’t change the order of the
suits they committed to when they named them out loud
(in this example I used CHaSeD order). This means they
will constantly go around CHaSeD order (don’t worry,
there is a video link in a moment).
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For example, let’s say you want to force a Club and the
participant has said the suits out loud in CHaSeD order.
Performer: “Visualise the first suit in your mind and get
ready for me to snap my fingers.”
This will let the participant know to think of the Club and
that when you snap they are to start stepping through the
cycle they chose.
Now all you have to do is snap count along in your head.
Snap (Heart), snap (Spade), snap (Diamond).
Go around as many times as you like. Slow down on the
last few, ensuring you stop on Club.
Remember, you aren’t saying the suits out loud.
When you do, stop them on the Club and address the
participant.
Performer: “Be 100% honest, you didn’t know you would

be thinking of a playing card?”
Participant: “No, I didn’t.”
Performer: “You didn’t know that you would be changing

your mind in the order you did?”
Performer: “No.”
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Performer: “Therefore there is no way I could have known

the order in which you would have decided to change
your mind?”
Participant: “No.”
Look at how sneaky the questioning is: it will lead the
audience to believe that the participant could have
changed their mind in any order, when in fact they really
couldn’t. If you are bold you could make the participant
promise that they will not change the suit and then almost
pressure them to admit they could have changed to any
suit in any order.
Before anyone takes the word “pressure” out of context, I
don’t mean instant stooge or control/manipulate; I mean
use of clever questions like the questions above.
At this point you can openly produce (in a nonmagical

sense) the card you forced.
Additional idea
This is something that I have explored in great depth in
The Book of Demons. It is so sneaky yet completely forces
the participant to stick to the order that they chose.
It requires good audience management but is very simple;
I have used this in closeup for such a long time and I have
never had any problems.
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Stand the participant away from the group so they are
facing the group of witnesses.
After the participant has called out the four suits and you
have explained they are going to cycle through them when
you snap, face the participant for a few seconds (ensuring
the witnesses cannot see your mouth).
When you snap the first time, mouth the word “Club,”
then snap again and mouth the word “Heart,” then snap
and mouth “Spade,” snap and say “Diamond” and then
finally snap and say “Club.” NOTE: You would be
mouthing them in the order that they specified out loud.
Continue to snap and they will follow the order with no
problems whatsoever. This will ensure that they will stop
on the exact suit you would like. This is a very simple
touch, but when you take this principle and you stretch it,
there are many wonderful applications.
Variation #2
The bold variation.
I cannot for the life in me explain how I do this, but I am
accurate 95% of the time without having them say
anything out loud.
I urge you to try it my way. See how it works for you.
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I ask the participant to think of a playing card suit and then
I proclaim:
Performer: “Every time I snap my fingers I want you to

change the suit to whatever suit you feel you want to
change to.”
I start to snap my fingers at a nice pace (one that feels
comfortable) and I close my eyes and think of the suit I
would think of.
I then start to slow down my snaps and I stop when I feel
I would stop on whatever suit it is I want them to stop on.
I find this somehow works; maybe it is that we are all
similar as human beings…I don’t know!

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Credits
Devil in Disguise – Spider force

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Your Notes/Ideas
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VII
Positive actions and words speak loudly

This routine is something of which I am particularly

proud. It incorporates a lot of different techniques to
achieve the end result, but I promise the end result is
worth all of the practice.
Effect
The performer is sitting with a participant and asks her to
think about a question pertaining to a particular situation
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that is occurring in her life at the moment to which she
would like an answer.
The performer then talks to the participant. After working
out exactly how she thinks, the performer guesses her star
sign, and proceeds to tell her about herself.
After he has built a rapport with the participant, the

performer answers the question in the strangest of ways
that really proves that actions and words can make all the
difference.
Breakdown
This routine is essentially a Q+A routine with a difference:
instead of answering the question verbally, you are going
to get the participant to answer the question for
themselves using a series of hypnotic actions.
(Still ambiguous I know.) I promise all will make sense in
a moment.
There are a few factors you need to understand when

performing this routine.
The first is the most important element of Q+A: the most
important element to the participant is not the question, it
is the answer to the question.
I tend to find that the most important element to the
performer is proving that they actually deduced the
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question. In all honesty this doesn’t really matter. The

thing that is important is making the participant believe
you know what the question is, and giving them an answer
that fits the situation that they are in currently.
Once I understood this, I then realised that most situations
in life can be resolved. There are not very many situations
we get into in life that we cannot get out of in some way. I
am not saying ALL—that is very important to point out
here—as there are some situations in life where there is not
an easy resolution.
Anyway, I am going off on random tangents, but I think
this tangent will later prove to be important.
This got me thinking: if I could imply that I knew the
answer to the question and then throw out a stock line or
apply a cold reading style technique, maybe I could make
the participant believe that I answered their question.
I did it like this for some time, never actually giving
anyone any advice (as I am not qualified to do that), but
just trying to answer their question. I then realised this was
a waste to the participant, as they were still in the same
situation they were in to start with and all I had proved (to
them at least) is that I had somehow read them.
Then I realised, I do have a power. To a participant that

genuinely believes in me, whatever I say is going to have
a “white coat syndrome” effect. If they buy into the fact
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that I have some power (even if I claim I haven’t), which

does occur as their beliefs will always be their beliefs, then
my words hold a high relevance.
This got my brain ticking and I wondered to myself how I
could use this positively in a questionandanswer
scenario. I found out through trial and error something
that I am sure is not new in thinking (but hopefully my
take on it is).
I should give the power back to the participant; I should
use my words to make them believe in themselves. Often
most people just want to hear from someone else that they
are strong willed and that they have the power to move
mountains should they so wish.
In any questionandanswer scenario I found that I could
simply just remind them that they had the power to do
anything that they wish, or resolve any situation with
some clear thinking and willpower. Obviously this doesn’t
read as anything exciting or ground breaking, but when
you realise how I make them realise this, I think you will
understand the power of this. Now that you know my
thought process up until this point, let’s take a look at the
full performance and then break it into sections (I am
going to streamline the star sign section for ease of
reading).
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Full performance
Performer: “Hello, Jess. Thank you for joining me. I really
do appreciate it. How are you?”
Jess: “I am great, thank you. How are you?”
Performer: “I am great, thanks. I would like to get to know
you, Jess. Just so I can get a feel for you as a person, what
is it that you do for a living?”
Jess: “I am an administrative clerk.”
Performer: “Obviously that sort of role requires you to be

headstrong and decisive and to be the sort of person that
would be trusted with a lot of responsibility.”
Jess: “Yeah, that’s right.”
Performer: “I bet it can be overwhelming at times, the
amount of pressure others put on you, and I bet it feels like
you are almost doing everyone else’s work.”
Jess: “It really does.”
Performer: “I want to share with you something

interesting, Jess. I very rarely do this, but I feel you are the
sort of person that would really understand this and take
nothing but positive things from it.”
Jess: “Okay.”
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Performer: “No matter how individualistic we believe we

are as people, and no matter how alone we feel from time
to time, there is one thing that connects us all. Do you
know what that is, Jess?”
Jess: “No.”
Performer: “The fact is that every single one of us has one

stress or situation going on in our lives that we push so far
to the back of our minds we pretend it is almost non
existent. That’s what we do as people: we try to hide it and
to pretend it is not there.
“I would like to give you a gift, Jess, one that you will take
with you and hopefully remember for the rest of your life.
Before I can give you this gift, I would like you to do
something for me.
“I want you to think of a scenario that is going on in your
life right now and to think of a question you could ask me
surrounding that scenario. An example of that might be:
‘Will I meet the man of my dreams?’ Or, ‘I am struggling
with xx at the moment. How do I resolve it?’
“Please don’t think of anything healthrelated or anything

to do with someone passing, as I really am not able to
answer those questions. Take a few seconds to think about
it. I am never going to ask you to say this question out
loud, but I am going to answer this question.
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“The answer I give you to this question, you will

completely understand. This way it protects your privacy
as no one else here will know the question you would like
to ask me.
“Do you have a question in mind?”
Jess: “I do.”
Performer: “Now before I even attempt to give you an

answer to the question, let me at least prove that I am
getting to know you somewhat.
“I feel that you are a very intuitive person…” (The

performer continues to read the participant.)
Performer: “There is really only one star sign that could

represent you. You are an Aquarius, right?”
Jess: “I am!”
Performer: “Now that I feel I know you a little better I

think I am ready to answer the question. Have you ever
heard the expression: ‘a problem shared is a problem
halved’?”
Jess: “I have.”
Performer: “Well, as you know, my job is to read thoughts,
and whilst you have not said anything out loud, I hope you
seek some comfort in knowing I am reading you loud and
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clearly. I understand your problem and I have been in this
type of scenario before.
“I know you have been doubting yourself recently, almost
feeling like you have to paint on a smile. I want to remind
you of a few things; these few things will completely
answer your question.
“I have in the past been in a place where I felt so low, like
the weight of the world was on my shoulders, that I didn’t
feel like going outside to face the world in the morning. I
have felt that I just couldn’t get around to solving my
problems and most definitely could not see solutions. It
was only in hindsight that I realised that most actions stem
from a thought.
“Negative thoughts create negative and null actions. Let

me show you what I mean.
“Can I please borrow your hand?”
Jess passes the performer her hand. The performer pushes
Jess’ hand onto the table top.
Performer: “I want you to think of the feelings I am talking

about right now. I want you to, in your mind, put yourself
into a scenario where you felt like this.
“You will notice the moment you start to do this that your
hand will become heavier. The more negative the thought,
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Peter Turner
the heavier and heavier it becomes. Give me a nod when
you feel your hand getting heavier.”
Jess nods.
Performer: “We can often get so bogged down by negative

thought that we end up not being able to do anything at
all. Give me a nod when you just know your hand is stuck
solid.”
Jess nods.
Performer: “With these negative thoughts in mind, Jess,

try to lift your hand and you will find you cannot. Just try
to lift it.”
Jess tries to lift her hand from the table and it is stuck solid.
Performer: “The harder you try with negative thoughts in
mind the harder it is to do anything at all.”
Jess tries harder to lift her hand to no avail.
Performer: “Relax from trying, Jess, or you will strain

yourself; your hand is going to remain locked to the table.
I want to show you something. I now want you to think of
something positive that you have going on in your life,
something that gives you a feeling of happiness. Take a
few seconds, close your eyes and really imagine how this
makes you feel on the inside.
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“When you can fully feel the warm feeling, open your
eyes.”
Jess opens her eyes.
Performer: “With these positive thoughts you should feel

you can do anything. Positive thoughts help us feel on top
of the world. They make us want to get out of bed in the
morning and make it a pleasure to walk out of the door
and to take in a breath of fresh air. With these new
thoughts in mind, try lifting your hand and seeing what
happens now.”
Jess is very easily able to lift her hand from the table!
Performer: “That goes to show you just how strong

positive thought is. I would like to go a step farther with
your permission, Jess.”
Jess: “That is fine with me.”
Performer: “I would like to share with you the power of

words. I have shown you that it is often negative thoughts
that can affect the way that we act.
“It is more often than not the things that we say that affect
the way that others act. You can make or break someone
else’s day just by the exchange of a few words. I am of the
belief that if you have nothing positive to say, you
shouldn’t say it all.
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Peter Turner
“I would like you to metaphorically take a look at yourself
and to make a judgement. Think of something you don’t
like about yourself.
“I would like you to let these words reverberate around
your mind. In a moment I am going to have you try to say
these words and I am going to use positive will to stop
you. You will notice whilst these negative words float
around your mind they create negative thoughts. Just like
your hand became stuck to the table a few moments ago,
your words will get stuck in your mouth, and no matter
how hard you try to say these negative words, you won’t
be able to get the words out of your mouth.
“You can feel yourself becoming tongue tied the more you
think about these words.
“Try and say these thoughts.”
Jess tries to speak, and no matter how hard she tries the
words won’t come out of her mouth. She tries harder and
harder, and the more she tries the more her mouth
becomes stuck solid.
Performer: “Relax for a second, Jess. Don’t panic, take a

deep breath in and, whilst relaxing, think of one of your
strong qualities. Think of one thing you love the most
about yourself.
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“Let this reverberate around your head for a few seconds.
You will notice that positive words create positive
thoughts. I am going to ask you to say whatever it is you
are thinking of out loud for me. I want you to be confident
when you say it.
“Give me a nod when you are ready, Jess.”
Jess nods.
The performer smiles like he knows something that

everyone else does not.
Performer: “Jess, when you are ready say what it is you

have to say and don’t worry about anyone else.”
Jess: “I am a strongminded and reliable person.”
Performer: “I want you to shout that for me, Jess, at the top

of your voice. Don’t worry about anyone else.”
Jess: “I AM A STRONGMINDED AND RELIABLE

