Here are some of the "mind reading" deck effects that I love to use:
Open & Shut by Mark Strivings - You can either bring out a piece of paper that has a prediction/premonition you wrote down before your performance. Then show a regular looking Bicycle deck that can be shuffled/cut if you wish, then show that all of the cards are different. After that you have a spectator think of any number between 1 and 52, which is truly a free choice. Let's say the said 37 (or any number) you then count down directly to that number, and not to that number and the card after it. Once you have dealt the 37th card, you reveal it (let's say it was the 5 of hearts) and then you can show all the cards before the 37th card and after the 37th card to all be random cards. You turn their card over revealing it to be the 5 of hearts, then you open up the prediction/premonition piece of paper and it matches the very card they stopped at. The reason I love using the Open & Shut deck, is simply the fact that everything is handled and shown so freely and that's why the reaction hits so hard.
(Open & Shut happens to be my favorite mind reading type of deck effect and use it along with 2 other decks for my closing effect whenever I am doing my table close-up magic routine.)Out of Control by Sam Woodrow - A slip of paper is given to someone to hold onto. The magician and the spectator each take half a pack of cards and hold them behind their backs. They both mix-up their cards and turn over any two cards they want. But when the cards are revealed, it turns out that, not only do they match, but that the magician wrote the name of both cards on the slip of paper the night before. This is another favorite of mine because of how freely the cards are dealt with by both the spectator and the magician. They freak once they see that the two card turned over by both the spectator and magician are matching cards of opposite suits, i.e. Ten of Hearts, Three of Clubs, Ten of Diamonds, and Three of Spades. But once you open up the prediction slip, it gives them another reason to freak out because you predicted the cards before hand.
Strange Travelers - I'm sure everyone is aware of this effect, so I won't go into details about the description of the effect. Regardless, this is a seriously, powerful Mind Reading deck type of effect, simply because the spectator only thinks of just one card to find it disappear and then reappear in the pack of cards they are holding. Can it get anymore powerful than that?
Premonition by Eddie Joseph - Here's the introduction and effect info that is written on page 2 of this little manuscript it was printed on.
Eddie Joseph was one of magic's most prolific authors of the last century. In addition to authoring books on specialized subjects, such as coin magic, pick pocketing, etc., he was especially adept at developing mind-boggling Mental Card magic premises and methods. Premonition was his most widely acclaimed release in this area and is considered by many to be one of the most amazing feats of Card Mentalism ever conceived. From the audience's standpoint, Premonition appears to be nothing less that a genuine demonstration of extra sensory perception. Indeed the fairness of the handling and apparent lack of any opportunity to manipulate the outcome seems to preclude any other possible explanation.
The Effect: ANYONE in the audience is asked to name ANY card. The person naming the card is asked to come forward and pick up the deck of cards on your table. This person now removes the deck from its case and deals out every card in the pack but fails to find the one he named. He is now told to count the cards and finds only 51. ONE CARD IS MISSING AND THE MISSING CARD IS THE ONE JUST NAMED ALOUD. The magician reaches into his pocket and without the slightest delay brings out the very card named by the spectator. At no time does the magician touch the deck. There is no force of choice. This miracle works 100% of the time, since the element of chance plays no part.
This very effect has gotten me 12 gigs because the effect is exactly like how it is described, and not elaborated or embellished in anyway to either hype up the effect. It really is a powerful Card Mentalism effect, and in reality, really not all that difficult to perform. I remember writing a review about Premonition, which I then received replies saying, "The effect is not even as close to easy or not at all difficult" as I wrote the description and how well it worked for me. I suppose it could be from the fact that I really enjoy
practicing all of the effects I want to perform for spectators, just as much as I actually enjoy
performing the effects when I'm looking to get booked for any sort of event. And I try not to look for effects that can be learned in either one day or just a couple of days. So I can't accurately say just how easy or difficult it is, but the time and effort you put into an effect like this, leaves a very long lasting impression to whomever you are performing for.
Anyways, I'll stop rambling now. But those are the four Mentalism/Mind Reading deck effects that I really love to perform whenever I get the chance too.
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