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Eclitors: Raj Madhok, Tanya Thielke, and Joe Zabel Cover and Photographs: Doug Moors Interior Layout: Rose Rings

Serial Thrillers

1"'Edition Copyright 2A09 by Alain Nu PO Box 228 Kensington, MD 20895 lr.ww. s hopofs ec ret

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All Rights reseraed. [Yo part of this publication may be reproduced, scanned, andlor stored in retrieual systems or transmitted in any form or by any rneansele c tr onic, me ch anic al, p ho t o c o p y in g, r e c o r ding, or o the r us is e without the prior written permission of Alain Nu

9

Introduetioll

P

Some Personal Philosophies

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Serialogical

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Serialocity ... o... o.... o.. o.. ..... . o....... o..... ........... o......

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Serial Sniper ......o..o.......................................o.... ..... 28

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4"Lnowledgements ................... ... o.. o................. o...... 30

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"Serialistic"

was originally printed as a

in February of 2OO7 tn a limited release book of 250 copies entitled Nu Secrets & Realities. After all 250 copies of this book were sold, this premise was re-t'eleased during my premiere appearance in the UK in 2008, as a once again limited edition manuscript entitled Four Told, and contained four effects from the original lVs&R. Only one hundred signed copies of that manuscript are in existence. stage rnentalism piece

Those who read "serialistic" in either of the aforementioned volunles were able to study the stage version of this effect. By reading this volume, however, you will learn my entire thought process which led me to this work. The combinations used are a carefully selected montage of various subtleties I've picked up along the way frorn my fortunate associations with many briliiant close friends, intense personal research in this field, as well as my own creative adjustrnents using my favorite arsenal of techniques and principles.

I tend to feel better about myself when I can explain my entire thought process to the best of my ability for each effect I develop. This way, there should rlever be any doubt as to my personal intentions on how to properly execute the demonstration once you've internalized the entire treatrnent. However, I want those who read these instructions to try to put an element of their own selves into the presentation also. To that end, nothing is fully scripted. The emphasis throughout the entire book is on maintaining a theatrical framework built on psychological and visual conuincers-elements that are designed

to subtly convince the audience that they are witnessing an actual event, even though it is only a simulation. The first part of this book focuses on my personal philosophical analysis of rnentalism. Before learning any mental effect, I think it's crucial that one understands how to think about this complex and not fully explored subject. I fully admit that rny viewpoints are only one way of looking ai this fascinating topic. But with that in consideration, I do try to show the reader an understanding that comes from incorporating different perspectives that are traditional to this craft. In this section, you will be given a formula of four "fundarnentals" which should be seriously contemplated before embarking on per{orming any mentalism ffict. The second part of this book concerns itself more specifically with issues that I've always had about the "serial number divination effect." Here, you will discover that my concerns are many, and in some cases, perhaps even nitpicky... but rrry key concern here is your motiuation.In this section, prepare to learn to answer four sirnple questions that will help you discover your personal motivation and persona while performing such demonstrations for the public.

A full description of both the effect and rnethod of "seriaiistic" follows. It should also be noted that in 1996, when I published my earliest set of lecture notes, the first close-up version of "serialistic" was published entitled "Serial Filler". This was also a three phase/three bill serial nurnber effect, and also incorporated

Serial Thrillers

the "canceling of tens" procedure which is the mosi distinct differentiating factor between my routines on this subject and others like it. Be sure to remember that every moment placed into the design of these routines is done as part of an infrastructure of subtle convincers, and that your goal, as a practitioner of these principles and overall technique, is to remember where each of these subtleties best resides within your script and presentation. The key here (in practice) is to try not to leave anything out. As apsychological performance arr, your demonstrations are built only on psychological conuincers. Leaving something out can be like leaving out an entire wall while building a house!

preparation needed to per{orm its predecessor. In my professional opinion, every minute counts! I think you will find the variety of additional information that I include here to be flexible, and just as intriguing as the stage version. I also depart slightly from the other two methods with this version.

Finally, I will close this book with a chapter called "Serial Sniper." This is an overview of the techniques and principles learned in this book, and how they can be utilized in the actual per{ormance so ihal you always know the best times to be prepared, and how to cut significant corners in your presentation by being ready for the right opportunities to manifest.

My personal handling of a close-up uaricttion which I call "Serialogical" follows. Those who know my style will know that I am rnost comfortable when I have multiple ways of doing the same thing. At its most minimal level, this personal obsession begins with knowing that I am able to perform something in an intimate way, as well as on stage for a huge audience. Nate Leipzig was the classic per{ormer who could command his presentations in this manner, and as such, could perform close-up "miracles" for a packed house of theatre attendees just as well as he could per{orm them under one's nose. I see myself as a dedicated student of this approach, and now offer my close-up variation of "Seri ali s ric", a more strai ght-to-the -point o'Serial Filler." version of its earlier perrnutation, A nice feature with "Serialogical" is that it is a progressive three-phase routine that provides a lot of room for improvisation and magical moments. The three phases are also quite unusual and distinct and fit nicely together'.

One thing you will find is that although each of the three routines may appear identical on tlre sur{ace, they also are made up of different principles, techniques, and presentational handiings, which when broken down, consist of:

In the next chapter, I include my thoughts for

Overall, what you will find is that my approach to the serial number divination is wholly dffirent from most others out there. When reviewing my prior theories and philosophies in contrast with the effects themselves, I think you will see why I still continue to use these approaches. It can

accomplishing a completely impromptu threephase routine for close-up called "Serialocity". This routine takes a little more experience and assertiveness to accomplish, but you will see that with practice, it will save you the two minutes of

Alain Nu

(1) (2)

Three different switching techniques

(3)

A glimpsing technique for serial numbers

(4)

Two methods for divining a single digit from the group of numbers

(5)

An original serial number o'correlation technique"

(6)

Ideas regarding numerological readings from dollar bill serial numbers

(7)

A re-sequencing climax which replaces the traditional divination

A noteworthy memorization technique, along with subtle tips

be done with close-up flexibility, using virtually any type of paper currency (which has serial numbers), and is designed as a two-phase or even three-phase process that will absolutely f,oor the most intelligent groups of people. I know this from experience-you will totally devastate people with this when presented at just the right

time. The important thing is to learn, understand and practice, always building onto your repertoire, so that you will be ready to take on any condition without hesitation or uneasiness. Any opportunity you have to showcase a serial number divination should be seen at least minimally as publicitystunt worthy-it's not only a moment for you to "flex your mental muscles," it's an opportunity to be seen doing something that no one else who's there has ever seen in their life. Keep it "real", Alain Nu June 2009

Serial Thrillers

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w

Why Mentalism?

What

is its purpose? My feeling is that mentalism's greatest purpose is exciting in people the infinite possibilities of the human mind and consciousness, possibilities which have fascinated people for millennia and which science continues to explore. There are other ways of approaching this subject, but I feel the purest approach is to present mentalisrn simply from the above perspective.

In my opinion, it is the very essence of mentalism to present these demonstrations without wholly explaining that they are mere illusions. I feel so strongly about this that my entire presentational philosophy is based on this. That wonderfully terrifying "grey-area" that most mentalists try to avoid whenever necessary is actually where I began my journey as a practitioner. Mentalism conveyed as "beyond current human understanding" is thus designed to amaze audiences by provoking a specific sense of awe within them. Even most of those who are skeptical secretly desire the experience of witnessing something thrillingly uncanny. These are the experiences that leave onefeeling aliue and real, at one with all things, or simply empowered. Through one's work as a mentalist, I believe it is possible to deliver experiences which cause your audiences to feel this. But for this to happen, everything rrrust line up perfectly, and you must be in control at all times. Mentalism must be psychologi caIIy conuincing. So the ride the mentalist must take his audience on should ultimately represent the feeling that one might get when experiencing some kind of mental power or truly inspired nloment.

Although in most cases the method behind the mental demonstration is completely different than that of the actuai phenomena it illustrates, the importance of understanding and using the related phenomena becomes integral to the overall experience.