PERSON!”
Performer: “Perfect! Jess, I know you are about to

approach a crossroads in your life where you are about to
make a very important decision. If you take into account
how strong you are as a person and approach that decision
with positive thought and you use your words positively,
you have the power to overcome any situation life throws
at you.
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Peter Turner
“The answer to your question is simple, Jess. It’s you.”
The performer leans in and hugs Jess.
FIN
I hope the ending of this routine made the hairs stand up
on the back of your neck. I am a massive believer in
showing a process, and if you answer a question,
answering it verbally is fine, but isn’t it a little bit more
exciting when you use their actions to really hammer
home your point?
This routine will take a lot of work and is not something
that is going to happen every single time, but with the
right participant and approaching this with the right frame
of mind, you can make this happen a good majority of the
time. I will provide an “out” for this routine for the people
that are worried about this failing.
I never worry about anything failing. I feel that the

moment I worry something is going to fail in life, which is
the moment things often go to shit.
I think the moral of this routine really does apply within
mentalism as well: “Positive thoughts create positive
actions, and the words we say really do affect the way that
someone else acts.”
Let’s break this down into sections to make the process of

learning this easier.
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I will start by going through the performance almost like a
director and pointing out the bits of relevance. Also, when
I get to the star sign section I will point out the system that
I use (there are three main divinations that I use).
Performer: “Hello, Jess. Thank you for joining me. I really
do appreciate it. How are you?”
Jess: “I am fine, thank you. And yourself?”
The notes you will see in bold are the bits in the
performance where I see a particular relevance.
You will notice that I open by thanking Jess for her time
and asking her how she is. I find this is something that
is ultimately missing from a good chunk of performance:
social niceties. Going out of your way to become
acquainted properly with your participant takes only a
second but makes a massive difference in building
rapport. That is something that is needed massively in
this routine.
Performer: “I am great, thanks for asking. Jess, just so I can
get a feel for you as a person, what is it that you do for a
living?”
Jess: “I am an administrative clerk.”
Performer: “Obviously that sort of role requires you to be

headstrong and decisive and be the sort of person that
would be trusted with a lot of responsibility.”
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Peter Turner
Jess: “Yeah, that’s right.”
Performer: “I bet it can be overwhelming at times, the

amount of pressure others put on you, and I bet it feels like
you are almost doing everyone else’s work.”
Jess: “It really does.”
You will notice that I ask the participant what they do for
a living and then, based on their answer, make a
judgement. I would call this a trademark in my work.
There is a reason why I do this.
A few years ago I was filming a pilot with a television
company in Leeds and we went out for a day on the
streets. Back then I didn’t have an iota of the knowledge
I have now, and it really showed when I was working on
camera. There was a director/producer that worked with
me called Paul Stead.
He was a man that didn’t mince his words; if he didn’t

like something, you were the first person to know about
it. He kept saying to me time and time again, talk to the
person and ask them why they are in town. Try to find
something out about them before just moving straight
into a routine. At the time I couldn’t understand what
relevance this had to anything until I started to watch
videos of me performing.
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I realised that all I cared about was showcasing the effect
and didn’t seem to have a care for my participants. The
pilot was a flop and the material on there was terrible. I
was young, I was naïve and I hadn’t learnt some of the
life lessons I have learnt now.
You may wonder why I am telling you this.
I always try to share a small part of me in each book so
that the reader (you) gets to know a small part about me.
The first thing about me that people get to learn is that I
am constantly refining myself; when something is bad I
take it on board and actively try to better myself. I know
I am not perfect and I have a hell of a lot to learn. This
was one lesson that took me nearly a year to learn, and I
didn’t learn it till I started working as a consultant.
I understood when I started watching other people

perform as Paul suggested. The participant was more
willing to do whatever it is you wanted them to do and
to take it seriously if you treated them like human
beings. I think now I may overcompensate sometimes
(who knows?).
But it really is a valid point. Ask them how they are; ask
them what they do for a living. This leads me to throw
out a small line about their job (which is really tailor
made) that suggests I know things about them and
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Peter Turner
implies that whatever they tell me will lead me to know
a little more about them.
Performer: “I want to share with you something

interesting, Jess. I very rarely do this but I feel you are the
sort of person that would really understand this and take
nothing but positive things from it.”
I have employed a very simple yet very smart line here:
“I rarely do this, but I feel you are the sort of person that
will really understand this.”
It suggests that this is something that very few people
will ever get to experience and it also implies that the
participant is perfect for this. It is essential you make
them believe that they are essential for this sort of
routine as it really helps later on. You also let them know
it will be positive. I will explain why this line is
important later on.
Jess: “Okay.”
Performer: “No matter how individualistic we believe we

are as people and no matter how alone we feel from time
to time, there is one thing that connects us all. Do you
know what that is, Jess?”
Jess: “No.”
Performer: “The fact is that every single one of us has one

stress or situation going on in our lives that we push so far
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When in Rome
to the back of our minds we pretend it is almost non
existent. That’s what we do as people: we try to hide it and
to pretend it is not there.
“I would like to give you a gift, Jess, one that you will take
with you and hopefully remember for the rest of your life.
Before I can give you this gift, I would like you to do
something for me.
“I want you to think of a scenario that is going on in your
life right now and to think of a question you could ask me
surrounding that scenario. An example of that might be:
‘Will I meet the man of my dreams?’ Or, ‘I am struggling
with xx at the moment. How do I resolve it?’
“Please don’t think of anything healthrelated or anything

to do with someone passing, as I really am not able to
answer those questions. Take a few seconds to think about
it. I am never going to ask you to say this question out
loud, but I am going to answer this question.
“The answer I give you to this question, you will

completely understand. This way it protects your privacy
as no one else here will know the question you would like
to ask me.
“Do you have a question in mind?”
Jess: “I do.”
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Peter Turner
Performer: “Now before I even attempt to give you an

answer to the question, let me at least prove that I am
getting to know you somewhat.
“I feel that you are a very intuitive person…” (The

performer continues to read the participant.)
Performer: “There is really only one star sign that could

represent you. You are an Aquarius, right?”
Jess: “I am!”
The star sign section scripting above is, as I mentioned,
cut down. Here is exactly how I would do it in
performance. The first system is my take on the classic
anagram.
The anagram I am offering here is NOT my anagram, it is
Bob Farmer’s (it may go back earlier than that). What I am
simply offering is my take on how to present the anagram.
I am going to write the presentation for the star sign
Capricorn and then outline how the anagram works.
I believe this will show you how clean anagrams can look
when done correctly. I will first outline the presentation
with just the anagram, then I will outline the anagram and,
finally, I will add pieces of performance/script around it to
help disguise the anagram a little more with a “time
delay.”
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You will notice that the scripting is what makes the
anagram beautiful.
Just before I move into the anagram, let me point out a few
things that I didn’t like about a letter anagram in
conjunction with a star sign.
The first question I always asked myself was, what the hell
does seeing the word have to do with star signs? When you
think about something people consider so emotionally
relevant, how can you formulate that to just guess the
word and almost make it scientific?
That was the first thing I didn’t like; it didn’t make any
sense to me. The second thing was throwing out the letters
in a random order. I never liked that; again, it was
something that didn’t make any sense to me. Lastly, when
it came down to the two star signs, I wanted it handled
beautifully and to make it feel like I really was feeling them
as a person.
So I created viable reasons that were logical to wash away
the things I didn’t like with the anagram. You might think
I was running when not being chased; I would argue that
I am just going the extra mile.
So how did I remedy the problems? I hope you enjoy my
take on star sign anagramming.
Performer: “Do you believe in the Zodiac or horoscopes?”
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Peter Turner
Performer: “I certainly believe it is a fascinating subject. I

am a massive believer in the fact that even though the stars
are thousands of miles away, they really can and do have
an effect on our lives here and now.
“I would like to read you, with your permission of course,
to not only intuit your star sign, but to learn about you
during that process.”
Participant: “That is fine with me.”
Performer: “We might be a little bit rocky in places, but

this is nothing more that connection building. Building a
connection emotionally and mentally can take years, as I
am sure you know, and I have only known you a matter of
minutes. All I need you to do is imagine for me your star
sign written in the air. I want you to imagine looking over
all of the letters of your star sign and just beaming them
towards me. The better you can imagine this the easier this
will be for me.
“There is one thing I will point out: because you have not
mentally transmitted a piece of information before, I am
almost certain I will not pick up on the letters in any
specific order. I will just pick up on the ones your
subconscious is focusing on the most at the time.
“Can I take your hands?”
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The participant gives you her hands.
Performer: “Don’t say anything unless I ask you a direct

question. Focus on your star sign written in the air
between us…like…LEO. Are you seeing it there?”
Participant: “I am.”
Performer: “Great, then we can begin. The first thing I am

feeling is there is an R in this, correct?”
Performer: “There also an A.”
Performer: “I am getting slightly confused now, like the

connection has weakened slightly. There is not a letter I in
the star sign, is there?”
Performer: “You are doing perfectly, though I might in a
moment have to resort to you focusing on the picture of
this star sign. Is there an ‘S’ in there?”
Performer: “Ok, can you just in your mind count the
number of letters in the star sign for me?”
The participant starts to count.
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Performer: “In fact, please focus on this as an image if you

can.”
The participant starts to focus.
Performer: “Wow, this is much better; a wealth of

information has just flooded in. (I would usually add
scripts here but I will do this later.) I now know you focus
on things aesthetically instead of analytically.
“You’re a Capricorn, correct?”
Participant: “I am!”
It’s as simple as that. What I have done is created a logical

explanation for a lot of the flaws that I found in common
star sign anagrams. Let me point out the star sign anagram
I use and then I will go back over the presentation and
break it down piece by piece to show you why I applied
certain excuses and washes.
The anagram
You will be throwing out these letters in this sequence:
R. A. I. S. E. the word (RAISE)
A lot of people use “R.I.A.S.E.” I have found from a

