A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the concept of Pre-Tricks—that is, using a simple trick not primarily to fool the other person, but to establish the nature of the interaction. Similar to how “pre-talk” is used in hypnotism.
I’ve done something like this for a while now, although I wasn’t necessarily thinking of it in terms of a “pre-trick.”
What I use is the Draw Cycle feature of the Jerx App. This feature cycles through a sequence of outs and then locks in on one whenever you move the phone.
In one of my presets, I have the numbers 1–12.
This allows me to use the app with numbers under 12, a roll of two dice, an hour of the day, or, in theory, a month of the year if you have them think of the number of that month.
And, of course, any numbered list of 12 or fewer items. If there are eight different burgers on the menu, you can say, “I’m going to write down the name of one of the burgers… actually, I’ll just write down the number. I’m going to focus my thoughts on that burger, then we’ll make out for a little bit, and you tell me which burger you can taste a hint of on my breath.” Or whatever. That’s just an idea to point out you’re not limited to numbers exactly.
I almost never use the 1–12 reveal as the trick itself. Instead, it’s more a tool to use before getting into a proper effect in order to establish some element of the interaction.
Establishing the Power
You can use this as a quick way to establish where the power sits before moving on to something more interesting.
“I’m going to predict the number you’ll think of.”
“I’ve written down a number between 1 and 12. I want you to focus and see if you can read my mind.”
“This is my grandfather’s old watch. I’ve written down a number on my phone. I want you to rotate the hour hand until you feel compelled to stop on a single number. The watch has this weird pull over people. It can get people to do things they otherwise couldn’t.”
None of these are profound tricks on their own, but they’re quick effects that let you guide your spectator in a specific direction before taking them on a longer journey.
Same-Siding
“I’m going to tell you the one word in the dictionary you’re thinking of” is such a grand impossibility that it clearly carries the weight of a magic trick. A spectator who hasn’t been eased into it will almost always have their guard up—trying not to be fooled, not to give anything away.
Getting the right number, 1–12, is such a small trick that you can realistically present it as a moment of the two of you “getting on the same page” before moving on to something more substantial. Now they’re on your side rather than fighting you. That small shift can change the dynamic going forward, regardless of what comes next.
Calibrating
You don’t have to make your friend get the number right. It can sometimes make sense for them to be consistently off by the same amount. Or have some external factor affect their success.
For example, you could suggest there’s a “focal depth” that works best when reading minds: “It’s like when you read text. If it’s too far away it gets blurry, but if it’s too close, it does too.”
You stand a few feet away and see if they can guess the number you wrote down. They’re off by four. They take a couple of steps back and try again—they’re off by two now. “Okay, getting closer.” You send them a few more feet back, and they’re off by two again.
“Wait, I think the ideal spot is probably somewhere between the last two attempts. Put yourself right in the middle.”
This time you’ve locked in the “mental focal depth,” and they hit it dead-on.
Now that you’ve found the sweet spot, you can push it into something wilder.
Forcing a Spectator
In a group, you can steer the outcome by having everyone think of a number, then move forward with whoever comes closest. You already know who you want to ‘win,’ and you make the numbers fall that way.
It can play as a quick, throwaway means to ‘randomly’ pick someone—or as a little moment of connection: ‘Okay, it seems like we might be on the same wavelength.’
Qualifying or Disqualifying Spectators
As I mentioned in the original Pre-Tricks post, this is a quick way to see whether you and a spectator are actually ‘aligned’ enough to make another trick worth doing.
But because you’re not relying on luck here, you get to decide if you want to move forward with them and force that outcome.
You can also play around with this testing moment in the following way:
Someone asks to see a trick. You say, “Ah, we can try. I don’t know, it doesn’t always work great if I don’t know the person well. Here, I’ll write down a number on my phone and try to send it to you. Let’s see if you can tune in to what I’m sending.”
You write something down, then whisper something to someone else in the room.
The person you’re “testing” guesses the number 8. You turn your phone to show the number 6.
“Eh, too bad. Not surprising, really. We don’t know each other, so it’s unlikely we’d have that bond established already. Anyway, I’m going to head out.”
After you leave, the person you performed for asks the other what you whispered to him.
“He said you’d be off by two.”
Again, this isn’t about performing the strongest trick. It’s about using a tool to help establish a dynamic or set up a future performance. Pre-tricking.
And the great thing about the Draw Cycle app is that you don’t have to spend any time remembering how it works. You open it, choose the preset, and it starts cycling through. No mentally energy required.