'9 6ot ternplating

Persona

Some

personas, in my opinion, aren't a good fit for cefiain effects. My philosophy has always been to begin by finding the effects that most easily fit my persona. Regardless of my love for an effect or method, I always choose the ones that are best suited to rny style of performance. I will always endeavor to make the effect it has on the audience as appropriately power{ul and as

memorable as I can. The starting point for mentalism to achieve its greatest intellectual and emotional impact is the performer's ability to focus people's attention. By taking your audience on some kind of psychological journey that has a point of departure, stops along the way, and a final arrival point, you provide them with a frarnework for memorable experiences. This includes having a storyline of some kind as to how you attained your extraordinary abilities. Being a rrrentalist nleans you have a sort of acquired power. So YOU must know something of these powers on an intimate level. Where do they come from? Is there a family history? When did you find out about this? How do your powers manifest? Do the manifestations have limitations? Are there any side effects? How can you best explain what this power represents to you by your justification?

Alain Nu

4) Ifyou don't have

a back story here,

I

think, and to stay on the "pulse" of what is being published about the mind and its

suggest you

start putting together a very basic storyline that will mesh comfortably with who you want to be as a mentalist, and what kind of effects you wish to perforrrt

w 1L* Legend in Aetion In

developing your persona, remember that you must also consider just hon much of this "poliler" you can objectiuely be perceiued to haue.The purpose for any mentalist to present his work in the tradition of creatinga"real experience" is to deliver the quintessential presentation of the mental legend in action. These days, it's a simple matter of getting on the Google search engine (or any for that matter) in order to find the true sources for rnany weird phenomena out there. Most every mental effect will correlate at least tangentially to an actual recorded account of some unexplained phenomena that suggests the possibility of a hidden human potential. I believe that finding out and taking an interest in such documented case studies will not only open new doors to a more convincing presentation, it wilt introduce you to the core of what ntakes

processes.

Working "backwards" from the lay audience's perspective, anyone who is capable of presenting a demonstration which illuminates the "powers of our mind" should have the above four qualities to some degree. If one does not possess any one of these four qualities, certain audience members' may wonder just how one could even reach such a level of mastery without these fundamental abilities to build upon. Without these initial qualities, a person claiming to possess mental powers (even as an entertainer) may appear disingenuous. To provide the experience of witnessing such a great power, you must first conceive of all aspects

of its greatness.

mentalism so fascinating.

In order to best break it down, a portrayal of such a rnentally power{ul character should reflect on

four qualities that can ultimately support his/her role, adding to the "convincingfactor" which is the uitirnate goal:

l) 2)

To be the most effective communicator. To have a transformative quality on one's audience. To initiate introspection so that actions, choices, and the

ability to

manifest destiny are contemplated.

3)

To have a genuine interest in how people

To master effective mentalism techniques with clarity for a convincing presentation

that illuminates some mental ability' Serial Thrillers

As i"

all the mystery arts, each effect can be seen as having its genesis in a particular style, philosophy, or approach. I think it was Dai Vernon "the Professor" who canle up witlr the concept of labeling these "problems and solutions." The "serial number divination" can be seen as one such problem of which many a solution may be approached from different perspectives.

In a mentalism program, this effect might be seen amidst a backdrop of other ESP demonstrations, yet the serial nurnber effect is one which is rarely given much contemplation. Ail too often, in nonmentalism shows, novice practitioners simply see these kinds of effects as just being another 'orevelation" to add to their collection; another "super-power acquired" to add to their bag of tricks.

In my opinion, the first and rnost difficult problem of the "serial number divination effect" is that if it is presented in its most ideal context, the effect would appear more like an impossible chcrllenge than one of clever cunning and wit. For this reason, I see it as more fitting to differentiate this effect as not being the same as other rrragic effects your audience may have witnessed, but rather a strange and real byproduct of some unusual phenomenon.

Attempts to add too many corny jokes or take the subject matter too lightly, for instance, may cause doubt in the perception of skeptical rnembers of your audience, and thus work against any psychological conaincers you've built up over the course ofyour program and worked hard to mentally anchor within their minds. It

is therefore also important to frame your effect properly by choosing other effects that can be per{ormed compatibly with this one.

Granied, it is not to be expected that you shoul ever be able to convince anyone who is of a skeptical nature of anything at all. Your gift should be your ability to keep people within th mindset that there is always more to learn; mot to experience; more to realize about ourselves and the world. Everyone should be accepted into your realm- skeptics, believers, and everyone in between. Your message should be broadly mind consciousness related. In practic I believe there is a distinct line drawn which must be contemplated, between perpetuating tl moving energy of a mystery, and perpetuating : blatant lie. My goal will be to always explore at be inspired by great mysteries, without having I step irrto any pattern of complete misinformatit

So let's now talk about what makes this effect conaincingly mysterious. Though I feel that 'oserial number effects", as a general therne, certainly do create an incredible effect on an audience, I've always had a problem with the idea that one could so easily divine such a complex string of numbers. There is zero emotional connection between you and randor money, making it difficult to intellectually rationalize how anyone should be able to achie such a thing without trickery.

One good way of getting this done psychologically is by scripting a presentation which has already answered any possible questions a spectator may have. The mentalist is thus able to justify each claim within the

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structure of the demonstration, and onlookers are less likely to find any holes with the premise. Numbers, throughout history have always oomystical associations" as well as truly possessed strange anomalies within their mathematical make up. Just by stating this fact alone, the mysterious world of numbers begins to reveal itself. This is the area that a mentalist must be able to bring to life. Therefore, it is equally important that a mentalist learn as much as possible about the actual subject of about which he is demonstrating mastery. There are interesting and mysterious "truths" about any such subject matters which always help to support and thus conuince, inform, and entertain your audience. Taking time to study and be interested in this area will support the convincingness of your demonstration.

3)

What is the known science of what it is that we are experiencing?

4)

What would be the easiest way to emotionally connect the audience's own personal experiences to the strangeness of this one?

Meditate on how you will answer the above questions. No matter what method or style you choose, your subtext will make your demonstrations more convincing, entertaining, and informative.

Though it is not clear who the actual originator of this concept was, the earliest references to the serial number divination were from per{ormances of J. Randall Brown, Washington Irving Bishop, and Stuart Cumberland in and around l870's to lBBO's. These three are also considered three of the earliest stage mind-readers, so the first thing to take note of here is that the serial divination effect should be considered a classic work. There is no doubt that these three regarded this demonstration as quite the showpiece. To see these legendary men in action would certainly cast a great interest (and terror) on the mere act of thinking.

The "act" of divining the numbers as convincingly as possible must therefore be considered. Motiuation must be developed and contemplated. Questions one must ask oneself may be:

1)

How does one personally experience having the "visions" of such numbers?

2)

How should one's participants be engaged to help in the seeing of these "visions"? Serial Thrillers

E-

A random

one dollar bill is selected and given to an onstage audience rnember. Claiming to always have possessed a strange synchronicity ability with phone numbers, dates, and other random number sequences, you ask your volunteer to use a marker to circle a single digit in the serial number-whichever one that she would like to focus on. In order for you to discern which number was chosen, 1'our onstage helper is now asked to recite the remaining seven digits, but to recite them in any random order EXCEPT the original (American paper currency has eight digits that make up the serial number). Once this is done, and after some concentration, a single digit number is called out by the performer; and it proves to be the correct number! However; as the applause dies down, it becomes apparent that there's more. A pad of paper is now held up along with another malker, and in a flurry of inspiration? you manage to write down an eight digit number on the pad. Now, with the pad held high for the entire audience to see, your volunteer is asked now to recite the entire numbeq from beginning to end as it's seen on the bill that she is holding. It is an exact match! You have successfully mentally re-engineered the sequence of a completely random one dollar bill chosen from an audience member.

'9 B..ie Handling This is best done as a stage piece for reasons that will be obvious in the blocking. The props you will need are a sketchpad, a one dollar bill, 4 quarters, and two ordinary sharpie markers, of which one has a cap on both ends.