presentational point of view it is easier to remember and
flows nicer using “Raise.”
So let’s look at this in an anagram.
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R – No – Leo, Pisces, Gemini
|
A – No – Virgo, Scorpio
|
I – No – Cancer, Taurus
|
S – No – Libra, Capricorn
|
E – No – Aquarius, Sagittarius
|
Aries
The chart is incredibly easy to follow. You say a letter and
if you get a No you move to the right; if you get a Yes you
move down the chart to the next letter.
This is it in its simplest form. With presentation it becomes
so much more, so let’s look at our example of “Capricorn”
again and break it down bit by bit so you can see my
thinking.
Performer: “Do you believe in the Zodiac or horoscopes?”
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Asking this question is the start of the anagramming

process. I will base my performance on the participant’s
answer. I want to create instant rapport, and therefore the
way to do it is to essentially agree with their viewpoint. No
performance of mine is ever the same.
In this performance the participant does; this is the scenario
I find occurs the most frequently. If the participant says No,
make judgement on their answer in a positive way. What
do I mean by that?
Let’s say they say No. Respond with, “That tells me you are

a logical thinker that tries to see the systematic side of
things. That’s great, and I think what I am about to show
you will fit perfectly with the way you think.”
You have complimented them for thinking this way,

therefore keeping rapport instead of brushing against the
way they think.
If the person is on the fence about believing, I might say,
“Are you open to experiencing something new and exciting
that might change your viewpoint?” Then move into the
line below about the stars.
Performer: “I certainly believe it is a fascinating subject. I am

a massive believer in the fact that even though the stars are
thousands of miles away, they really can and do have an
effect on our lives here and now.
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“I would like to read you, with your permission of course, to
not only intuit your star sign, but to learn about you during
that process.”
I ask for the participant’s permission to read them. This

suggests that what I am doing is private, and there must be
something about to be read, because if you weren’t really
going to get inside their mind, why would you ask that
question? It gives what you are about to do an instant air of
credibility and at the same time I think it is theatrically
nice.
Participant: “That is fine with me.”
In this scenario the person said Yes; if the person ever says
No, then respect their wishes.
Performer: “We might be a little bit rocky in places, but this

is nothing more that connection building. Building a
connection emotionally and mentally can take years, as I am
sure you know, and I have only known you a matter of
minutes.”
This is giving you a logical early excuse for getting a No in
performance. In this system you will only ever get one No
answer. Most systems you get two. I have taken principles
from outside of this that fit perfectly to only ever get one
No answer, and the one you do get is in such a logical place
it will never be remembered. I always hated being
seemingly wrong after you have been right so many times,
and that was one of the main faults with anagrams. Now I
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never worry, because the excuse above is more than enough
after they agree with it to even think about a miss. In fact,
it opens the doors to you being bolder.
Performer: “All I need you to do is imagine for me your star
sign written in the air. I want you to imagine looking over all
of the letters of your star sign and just beaming them towards
me. The better you can imagine this the easier this will be for
me.
almost certain I will not pick up on the letters in any specific
order. I will just pick up on the ones your subconscious is
focusing on the most at the time.”
Again, another pet hate of mine when anagramming is the
seemingly random nature of picking up on letters. We don’t
focus on words in a random order, so why would we receive
them in a random order?
I thought about it, and this seemed very plausible and it
gave me an excuse for receiving them in a random order.
Performer: “Can I take your hands?”
This is theatrical but suggests to the participant that some
connection has been created. Why would you do it if it
hadn’t?
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question. Focus on your star sign written in the air between
us…like…LEO. Are you seeing it there?”
This is a very important section; the timing is essential

here. I first mute the participant—remember at this
moment in time we don’t know what the participant’s star
sign is. If we get a No on the letter R, you will see looking
at the anagram there are three star signs it could be (Leo,
Gemini, Pisces). I need to eliminate one of those star signs
before any letter is ever thrown out.
The reason for ensuring the participant never says a word
is to stop them from saying, “That isn’t my star sign,” when
you throw out Leo. With that in mind, let’s look at why and
how I throw out Leo, as the timing of this is essential.
If you take a look at the scripts there is a slight pause before
the word “like” and then again a pause before I throw out
“Leo.” The reason for this is if the participant’s star sign is
Leo, they will react as though you got it right. If they do not
react straight away as though to say, “How did you do
that?” then you need to quickly respond with, “Are you
seeing YOUR sign in the air?”
Slightly emphasize YOUR, which suggests that you know
Leo isn’t their sign and you were just using it as an
example. If it is Leo, this is a miracle and then you move
into the reading from here. If not, move straight on.
Participant: “I am.”
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I discuss the importance of the word “feeling” in this book
somewhere. (These are notes; they get moved so much I
couldn’t outline where.) I throw out the first letter.
In this scenario it is a hit; if in the eventuality it is not a hit,
there is no worry there. Move straight into the line about
focusing on this as a picture (outlined in this example after
the letter S). For demonstration purposes, let’s say they had
said No; then the signs would now be Pisces or Gemini. I
would use Derren’s “Repeat It Principle”: focus on your
picture and, while focusing on the picture, just keep saying
the title of the picture over and over like Pisces, Pisces,
Pisces. If they react you instantly jump on it with, “I was
feeling that was your sign.” If they do not react, simply
respond with, “Just repeat it over and over again like that.”
Now you know they are a Gemini. Seemingly, a miracle has
taken place. In this scenario there is an R in Capricorn. So
we would move on.
Performer: “There is also an A.”

connection has weakened slightly. There is not a letter I in the
star sign, is there?”
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This is another important line. By claiming you are getting
slightly confused, it gives you leeway for a miss.
Remember, probability is saying that the farther you get
down the anagram, the greater the chance there is of getting
the response of a No from the participant. I have taken this
into account and have offered yet another logical
excuse/reminder to wash away the No, and also I have, if
you have noticed, applied a closed question.
The closed question is: “There is not a letter I in the star

sign, is there?”
Say this with a little bit of a confused tone, and no matter
what they answer it doesn’t matter. Look at the question
again. If they answer with a Yes or a No, depending on
what you counter with, it will always be perceived as a hit.
For example, and for full explanation, let’s say they
respond, “No, there isn’t an I.” Quickly counter with, “I
wasn’t sure I was seeing one,” and now you would move
into the “focus on this as a picture” line. It’s never
seemingly a miss. I have had, on one occasion (after
mentioning I am losing my connection), the participant’s
phone begin to ring, and when the participant stopped it I
said, “Ah, that explains why. That really threw me off.
Where were we?” giving me a logical reason for getting a
No later as you can point out that the phone interrupted you
and you needed to refocus.
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In this book, I have also applied this as a principle (I
couldn’t tell you where, but it is definitely in here). In this
scenario we got a Yes.
Performer: “I might in a moment have to resort to you

focusing on the picture of this star sign. Is there an ‘S’ in
there?”
I am just topping up a suggestion I have made several times
throughout this anagram. I am suggesting that I might fail
at any moment. I have also created an excuse should it fail
to shift the way the participant thinks, almost blaming
them if I do get a No. In this scenario we are going to get a
No now. See how I deal with it.
Performer: “Ok, can you just in your mind count the number
of letters in the star sign for me?”
The participant starts to count.
Performer: “In fact, please focus on this as an image if you

can.”
The participant starts to focus.
Here I apply Michael Murray’s “CUPS Principle” (outlined

in this book). I would for any other letter apply Derren’s
“Repeat It in Your Mind Principle,” but as I strive for
seeming perfection on this letter I use this principle. I
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notice the participant is struggling to count. Had it been
Libra it would have been instantaneous, and I cut them off
after giving them a few seconds and continue.
Performer: “Wow, this is much better; a wealth of

information has just flooded in. (I would usually add scripts
here but I will do this later.) I now know you focus on things
aesthetically instead of analytically.
I now claim that a wealth of information has come through
based on them thinking in a different way. This gives you
a perfect example now to read the person and at the same
time wash away the miss by simply claiming to have
discovered how the participant thinks. Remember, you told
the participant at the start that you needed to find the
connection.
Performer: “You’re a Capricorn, correct?”
You now nail the star sign. Your work here is done, you
have gained your credibility and you have with no props
collected several pieces of information about the
participant that you may not have known before.
Now with all that in mind, let’s take a look at the reading of

the person based on their star sign. I have gone into a lot of
detail about this in the “Readings” section of the book, so for
the purpose of explanation let me go into the reading of a
“Capricorn” and explain how I would look at it.
So first, what is a Capricorn?
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It is essentially a goat with a mermaid’s tail (that is what I see
when I look at it).
What unique qualities does a goat have?
Well, it can climb up any obstacle no matter how steep and
rocky. It is also relaxed unless pressured and backed into a
corner.
What qualities does a mermaid have?
It is mysterious, it is rarely seen and it’s relaxed and placid.
It very rarely gets out of the water and is also known to be
alluring and intelligent.
I also know that a Capricorn is an earth sign. Let’s take these

simple qualities, mix them together and base a reading on
them.
You are the sort of person that has had so many obstacles and
curve balls thrown at you in the past that you have adapted
to being metaphorically quick on your feet and have learnt
how to overcome most of whatever life throws at you. I also
feel with you there is a sense of constantly refining and
aiming high; you are always aiming to better yourself and are
not afraid to be honest with yourself. I feel because of this
you bottle things up when portraying your feelings to others,
and I bet it can often feel like your emotions can get the better
of you at times.
You keep people at a distance and very few people get to see
the real you; based on negative past experience, it’s almost
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like there is an air of mystery that surrounds you. I say all of
that in a real pleasant sense of course; it’s almost an air of
cheekiness. You are a very grounded person that is the goto
person when people are forced to make decisions, and I bet
at times that can be weighty, carrying everyone else’s
problems.
I am certain for sure now. There is no other star sign that
could represent you other than “Capricorn.”
As you can see, I just took the description of the drawing and
turned it into a reading. Not much to it; reading is not all
about doing this (as you will notice reading the readings
section), but it makes a massive difference.
This concludes the way that I tend to anagram. I will also
outline how to make an anagram later on in these notes and
how I tend to think about them to try and detract from the
letters. In the case of a star sign, it is a difficult thing to
avoid.
The star sign is now revealed and you proceed with the
routine.
Performer: “Now that I feel I know you a little better I think
I am ready to answer the question. Have you ever heard the
expression: ‘a problem shared is a problem halved’?”
Jess: “I have.”
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Performer: “Well, as you know, my job is to read thoughts,
and whilst you have not said anything out loud, I hope you
seek some comfort in knowing I am reading you loud and
clearly. I understand your problem and I have been in this
type of scenario before.”
This is, I feel, a beautiful piece of scripting because if the
participant genuinely believes you are reading their
thoughts, then it will comfort them to know you have read
the question from them and that you empathise.
I also suggest in my scripting here that I have been in this
scenario before. I do this for two reasons: one, it suggests I
can actually see the scenario they are in; if not, why would
I mention it; and two, it suggests that I have been in a
similar situation and therefore I have a right to be able to
answer the question and talk about it without them feeling
uncomfortable. Again, this is rapport building.
Performer: “I know you have been doubting yourself

recently, almost feeling like you have to paint on a smile. I
want to remind you of a few things; these few things will
completely answer your question.”
Try to get some sort of reaction here. I don’t mean a reaction

like a wow or a reaction to the effect; I mean a confirmation,
some sign, that they agree with what you are saying.
Performer: “I have in the past been in a place where I felt so
low, like the weight of the world was on my shoulders, that I
didn’t feel like going outside to face the world in the
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morning. I have felt that I just couldn’t get around to solving

my problems and most definitely could not see solutions. It
was only in hindsight that I realised that most actions stem
from a thought.
“Negative thoughts create negative and null actions. Let me
show you what I mean.”
This is a slight linguistic dual reality as the

audience/witnesses will understand that as you are reading
the participant and that is what they are experiencing (and
it might well be). To the participant if it is, they will accept
it as so; if not they will take it as a statement of how you
have felt in the past and nothing more. It helps them to
sympathise with you and makes them more suggestible to
what is about to come.
Performer: “Can I please borrow your hand?”
Jess passes the performer her hand. The performer pushes

