Take the packet on the left and spread it from front to back, showing face down cards. “. .. he took the other half like this.. .” Take the face-up packet on the right and display the cards likewise. Then, square up both spreads as you say, “And then — to completely mess me up — he shuffled them together ” There are countless versions of “Triumph” in the literature, many of which call for different shuffling procedures.52 Some of these clever alternatives are enticing, but I personally use the subterfuge created by the great Herb Zarrow. For my purposes, his false shuffle is the most direct way to set the trap. The Zarrow Shuffle53 The Zarrow Shuffle is a blind shuffle that perfectly simulates a true one. Because of its brilliant and subtle technique, it has been called one of the best discoveries in 20th-century card 52 I urge you to study them; the works of Bill Goodwin, Jared Kopf, and Asi Wind are particularly worthy of your time. 53 Herb Zarrow, “Full Deck Control,” The New Phoenix (July 1957), p. 210. 83
work. For example, according to Britland and Gazzo, [Zarrow] created a false riffle shuffle of such beauty that it is quite possibly the only move to have been originated by a magician and [szc] that has found its way into world of card cheating. You can watch him shuffle the cards a hundred times and still not know what he’s doing. Only one thing is certain: the deck will be in exactly the same order as when he began.54 To execute the sleight, begin a true riffle shuffle by allowing a small block on the left to fall to the table first. Then, evenly release the cards from each thumb, interweaving the packets. Be sure that the top card on the left (Selection 8) falls last. As this last card falls, allow it to land slightly right-jogged. This card will provide cover for the upcoming secret unweaving of the packets. The following photograph exaggerates its jogged position for clarity. 54 David Britland and Gazzo, Phantoms of the Card Table: Confessions of a Card Sharp (2003), pp. 108-09. 84
Once the corners are riffled together and the top card has fallen slightly askew, turn the two halves so that their short edges become parallel to each other, unweaving the dovetailed cards in the process. This secret action will be hidden by the cover card, Selection 8. The very moment the packets unweave, take the right hand's face-up half and move it under the top card. It is important, however, not to lift the right packet too far off the table’s surface; doing so is one of the common, glaring tells that the shuffle is not genuine. 85
As you push the packets together simulate the tension that occurs when a riffle-shuffled deck is being squared. The selection is now face down on top, followed by the face-up half, with the remaining face-down half on the bottom. ◊◊◊ “Bear in mind that I don’t know what he’s done at this point. But when I turn around and cut into the middle I realize my predicament.” With the right hand, cut into the top half to display a face-up card. 86
“Much to my dismay, I see a face-up card staring back at me. And, right now, your card could be somewhere in here, face up... ” Replace the cut and then cut deeper, into the bank of face-down cards. “or. it could be face down ...” Replace the cut again and then cut at the two cards that are back to back in the center, relying on the natural break between them. “... or even somewhere in here, back to back.” After displaying back-to-back condition in the right hand, transfer the cut-off packet into the left hand, freeing up the right hand to pick up and display the top card of the tabled half. “This isn’t your selection, is it?” Replace this indifferent card. Then turn the left hand palm down and replace its packet on top of the tabled cards. This ingenious action (which comes from Vernons original handling) secretly reverses the top packet, straightening out everything but the selection, which is now face up in the center. 87
“Please, what was your selection? . . . The Eight of Diamonds?! You’re not going to believe this: that’s the same card he selected!55 “Everyone was staring at me, waiting to see how I could possibly get out of this difficult situation. My hands were sweating and my heart was pounding, just as they are now_ “How long do you think it would take you to straighten a mess out like this? Well, you came here for a miracle ...” Pass your right hand from above, casting your shadow over the deck, again manifesting the magical moment. “It’s said, ‘As the shadow passes, so does the thought!... The Eight of Diamonds... Watch!” Begin to ribbon-spread the pack slowly across the table as you say, “You wouldn’t believe the look on his face when every single card turned and straightened itself out — every single one — except for one.” Ardently complete the ribbon spread and exclaim, “The Eight of Diamonds!” 55 Another unpublished presentational ploy from Johnny Thompson that quite economically and humorously moves the genius loci here from a third person to a first person perspective. 88