The basic concept of this method is old. You will switch a borrowed bill for one whose serial number you have previously mernorized or secretly cribbed. What makes this different is the actual diaination ffict. Although most of the subtleties used for this demonstration were invented by other people, I have organized these principles into a completely different effect than what would ordinarily be seen as a "straight-up" serial number divination. In this effect, there are two phases (this already differs from other procedures of this variety), and all the numbers are called aloud by the spectator in a random order before the serial number is mentally divined. In this effect, there are two phases. This already differs frorn other serial number effects. Since the spectator starts the effect off by calling aloud seven of the eight digits in their own made up sequence, this changes the effect quite a bit. It's just somehow oddly easier to swallow than blurting out the correct serial number of a randomly chosen dollar bill without any context. The first subtlety is by Ned Rutledge, which appeared in his effect called "Time and Money." It is a way of borrowing a bill so that you can switch it, with every action iustified. You state that you will need a dollar bill for this next demonstration. You seek out someone with a dollar bill and "buy" it from the spectator using the four quarters. You then hand the jusi-acquired bill to another spectator for the demonstration. The beauty of this concept is that you "buy" the bill from a spectator instead of borrowing it. Once this is done, your transaction with them is compiete. It now makes per{ect sense to hand it to sorneone else and it is in this handing over that the switch is made.

Alain Nu

Whereas the original version used a billet switch, I wanted it to appear as if I never touched the bill used in this demonstration, before or after the routine. For this reason, I linked to a Karrell Fox idea, which itself was based on an older Al Koran idea. This involved a double sided "clip-on-astick," that was really two clips on opposite ends of a slim wooden dowel. After a spectator's bill is secured to the clip on the end (on the premise of keeping it at a distance and untouched by the performer) the stick is passed from one hand to the other, and in doing so with a subtle pivot, one bill is hidden while the other is revealed. Karrell's idea was to replace this clip-on-a-stick with a pen that had an extra cap on its opposite end. Because I have essentially "bought the bill", as opposed to borrowing it, I can leave it with the second spectator when the routine is over'. Leaving the bill with the spectator is a Raymond Carlyle idea. Doing so successfully solidifies that the bill will not end up back with the person it came from, and minimize the chance in case that they'li try and check it later for identifying marks, etc.

The final technique is the one used to memorize the numbers. This takes place before the routine ever begins, and utilizes the Memory Test technique of David Jones (from England), which used a mathematical concept that seemed to first find its way into card magic in Harry Lorayne's brilliant Epitome Location. It entails the principle of casting out lO's. David's idea, frorn his lecture notes written in the 1990's, was used as a method in an impromptu memory demonstration using a borrowed bill, but it required that you be able to do sorne fairly agile rnental gyrrrnastics under fire. Although the impromptu nature is lost in my variation, with a mastery of the techniques used and with all the necessary props, this effect will only take 2 minutes of preparation.

wiil need your own dollar bill. Start by adding up all B of the single digits in the serial rrumber. In doing so, however, while To stafi, you

you are adding, turn each subtotal into a single digit while casting out the lO's. For example, if the first digit read is 6 and the next one B, your subtotal is 14. You cast out 10, and are left with for 4. If the next nurnber is 9, you add it to 4 and get 13. When you cast out the 10, you are left with 3. Simply put, whenever your running total exceeds 10, subtract 10, which reduces the surn total of all of your numbers to a single digit number. Therefore, a serial number 37284896, added up and reduced, would be 7. Let's say that the bill you are switching out indeed adds up and reduces to 7. Once you have this number, you will want to commit that number to memory as the reduced value. The second number that you will want to commit to memory is the B digit serial number of the one dollar bill itself. In practice, you will get better at doing this, but as a tip, and if you have the time to prepare, I recommend being selective and finding a one-dollar bill that has a serial nurnber on it that you find easy to remember for whatever reason. There may be nurnbers that repeat, or are arranged in a specific order that makes remembering this nurnber easy to do. Later, on page L4I include a memory tip which will make memorizing serial nurnbers fairly easy.

If you feel too nervous about remembering, however, feel free to come up with an innovative way to easily access a secret crib-sheet that you can glimpse. This will easily and effectively reveal to you the string of nurnbers, and may also be used for back up purposes if your memory fails.

Serial Thrillers

a nice visual. Inform your onstage spectator to

'9

B.gore the Show

Prepare

the Koran/Fox Sharpie gimmick by getting two black Sharpie markers, removing the cap from one and placing it on the opposite end of the other. Throw away the uncapped pen' You now have a Sharpie pen with a cap on both ends

(Figure 1). Take the bill whose serial number you have mernorized, fold it in half so that the serial number is on the inside, and then fold it in half twice nlore so that you are left with a small rectangular packet. This is done in the same manner you will have the person you later "buy" a bill from fold their own bill. Place it under the actual pen cap of the Sharpie rnarker (Figure 2). Place this set-up in your left side jacket pocket, place the four quarters in your right pants pocket, and finally the extra marker in your left inside

pocket. You are readY to begin.

€z

Acquiring "The Bill" After a brief talk aboui the peculiarities of certain strange coincidences, bring someone up onstage and mention to thern about your o'uncanny affinity with randomly-generated number sequences." To prove this you will need a one dollar bill. Ask everyone in the audience who has a dollar bill to reach into their pockets, remove it, and hold it in the air. This creates

select the dollar of her choice. Whoever ihey choose will be the one who you will buy the bill from. Tell the others to put their bills away.

Instruct this person to fold their bill in the manner described above (president on the inside). Remove the pen from your left pocket with the memorized bill held within the clip arrd concealed in your left hand. Be uery careful not to expose th.is. Proceed to remove the four quarters from your right pocket and complete your transaction with the spectator, exchanging the four quarters for the bill. Once they hand it to you, immediately place their folded packet into the o'dummy" clip on the sharpie marker; silently cailing attention to this action and verifying that you are being careful to keep the bill in {ull view. Turn to your onstage spectator and tell her to ready herself and that you are about to gently toss the pen (with the clipped bill) to her. As you say this, your left hand with the marker should be held high, to prove to the audience that no trickery is being used. As you tell her to "brace herself," the audience will look at her to see how she responds' This is the moment where you wili per{orm this slightly discrepant maneuver. Your left hand will swing down in a wide arc, transferring the bill into the waiting fist of the right hand (Figures 3, 4, and 5). As your left hand moves away, you will have exposed the memorized bill while your right hand, as it receives the pen, closes the fist around the bill concealing it from view (Figure 6). Your right hand will continue the "inverted arc" your left hand has started (Figure 7), tn a backwards swing. As your right hand swings back for the pitch, remove the extra cap and bili while concealed in the fist. Then, in a gentle, underhanded rnanner, toss the pen and bill, delivering it "airntail" style to the onstage spectator, who will hopefully catch it (Figure B). Be careful not to ex'pose or drop the stolen cap and

folded bill during this 10

Alain Nu

process.

Serial Thrillers

11

Your onstage volunteer will now be in possession of the memorized bill. The extra cap and bill secretly concealed in your right hand are now ditched in your left inside jacket pocket as you reach in to get your second marker' Use this marker to help you illustrate what you'd now like

your volunteer to do with her marker"

'9

p"ocedure

Haae

the spectator uncap her pen and unfold

her bill.

Ask her to use the pen to circle any digit on the serial number of the bill. This will be the FIRST tirne that you mention the serial number specificaily, even though you begin the talk about your affinity with "randomly generated nuntbers." Your first demonstration will be to reveal the circled number. To do this, ask her to eliminate the remaining seven digits by calling them out in any order. As she does so, she wiil under'line thent on the biil (to remember which ones she has called out), while you secretly add them up, reducing by l0's as you did when you found the original reduced sum. A{ter all seven digits have been eliminated (and secretly added), the number that you now have, subtracted from the original reduced sum will equal the single digit number selected. If the final number in performance is larger than the reduced number to in preparation, you will need to add yo, "u-" 10 to your initiai reduced sum. It won't matter in what order your volunteer recites the string of numbers, by simply subtracting your new single digit total from, in this example,12 (2+10), you *iil ul*uy. end up with the remaining thought-of digit. The first revelation is this single-digit number'

l2

What you have just accomplished will iook extraordinary to the audience. To contemplate this ability is interestinS, as you are not just simply exhibiting the ability to read the mind of your spectator, but rather to have a progressiveiy extraordinary relationship with number sequences. This can also lends itself to "conspiracy theory" presentations that involve tapping into sorne strange mathematical matrix that controls reality, the economy, or just demonstrates a weird correlation you've observed. I'm just mentioning these as options' You will now explore these number sequencing abilities even more deeply, by dramatically revealing ihe correct order of the eight digit serial number. If you have indeed memorized the serial number, the ntost theatricai way to reveal this is to move out into the audience and have two spectators cover your eyes. Have the on stage spectator take the pen and write the numbers, as large as she can, on a sketch pad in one straight line, so that the rest of the audience can see what is written. Instruct the spectator that every time you call out a number, she will cross it off the list, and call out "yes!'It is important for them to cross it out for dramatic effect, and important for them to say "y."," so that you can have verbal

confirmation, since You cannot see' The moment before you call out the nurnbers is an ideal opportunity to review and explain to your audience just what is taking place' The numbers that were called out previou sIy were not called out in sequence and yet you were successful at being able to deterrnine the missing number. But now that you have been given access to knowing att eight numbers, your goal will not only be to recall all B numbers called an impressive feat itself- but to also call out the numbers in their sequence, which you could have no way of knowing!