Jess’ hand onto the table top.
Performer: “I want you to think of the feelings I have just

been talking about. I want you in your mind to put yourself
into a scenario where you felt like this.
“You will notice the moment you start to do this that your
hand will become heavier. The more negative the thought,
the heavier and heavier it becomes. Give me a nod when you
feel your hand getting heavier.”
Jess nods.
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This is a classic “hand stick,” but it has a premise and a

purpose. The idea of sticking someone’s hand to the table
seems like a daunting thing to someone who has never
done it. If there is any time you are going to trust me it has
to be here. It is selfworking (well, to a degree); all it
requires is trust in yourself and getting the participant to
confirm that they feel it getting heavier. This is not set up
as a challenge, so there is no reason for the participant to
try and go against you at this point. Just follow the scripts
I have provided and you will find this will work.
If it doesn’t the first time, don’t be disheartened. Keep

trying it; it will I promise!
Performer: “We can often get so bogged down by negative

thought that we end up not being able to do anything at all.
Give me a nod when you just know your hand is stuck solid.”
Jess nods.
You are practically asking the participant to give you

confirmation that they cannot move their hand, that it
really is stuck solidly. When they do this proceed.
Performer: “With these negative thoughts in mind, Jess, try

to lift your hand and you will find you cannot. Just try to lift
it.”
This is the bold moment, if the participant has given you
the nod to let you know they are not going to move their
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hand. They should not move it. That is the real secret here:
trust in yourself and your participant management skills.
Jess tries to lift her hand from the table and it is stuck solidly
to the table.
Performer: “The harder you try with negative thoughts in

mind, the harder it is to do anything at all.”
Jess tries harder to lift her hand to no avail.
It is essentially your words that are ensuring the

participant’s hand is stuck to the table. This sentence
reinforces the suggestion, and if in the scenario where the
participant is playing along (I have had this happen), they
know not to lift it.
Performer: “Relax from trying, Jess, or you will strain

yourself; your hand is going to remain locked to the table. I
want to show you something. I now want you to think of
something positive that you have going on in your life,
something that gives you a feeling of happiness. Take a few
seconds, close your eyes and really imagine how this makes
you feel on the inside.
“When you can fully feel the warm feeling, open your eyes.”
Jess opens her eyes.
This is the bit where you need to be clever linguistically.
You need to suggest to everyone else that they could
damage themselves should they persist in trying to lift
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their arm and at the same time ensure that the participant
keeps their hand on the table after they have relaxed it.
We don’t want them prematurely lifting up their arm and

ruining the next bit of the effect. You will notice I apply the
“Confirmation Principle” when I ask the participant to
open their eyes when they imagine how a positive thought
makes them feel. This is very clever because once you ask
the participant to close their eyes, they have to open them
at some point. Even if the participant doesn’t get a feeling,
when there are people watching them they will feel
inclined to open them at some point, confirming to
everyone else that they must have felt something.
Performer: “With these positive thoughts you should feel

you can do anything. Positive thoughts help us feel on top of
the world. They make us want to get out of bed in the
morning and make it a pleasure to walk out of the door and
to take in a breath of fresh air. With these new thoughts in
mind, try lifting your hand and seeing what happens now.”
Jess is very easily able to lift her hand from the table!
There are a few clever bits of scripting here, some for the
benefit of the participant and some for the benefit of the
audience/witnesses. The most important word in the
scripting above is the word “now.” The reason the word
“now” is so important is that is suggests that there is a
difference from a moment ago (even though there is not).
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Performer: “That goes to show you just how strong positive

thought is. I would like to go a step farther with your
permission, Jess.”
Jess: “That is fine with me.”
Again, here I am applying a “Matrix moment,” where the

participant gets the choice to continue. I have never had a
participant say they would not like to continue. The choice
is purely theatrical and if you do get a No, then just move
straight into the ending of the routine, skipping the
“Preventing the participant from speaking” phase. I find it
also helps in making the participant more suggestive, as
you have told them you are going to be “upping” what
happens, and when they agree to it, it is almost like them
accepting that something bigger is going to happen before
it happens.
Performer: “I would like to share with you the power of

words. I have shown you that it is often negative thoughts
that can affect the way that we act.
“It is more often than not the things that we say that affect
the way that others act. You can make or break someone
else’s day just by the exchange of a few words. I am of the
belief that if you have nothing positive to say, you shouldn’t
say it all.”
I am going to cut in here because this is essential to the
method. With this last line, “If you have nothing positive
to say then you shouldn’t say it at all,” you are practically
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suggesting to them what is about to happen. You are telling
them it goes against your beliefs and the last thing they are
going to want to do in a moment is to go against what it is
that you believe in. This should stop them from speaking
as it is easier to say nothing at all.
Performer: “I would like you to metaphorically take a look at
yourself and to make a judgement. Think of something you
don’t like about yourself.
“I would like you to let these words reverberate around your
mind. In a moment I am going to have you try to say these
words and I am going to use positive will to stop you. You
will notice whilst these negative words float around your
mind they create negative thoughts. Just like your hand
became stuck to the table a few moments ago, your words
will get stuck in your mouth, and no matter how hard you
try to say these negative words, you won’t be able to get the
words out of your mouth.
“You can feel yourself becoming tongue tied the more you

think about these words.
“Try and say these thoughts.”
Essentially you are reminding them about the hand,

reminding them that the hand got stuck and letting them
know that this is no different—it is just occurring in a
different place.
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Jess tries to speak and no matter how hard she tries the words
won’t come out of her mouth. She tries harder and harder,
and the more she tries the more her mouth becomes stuck
solid.
Performer: “Relax for a second, Jess. Don’t panic, take a deep

breath in and, whilst relaxing, think of one of your strong
qualities. Think of one thing you love the most about
yourself.
“Let this reverberate around your head for a few seconds.

You will notice that positive words create positive thoughts.
I am going to ask you to say whatever it is you are thinking
of out loud for me. I want you to be confident when you say
it.
“Give me a nod when you are ready, Jess.”
Jess nods.
This is important. You do not want the participant to say
they are ready out loud! This would totally destroy this bit
of the routine. I ask them to make an action (a nod) when
they are ready to talk. This prevents them from having to
say anything out loud.
The performer smiles like he knows something that everyone
else does not.
Performer: “Jess, when you are ready, say what it is you have
to say and don’t worry about anyone else.”
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Jess: “I am a strongminded and reliable person.”
The first time the participant says this out loud they are
likely to just say it. Smile at them when they say it out loud,
almost like you are proud of them for saying this out loud.
Performer: “I want you to shout that for me, Jess, at the top

of your voice. Don’t worry about anyone else.”
Jess: “I AM A STRONGMINDED AND RELIABLE

PERSON!”
This is the hardest bit of the routine in my opinion, getting
them to shout this out loud for the world to hear. When they
get this off of their chest, trust me, they will feel amazing!
Performer: “Perfect! Jess, I know you are about to approach
a crossroads in your life where you are about to make a very
important decision.
“I want to let you know that if you take into account how
strong you are as a person, and approach that decision with
positive thought, and you use your words positively in
whatever situation you find yourself in, you have the power
to overcome any situation life throws at you and to achieve
anything that you set your mind to.
“The answer to your question is simple, Jess. It’s you.”
The performer leans in and hugs Jess.
I have found (as many performers have witnessed) that

whenever I give an emotional reading or perform a piece
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that evokes a feeling afterward, a female will be the one

that leans in and hugs me, not me hugging her. I feel that is
a sure sign that they really have appreciated your time.
Additional ideas
This is just a quick thought when anagramming the star

sign. I have noticed something very interesting that I have
actually used without thinking within performance that
this type of anagramming opened up.
Each step of the way, other than the Capricorn/Libra

ending, there is a little subtlety that I think makes a
massive, massive difference to the deduction process.
You must simply ask when it comes down to the two
drawings, “Can you see your sign as a drawing for me?”
If you follow the anagram you will see why this is so great.
If there is any hesitation whatsoever you instantly know
the star sign (most of the time).
Another subtle thing I have started doing, which really

adds to the presentation and kills the first star sign instead
of just throwing it out in the hopes that it hits is by stating
at the start:
Performer: “Wouldn’t it be interesting if coincidentally we

were the same sign?
“I am a Leo…”
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If they react, follow with: “Great, I had a feeling we shared
some specific qualities, and that’s why I had to mention
it.”
If they say they are not, simply say:
Performer: “It would have been interesting if you were.

We would have shared some specific characteristics and
traits.”
Then just proceed. I have found this ties in a lot nicer when
presenting the anagram. The participant strangely gives
you the reaction when they are!

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Credits
Bob Farmer – What’s my sign?
Michael Murray – CUPS
Alain Nu – Astrologic
Doug Dyment – Anagram

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Your Notes/Ideas
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VIII
Why star signs?

It may come as no surprise to people reading this book that
I adore starsign divinations. I am going to outline a few
different things I do with star signs so you are prepared in
any situation.
You might not, in all honesty, have liked starsign

divinations in the past or used them, and it begs the
question: why?
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I find that they are such an easy thing to divine, and
simultaneously they open up so many windows in terms
of giving the person a reading about themselves.
They are prop free, any place, any time, pieces of
information that a good majority of the time people know
(especially females). Try them for me; I promise they are
worth learning.
Here was a turning point for me in loving all things
Zodiac. I was in a nightclub with Mark Chandau and I had
a line of people waiting for me to divine their star signs in
the smoking section of the club (I don’t smoke; just another
little fact about me).
I am sure if anyone wanted to ask Mark to retell the events,
he could do it much better than me, seeing it from a
different perspective. One line that really shocked Mark
was from a bunch of sceptical males, who, after having me
divine one star sign, ran away telling other witnesses that
I was a psychic at the top of their voices.
A hardened sceptic turned believer in a matter of seconds
from a star sign guess. Crazy!
I have found during my experience of performing that

females very much hold astrological readings and all
things horoscope to be massively impressive when
discussed. The lay female never thinks in terms of this
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being one chance in twelve because for them it holds such
a huge relevance.
I think there is a very important lesson to be learnt here.
WE are often the ones that think in terms of probability,
and WE are the ones that use said probability to determine
how impressive an effect is.
If it was to think of a number between one and three, I
could see probability playing a part. If there is anything
you try in this book, try these next couple of star sign
routines and see how wellreceived they are from the
audience’s perspective.
In hindsight, after reading back over my notes, maybe it is
the fact that a true believer in horoscopes finds it
impossible to formulate or systemise something that holds
such emotional relevance. Think about that for a few
seconds.
Also, as another little bonus, if you were using any of this
in conjunction with Isabella’s Star 2, then you are already
90% of the way to divining a date of birth.
In this next routine, the audience is genuinely going to be
doing this. They are going to take into account the person’s
characteristics and traits and divine the participant’s star
sign based on the person’s characteristics and traits.

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IX
Reaping what you sow

This is a beautiful little principle that I think you will love.
It is not just limited to star signs.
This was inspired by one of Banachek’s principles,

“Harvesting.” This is completely different as you will see,
but it sparked off so many ideas in my mind, and this is
one that has stuck and I use frequently.
Harvesting can be found in Psychological Subtleties.
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Let’s imagine that you have just anagrammed a participant

and you are sure you know what their sign is.
Address them:
Performer: “Some people are easier to read than other

people; for example, the lady over there (point to someone
you/participant doesn’t know), that lady, is a water
element.
“The gentleman over there, he’s clearly headstrong, most

certainly an Aries or a Libra, and you are a (whatever sign
they are).”
Now what happens is due to the “Confirmation Principle.”