ENVOI “The More the Merrier” has a modular design that lends itself well to situations where fewer than eight participants are present. If performing for only three people, you could use the Revelations from 0 to 1A (Time for a Change) or IB (A Redemptive Exchange), followed by 2 (Every Gambler's Dream), and then finish with 7C (The Psychic Stop!) or 8 (Triumph). Any combination of these options would be a strong short set of card magic. Performing for four participants, you could begin with Revelation 2 (Every Gamblers Dream), follow with 3 (There’s the Rub), then any of the three options from 7 (Rise!, The Homing 89
Card, or The Psychic Stop!), and finally conclude with 8 (Triumph). For five people you could perform Revelation 2 (Every Gamblers Dream), followed by 4, 5, 6 (Lets Speed Things Up!) and 8 (Triumph). For six, you could begin with 1A (Time for a Change), then move on to 4, 5, and 6 (Lets Speed Things Up!), then 7C (The Psychic Stop!), and finish with 8 (Triumph). Of course you could substitute any sequences and denouements of your own. For instance, for the revelation of Selection 7,1 have found “The Card and Handkerchief’56 to be very effective; and though I haven’t used it in a while, I may return to it in the future. The point is, no matter what sequences you choose, they should be arranged knowingly to create a flow of difficulty and impossibility. In other words, each revelation should help build to the final crescendo. Performing these sequences as they occur to you or in a frivolously random order would be a step backwards. If, for example, you were to cut to three selections (Revelations 4, 5, and 6) 56 SW. Erdnase, The Expert at the Card Table (1902), pp. 199-201. 90
followed by cutting to only one (Revelation 2), the energy would be moving in the wrong direction. This is one of the reasons I shy away from jazz magic.57 Free-styling with your colleagues can be enjoyable, but I don’t believe you will always achieve the intellectual roller-coaster ride you should be giving your public audiences unless you are certain of the path and the destination. Granted, in my routine I may not know which of several options I am going to choose for a certain revelation; but what I’m doing is hardly improvisational. The options I have selected for my routine are complementary and, therefore, limited. No matter which one I choose, it will be one that fills the correct dramatic locus in the routine proper. Many similar routines are built with such variables in mind, but I find that most of them ignore scale, drama, and theatric resonance. These factors should not be treated so lightly, 57 Michael Close, Workers 5 (1991), pp. 160-63; see also Juan Tamariz, Mnemónica (2004), pp. 162-64. 91
but they usually are when the performer is seduced by the limited analogy to jazz.58 To construct a solid routine, one should make a highly selective list of potential revelations. Then, he should organize and scale his collection in an order that builds from improbability to impossibility. Multiplying loaves and fishes for the starving multitudes and raising someone from the dead are both miraculous events; the latter, however, is much more memorable and takes far less effort to imagine, which is why it comes at the end of the story. 58 Unlike true musical improvisation, magical "licks” and “riffs” are completely scripted, rehearsed, and preselected (at least, they should be). Furthermore, the most accessible jazz, such as hard bop, isn’t so freeform. Indeed, it is built around a paradoxically rigorous structure: head, “improvisation,” head. Many magicians seem to get only the connotative meaning of Close’s insightful metaphor; the compositions that result from this myopic understanding are usually nothing like good jazz, let alone real magic. 92
Part II Our Kind of Gir(d)l(e) or Playing Fast and Loose
At fast or loose, with my Giptian, I meane to have a cast. — George Whetstone The Right Excellent and Famous Historye of Promos and Cassandra (1578) Part I, Act II, Scene 5 How shall I play that one, Bert? Play it safe? That’s the way you always told me to play it, safe, play the percentage. Well, here we go ... fast and loose. — “Fast” Eddie Felson The Hustler (1961)
Effect The trickster proposes an old game of chance with an endless chain, which he lays on the table in the shape of a figure eight. After demonstrating that the winning side of the pattern will catch fast on his finger when the chain is pulled, and that the losing side will fall loose, the grifter selects a formidable opponent who will win praise and prizes should he correctly choose the winning loop. As much as the participant tries to outmatch the mountebank, and despite the latter’s taking every possible occasion to assist, the poor mark just cannot win. 97