AlainNu

It is important at this point to convince your audience that there is a possibility that although you may remember all eight numbers, you might not be able to correctly guess the full sequence. Humbly present the possibility of failure. That "enen if I were to only get the sequeruce partially correct, would the demonstration still be worth

trying?" With the encouragement of the audience, you continue.

It has now been made clear throughout the routine that you have no way of knowing or seeing the number sequence. By adding the dramatic touches of now having your eyes covered, the spectator on stage crossing out the numbers as you reveal them, and the lowered expectations that come from your humble statement of self doubt, the buildup is significant. As you correctly and dramatically reveal each consecutive number in the sequence, and finish the B'r'correctly, the crowd will burst into thunderous applause.

It is my belief any great mentalist ought to develop their "ordinary" mental abilities to an impressive or extraordinary degree. Cood memory is part of this. Dramatic and theatrical edge aside, actually memorizing the eight-digit number and not relying on a crib sheet, will in itself make you a better mentalist.

I find that the method above is most suited to my personal style. If you choose to rely on a crib sheet, or have different needs, try to also find an innovative way to reveal the serial number that suits you. Have fun with this one!

Serial Thrillers

13

method, you WILL NOT need to use the casting of tens principle described in the stage version, making the close up version of this effect even

is a close up handling which, with practice, can be done anywhere and practically at any time. So long as you have some focus on yourself, and the environrnent is not too noisy, this variation presents itself as a very strange up

Here

simpier.

close experience.

Although Serialogical is not exactly impromptu, it can be close to it, depending on your skills' After some practice, I've found on average, it takes me less than I minute, to both memorize AND total up the eight digits to arrive at the reduced sum value on any random dollar bill I might have on me. It really is much easier to accomplish than it seelns.

.9

P**liminary

As u first precaution, try to find a bill which rs just a little older than brand new-in other words, you ultimately want a bill with no it looks like a representative bill any person would find in their easy identifying marks so that

wallet.

outlying passersbY.

'9

To set up, just step over to the side and either memorize the serial number and quickly add up and figure out the reduced sum ofyour dollar biil duplicate. You can also, with a pen, make a subtle crib-sheet which you rig from which to

easily get a glimpse. Lee Earle once offered me a great suggestion of writing the serial number in small print along the right SIDE of your left third finger. This way, by keeping your left second and third fingers together, the serial number isn't seen at ail. But by separating the fingers slightly, a aery eosy glimpse of your serial-crib will be revealed to you, and with the right angle, ONLY to YOU! Also, please note that if you use this 14

On the other hand, for good Ineasure, it is a good habit to stay in practice of memorizing serial numbers, and doing this effect close up will definitely offer you many opportunities to do so' I also personally believe that this effect plays stronger ifyou have someone cover your eyes while you recite the string of numbers' To most people, (even though an American bill's serial ,rr-b", will only be eight digits long), to rattle off those eight digits while someone covers your eyes is incredibly impressive. The reaction is even stronger when they think that you somehow saw the numbers re-arrange themselves into that sequence while recailing them. Finally, having people (I like to use kids or women) cover your Lye. al.o adds an element of visual spectacle that will help you generate more curiosity arnong the

114.-orization Ideas Oftentim€s, during a truly impromptu

moment, one might not be so fortunate to end up with a dollar bill which has an easy to remember serial number. However, there is always a way it can be done' Everyone will have a siightly different way of latching onto certain numbers, and with a little practice, it's not as hard as it

might at first appear. With eight numbers, I usually see them as sets of two or four' If possible I relate the four digit numbers in some way to a year, a pin number, a license plate, or anything

AlainNu

that will correspond easily in rny mind. But if I can't make any immediate correlation, here's an idea that works best for me:

w

Proeedure The exact presentation of how I see this effect

as a close-up piece is slightly different than the

I break down the eight digits into four groups of two-digit numbers, and then I visualize each two-digit set as an experience that I had when I was that age. Whenever l see a twenty eight, I know that was the age at which I got married, but the associations can be simpler,like thinking of certain friends thal you had at whatever age, and the correlation will still help you retain the number. Even if the two digit number is of an age older than you are now, you can either think of someone you know who is already that age, or imagine yourself doing something that you'd like to do once you reach that age. You'll find that thinking of four experiences that correlate to the age you were or will be will make it easy for you to remernber eight nurnerical digits within seconds flat. The rnore practice you put to developing this skill, the faster and more confidently you will be able memorize an entire serial number quickly. This opens you up to memory techniques that have many other potential applications.

Whichever way you decide to go with this method, once your initial preparation is out of the way, simply fold the bill three times over with the serial number on the inside, and stick it in your' right pants pocket. In addition to this extra dollar bill which will be switched in, you will need a writing utensil and paper, also in your right pants pocket. After sone practice, no more than two minutes of preparation and one extra dollar bill will have you ready to go since pen and paper can be looked for afterwards. You must admit, that's practically irnpromptu. Later I will talk about TOTALLY impromptu handlings.

stage version.

I might lead in to this effect with

a discussion of how "the mind can sometimes

appear to haue access to information that it could not haue receiuedfrom just the fne senses alone, and this is what initially led to the notion that we haue more than one sense." "These days, quantum physics shows us that

there is an aspect of reality that we seem to actually be able to tap into at random times, but that presents the possibility that all things are profoundly connected to all other th,ings. Heauy stuff. Regardless, we ccln sometimes tap into this 'uhimate realm' in the most unusual ways. Numbers can create uiuid associations. For example, if I said George Washington, what denomination of bill comes to mind? Exactly!

"Bu[ noru let me show you a weird talent I haue discouered about myself. I haue found I haue an uncanny ffinity with random numbers. If you haue afew dollar bills, I can show you what I rnean."

's

A Justified Switch

.4s they are looking for dollar bills, reach into your pocket and grab the folded bill, hiding it in the curl of your right fingers (finger palm). Bring out the paper or notepad with the same hand while concealing the bill. Leave the pen in your pocket for now. You are now holding the folded bili in the classic position known as the "Ramsay subtlety"- so long as you continue to casually hold the paper in the same hand as the hidden bill held in finger palm, you will appear completely natural and be treated without suspicion. As spectators begin to remove their bills, they will ask you if it has to be a one dollar bill. So long as you see that one of the one dollar bills

Serial Thrillers

15

bili and ltand'. The left hand takes the prepared it off to continues the action of openly handing

close match to that they pull out seems to be a it doesn't matter the one you have, tell them that the one you spied what kind of bill you use, since will be the one you will switch out'

someone.

If you see that none ofthe bills that they will match youl's, skip to my compietely "Loo." at the end of impromptu version "serialocity" this book. a classic In this pariicular method, I apply ,o"r.ruti.* sleight known as the billet switch' "serialistic"' the Whereas in the stage version prepared billet switch "rrlplJy"d uses a specially because Stlu.pi" markeq here, in "serialogical"' amore casual the conditions are more intirn ate'

without The reason why this can happen yet know the suspicion is because no one wili ;";:"" for your having folded the bill to begin that this is with. You haven't even told them yet' You will' u ."riul number demonstration the borrowed however, need to practice folding the other bill in your curlt t itt *ltit" "on""uli"gthat has been mastered and ,igh, nng"rs. Once on this ,tu"trrrul, no heat will ever be put

switch is necessary' appropriately As soon as you see a bill that will teli match the one you have linger-palmed' presidentyo.rr rp""rator(s) to lay all the bills ,ia" ao*n. This is also incidentaliy the serial this' put downnumber side. Once they've done your pocket (which the pad you've removed from palmed bill)' al.o h"lp"d to conceal your finger most closely und then sirnply take the bill that it (in the same matches yours and start folding are holding) all the way, of course as the one you *hii" being careful not to reveal the bill finger ir,lot, hand' With onlv three folds' this should not be a Problem'

ioln

moment.