Since the participant’s star sign is correct, it confirms the
rest of the star signs you pointed out to be correct for free.
As you can see, this is easy and requires no extra work at
all.
Mark Chandaue additional idea
If you are working with a couple of participants, it means
you can get the other participant’s star sign for free using
this technique (without the use of a oneahead). In fact,
thinking about it, this is almost (not totally) like a verbal
oneahead.
On paper this reads as something that very simple, but I
promise that it works incredibly well.
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Once you have anagrammed the star sign of participant 1,
this is where you will apply the “Reaping What You Sow
Principle.”
Let’s imagine they are a Libra.
Begin by pointing around the room and pointing out

others star signs, and then turn to participant 2 and say:
Performer: “You’re the (whatever star sign participant 1 is,

in this case Libra), right?”
The participant will naturally say no (unless coincidentally
they are).
Performer: “Which sign are you?”
They will tell you; let’s imagine they have said Gemini.
Performer: “Oh, you’re the Gemini, which must mean that

you (point to participant 1) are the Libra (or whatever sign
you anagrammed). In close quarters it’s sometimes easy to
get thoughts tangled.”
Try this, and you will see the power of it.

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Credits
Banachek – Psychological Subtleties
Mark Chandaue – Additional idea
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X
The Bob principle - Hearing stars

The people that know this principle know just how

devious it is. If you haven’t had a chance to read about it,
variations can be found in The Devil in Disguise and Bigger
Fish 2.
Here I will offer a very simple variation that flies so far
under the radar you will not believe you had not thought
of it (it’s a head slapper).
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This leads me to talking about one of my big passions:
children’s books. I love them.
Strange I know, but a lot of my inspiration comes from

them in terms of presentation, and this principle is no
different.
Enid Blyton happens to be one of my biggest sources of
inspiration, and if you have never read The Faraway Tree
books you really must.
I am going to reproduce a small section (a few

paragraphs):
They suddenly came to the wood. It was not far from
their cottage, at the back. It looked quite an ordinary
wood, except that the trees were a darker green than
usual.
A narrow ditch separated the wood from the

overgrown lane. “A wood!” said Bessie, in delight.
“We shall be able to have picnics here!”
“Itʹs rather a mysterious sort of wood,” said Jo
thoughtfully, “donʹt you think so, Bessie?”
“Well, the trees are rather thick, but they seem about
the same as any others,ʺ said Bessie.
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“They donʹt quite,” said Fanny. “The noise the leaves
make is different. Listen!” They listened—and Fanny
was right.
The leaves of the trees in the wood did not rustle in
quite the same way as other trees nearby did.
“Itʹs almost as if they were really talking to one
another,” said Bessie.
“Whispering secrets—real secrets, that we just canʹt
understand. Itʹs a magic wood!” said Fanny
suddenly.
Nobody said anything.
They stood and listened. “Wishawishawisha
wishawisha!” said the wood, and bent towards one
another in a friendly way.
The lines that stood out to me were these particular ones:
“Whispering secrets—real secrets, that we just canʹt

understand. It's a magic wood!” said Fanny suddenly.
Anyone that has read the “Bob Principle” should be

smiling now at just how the simplest things can evoke a
“myriad” (anyone at M.I.N.D.S. should get the inside joke)
of ideas.
There is a lesson there in itself: inspiration should come

from everywhere, not just magic books. This is going to
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sound cheesy but I don’t mind: there is a whole host of real

magic going on around us that we don’t look for and
therefore we never see it. Take a step back and look for it.
I promise you the flowers smell amazing.
Love, poetry, music, children’s literature, friendship, art

and observation are just a few of the things that inspire me.
Anyway, back to the use of the principle.
During a starsign anagram (or any other anagram), one of
the things I don’t particularly like is the fact that it is
primarily letterbased, but it is the most reliable method.
This got me thinking: wouldn’t it be amazing if somehow

I could throw out the letters without throwing out the
letters from the audience’s perspective? Then I thought:
heck, I have done this before without even realising I have
done it.
Because a starsign divination is my goto thing and I often
have queues of people waiting for me to divine their sign
(it really is that powerful), I found that if I had more than
one participant wanting their star sign divined, I would
have to use a oneahead or an entirely different divination
like “The eye spy divination” from Isabella’s Star 2 to get
through both participants.
The problem is that they are seemingly not consistent and
“eye spy” is not as reliable as a traditional anagram. I used
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to get around this by whispering the letters into the ear of
each participant (the participants didn’t know each other).
This got me thinking: why have I not whispered the letters
when working with one participant and wrapped it up to
everyone else as though I was just asking Yes/No
questions?
What you are about to read is the exact script I use when
performing a starsign anagram (with the Bob variation).
For the people who don’t think “dual reality” is a viable
method or that it doesn’t have its place in closeup, I hope
this makes you realise it does and can.
You are going to be performing the anagram the way
depicted in “Positive actions and words speak loudly.”
The only difference is that after you have asked the
participant to imagine that the star sign is written in the
air, proclaim:
Performer: “There will be some things I will pick up on

during the reading that will be personal. As that’s the
nature of this, don’t worry, I won’t say these things out
loud.
“There are going to be things I need you to focus on that I
don’t want anyone else focusing on, as it will give me
mixed signals and make things difficult.
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“Imagine passing over each of the letters and firing them
at me mentally. I can’t promise I will pick up on these in
order as you have never transmitted a piece of information
before.
“I am going to ask you a few questions; I want a simple yes
or no and nothing more. If at any point I ask you to play
along or mention any other star sign in your ear, please tell
everyone here I have done so.”
This is where you lean in and perform the anagram
quickly as a whisper. This will take no more than 510
seconds. When you are done, simply lean out and say:
Performer: “I think after asking those simple questions I

have in fact established that you think creatively. Can you
see your star sign as a picture for me?”
This is where you will know the star sign of the two on the
branch of the anagram (based on the participant’s reaction
to the picture question).
This is where you will give a reading for the star sign
before you reveal the sign.
Remember, the reading is the important thing to the

participant; the sign is the cherry on the cake.
The participant will be just as impressed as though you did
the anagram out loud. The audience on the other hand will
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think you asked a few personal questions (based on the

scripting) and then read the person, revealing the sign.
This, as you can see, makes the anagram process invisible
and takes out the last few kinks, making the process
incredibly clean from the audience’s perspective.

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XI
Your lucky star
Effect
The performer explains his belief in star signs and briefly
explains to an audience how to be able to divine star signs
by taking into account a person’s characteristics and traits.
It is explained that if they just guess this will not work, and
they really have to take into account the person’s
characteristics.
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A participant is standing, and the performer does not

know their date of birth.
The performer proposes to read the participant out loud
for the audience to hear, and based off of that reading the
audience will commit to what they believe the star sign is.
It is suggested by the performer that whatever star sign is
committed to by a majority of the group will be the star
sign that should represent the participant.
The audience nominates (via majority) a star sign. The

performer divines the participant’s star sign and asks the
audience what star sign they got as a collective.
It is a match!
You could have one person guess another person’s star

sign. This will work in closeup or stage.
In fact, let me perform it on you (the reader).
First ask yourself this question:
“Do you believe that even though the stars are thousands
and thousands miles away they can have an effect on our
lives here and now?”
Think about it for a few seconds.
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I completely believe it is possible, and when you believe,
it certainly gives credence and credibility to horoscopes or
star signs.
The way you act, your characteristics and traits, is

completely defined by the star under which you were
born.
That means that if we can take into account someone’s

characteristics and traits, we should know the exact star
under which that person was born.
I am going to read the person sitting beside me. You can’t

see this person so you are at a disadvantage, so let me
describe him. Pay attention to the characteristics and traits
of this person to make your decision.
If you just guess or throw out a random star sign, this
won’t work. So don’t just expect to call out, for example,
Aries and be correct, as you will definitely be wrong.
I know what you are thinking: how on earth can you do
this?
Let me give you an example: I am a Scorpio, the most
enigmatic of the water signs. I have tendencies to be
reserved and fairly mysterious. I am calmnatured unless
backed into a corner and I seek solace in my own solitude.
This should be enough to tell you everything you need to
know in order to have been able to tell me my sign.
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Trust your own intuition. As we go along, paint a picture
of the sign in your mind. Are you ready?
The person sitting next to me is grounded and decisive. A
very headstrong person, stubbornnatured at times, I feel
sometimes makes rash decisions…he can rush into things
without thinking. This is not a bad thing; it says he is a
doer, not a thinker, and believes actions speak louder than
words.
Read it back, get an idea of what this person’s star sign is

and turn the page.

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The person sitting beside me is…
…a Taurus!
Did you get that?
Don’t worry if you didn’t. Let’s look at why this works.
Let’s break it down and look at the wording.
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Headstrong.
Rushes into things.
Stubborn.
These things alone should be enough for anyone to have
made the decision of Aries or Taurus.
I killed Aries by mentioning it to ensure that it wasn’t
chosen.
I also mentioned my star sign to kill that. Because my
reading is different from the one for Taurus, it completely
keeps them from picking the same thing.
(If you decide to skip any of the next section, you will miss
out on a treat.)
Now you understand how this works.
There is a high percentage that a lot of the group will pick
up on the exact star sign. I always use Taurus as it is easy
for people to pick up on this.
This means having to wait until you come across a Taurus
to perform this, but the effect is worth it. This illustrates
another point: I feel very strongly about waiting till the
right moment to perform a particular effect. Just because
we know an effect doesn’t mean that we need to perform
it—it makes it a little more special.
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I often feel the best effects are ones that are in your arsenal
that are situational.
However, I know that not everyone agrees with this

sentiment, so I do have a way to do this in any situation,
which I will outline later.
Let me outline the full performance and then look at
alternative variations.
Full performance
The performer is sitting with a group of participants (we
will imagine that everyone has become acquainted).
Performer: “Do any of you here believe that even though
the stars are thousands of miles away, they can have an
effect on our life here and now?”
The group agrees for the most part that they do.
Performer: “I very much believe they do. I believe our life

is mapped out for us in the stars and everything happens
for a reason.
“It certainly gives credence and credibility to horoscopes
or star signs.
“The way you act, your characteristics and traits, is

completely defined by the star under which you were
born.
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“That means that if we can take into account someone’s

characteristics and traits, we should know the exact star
under which that person was born.
“I would like to give each of you a gift. I am going to teach
each of you how to successfully be able to take into account
someone else’s characteristics and traits to determine their
star sign.
“Sam, would you mind us taking into account your

characteristics and traits to try and determine your star
sign?”
Sam: “Yeah, I would like that.”
Performer: “We might be a little bit rocky in places, but

this is nothing more that connection building. Building a
connection emotionally and mentally can take years, as I
am sure you know, and I have only known you a matter of
minutes. All I need you to do is imagine for me your star
sign written in the air. I want you to imagine looking over
all of the letters of your star sign and just beaming them
towards me. The better you can imagine this the easier this
will be for me.
almost certain I will not pick up on the letters in any
specific order. I will just pick up on the ones your
subconscious is focusing on the most at the time.
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“Can I take your hands?”

question. Focus on your star sign written in the air
between us…like…LEO. Are you seeing it there?”
Sam: “I am.”