Proem It is impossible to know how much money has been lost over the centuries on the simple game known as “Fast and Loose.”59 We know that by Shakespeare’s time the game was already a classic and had become a symbol for reckless living. The great playwright used the metaphor several times,60 but he never expressed its sentiment better than this: “Like a right gipsy, hath, at fast and loose, Beguiled me to the very heart of loss.”61 Also known as “The Endless Chain,” “Pricking the Garter,” etc. 60 William Shakespeare, King John (c. 1595), Act III, Scene 1 (“Play fast and loose with faith? so jest with heaven”); and Love’s Labour’s Lost (c. 1595), Act 1, Scene 1 (“No, sir; that were fast and loose: thou shalt to prison.”) 0 1 William Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra (c. 1607), Act IV, Scene 12. 99
Many wonderful modern magicians have performed this swindle for entertainment purposes: Johnny Thompson,62 Whit “Pop” Haydn,63 Marc DeSouza,64 and Chuck Smith65 come immediately to mind.66 Still, while I enjoyed their presentations and the inherent drama of the effect itself, I struggled to find a way to incorporate “Fast and Loose” in my own performances. After serious study, however, I have come to realize that, in the right situation, “The Endless Chain” can be the stuff entertainment is made of. First, I will admit that this is a hard effect to sell in a magic or mentalism context; but that’s merely a presentational challenge, and nothing (for us) should be impossible. Second, I 62 Johnny Thompson, “The Endless Chain,” Commercial Classics of Magic, Volume 2 (1999). 63 Haydn’s study of the subject is essential reading: Whit Haydn, School for Scoundrels Notes on Fast and Loose (2000); see also Whit Haydn, “Fast & Loose” (1982). 64 Marc DeSouza, “The Chain Gang” (2001). 65 Chuck Smith, The Ultimate Endless Chain Routine (c. 2002). 66 See also George Blake, Loopy Loop: A Treatise on the Endless Chain (1949, 1968). 100
will also freely proclaim its potency and the fun that this routine can garner when dealing with an alpha-male spectator. Third, I have found this routine to be most effective when it is used to end another classic of our art, Patrick Page’s “Easy Money” (or its variant, “Flash Cash,” a title coined by Fred Kaps that has come to be used as a general name for the plot in the literature). While “Easy Money” is stunning, I have always found its ending to be somewhat of a psychological letdown. Why would a wizard produce a handful of money and then just shove it in his pocket? The best ending, to me, would be to finish by throwing all the money on the bar, looking around, and emphatically yelling, "Who wants something to drink? It’s on mel” Because I live in Las Vegas, “The Endless Chain” is congruent with my performance character, and the presentation is topical to my arena. Playing with this old swindle has given me another possibility to extend Page’s masterpiece by giving the spectators (who are being carried along with some seedy history 101
from the gambling world) a chance to win some of the “funny money” This is a wonderful performance piece for many reasons: it requires minimal pocket space; it is unlikely to clash with my other material; and it is also different enough to add some variety. My routine is based on many others, but what makes it unique is the collection of new throws I have come up with. Each throw looks so much like the others that even with slow motion video a knowledgeable viewer would be hard pressed to know which of the three has been thrown. Furthermore, these novel throws eliminate the problem of having to find enough space to bring the loops around for the standard patterns while performing walk-around. Being able to execute the following moves in the air turned this into a real worker for me, especially when there’s not much performance space available. My goal was to put together a routine that had few contingencies, especially the kind that are based on the spectator’s decisions. I wanted a routine that played pretty much the same way 102
every time, even though the participant truly has a free choice throughout. From the moment I decided to include this routine in my repertoire, it eliminated all of my doubts about the efficacy of "Fast and Loose” as a piece of artistic amusement. With any luck, you will become as excited about this little con as I have and find that “Our Kind of Gir(d)l(e)” serves your purposes as well as it has mine.
Preliminaries The Chain The ideal type of chain to use is one comprising a complex pattern, such as a “French Rope” (which is a double link). It should be approximately five feet long, and completely continuous with no joints, fasteners, or clasps. The game can be played with any type of chain, of course; one caveat, though: unless the links are connected in a visually complex pattern, it could be possible for an eagle-eyed participant to follow the chains layout and determine which side, if any, will win the game. 105
Three New Throws Most of the routine's methodology relies on three new, extremely deceptive throws. Each of these is formed with the hands in the air67 before the chain is placed on the table. