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Making Guesses

Making Guesses is a mentalism trick that involves the magician accurately predicting or guessing information that seems impossible to know. This could include thoughts, choices, or personal details about the spectator. The trick is versatile and can be performed in close-up, parlour, or stage settings, making it suitable for a wide range of performances. The magician uses a combination of psychological subtleties, audience management, and sometimes props like a notepad and pen to create the illusion of mind reading.

Key features

  • Versatile performance options (close-up, parlour, stage)

  • Combines psychological subtleties with traditional magic techniques

  • Can be performed with minimal props

  • Strong audience engagement and interaction

Pros

  • Highly adaptable to different performance styles and settings

  • Creates a strong connection with the audience

  • Minimal props required, making it easy to carry and perform anywhere

Cons

  • Requires good audience management skills

  • May need practice to perfect the psychological subtleties

Effect

Making Guesses is a mentalism routine where the magician appears to predict or reveal a spectator's thoughts with uncanny accuracy. The performer uses a notepad and pen to jot down seemingly random notes during the performance. To the audience, it looks like the magician is casually making observations, but in reality, they are recording bold guesses about personal details—such as star signs, numbers, or even specific objects. When a guess aligns with the spectator's choice, the magician reveals it, creating a moment of astonishment as if they had truly read their mind.

Full Details

The routine relies on psychological subtleties and the magician's ability to capitalize on lucky moments. The notepad serves as a tool to legitimize the guesses, making them appear premeditated rather than improvised. The performer may also use misdirection and audience management to steer the interaction toward favorable outcomes. The beauty of Making Guesses lies in its flexibility—it can be adapted to close-up or stage settings and integrated into broader mentalism acts.

Who Should Consider the Trick

This routine is ideal for mentalists or magicians who enjoy interactive, improvisational performances. It suits performers who like to engage deeply with their audience and create personalized, memorable moments. Since it doesn’t rely on complex sleight of hand, it’s also accessible to beginners, though experienced performers will appreciate the nuanced psychological techniques involved.

Difficulty

Making Guesses is relatively easy to perform from a technical standpoint, as it doesn’t require advanced sleight of hand. However, it demands strong audience management, quick thinking, and confidence in improvisation. The real skill lies in selling the effect—making the guesses feel deliberate and impossible rather than lucky. Performers who excel at cold reading or psychological magic will find this routine particularly rewarding.

What Magicians Say

Joel Dickinson, a respected magic creator, highlights the power of this method:

"A notepad and pen is your savior to create those moments and make more of them... When you do get a hit, you have the most incredible, most powerful moment that could be created."

Another magician, referencing similar techniques in psychological magic, notes:

"Capitalizing on lucky guesses and turning them into tricks is what makes mentalism so compelling. It’s not about the method—it’s about the experience you craft for the spectator."

Making Guesses is a versatile and powerful addition to any mentalism repertoire, offering a blend of spontaneity and strong audience impact.

What people are saying about Making Guesses

AlakazamMagicUK says...

Magic's powerful isn't it? You've got to be careful with it because if you connect it to the wrong kind of story it becomes far too believable.

Review videos