Magic Tricks

I read the name-guessing portion thoroughly. I understood it. I thought through it.
First performance out of the gate started well. I guessed the number of letters in the name. But the name itself was out of left field. Enough so that I thought "How does this ever actually work?"
I'm on the West Coast of America, so maybe there's another element to consider here?
However the technique is presented as "it's always" this, or "always" that.
And I was willing to believe that when reading, but now having performed it that certainty seems crazy to me.