;;fu

the other As soon as the bill is folded to match folded orr", it is placed on top of the duplicate bill. Orr"" completely aligned' the left fingers' pull them grasping the iwo packages ut ol"'. can t" tft" tils of the iight fingers' Both hands is oniy ,to* op"t up briefly to show that there Whiie having "one bill" being foltl"d (Figure 9)' new position' it's repositioned thl package in this thumb to slide the u .i-pl" rnatter of tn" right just folded back into one b'orrowed' bitt which you openly your right finger palm (Figure 10)',while bitl to your left ironrf.:rrrng tL, no*-'*itched-out

would An open-handed alternative handling to the back o{ be toacld the finger palmed bili up and in" Uin immediaielyupon picking it This allowi folding/aligning it simultaneously' to be held complet V""t n"g"* of both hands as you nevel Lp"n drring this process so long Ru.tt that the folded packet is he

ui"i,i"ntulil'

16

AlainNu

against the other side of the borrowed bi1l. If you choose to do this, don't get too fancy with your displays. Just fold it, keep it weli-aligned, and remember which packet you are switching for which.

As soon as the switch has been made, and you've handed off the bill to someone to hold onto, your right hand wlII aery casually go into your right pants pocket ditching the switched out bill, while pulling out the pen you left there earlier. Every moment is justified.

'9 Pl"rt Phase With

the "dirty work" out of the way, it is now up to you to 'oset the stage" for your audience. What you say right now must begin to engage the mind of everyone around you:

"l'm going to fold this one dollar bill up because I don't want you to think that I can peek while doing uthat I'm about to do. Although no one could determine ruhich bills would end up here infront of me,let's see if a strange ffinity can be achieued, with a randomly g:enerated, set of numbers. You see, the reason why I aslted you to put each bill president-side dorun is because I didn't want any of the serial numbers which are printed, on only one side ofthe bill, to be uisible. This folded, bill is the one I haae appointed to be the 'target', and I nill try my best to decipher th"e randomly generated serial number which is right now printed on this bill. The way I plan to do this, belieae it or not, is by receiuing inspiratiort from one or nlore of the remaining bills, which may possess sorne association to the isolated bill that you are holding. This strange "number to number" relationship n'Lay not mahe any logical sense in our reality, and yet, let's see if something real can be made of this!" Slowly and intentionally, lower your two hands down on the remaining face down bills.

"Before I begin this process, let me try to sink into the proper state of mind by closing my eyes. This will put me into a slight trance, and will h.elp me to focus on the taslt, at hand."

"OK, now for the f,rst time, unfold the bill you are holding andfocus on just the serial number-that random jumble of numbers that d,ffirentiates each and, euery bill. One of those numbers may hold a particular ffinity [o you, perhaps a luclry number or a relationship to a special day or year in your life. Stick to one single digit which makes itself more infocus than the rest. Using this pen, circle the one digit uhich you are thinking of. We'll call th,is your'psychic nllmber."'

"l ruill now press down on these bills with my palms to see if I can establish sonle connection to your bill through these others."

I want you to put a small dot aboue one of the other numbers on, the bill you are holding, and call it out loud right now. . . Now put another dot ouer Al{Y one of the other numbers. And nout call it out loud. You're being truthful right? Ok. The only number you can't "Noxo, using the pen,

put a dot ouer is the one you already circled. Go ahead and do it again. AnrJ call that number out

loud..." This is done until seven numbers have been called. After rnaking your calculations, you call out the number which you'll know it to be. Even though the odds here are only I out of 10, just this demonstration performed unembellished is quite impressive, especially if your eyes are seen to be shut during the entire time of the process.

w

A Numerological Twist

The

{ollowing is an alternative, and more personalized way of presenting this second phase section. If you possess a working knowledge of numerology, (which is easy to find and learn about online or at any library or bookstore), another interesting plot you can create is to ask

Serial Thrillers

I7

the spectator to simply choose and call out digits in a randont order o{ their personal or arbitrary importance and then turn this sequence into an impromptu oracle reading about tlrem, which is aiways the positive choice when it cornes io per{orming something intimate for close up conditions. An example of how you might approach this would be bY saYing:

"With the number you circled being considered by you as the most important number in that lot, please now call out loud two of the other numbers that you see there in any random sequen'ce" ' A f,ue and a tu)o... Interesting, there are f'fty two weeks in a yeary so my immediate instinct tells me that there is something uthich concerns you that you must address within the next ye'ar' The the two f,ue indicates rnoaement and action, antl indicates healthy balance and union." By adding five and two together, ]our secret tally is now at seuen. "Narne huo other numbers you see in an arbitrary order, but not the ones you iust called, or the one you just circled, unless any of them repeat within the remaining f'ue digits... Ok, a nine and a zero means that you will liue past ninety! Seriously, does your family haue a history of liuing long liaes? Nine is also considcred the number representing the highest leuel of chan'ge, so this inrlicates a def'nite intention on your part toutards some sort of trarusform&tion. Do these numbers make sense to your life in any other way that you can think of?

Adding nine (9+0) to seven, and then canceling out ten, will bring your secret total to six (9+7=16 / 16-10= 6). Obviously, if they were to call out a four and a seven, depending on their age, you can foretell something meaningful which will happen or that they have already had happened to them at that specific age' You will find that with confidence, correlations are quite easy to make. Finally, by asking them how these two numbers correlate to their lives, you will find that 18

they are more than willing to come right out and tell you. You now possess even more information to work with! "Now narne the last three digits that remain unannounced in any order... An eight, seu)en' and two. Diminishing in sequence! The ansloer to your concern must lie in simplif'cation. Remouing excess baggage. The eight represents the strength which you manifest both mentally and physically' The seaen tells me ilt'at your knowledge and ability to solue things intellectually is something you admire and belieue is at your core. An'rJ the fact that not only did you mention the two earlier, but it uLas th,e last digit you mentioned, means that the outcome which' you seek lies in either selJ balance, or a relatktnship with another person, is this correct?" As you are giving the reading, you need to add those three numbers with six (B+7+2=I7+6=23)' and cancel out all tens (23-10-10=3), which will bring your sectet totai to three.

If your initial reduced sum is lower than the new sunl, {or instance if it was two, you must remember to add ten to it (2+10=12), thus turning it into a twelve before subtracting three frorn it. You have arrived at the nurnber nine (thr number which you have just calculated that thel secretly circled). You can now reveal this numbt as the number which they subconsciously selected that represents their "self," culminatinl this reading as an integration of their "self' witl the other selected combinations of digits and tht symbolisrn that can be pieced together from thoi connections. "The fi.rst number which you circled earlier represents yourself. This is your'psychic number'' It represents you in the present, and it utill

uhimately mahe sense of eueryth'ing I'ue said thu fa,n Try and see ,f you can psychically telegraph this numberfrom your mind to mine. If we can successfully do this, it really utould be a'psychic number' now taouldn't it?"

Alain Nu

Take a deep breath and ask your volunteer to concentrate on her number. Close your eyes, for a moment, and then open them while iooking at her directly quickly and say, "You,r number is a nine?" This will seriously surprise someone even when done just by itself.

"Well, congratulations then! I would, take that as a positiue sign that good things are on the uay. The nine is the uery number of personal transformation, so the fact that you chose it, AND that it repeats in your serial number is a uery good sign that things look infauorfor you. Here you come to point of self,essness, and this giuing up of your personal control to the 'grauity of the uniuerse' is uhat you need to do now. kt yourself f,ow without ffirt, and try to learn what is most importantfor yourself and those around you. This is where your personal transformation will begin to take shape..."

This idea of using 'ospare numbers" to form system for an oracular reading was taken from Raj Madhok's effect calied Your Lucky Number from his lecture notes. Ideas of this nature have been explored by others as well, but it was my friend Raj, who offered this priceless suggestion to me.

'9 glt.cppoint The bill

which you switched should not have the least bit of heat on it. This will be the result of several supporting convincers:

l)

The audience is unaware of what you will be doing with the folded bill until after the switch is complete and the bill is in her hands.