Sam: “Yes.”
Performer: “There is also an A.”
Sam: “Yes.”

connection has weakened slightly. There is not a letter I in
the star sign, is there?”
Sam: “No.”
Performer: “I didn’t feel there was. You are doing

perfectly. Can you focus on your sign as a picture for me?”
Sam: “Yes.”
Performer: “I am feeling I am starting to get a hold of who

you are as a person now. Now that I know you a little bit
better, let me tell everyone else what I am reading from
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you. Sam, it is essential you say nothing out loud.
Remember, I don’t know what your star sign is.”
The performer addresses the group.
Performer: “If you just guess or throw out a random star
sign, this won’t work. So don’t just expect to call out, for
example, Aries and be correct, as you will definitely be
wrong. You are not an Aries, are you Sam?”
Sam: “No.”
Performer: “That would have been an incredible guess if
it was.”
The performer addresses the group.
Performer: “I know what you are thinking: how on earth
can you do this?
“Let me give you an example: I am a Scorpio, the most
enigmatic of the water signs. I have tendencies to be
reserved and fairly mysterious. I am calmnatured unless
backed into a corner and I seek solace in my own solitude.
This should be enough to tell you everything you need to
know in order to have been able to tell me my sign.
“Trust your own intuition. Are you ready?
“I feel Sam is very grounded and decisive. A very

headstrong person, stubbornnatured at times, I feel
sometimes makes rash decisions…he can rush into things
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without thinking. This is not a bad thing; it says he is a
doer, not a thinker, and believes actions speak louder than
words.
“That is all you need to be able to feel Sam’s star sign. I feel
I now know it.
“Does anyone here feel that they know?”
A couple of people put up their hands.
Performer: “More interestingly, does anyone here feel that
they are born under the same star?”
One participant raises his hand.
The performer chooses one of the participants at random.
Performer: “What star sign do you believe Sam is?”
Participant: “A Taurus.”
Sam freaks out, proclaiming he is, and the rest of the group
says that they also believed it was Taurus!
As you can see with this routine it is fairly self working.
You could also employ a Banachekesque principle here
that could only be likened to harvesting. This would
ensure that more people are watching (audience or close
up) if you asked, “Did anyone else get that?” Then they
would raise their hands to say they did.
It’s making the question doublebarrelled.
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Performer: “If you went for this instinctively and then

changed your mind or you ended on Taurus, raise your
hand.”
Obviously those who know harvesting will be able to see
the difference and see how clever applying the two
questions at once is.
I love performing this type of effect this way as there is no
bigger proof from the audience’s perspective that there
really is some credibility in what you are doing.
Your lucky star – Any sign, sure fire
I am not going to repeat the entire presentation of the
above effect, as I feel if I was doing that I would effectively
only be doing it to fill pages, and that is not something
either of us wants.
I want the pages to be packed with relevant information
and not with filler or fluff.
What I am about to share is an idea. This is something I

have used very little because, in all honesty, I forgot about
it until writing these notes. It’s a principle I created some
time ago and never really had a use for it.
For owners of Bigger Fish, this will remind them of an
earlier effect of mine: “Book of the fallen.”
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The reason I point it out as an idea is because I have not
worked this as much as I would have liked, BUT (notice
the capitals) I know this works and is practical (as I am
sure you will when you read it).
I am, for the benefit of this, going to call it “The Reverse

Poll Principle,” the reason being it will be easy to reference
later on.
Effect
Each member of a table is handed a piece of card and a
pencil/pen. One of the members of the table says they are
happy to be read and have the group divine their star sign.
The performer, who doesn’t know the participant’s star

sign, starts to read aloud the characteristics and traits of
the participant, and the group is asked to write down what
they believe the participant’s star sign to be.
The performer explains that it will be the majority vote of
the group that counts. So if three of the four have gone for
Leo, that is the star sign that we will assume the participant
is.
If, however, the people at the table all go for different star
signs, the participant is to choose one with which he feels
he has a connection.
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The performer begins the reading and starts to explain

what he feels about the participant. The group commits to,
on paper, what they believe the star sign is.
The performer totals up the votes and then writes the
majority vote on a piece of card.
The participant is asked to say his star sign out loud. The
card is flipped to show the majority vote of the group and
it’s a match!
Breakdown
This routine really outlines something that I have been

saying for a long time: it is not thinking hard, it is thinking
smart that counts.
I often feel there are too many mechanical sleights within
mentalism, which prefers visual moves instead of words.
I have (by accident, in all honesty) learnt how to achieve
many things verbally.
The reason I believe this is so important is because there is
A) nothing to backtrack and B) you don’t need to have an
excuse to perform it—you can do it anytime.
This routine could be mechanically achieved with a

switch, I know, but I feel it is far too much effort.
So here is how I would do the same thing.
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Use the anagram depicted above to work out the

participant’s star sign. I would advise if it goes down as
Aquarius, Sagittarius or Aries to bypass this routine (just
because the anagram is down to its bottom branches).
But it will still work perfectly (that’s just my preference).
Now you know the star sign, but the rest of the table does
not.
This is where you will proclaim:
Performer: “In fact, let’s kill two birds with one stone. If

the group picked up on your star sign via me reading you
to them, it would not only prove that there is credibility in
star signs, but also that it is possible to accurately read
somebody.”
This is where you move into reading the person, and you
can say whatever you feel. That is genuinely how I read
someone using my own intuition; I just say whatever
comes to mind and that is all.
Then address the group.
Performer: “I want you to keep the cards toward yourself

and don’t let anyone see what you have written. I don’t
want you to influence anyone else’s decision, and when
you have finished, place your card face down in the center
of the table so we end up with a pile of facedown cards.”
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When they are done, collect the cards and simply use a
miscall. Look through them and say three people have
gone for the same sign.
Pick up another card, write down whatever star sign you
have deduced from the anagram and then slide the card in
front of the participant.
Ask them to say their star sign out loud and turn around
the card and it will match.
So let’s look at what happens in the minds of the people at

the table. They will just assume if they didn’t go for that
star sign, that someone else will have and not even
question it. Remember, they don’t know that you know the
star sign, so why would they ever question it?
You may find yourself in a scenario where the table does
have a majority vote that matches the participant’s star
sign. I will bet this happens most frequently with Taurus.
If this happens, openly display the cards and let everyone
see.
The thing that makes this routine so hard hitting is the fact
that you have hammed up that you don’t know the
participant’s star sign. It makes this impossible to
backtrack.
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Think about what else you could use this principle for. I
have had my mind reeling since writing this, with so many
different ideas for this principle.

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XII
Nod to star sign

This is a thing of beauty and something I found notes of
when going through an old notebook.
I don’t know why I didn’t think about doing anything with

this technique; I believe it is one of the best techniques I
have ever created.
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This is really short in writing as it is literally as simple as it
sounds. Don’t be fooled by this—actually this leads me to
another tangent.
One question that seems so important to someone is “page

count”—I really hate that term. Does it really matter about
the number of pages in a book or how short an effect is?
I am a massive believer in quantity, not quality.
The best piece of advice I ever got, that I would consider
totally priceless, was written on a napkin and handed to
me in secret by David Berglas.
(It was so touching it inspired an effect.)
The piece of information…
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…I will keep that for another time.
David Berglas and I in 2014. (Look in my right hand.)
Incidentally, to go off on another tangent, let me tell you
the story of David’s “Berglas effect.” I genuinely was so
shocked when David turned up to watch me lecture at the
magic circle in London, and I had been told to feel
privileged (I certainly was!). I performed my variation of
the “Berglas effect” to open my lecture and didn’t even
know David was in the audience. You can imagine the
shock when I looked down and he was sitting there.
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The effect came off perfectly and I had heard from sources
that he was very impressed with my take on it.
After the lecture I go up to the little dressing room and
Marvin Berglas comes and asks me to come to the theatre.
I followed Marvin back to the theatre in which I had just
lectured/performed, and sitting on the chairs in the front
row of the empty theatre was David.
My heart started to beat very fast, and for one of the only
times in my life I was nervous…very nervous.
I am a massive Berglas fan—I am not even going to lie, I
am a fan boy!
I sat on the front of the stage (where David had directed
me to sit) and we became acquainted. He has a very strong
personality about him, which I liked very much, but a soft
tone. He then asked me, “Do you have a deck of playing
cards?”
He looked right at me and my mind was racing.
Was he about to perform the Berglas effect on me? No,
surely it’s just a myth or legend. He is staring at me. What
is he about to ask me? Is he going to ask me to perform
mine for him?
The last thought was more daunting than the rest, but
there were lots of things floating through my head. He
looked right at me and with a low tone simply asked:
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“If I was to ask you to name any playing card inside this
deck, what would it be?”
(Or words to that effect.)
I naturally went for my favourite. David didn’t know it

and I certainly hadn’t mentioned it to anyone. I went for
the Jack of Hearts, in case anyone was wondering.
“Take the deck out of your pocket,” said David. Just as my

hands made contact with the cards he looked back into my
eyes and said, “Where is the Jack of Hearts inside the
deck?”
I obviously didn’t understand what he was asking me.

How was I to know where it was?
The deck wasn’t stacked; I didn’t know the order.
I simply replied that I had no clue. The next bit was
strange. His tone changed to being more accretive and he
said:
“You do know where it is. Tell me you know what position

it is at and be accretive. Trust yourself.”
I was even more nervous. I stated I knew what position it
was in.
He paused for what seemed a lifetime and he said:
“Do tell.”
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I quickly changed my mind and said, “Ten.”
David then mimed the actions of taking the cards out of
the box.
He then asked me to place the cards on the stage beside
where I was sitting and to place my hands around the
cards so no one could touch them.
He then got up and walked towards the door. I thought he
was leaving and maybe this was some elaborate prank or
he was joking with me. I just sat still. He left the room and
I heard a knocking on the door.
Rap, rap, rap.
This happened ten times, and David walked back into the
room. He then asked me to pick up the cards and to deal
them slowly one at a time.
One, two, three…four…five.
When I hit five, David told me to stop.
He looked at me but didn’t say a word. Ten seconds went

by, then fifteen, and I could really feel the tension. He then
asked me to continue counting and to stop at ten.
I counted really slowly, all the time my mind was saying,
“No f**king way, no way.” I got to the tenth card and he
told me to turn it.
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You know the rest: it was the Jack of Hearts.
I have no idea how he achieved it and have come up with
a few ridiculous theories that would for the most part be
impractical. It really was amazing, and for me it was a
moment I will never forget.
He then joined me on the stage and we talked about things
that are very private to me, and I will never share them.
He scribbled something and handed it to me, and that
leads back to the essay….
Page count is irrelevant, if the information you are getting
is quality. Any information I am sharing here is genuinely
from the bottom of my heart stuff I have used and created
the best connections with.
This next piece is very bold, and in print might seem a little
obvious. I have fooled rooms full of people with this
(including top performers), not that fooling is the goal as
that really doesn’t fit into what is important for me, but I
know it is for some people.
Let me outline the effect so you can see how beautiful it

sounds and then I will go into the methodology and offer
some simple but effective presentational tips.
Effect
The performer is on stage and talking about how he can
just look at some people and guess specific pieces of
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information about that person without ever knowing

them.
He proposes to attempt to show how this would look. He
points at someone in the audience and says, “I feel you, sir,
are a Gemini. Yes, you in the blue top with the glasses.
Stand. Are you a Gemini?”
The person stands and attests to the fact that they are a
Gemini!
You do not know the person, you do not know their star
sign and you have not preshowed them in any way.
Breakdown
This particular effect was one of the effects I performed in
Italy that people loved, so much so the crowd at the lecture
burst into a five minute conversation in Italian—the reason
I knew it was good. (Luca Volpe translated for me!)
This is incredibly simple and something I think has been
totally overlooked. The uses of this, as you will see, are
completely untapped. I want you to think about the
possibilities when reading this and to let a flood of ideas
come into your head.
The secret is really simple.
After talking about being able to guess specific pieces of
information, point at a mass part of the audience with your
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hand extended and say, “You, sir, you are a Gemini,

correct?” At this moment in time, you don’t know who is
a Gemini, but what is about to happen is poetry—you
couldn’t make it up.
Someone from that group in the audience will nod back at
you!! Incredibly simple.
The moment someone nods, quickly counter with, “Yes,

you sir, with the (name out loud whatever they are
wearing), stand for me. We have never met before; we
have not talked before the show.”
“Can you say out loud your star sign for me?”
Audience member: “I am a Gemini!”
As you can see, ultrasimple but so deceptive.
If a series of people nod, remember who nodded and save
that for later. You could almost rock a tossedout deck
without a deck.
I know what you are thinking: what happens if nobody

nods? (I have never had this happen.) There are a couple
of remedies for this scenario.
Making a comment for people to nod to: This happens long
before the participant ever nods to confirm his star sign; it
happens as an offthecuff comment earlier in the show.
Simply state:
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Performer: “During the show I am going to be asking

people in the audience questions. I will be pointing to
people and asking if it sounds like them. If I ask you a
question and it relates to you at any point, give me a nod.”
This will ensure that later when you apply the

