"Just Think" about $15; anywhere.

The effect: A person only thinks of a card, writes it on a piece of paper, folds it, and keeps it.

You take a deck of cards, take out a card, place it face down, and after he reveals his card, the face-down card, matches his thought-of card!



Sounds great doesn’t it? Well, it would be great, if it worked. The concept (an IP- if you follow my meaning) just doesn’t work. At least not to anyone but yourself. (It’s weird, but when you do it yourself, it kind of works, but in the real-world with real people, it has never worked for me and I tried everything to give it it’s best possible chance).


I used a BW deck as an out, and after resorting to the BW deck every time I tried "Just Think", I highly don't recommend "Just Think".


AA

I have to agree with you, it is useless. If anyone is interested in a version that works, check out Max mavens video mind phase 1. There is a routine on it somewhat like Just Think, but it works.

Ichazod

I have to agree with I-zod



The routine is called "Divine Write". I constructed the gimmick, and it worked well. The only problem I found is that the gimmick (cc) is shaved too thin, and bows and wrinkles a little bit when written against, so practice and refinement is the key.



Best,



Sean

Hi,

Yeas it truly sucks.

Back to Bagshaws deck (miss spelt?), center tears, Annemann's original ideas (card or case) or your favorite method.

Yours faithfully

Dan Kirsch

I don't know about the Max Maven effect, but I made my own "Just Think" type of a trick with a bicycle deck, some glue, and a very soft leaded pencil. It worked just fine.

I rarely use it but if you hit somebody, particularly a magician at the right time with it, they will be floored. Either the person picks up on the method or they don't. When they don't, you've got a perfect mindreading effect.

I remember seeing a video on JBTV and thinking "Odd??" when the presenter had a pad of Stick-It notes to write on and then peeled one off and pocketed the pad.

As soon as he said "Oh you need something to write on" it was screaming to anyone with half a brain what he was up to.

Stick-It with the other crappy effects.

The guy on JBTV did exactly what you don't want to do with this effect. Again, used at the right time and place it's perfect mindreading. I said I rarely do it. The reason for that is because you need a perfect situation.
Use your imagination. Ask yourself, when might it be very natural to hand someone a deck to use as support for writing? I'd say if you're both standing in the middle of a room, that would be very natural. Maybe you do a trick that leaves them holding onto a deck in the case. Then simply hand them a small post-it note. 9 times out of ten, guess where they'll put it?

I agree with the comments about this working in the right situation. I've found it best done outside with no table too close! I also find post-it notes a bit obvious, so use a slip of paper just the right size.

Also, make sure you've got a good 'out' in case they don't write on the paper after all...

Annemann thought very highly of this when he first published it. So, the idea is good, perhaps just not this incarnation of it.

Paul.

So right you are, Paul,

The effect and method are very, very good. But the gimmick supplied with the marketed effect "Just Think" didn't work. It was a major disappointment. Too bad the person marketing the effect couldn't find a gimmick that worked, because this would be an awesome trick. (The general "method" has been used by mentalists for years–it's the prop used to carry out the method that is inadequate.)

IF the prop worked, then your comment (in another thread) about using a post it note is a real practical tip! Much more practical than paper because it anchors the writing to the area you want.

James Maxwell had an effect which used a card and not the case. It was published in Magic Wand in 1920 according to Jean Hugard in Encyclopedia of Card Tricks, and is probably the first description of this method. Funnily enough, the next trick mentioned after "Telepathic Selection" is in fact Anneman's "Mental Masterpiece" which uses a card case.

I had this. Disappointed at first, but not that bad, really. Focus more on the presentational angles.

To make it work, add your jokers/or even extra jokers into the deck. I am quite sure it will work as it did for me.

Nevertheless, not recommended for $15.

re;
"James Maxwell had an effect which used a card and not the case. It was published in Magic Wand in 1920 according to Jean Hugard in Encyclopedia of Card Tricks,"

The card version has also been marketed.

Paul.

I own all three of the Max Maven video-mind series, and I just wanted to say that I highly recomend you get your hands on the. Although it would be imagined that the effects are all mentalism, there are many that are more, Magic tricks for say, then mentalism. The Divine Write trick, is not bad, I like it, but I like The Mochnigbird the best. BY FAR!

Like I've said, this thing would be great if it actually worked, but it doesn't. No matter how many jokers you add to the deck, no matter how thin the card box, no matter how hard the spectator pushes down with the pencil, it doesn't work. Even if it did, you'd still have to hope for luck that when the spectator hands the box back to you, the 'impression' will still be there. If someone ever manufactures a 'working' version of this gimmick, I'd be happy to pay several times the price of "Just Think" for it.

Psychic is right. I too added some extra joekers to the deck that it was thick and it worked. But I forgot about the trick when it became hard to read it. I was so excited when it first came out but I must honestly admit I don't use it anymore. I can't let it work on not work in my shows. With "Just think" you can be 100% sure.

Just to add to this old topic, very old topic.

I've always found it works, its the top card in my card case & have only had one time it failed when the ******* didn't come *******

As also mentioned above you can only go into it in the write situation, when your standing & there are no tables or anything to lean on. Then it makes perfect sense to use the deck as a table.

I've got the MM version, where he does something to the card case but I found this version messy.