2)

You have explained beforehand that you need to first find a bill which you

have a personal affinity for.

3)

The motivations culminating into the completion of the switch are strategically placed so that they are virtually undetectable.

4)

The first-phase divination should fool your audience enough into giving you some credit for your abilities.

From, the outsid,e:

Theprelirninary effect for Serialogical looks as if by simply closing one's eyes and touching some cash from someone's wallet, one would be able to have some weird random serial number connection with another human being who concentrates on a random digit found on one of those bills. It's slightly more justified than the stage version, but it hints at the inexplicable strange connection between consciousness and randomly generated number sequences. Also, the close up version makes use of more bills. I find I'm most comfortable when I know that one of their bills will rnore likely match the appearance of one of my bills, and the more bills I have immediate access to, the more of a chance I can tell if there will be a match. Therefore, the modus operandi required that I obtain a "fistful of dollars." The nice thing about this is that sometimes you get more than one good match, in which case it becomes easier for you to guide them to a decision if you want (ie: "Just point to which one of the one dollar bills you'd, like to use for our 'target."'), and on those occasions that you see three or more dollars that match, you can simply say, "About three one dollar bills nill be f,ne..." The point above is that NO MATTER WHAT the conditions are, either you OR your uolunteer will choose the "target bill", and it wili be switched for the one palmed in your right hand. Remember, your goal is to make that moment of the "target bill selection" to appear inspired, as rf you had just come up with the idea.

Serial Thrillers

19

W 5."ond

your bill haae a tl,ao at its fourth position? It DOES? Isn't that interesting?" Does

Phase

Since you've already ntemorized (or cribbed) the seriai number of the bill your volunteer is holding, you are way ahead at this point. It is now just a simple matter of revealing. But why not try one more thing before we go there. Three is the charm. Remember the bills you are holding down with your hands? You are about to use them in an interesting way first in order to justify them further.

Flip the bills over slowly, one at a time, and see if you can find ANY correlation between the serial number you've memorized and any of the serial numbers that you can now see. If there are two or more numbers that match the sequence of the one you switched in, call attention to it, and think of a good reason as to why these numbers stick out to you while lightly circling them with your pen. Call attention to anything that seerns worth noting. Find as many correlations as you can, but even three slight correlations (like matching numbers) will work in a pinch. Call attention to these and ask if what you are pointing out can be made sense of. This phase will further justify the need to have the other bills present, and there will be times when you will notice that actual weird synchronicities abound between the bill they are holding and one or even ALL of the bills on the table. Of course, this is a good time to embellish the routine with numerological connections as well, if desired... "HrnmftL... I'et's haue a look at the numbers found on these bills... the nine uas your initial number... so this t'wenty nine on this bill here speaks to me. Don't show me your bill, but just Iook at it and tell me, do you see a tul)o and a nine in secluential order on your bill? YES? This is good since two plus nine is eleuen, and one plus one (in eleven) equals t'tt)o, once again arriuing at the numerical digit representing harmony or a relationship... Starting with two now, I also see a two on this bill in the.fourth position on this bill.

20

Rernember, your volunteer just recited out loud all of the numbers on his/her bil1, but in a random order. By staring into the serial number patterns of the other rernaining bills on the table and finding two (or more) of the numbers that you just apparently heard her recite on one of the other selected bills in its correct order, the response is tremendous when you can find it. If nothing inspires you, however, just do your best to make something up! Remember, you only nee' two or three numbers to match up for this to be

interesting.

As in the above example, another way you can tl to synchronize numbers between the bills on the table and the one in their hand is by seeing if ar of the bills in front of you contains a single-digit number (which is also in your memoly or crib sheet) that lands on the exact same sequential position as in the serial number of the bill they are holding. Try to make up a somewhat logical or inspired reason as to why you gravitated towards that particular nurnber'.

'w 1h. Convincing Miss Although finding these organic connections

between the bills on the table and the target is interesting, there is a random and chaotic element to this phase which lends itself to havir you take advantage of using a classic subtle rust in mentalism. In this craft, there are tirnes when the mentalist will choose to purposely say or lead in the wrong direction in order to keep his audience convinced that he does not know the information that is being kept frorn him. In my opinion, one should be careful never to overuse this concept, since there is always a small percentage of time that something could go wrol anyway, but I feel that after a successful first phase, it is a perfect plan to use this follow-up phase to not only rnake a few strong "hits", but also be seen to slightly "miss" once or twice...

Alain Nu

"The seven on this bill is in the third position... is the seven on your bill, either on the third position from the left or from the right? Noneither direction? No. You did say there was a seven on your bill right? Ok, but just not in those positions. Well, it's not like this stuff is an exact science!" Remember, any demonstration in mental powers requires a regimented framework of subtle convincers in order to appear both genuine as well as genuinely interesting. Adding the above subtlety near the end of this second phase, will more than help set you up for your knock-out punch in the final phase.

'w Th'rd Phase If

yo" went with my recommendation to have the serial number and reduced sum total already mernorized, the third phase is best done while your eyes are closed.

"l

try tofind, within my mind. the numbers uhich you just called out. Christine, please record each number I call on this piece of paper as you hear me sound them ffi Joe, put your billface-sid,e down and put your hand ouer itfor a second. I don't eaen wan[ you to think that somehom you are tipping me off here." wiLL now

Here, you are obviously setting the audience up for a grand finale. So in order to make it so that no one will yet suspect that you will call out and match the order of the serial number, you must create an imaginary process which they can make some sense of. This sets you up to create a powerful close up experience.

are working at understanding a pattern. Using

the example we've been working with, after the volunteer calls out 52, 90,872, and you calculated the remaining digit to be 9, you can say:

"l will

now try and, recall the numbers which you called out to me... So let's see, I noticed that there were tu)o nines and tu.)o t1,0os, a senen, an eight, a f,ue, and-- one zero. Was that right? Thank you!" Here, you are seen again to repeat the numbers, but since you don't repeat them in either the correct sequence NOR the sequence which they recited to you, it will be seen as "brute memory" and thus further aid as a convincer that you do not know the actual sequential order.

It is entirely likely, at this point, that one person from the group will challenge you to recite the serial number in its actual sequential order. If this happens, it will be a good indication to you that you have succeeded in doing your most difficult job for this effect-to fully convince your audience that you could have absolutely no idea of the numerical sequence of the 'target bill' when in actuality you do! "You read my mind, because that is what I'll now try and do my best to do... Write this dorun..." Once all eight digits have been written, open your eyes. Ask them to compare your written down thoughts with the target bill that has been held by your other participant. Make the final two numbers match up as accurately as you can remember it! Was it iuck, or could there be some kind of unknown convergence that we are not fully aware? Regardless, your audience will love

it.

To do this, start by again recalling the numbers

that were initially called out by your spectator, but as this is done, DO NOT recall them in the sequential order that they are printed NOR the order that they were given to you during the first phase. Instead, think of what might be a logical way of recalling them that feels like you Serial Thrillers

E

2t

=

o'serial number way of handling the problem" is the most subtle, and in some ways the most difficult, but it is certainly doable. It requires that you have a real understanding and experience of how to apply "on-beats" and "offbeats" to your communication and timing.

This

The effect will appear almost exactly the same as "serialogical", with the exception that the handling is not only different, but more flexible. The idea I'm about to present to you is one which I wouldn't even be able to do without the practice afforded to me by having per{ormed the other two methods.

'9 1h" Collection Glimpse As people begin to pull bills out of their pockets, simply start to collect them, and while you do, intentionally lay them on your hand so that they are allface down. You want to ask for as many bills of the same denomination that you can get. As soon as you have received three (or more) bills (remember, you are placing them face down on, say, the palm ofyourleft hand), count them and as you do, leave one of them face down in your right hand. You are essentially in the act of saying something Iike "Ok, I haue three so far, can u)e get two more?" (Figure tt) As your hands come back together, however, your body will turn slightly to the left, and your right hand will suneptitiously f,ip ouer the bill which it holds, and place this bill under the two (or more) bills which remain overlapped in the left hand in a sofi-of "reverse fan" (Figure 12). This move happens in a split second and is especiaily 22

hard to detect when combined with any other misdirection (iike asking people if they have more money to give you). Furthermore, at this point in the effect, no one knows what is about tc happen. They haven't even been told that you ar, intentionally placrngthe bills face down on your hand as ofyet. And because your body position is turned slightly to the left, your audience will not be able to see that the face of the flipped-ove bill can be exposed for a long enough time to glimpse the serial number (Figure 13).

How long is enough time to giirnpse a serial number? Well, to break it down, it will take approximately 5 to l0 seconds for your audience to respond to your asking them if two more bills can be found. Essentially, you tell them "the mor moruey the merrier!" IL's a line that anyone can

relate to. But the point is, during this little chit chat, you've gotten an easy 5 to 10 seconds to glimpse and remember the eight digit number ir front of you. Try during this time to cement this memory into your brain. Then IMMEDIATELY after you say, "the more the merrier" , sayr "Giue me a second, let me see if I can do this... " NOW, close your eyes ahd repeat the eight digit numbe in your mind as long as you need to, in order to truly plant the eight digits into your thoughts. While your eyes are closed, simply square all the bills in your hand so the bill underneath the spread cannot be seen. This should only take an extra 5 seconds or so, especialiy when using the mernorization ideas which I described at the beginning of the last chapter (page l4).

Once you have fully recorded the eight digits inl your thoughts, open your eyes, and say, "Well, maybe I can go ahead and iust try it uith these three." By that time, there will either be people

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23

@

ready to hand over a few more bills or not' but either way, you now have fully engrained this number into Your memory!

's

the above move actually allows for, which "seriaiogical" does NOT, is that you are seerningly able to ALVIAYS give your volunteer a chance at choosing which bill to use as the target. Here's how:

What

The Bottom Deal Flip

thirpoint, you still need to re-reverse the bottom bill. This can be done in the act of simply handing the bill to a spectator' Hold the .tu"kln your lefi hand' (withyour body turned slightty to the left) and then approach the stack with your right hand so that the right fingers

At

I lay these bills down on the table, just call stop." Say this, as you lay the first bill face-dov

"As

slide underneath the stack and can remove the lowermost bill (Figure 14)' Notice that it is held right at the fingertips as it's removed' The quickness of the action of grasping the lowermost bill of this bunch is not too unlike the secret action used in the classic card ntove known as the "Elrnsley Count", as the right hand steals the lowermost card back into its possession' As the bill clears the bottom of the stack, the right fingers quickly close and the right thumb q,rl"t ly moves out of the way for the bill to llu",.ontpletely over onto its outstretched palm (Figure f i t fO;. The large movement made by ih" ,ight arm acts to cover the smail motion of flipping the bill over and handing it to someone' As the arm is extended to hand the bill off' the right thumb should be back in position to help d"liu", it to them. This is all done in a swift rnotion, and is much easier done than explained' The illusion is perfect so long as your audience is watching from your right side, but will look good' for the most part, from any angle with the proper amount of offbeat misdirection' Some would wonder why a gamblers flip move wouldn't be just as effective to use at this point'

Well, the reason is that IT WOULD he the most effective way of forcing the bill, if the average antount of bills that one gets while performing seven biils. Since the average bills one receives in performance is usually not quite seven' just as however, this method of handling works well with a smaller number of bills'

24

1u*get Selection

on the table. If there is more than three bills to choose from, continue on with the second bill' exposing that with each bill you deal down, the one underneath is also face down' Once your volunteer calls stop, deal whatever bill you are holding down to the table, but then immediatel l'botto- deal/flip over" move as you har do the

him the now memorized bill, saying something Irke, "Ok, so this one goes here, and this one wt go to you!"

If you get to the poini where there are only twc remaining bills in your hand (the face-down one on top, covering the face-up one beneath

it), simply do the move, but this time using it jusi to separate the two bilis into each of your t*o hund*, as opposed to handing one to the spectator' As you do this, display each biil facedown on your hand and say, "We're down t only two bitts lefi, so next finally, would' you to go with, the one on the right or the one on th Lefr?''

Said in the rnanner mentioned above, it doesn matter which one anybody "goes" with' This is mainly because the unusual combination o: the words "ltrext fi'nally" is thrown in to mak' the last staternent arnbiguous' If he chooses tl

prepared bill, you say,"Very caell, tahe this biti arud' let's haae a go at it!" On the othe hand, if he points to the one which isn't the preparetl one, just place it dramatically on to of ,ho." on the table, and say 'oThen this on is the lalst one to go! l{ow take the remaini one and' hold onto this as

'target."'

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it will

be used as ou

Remember, up until this point no one knows why any of this is going on, save a few comments about quantum mechanics, and a strange affinity with randomly generated numbers sequences!

will begin by simply hauing you concentrclte on just one of the f"rst four number digits that you '"1

see. Just concentrate on one

of the f.rst fotLr as a

single digit number in your mind. Do you haae one?"

w

A Four Digit Revelation Originalll, I tried to duplicate the first

phase of "Serialistic/Serialogical" in the early stages of trying this one. But it was, frankly, ridiculous to try and add up eight single digits AND memorize them onthef,y. As you can see, even I have a threshold! But I did find that rnernorizing the eight digits fairly quickly was not as much of a problem for me. So with wanting to stay in keeping with the multi-phase spirit of "Serialogical",I came up with the following alternative first phase procedure, which still works quite nicely. To introduce your effect, say:

"Although there's no way to determine which bills utould end up here infront of me, let's see if a strange ffinity can be achieaed with a randomly generated, set of numbers. You see, the reason why I haue kept each bill presidentside down is because I dicln't want any of the serial numbers to be out in the open before ue begin. With the bill which you haue just chosen to be our'target', I will try to.find some unusual c orre lations by re c eiaing inspir ation from one or nlore of these remaining bills, which may share sorne association to the isolated bill that you are holding. This strange "nLlnlber to nurnber" relationship may not make any logical sense in our reality, and yet, let's see if something real can be mad,e of this!" Slowly and deliberately lay your two hands down on the facedown bills on the table. TLre key here is to do this deliberately, but not to say anything about why you are doing this as of yet. Just allow it to sink in as a mvsterious element of the process.

Close your eyes. By the way, now would be a good time to review that serial number in your mind again. Especially review the first four digits, because what you will do now is to try and consider which of the four digits your volunteer could be thinking of. You

will also break down the four digits

into categories that can help you "fish" for information which will guide you to the correctly thought-of number. As you are seen to concentrate, call out distinctions of "even or odd" and "high or low", and along with a little conlmon sense (for instance, and depending on the person, some will be more inclined to choose a 7 because it's a lucky number, or a 0 to try and mess with you), you will learn to quickly gain knowledge of the number they are thinking of in MOST cases... The reason why I say "in most cases" is because you just never know what the serial number will be on any given bill, and occasionally you'll end up with a bill which is just frankly difficult to pump a number from. One can only hope and pray that the first four digits will be 2727,but sometirnes it isn't that easy. In more difficult cases, have the spectator show the number to other people around him, because you can learn a lot from seeing different reactions come from your statements of even or odd, etc., which makes it a iittle easier to decipher. It doesn't even matter if you're wrong, because if you're wrong, you can say, "Ok, but just out of curiosity, IS there a seaen as one of the f,rst four digits?" When they respond by saying "y.r", feel free to count that as a soft hit. Ah, to never be completely wrong!

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If you like the idea of adding

a nurnerological

presentation around this first phase, please refer to the presentational touches in A lYumerological Twist page . and adapt it into this method. Since Serialogical however does not start off exactly the same as in this one, I tend to assign this first thought-of digit in this effect as the one that represents the volunteer's "self', saving the more nunlerological divination element for the correlations you will make in the third phase of

this routine. Once you come to understand how I utilize each principle described in this book, you will find that it is quite dynamic and can either be used, not used, juxtaposed or varied, depending on your performing conditions, comfort level, and general disposition.

'9

5*"ond Phase

For

information on this phase, please

^or. to the second phase of "Serialogical"

refer in the previous chapter' However, since this phase relies so heavily on a real element of synchronicity and inspired improvisation, I will continue on with a sample description... Turn the face-down bills face-up now, and glancing at their serial numbers, see if you can find any correlations between those that are in front of you and the one you quickly memorized. By the way, this is another one of those off-beat mornents where you can spend a quick moment reviewing the serial number you just memorized. Everyone will be reacting io the end of the first effect. But while all of this is being done, you are seen flipping the bills over one at a time, still holding them, but also seemingly trying tofeel something witltin their texture. Suddenly, you crumple one of them slightly in your hand, as you say, "This is the one that is speaking the most to I'm getting a real buzzing feeling me right

offthis one!"