“Reciprocation Principle,” the participant answers the
question!
If no one nods for whatever reason, that is not a problem
either. Just simply state:
Performer: “Ok, don’t worry, I am not going to pressure
you; you don’t have to stand. I will point to someone else.
You, madam, can you stand for me?”
Then you simply move into any other star sign divination
piece. It is incredible simple but incredibly effective!
As you can see with this principle (which I will go into
more detail about later on), it illustrates what I believe to
be the most important principle in any art form: Simplicity.
The easier something is, the more time there is to play with
presentation, which is ultimately the most important
factor when everything is boiled down. With this
divination the chances of their giving a nod are very high
in all honesty. Over the last few years I have found that
there are more “Libras” and “Virgos” than about any other
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star sign. I do not know why this is; maybe people have
more babies around that time of year.
I couldn’t scientifically explain why, but instead of

throwing out Gemini, you could throw out these signs
instead. However, star signs are one in twelve, and if you
are pointing to a mass group you are bound to get a nod.

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Credits
Ted Karmilovich – No prop night club act

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Your Notes/Ideas
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XIII
Double star sign revelation

This is the last star sign piece in this book. This is
incredibly simple and I feel really makes a beautiful
justification for the anagram. I have NEVER seen anyone
apply it this way.
Effect
A participant is asked to divine your star sign and, at the
exact same time you divine theirs, to prove that you really
do share a connection.
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Breakdown
I am sure anyone who has followed my work knows I am
a big believer in flipping things on their head and doing it
backwards.
So let me, if I may, first go off on a tangent and then come
back to the effect at hand.
Be controversial – Think backwards
This is a tiny essay and a routine (minus the method) at the
same time.
Before you skip over this because the routine has no
method, the reason it doesn’t have a method is not because
I am choosing not to share it. It is genuinely because I don’t
have a method.
You will realise that the interesting thing about thinking
backwards is that your thinking will be fresh and you will
start to view things in a fresh light.
You will notice that when you start to do things the
opposite way around, all of a sudden you will realise why
most of the things you have been taught or read are
difficult to add good presentations to.
I will give you an example. Let’s take a look at a simple

spoon bend, which is something I don’t do, but don’t skip
this as it will give you a look into my thought process.
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Let’s look at a spoon bend in its traditional sense.
When you use your powers to bend a spoon, you end up
leaving the spoon in a dishevelled state.
When you break this down into its simplest form, you are
using your powers for destruction.
So thinking about it, what purpose does a traditional

spoon bend serve other than to give an example of your
mental agility?
Ok, that might be all you want to do, but in my opinion it
lacks premise. Let’s look at a traditional spoon bend and
flip it on its head to exemplify my point of how many
windows open up when it comes to finding premise.
Effect
The performer produces a spoon and addresses his

participant.
Performer: “Every single one of us, no matter how

individualistic we believe we are, shares one invisible
commonality.
“That commonality is that each one of us has one problem
or stress that is occurring in our lives that we push so far
into the back of our minds we pretend it is nonexistent.
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“These problems can often be summed up in one word.
For example, if this was about overworking and not
having time to oneself, the word might be ‘stress’ or ‘time.’
“I know right now what I am about to ask you is going to
make no sense, but in a moment it will make all the sense
in the world.
“Can you bend this spoon for me?”
The participant bends the spoon. While bending the spoon
the audience can see how difficult it is to bend the spoon
physically.
Performer: “Take a few seconds to really think about a

stress that is going on in your life no matter how small. I
want you to feel in your heart what word would sum up
the stress you are going through right now.
“The reason I am asking you to think about summing up
this stress in one word is to protect your privacy. If you
said the one word out loud, not one person watching here
would have a clue what your personal problem is.”
Participant: “Time.”
Performer: “I want you to write the word ‘time’ into the

bowl of the spoon for me.”
Let them do this, take the spoon back from the participant
and hold her hand.
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Performer: “I want you first to focus on the problem in
your mind for me. Don’t worry, I will not divine the
problem and share it publicly.
“Imagine how that problem is making you feel at this
moment. I want you now to think about a few ways this
problem could be solved.
“Imagine what it would feel like if you solved this
problem.
“I am sure you have heard the expression: ‘A problem
shared is a problem halved.’ I know you have seen me
reading people all evening, and without you knowing I am
feeling your problems right now.
“The spoon is here to be merely used as a metaphor. I
know you NOW have several ways in mind that you are
going to tackle this problem, and that is often the first thing
needed to straighten out these problems.”
The spoon starts to straighten itself a little bit.
Performer: “Taking action is the second thing needed in

order to fully solve the problem.”
The spoon starts to straighten itself and after a few seconds
is back in perfect form.
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Performer: “I know you now know what you need to do
in order to solve the problem. I would like to leave you
with this spoon.”
Bend the spoon again and hand it to the participant.
Performer: “I want you to take this, and every time you

think you have made a little headway at solving the
problem, straighten the spoon just a little bit. This will
always serve as a reminder that you are making progress.
“When it is completely straight I want you to place it
somewhere you can see it at all times, as this will serve as
a beautiful souvenir to remind you how easy it is to
straighten out your problems when we take action.”
End routine.
Think about this: when they take the spoon and they
straighten it a little amount each time, they make some
headway and they get a visual representation of the
problem being solved.
When the spoon is completely straightened after the

problem is solved, as it is the last action they make, they
will always credit you for helping to solve the problem.
Not only that, I asked them to place the spoon somewhere
that they can see at all times. This means that anyone that
visits the person’s property will see the spoon; it creates a
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natural talking point and thus your legend grows, and you
have become a part of someone’s history.
I did state earlier that I do not have a method for

straightening the spoon. I am sure it is not impossible, but
it is something I have not looked into.
What I want to represent is how to not only make a prop
seem relevant, but also to show how, when flipping a
spoon bend on its head, you are not only using your
powers for good, but you also open up so many angles for
presentation.
Let’s ask the same question we did when we started, but

when thinking in this frame of mind.
What purpose does straightening a spoon serve?
I bet you now have several answers to this question.
Think about the way you perform your effects and try to
think about them backwards; see how many
presentational angles you can open.
Here is a video that caught my attention that I think should
hammer my point home.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RO1e9BwBys
Back to the effect – Double star sign variation
That is exactly what I do here: flip the anagram on its head.
In doing this it not only resolves some of the issues I had
with anagrams, but it also really takes into account
working smart, not hard.
Let me first outline what methods/principles we will be

using in this effect.
A reverse anagram
Springboard
The reverse anagram I feel is beautiful and it certainly

gives justification for throwing out the letters, as you will
see. I am not going to go over the entire anagram again, as
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Peter Turner
it is outlined earlier, however I will show you where the
necessary script changes take place.
Before we talk about the anagram you need to write up a
billet with the star signs on it in a particular order.
I don’t need to see this piece of card during performance

as I know the order of the star signs.
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If you wanted to work on remembering the order of the

star signs, there is a neat little poem by Steven Young in
Isabella’s Star 2. I recommend you check out.
If you can’t remember them, don’t worry, it won’t stop you

from being able to perform this effect. Just ask the
participant to put the card face up on the table and perform
the effect where you can both see the card.
You are ready to begin the effect.
Performer: “Would you be comfortable knowing all of the
star signs and the order in which they fall?”
This is a very clever double question. A lot of people will
know all of the star signs, but the order they fall in is
something that most people don’t need to learn, and
therefore 99% of the time this question will prompt the
participant to say No.
When they say No, this gives you a logical reason to
produce the card with the list on it. I find it is nice if they
can introduce your prop for you—not that a piece of card
with writing on it is really a prop (I certainly wouldn’t
classify it as one).
This leads me to another point about prewritten pieces
of information on cards: I personally don’t have one pre
written (for the purpose of this effect I am assuming that
the reader hasn’t needed to learn the order of the star
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Peter Turner
signs in the past and therefore writing them on the spot
is something that is not practical).
Learn them. I find prewritten cards and printed

predictions as impersonal or not unique. What do I mean
by that?
Remember, this is my opinion, but I want my participant
to believe that what I am showing them and the moment
I have created I have only created for them. I want them
to feel this is a special occasion for them and unique.
If I have the card already written or printed, it suggests
that I do this all the time and almost takes the shine off
of what it is I am doing, as it has a prepared feel to it. I
like to write it in front of them as it almost seems offthe
cuff when written for them.
Sorry, quick tangent there. Back to the effect.
Performer: “That’s not a problem. I have a list of the star

signs and the order in which they fall. It is important you
know all of the star signs as you are going to deduce my
star sign, and if there are a few missing, then it makes it
impossible for you.
“Looking at the star signs, you will quickly see Aquarius
falls in the first month, Pisces the second, Aries the third
and so on and so forth. I do know that each month has two
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When in Rome
star signs because of the cusp dates, but don’t worry about

that as it will confuse things.”
Look at the script here. You have practically pointed out
that the order of the signs is easy if they count along. You
have also told them to dismiss the fact there are two star
signs to a month.
The beautiful thing here is that they are going to guess
your star sign, and because of this when you set a
restriction (in this routine it is telling them to forget that
there are two star signs in one month) it is FOR THEM.
Think about that for a few seconds. If they are guessing,
whenever you tighten the net, it is to help them out.
This really presses my point earlier about how things

often work better backwards.
Performer: “I want you to take into account what you
believe my star sign is based on the feelings you are getting
from me. I feel with you, you focus in terms of words and
pictures, so I am going to ask you some random questions
and you have to use your intuition and just answer
honestly, following your heart.
“This is the thing: if you were to just guess you would be
wrong. You have to take into account my characteristics. If
you were to look at a Leo for example, which I am not, you
would realise their characteristics would be confident,
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Peter Turner
headstrong and very up front. There is a lot more, but they
should serve as an example as to what you are looking for.
“When you believe you have it, just imagine my star sign
written in the air and tell me when you can imagine it
being there.”
Participant: “I can.”
Performer: “You obviously know your own sign. If you

