Symbolics

These are three self-working routines with ESP cards with the general theme 'impossible coincidences', facilitated by a cyclic stack. (Two effects are based on work by Werner Miller from his Ear-Marked book, and one routine is from Shane's book Automata.)

As always with Shane, you don't just get a routine and method, but the reasons why these routines work, what is important and how you can change or alter them to suit your needs and make them your own.

In Search of Synchronicity
A deck of ESP is shown, shuffled, and cut. The spectator cuts the deck several times, finally stopping whenever she wants, and removes the card she cut to, setting it aside. The remaining cards are dealt into four piles on the table. Each of the top cards of the piles is turned over, revealing one of each symbol. The card previously selected is turned over and seen to be the missing symbol.

Especially Singular Probability
An ESP deck is shuffled and cut. The spectator deals the deck into two piles, one used by the spectator, one by the performer. Mirroring each other’s actions, four pairs of cards are produced, each matched symbol. Four piles are likewise produced and, turning over the top cards of the piles, all are revealed to be duplicates of the fifth symbol.

Triple Coincidence Plus Two
A deck of ESP cards is shown and mixed. Three cards are chosen from the deck, two of which are known to the spectators, the third of which is put in a spectator's pocket, sight unseen. The deck is then cut and dealt in two piles in front of the first spectator. When the cards in the piles are turned over one at a time, only one set of cards is seen to match: it is the design chosen by the spectator. This is repeated with the second spectator. When done with the third spectator, only one set of cards is seen to match. Pulling out the previously selected card from his pocket, the spectator finds that all three cards bear the same design.

1st edition 2006; 14 pages.