How to Play Black Magic
Ask an assistant to follow you to another room., Tell the assistant how the game works., Return to the room alone., Ask an audience member to pick any object in the room., Call the assistant back into the room., Point to a few objects in the room...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Ask an assistant to follow you to another room.
You'll need to teach an assistant the secret to your black magic.
Pick someone and take him to a separate room, or contact him before you get together with your friends.
The rest of the group will be the audience, and stays behind.
If you want to be dramatic, tell the group that you need a quiet room for "forming a psychic connection." -
Step 2: Tell the assistant how the game works.
In private, tell your assistant the secret to the game.
Tell him that you will be pointing to different objects in the room, and asking whether each one is the object you're thinking of.
He should keep answering "No" but pay attention to the color of the object you are pointing to.
When you point to a black object, he will answer "No" again, but the next object you point to will be the right answer.He should answer "Yes" to that one.
If you don't understand this step, read the rest of the instructions to see how the game is played in more detail.
There are many variations to this game, that use a different secret signal.
Some are described below in another section. , Leave your assistant behind.
Make sure there is no way the assistant can hear you, or the audience may suspect, incorrectly, that the "psychic" assistant is just eavesdropping. , Ask a volunteer to select any one object in the room.
Ask her to tell you what the object is, explaining that you will be sending a psychic message to your assistant so he will know which object she chose.
If the audience thinks the assistant is listening in, have the volunteer point to the object instead.
Ask her to walk over to the object and point to it from close by, to make sure you have the right one. , Check that everyone in the audience knows what the object is, and tell them to keep it a secret from your assistant.
Call the assistant back into the room.
If he can't hear you, send out a group of several people to bring him back.
If you only send one person, the rest of the group might think he is telling the assistant the object, making the trick less mysterious. , Point in turn to a window, a chair, a person's clothing — just about anything in the room that wasn't chosen – and ask this question.
Fill in the blank with the name of the object.
As long as you remember to avoid black objects, your assistant should answer "No." Try pointing in different ways, using two fingers for one object, then vaguely waving at the next.
People will suspect that you and your partner have set up a specific code with your gestures, which will lead them down the wrong trail and make it harder for them to guess the real method.
Optionally, you can make a show of "transmitting the psychic message" before pointing, holding your fingers to the sides of your head and staring at the assistant. , Point to a black object, picking something that the volunteer did not choose.
Ask "Am I thinking of ___?" naming the black object.
Your assistant should once again answer "No."
As arranged in advance with your assistant, the object you point to right after the black object is the object the volunteer guessed.
Your assistant will answer "Yes" to your question this time, and the audience will be amazed at how you managed to pass along the secret. , At this point, your audience will usually try to guess at how you did the trick.
Smile and answer "no" when someone guesses wrong, or repeat the trick in a different way to show that they're wrong.
For example, if someone guesses that you always point at the right object on the fifth question, repeat the trick with a different object and point to it on the third try, or the eighth.
To keep your audience guessing longest, use the variations in the section below.
If you set it up in advance, you can even come up with an elaborate plan with your assistant.
For instance, you can use the "black" method the first time, the number method the second time, and the black method again the third time. -
Step 3: Return to the room alone.
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Step 4: Ask an audience member to pick any object in the room.
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Step 5: Call the assistant back into the room.
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Step 6: Point to a few objects in the room
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Step 7: asking "Am I thinking of ___?"
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Step 8: Point to a black object.
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Step 9: Point to the correct object.
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Step 10: Let the audience try to guess how it's done.
Detailed Guide
You'll need to teach an assistant the secret to your black magic.
Pick someone and take him to a separate room, or contact him before you get together with your friends.
The rest of the group will be the audience, and stays behind.
If you want to be dramatic, tell the group that you need a quiet room for "forming a psychic connection."
In private, tell your assistant the secret to the game.
Tell him that you will be pointing to different objects in the room, and asking whether each one is the object you're thinking of.
He should keep answering "No" but pay attention to the color of the object you are pointing to.
When you point to a black object, he will answer "No" again, but the next object you point to will be the right answer.He should answer "Yes" to that one.
If you don't understand this step, read the rest of the instructions to see how the game is played in more detail.
There are many variations to this game, that use a different secret signal.
Some are described below in another section. , Leave your assistant behind.
Make sure there is no way the assistant can hear you, or the audience may suspect, incorrectly, that the "psychic" assistant is just eavesdropping. , Ask a volunteer to select any one object in the room.
Ask her to tell you what the object is, explaining that you will be sending a psychic message to your assistant so he will know which object she chose.
If the audience thinks the assistant is listening in, have the volunteer point to the object instead.
Ask her to walk over to the object and point to it from close by, to make sure you have the right one. , Check that everyone in the audience knows what the object is, and tell them to keep it a secret from your assistant.
Call the assistant back into the room.
If he can't hear you, send out a group of several people to bring him back.
If you only send one person, the rest of the group might think he is telling the assistant the object, making the trick less mysterious. , Point in turn to a window, a chair, a person's clothing — just about anything in the room that wasn't chosen – and ask this question.
Fill in the blank with the name of the object.
As long as you remember to avoid black objects, your assistant should answer "No." Try pointing in different ways, using two fingers for one object, then vaguely waving at the next.
People will suspect that you and your partner have set up a specific code with your gestures, which will lead them down the wrong trail and make it harder for them to guess the real method.
Optionally, you can make a show of "transmitting the psychic message" before pointing, holding your fingers to the sides of your head and staring at the assistant. , Point to a black object, picking something that the volunteer did not choose.
Ask "Am I thinking of ___?" naming the black object.
Your assistant should once again answer "No."
As arranged in advance with your assistant, the object you point to right after the black object is the object the volunteer guessed.
Your assistant will answer "Yes" to your question this time, and the audience will be amazed at how you managed to pass along the secret. , At this point, your audience will usually try to guess at how you did the trick.
Smile and answer "no" when someone guesses wrong, or repeat the trick in a different way to show that they're wrong.
For example, if someone guesses that you always point at the right object on the fifth question, repeat the trick with a different object and point to it on the third try, or the eighth.
To keep your audience guessing longest, use the variations in the section below.
If you set it up in advance, you can even come up with an elaborate plan with your assistant.
For instance, you can use the "black" method the first time, the number method the second time, and the black method again the third time.
About the Author
Elizabeth Thomas
A passionate writer with expertise in crafts topics. Loves sharing practical knowledge.
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