26

Of course, while that rnay be the case, the reason why you are pointing out this particular bill over the others is because you ultimately want to find a bill which has the most similarity with either correlating numbers or trto or nlore correlating numbers that are in the sanne

sequence. For instance, if your memorized number was 12302560 and a bill which you just spied has the serial nurnber 09254825 (I really did this using bills from my wallet as I wrote this passage), you would have the correlations of the repeated 25 in the latter number which could indicate a definite 25 sequence within the serial number of the target bill. Furthermore. the 0, being the first digit on this bill could indicate that a 0 could be significant as either lhef'rst or last digit of the target bill, the 9 in the second position could indicate a 6 sornewhere within the serial, and so on. The truth is I made up all of the above correlations on the spot. But my confidence remains that I believe (with at least two other bills to choose from) you will be able to find an absolute minimum of two corresponding numbers to call attention to and thus make a noteworthy correlation. From the outside, it appears as if you were particularly drawn towards these correlations, but how? As it's revealed to exist within the serial nurnber of the target bill, a whole new meaning begins to take shape within the rninds of your audience as well! As a final thought on this matter, should you find yourself uninspired and can find only one correlating single-digit connection on one of the bills, try the following idea: Have the spectator find the number for you, while using atiming-force onthem' This would be the same type of force used by Harry Lorayne in his effect entitled "The Moving Pencil" from his book, Close-up Card Ma'gic. Simply hold your

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finger above the serial number of the bill you find which has a number that corresponds to the target bill. The number which you force must be on the other side of where you start your finger, so of course that will dictate from which side of the serial number you will begin. Whatever the case, hold your right finger (or a pen) about a two to three inches above the table directly above one side of the serial number. Tell the spectator to say stop and as he/she does, simply time it properly so that your finger is over the number that you'd like to force. It can't get much simpler than that. Once your finger stops above the nurrrber you want to force, simpiy bring your finger down onto that digit, and call out the nurnber, while asking them if it corresponds to any of the nurnbers on their bill. They will be forced to agree. Furthermore, the fact that no one in your audience will know the context for which you are doing this is well in your favor, and since you are giving your volunteer the credit for taking part in the spooky correlation, everyone comes out looking like a winner.

It is always wise to remember, however, that part ofthe second phase is also best used to instill doubt into the minds of your spectators that you have any knowledge of the sequential serial number of the target bill. Therefore, if you ever find yourself uninspired during the second phase, please feel free to make up some incorrect correlations (see The Conuincing Miss, page It will pay off at the conciusion! -).

'9

1'1tird Phase

Haaing

primed your audience with the first two "minor" phases, you are now ready for the big finale. Rernember, you are WAY ahead of your audience in that NO ONE has suspected that you have seen the faces of any of the bills, much less were able to quickly memorize an entirely randorn serial nurnber within seconds of time. Keep in rnind that rrrany people can't even remember their own cell phone number. But

even if you think of YOURSELF as one of those people right now, TRY IT using my suggestions (pg t4), and you will see that with only a little bit of practice and dedication, the eight digit serial number memorization trick is startlingly easy. "As afi,nale, I'd like to try something interesting. This time, I'll use pen and paper to record my impressions... I utant you to recite any truo random nlr,mbers...."

Here, you won't have to do any secret math equations either. Take the pen and paper, and hold it so that it is facing away from the volunteer holding the bill. As he calls out each random digit, you appear to write it down on ihe paper. Houterser, rather than uriting the scrambled numbers in the order of the sequence called-out, you will be seen by tlte rest of your audience uriting them on the paper in an odd way- each digit you write down, will be fill each digit on the paper in the EXACT order of how you memorized them initially. Of course, as in the lYumeroLogical Twist, you can have your spectator recite the numbers in two pairs and one triplet, which creates the illusion of more of a process than there actually is.

This is an interesting mornent, because it will appear to your audience, as your volunteer reads off random digits, that you are also writing them down randomiy. The surprise will come appropriately at the finish, when it is revealed that the manner in which you scrarnbled your digits on paper, matches correctly the exact serial number of the bill that your volunteer is holdingl My most recent preference in handling is to use the'oNurnerological Twist" presentation, getting the volunteer to recite scrambled numbers two or three at a time, while simultaneously using the pen and paper to write down the nurrrbers in such a way to make it seem as though through some mysterious numerological process I am able to come up with the correct sequential order. This is my preferred stage handling as well.

Serial Thrillers

aq-

A

serial killer's strength can be found within the element of surprise; you never know when or where he may strike...

What if you were able to just have sonteone just take one of her own bills, have her; call out the numbers in a scrambled manner and then irnmediately regurgitate them back to her in sequential order? That would be a pretty tremendous Inoment, right? The following concept pre-supposes that you have mastered the memorization techniques and the principles of the prior effects and routines in this tome. By learning to understand the framework of exercises and subtleties within those routines, you will eventually learn to cultivate shortcuts that allow you the cleanest most direct serial number divination You will find, however, that developing an ability to perform the perfect execution-Ihe most straight fon'vard dernonstration of being seen to divine the serial number of a random bill- will rely not only on the confidence of your demonstrative abilities by continual practice, but also on realizing the moment of the perfect circumstance, and on summoning the perfect circumstances to occur.

..

The best tirne to perform any serial number divination effect is whenpoper money is already out and present-llke at a bar where people are constantly buying drinks, or at a restaurant at the end of dinner when the check is being figured out. Presenting this effect at these times will rnake this demonstration appear organic and offthe-cuff, yet the mark you leave behind will be

Here's one way to save time and process: as you see cash get placed on the table or baq try to catch a good glimpse of one serial number on a bill that is lying out and cornmit it to mernory. Then, set up the effect, once you have done this, to end up with that bill as the one used for the demonstration. Feel free to use equivoque, one of the methods or subtleties I mention in this text, or simply off-handediy ask someone to pick up the dollar you just glimpsed, and fold it up!

Whatever the case, you now have your audience where you want them. You are now ready to o'prior tests", or simply either go into any of the go straight into the third phase of divining the serial number of that bill in the most convincing way you can using the assortment of techniques learned from this system.

As I mention earlier, my preference is to per{orm a straight forward demonstration of the Numerological Twist and then just dramaticaliy call out the sequence while someone holds my eyes shut. It doesn't get rnore engaging as that! Good timing is everything. Always be aware of the moments preceding great opportunities so that you may be ready for them when they arise, as they always eventually do'

There are, of course, so many other ways to explore the process of making this "moment" a magnificent one. That is arrother thing to appreciate about these methods-they are very dynamic. They create the space for "empty moments" that you rnust fill with your personality'

creativity, and personal message.

legendary. 28

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Always remember, within your creativity-not my methods-will you find your greatness. The experience that this demonstration creates is best seen as a punctuation mark- representing the context and content which you must create and inject. I must leave this part to your own personal aesthetic, but suffice it to say, there are plenty of creative options you can explore. My only advice here is to say, make it look good. Make it look possible. And be sincerely appreciative of your successful outcomes. To be believable, your character should never be so sure of oneself as to expect a perfect hit with these kinds of o'challenge" demonstrations. After all, performing a demonstration with random serial numbers should be given the feel of something truly beyond extraordinary.

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L

to first thank mY editors Raj Madhok, Tanya Thielke, and Joe Zabel Next' acknowledgements go to rny historical resource also team, Gr"g Edntonds and Steve Rivkin' I'd iike to thank Rose Rings for the excellent layout work and Doug Moors for helping me with the photographr, und another awesonle (last-minute) d".ign! Tanya and Doug also doubled with "ou"t babysitting tasks, while I slaved away at the my computer, so thank you both for picking up on slack!

I'd\rk

30

include David effect was his Jones, whose "serial link" to this o'cancelling of tens" addition' inclusion of the This was the first idea that inspired me to effect' develop my own style of serial number Also a big thank you goes to my friend' Raymond to Carlyle, who always has important wisdoms impart. My greatest inspiration, whg had nothing to do with writing this work, is my daughter' to Nicolette. Thank you all, for helping this work print.

Others I would like to thank

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