Hi Guys,

I've been using this trick in my professional work for a few years now and has never ceased to get as good reaction. It has fooled many magicians.
as I said in the title, you ask a spec to name a card, take the card out of the deck and it is found to be the only card with a big fat X written across it. It's much like invisible deck.

I learnt it out of a Nick Einhorn book but he doesn't know where it comes from originally.
It's a cracking trick and have hardly seen anyone else do it.

Anyone know where this is from?

cheers

There are a number of effects in this genre. Typically, instead of an 'X' on the back of the card it is an odd-backed card, but those are just presentational differences.

The two effects that jump to mind are Michael Vincent's Brainwave My Way and Michael Close's Red Blue Mama Fooler, though the Vincent effect is newer than the Einhorn books.

My version, called "Think A Card" from The Wizards' Journal #20 on my site, uses the premise that you intend to influence a spectator to take a particular card and that she (it works nicely with a woman spectator) should do her best to avoid being influenced by you. Then you shuffle a blue backed deck of cards until the spectator tells you to stop, spread out the cards face up on the table and allow her to slide out any card she freely chooses, and if at any time she thinks you are trying to influence her choice, she can push it back and slide out another. She finally settles on a card she is convinced she has freely chosen and you tell her the trick is over, you forced her to pick that particular card. She wants some proof. You have her spread out the deck of blue back cards and note that every card has a blue back. So what? So the card she chose is now turned over and it not only has a red back, but it also plainly states "I made you pick the two of hearts" or whatever the card is; different every time. I think there are a lot of these types of tricks available. I like my version, but everyone has a favorite version. However, I don't know where to find your version, but I do know where you can find mine.

I know that Larry Becker has a version explained in his lecture notes c1980s.

Thanks for all the input guys.

It's not really a brainwave trick as the card doesn't have different colour back.
One n ice thing about is the X is clearly drawn on the card and not printed so when you say "before I came out I drew an X on one card" it's obvious that you did do that cuz it's clearly done with a marker pen and not a printer.

Jay Sankey created an effect with this same idea using an invisible deck.

Half the time, the card selected would be the only "X" card. Otherwise, it would be the only card "not ruled out" - if you understand what I'm saying. Hope that helps.

Perhaps you're referring to X-Credible?

http://www.tannens.com/shop//cart.php?m=......l&p=6359

I used this often back in the 80's and it always received good reaction. I stopped using it only because of pocket management issue.

A routine like this you will also find at Jon Tremaine's "Close-Up Mental Programm" DVD or Video. The routine is called "The Invisible Pack & Pen".

Just to clarify: My "Think A Card" is not a Brainwave trick either, because it doesn't use rough-smooth in the primary version, and you don't have to have contrasting backs involved at all if you don't want to. Since you make it yourself, the printing is done by hand using a marker pen.