were to look at the star signs, do you believe you were born
before or after me and how much before or after?”
The participant will look on the list at the star sign they
believe you to be and then find theirs and count the
number of months difference for you. Of course, at this
point we don’t know what star sign they believe you to
be, so remember the participant’s answer.
Performer: “I am going to ask you if you feel there are
specific letters in my star sign. Again, answer based on
feeling; remember this is about following your initial
intuition.
“Your decisions have to be your own and I don’t want
people thinking I am making it easier for you, so I am
going to be asking you in a random order and at a quicker
pace than the questions I have asked you so far.”
“Are you ready?”
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When in Rome
You can see by looking here that I have made the excuse
for asking them about the letters in a random order. The
change of pace is so that this process is over very quickly
and doesn’t give any spectators the chance to process
what is going on.
I also stated something very important about trusting

their instincts. This will ensure that they don’t change
their mind.
Begin to throw out the letters from the anagram and let
them decide whether it is in there or not. Essentially what
you are doing is the same anagram, but instead of saying,
“I am feeling there is an R in the sign, correct?” you are
changing the question to: “Do you believe there is an R in
the sign?”
“How about an A?”
Again, they are answering instinctively, and in doing so

they will lead you to what star sign they believe you to be.
It doesn’t matter what star sign they pick for you; you are

essentially going to agree with whatever choice they make
for you. I have found the worst case to be Aries, as all the
letters are exhausted (see the anagram for a better
understanding). This works amazingly for every other star
sign.
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Peter Turner
When you know what star sign the participant believes

you to be (remember, they don’t know that you know), but
you also know their star sign as well for free.
Let’s take a look at an example. Let’s say they have said

they were born two months before (when you asked the
question earlier), and they have believed you to be a
“Capricorn.” All you have to do is count back by two star
signs (which would be a “Scorpio”) to know all you need
to know. See picture.
This is where you have two choices. You can remove
another billet and write:
My star sign = (WHATEVER THEY BELIEVE IT TO BE)
Your star sign = (WHATEVER THEY HAVE LED YOU

TO)
For a better understanding and full clarity, see the picture
below.
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When in Rome
This is where you would openly ask what star sign the
participant is and what they believe your star sign to be.
When the participant answers, you flip over the card and
the routine ends here.
OR
You can hand the participant a billet. You also have a billet
and you ask them to write down what their star sign is and
what they believe your star sign to be underneath.
You will write down their star sign and your star sign
underneath. This means that when both of the billets are
flipped over, there is a match and you finish on a very high
note that validates the fact you have a connection.
Additional idea
You could use the Increment Force (detailed earlier) to get
them to think Stop on a particular number, and when you
hand them the list, have each star sign with a number
before it.
This would force the 5th, 6th or 7th star sign (Gemini, Cancer
or Leo).
You could also use Michael Murray’s “CUPS Principle.”

Ask the participant to think of the number of letters in your
sign.
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Peter Turner
If they say Yes instantly, you know it is Leo as there are
only three letters. If they take slightly longer it could be
Cancer or Gemini.
Look for the indifferent letter, which would be the letter
M. If they say there is an “M” in there you will know it is
Gemini and not Cancer. As you can see with this approach,
there is very little questioning to be done and it shortens
the process massively.
Play with this; it’s bold and it’s fun. If it misses?
Well, it was them guessing so it’s the participant’s fault if

it’s wrong!

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When in Rome
Credits
Michael Murray – Springboard
Michael Murray – CUPS

262

Peter Turner
Your Notes/Ideas
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266

Peter Turner
XIV
Scarred for life

This is essentially a rant that takes into account two loves
in my life: tattooing (which I have done for close to ten
years) and all things mentalism.
Even though these two subject areas seem completely

dissimilar, they do share some ties and coincidentally
those ties are worth further discussion.
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When in Rome
It’s very easy to blowout while tattooing. For those who
don’t know what a blowout is, it is essentially when the
needle goes too deep into the skin and the ink leaks
underneath the skin into almost a green bubble.
If you go too deep with a needle when tattooing, you can
also very easily scar the skin for life.
You may be wondering what relevance this has to magic
or mentalism. Anyone that has followed my work knows
how I feel about the importance of realising your power,
how your magic/mentalism is more important than you
may give it credit for.
Think about how much of your life is affected by
magic/mentalism. How much joy/pleasure does it give
you?
Is it an escape for you when you are feeling stressed?
Does it take up a huge part of your life?
It certainly does mine. Not a day goes by when I don’t talk

about it or actively practice it. Most of the connections I
have made in my life, some of my closest friends and
people I consider family, I have met through sharing a
passion for the mystery arts.
It has entirely changed my story and I am so glad things
are going the way that they are.
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Peter Turner
All of this because I saw good magic.
Bad magic/mentalism can have the opposite effect; it can
leave people with a sour taste and make them not want to
surround themselves with magic.
My nanna Pat is one of them. When she was younger (long
before I was born), she was excited to see a magician and
went and said (and I quote), “He was an arrogant little shit.
His show was packed with cheesy jokes that were pulling
down his audience, and lots of us walked out before the
end.”
Since then she has never been interested in magic; for her
it was a waste of her time after seeing that. She wouldn’t
even take into account that that was one performer; for her
she just didn’t care.
So when I told her that I was going to be a magician at the
age of five, you could imagine her joy. It took me years and
years to change her perception and now she’s come round
to the idea of trying to enjoy it again.
She says (I quote):
“I like that mind stuff you do, but magic is cheesy and
tacky.”
I feel this is probably the best quote I have received, as she
is ultimately the hardest audience.
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When in Rome
It was a lot of work and she still doesn’t want to actively

go out to watch magic.
It’s like a bad tattoo: once scarred the person who got the

tattoo has their confidence knocked and it takes a
competent tattooist to repair it (if they ever get the chance).
It all comes down to refining yourself. I don’t mind being

honest and saying I have a LOT to learn. I go back just five
years and I can see the massive differences in my
performance skills. I still make mistakes today (all the
time), but I have just learnt to hide them so they appear
nonexistent (a lot like a tattooist with grey shade on a
kinked line).
It is about being harsh on yourself and being your own
worst critic. Listen to your audience and their feedback; it
is very easy to say, “What do they know?” Remember this:
you don’t have to be a chef to taste the soup.
I was recently at a club that I will not mention and the
lecturer said, “The audience is not qualified to say whether
what you have done is good or not.”
What a load of shit!
The audience is more than welcome to make that decision.
That is what they are going to do whether you like it or
not. I understand you can’t please all the people all of the
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Peter Turner
time—that would be impossible—but the aim should be to
please as many as possible
I think that is why I try to distance myself at times from
organisations (again you can see how a bad taste can make
someone hesitant).
I would like to quote a few paragraphs from Bigger Fish 2.
“Someone once asked me three questions that I thought

were a really, really strong/inspiring set of questions that I
now apply to absolutely every piece I create/perform.
These three questions were frequently asked by poet
Philip Larkin.
1. Do people believe it?
2. Do I care?
3. Do I still care?
This is an interesting set of questions.
Do people believe it?
Are you credible?
Is what you are selling believable?
Do people care?
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When in Rome
Does it give people an interest in what you are doing, does
it make them feel special and is it something that connects
them with you or them with someone else?
Do people still care?
Will it affect them in a positive way forever?
Is it something they will tell their grandkids?
Is it an experience that will live within the person WHO
GAVE YOU THEIR TIME forever?
This is a simple formula to help you refine yourself. Get
yourself a sounding board on which to bounce ideas, but
pick someone who is critical, and when they give you their
criticism, take it on board and actively change it.
If it is something you strongly disagree with, work

together with them to refine it to a point where you are
both happy and that should be the point where you
actively practice it that way.
Then go out and share the love.
Good magic can last a lifetime. Who knows? You might

inspire someone to change their life the way that your life
has been changed and appreciate magic/mentalism on a
deeper level. Help them get confidence, help them meet
likeminded people and ultimately be part of their story.
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Peter Turner
This random tangent might seem pointless, but I want

these tangents to contain little things about me and the
way I feel about the world, because I won’t be around
forever and I want an essence of me to exist in my writing
long after I am gone.
Hell, if you are reading this while I am no longer around,
I hope you enjoyed what I had to offer the mentalism
community.
For the people reading this while I am still here, I know

what you’re thinking: you’re right, I am morbid!

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Conclusion
So there we have it!
You have made it to the end, I hope you loved the ideas I
had shared in here. I am particularly proud of the “Bob
Principle” in conjunction with the anagram.
This is now my go to effect.
These principles and effects I have performed all around
the world in all types of venues, I know they will be as
strong for you as they have been for me. Please be delicate
with them and treat them with respect they deserve.
If you have any queries email me at
Peterturnermind@hotmail.co.uk
Much love,
Peter Turner 2014 x
274

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Not Ed Marlo’s snap change ............................................ 127

­ The groovy gang. My Sound boards, inspirations,

Taking Pete up on his offer, we embarked upon a

growth and I am thankful that you have followed my

If you look at the “Matrix moment” detailed later, you will

I feel whenever you climb inside someone’s mind and start

I try to avoid banking pin codes, as they are

Performer: “Ok, to protect your privacy and anonymity

If anyone joins the routine mid­effect they will hear you

Performer: “Keep your eyes on (participant’s) face. Their

I have found with this approach, that because the

I would advise you not to shy away from these types of

When Michael Murray first performed his incredible

I had been toying with a forcing idea of Annemann’s at the

participant’s pin code. This had stopped any confusion

I was thinking about that particular approach and there

Let’s say the participant says 6934. The performer asks the

The first technique is the old psychological “force of the

The second technique is Michael Murray’s “Springboard.”

Let’s break these down, piece by piece, and then connect

Here I will outline how I would force the number 7 as

Performer: “I want you to think of a number from one to

Performer: “I want you to quickly write down a number

Performer: “Be honest with me, did you change your

Performer: “Remember, this is all about trusting your

Without being rude, I am not going to outline

Imagine you are going to force a playing card using a

Performer: “I am thinking of a playing card and I want you

Performer: “Let me remove the playing card I am thinking

Performer: “What is the card I am thinking of?”

Performer: “As you can see by simply guessing, the

Performer: “I know recently you have been questioning

“I want you to relax and trust yourself. Don’t just try to

There should be no heat on the billet now because it’s the

Performer: “You think you have written the name I am

Performer: “In fact, before we open this, it’s best you

Performer: “Before we commit to seeing if you got the

Performer: “Before you turn that over—it is in front of you

I also squeezed in this line: “I know recently you have been

If you don’t like “spectator as the mind reader” routines,

“I know recently you have been questioning your

Performer: “Be honest, did you change your mind?”

Performer: “This is about trusting your own intuition, not

This is where we will employ “Springboard.”

Performer: “By how many?”

Performer: “Now you believe you know the first and the

Performer: “Knowing the first and the second digits, do

Performer: “Perfect, now that you know the first, second

Based on the participant’s decisions, we now know that

Write down whatever the participant believes the pin to

Performer: “Be honest, do you believe there is a zero in my

I have thought long and hard and wondered just how I

This means that the “Off by One Principle” fits perfectly as

“True perfection has to be imperfect.

(Or if you prefer you can just write “off by one.”)

I would point out verbally that each one was off by one

Performer: “The aim of this entire thing was to have you

After they have finished reading the card, address the

The groovy gang. My Sound boards, inspirations,

If anyone joins the routine mideffect they will hear you

The nonnail writer version is identical save that you

First, after asking the thirdparty participant (the one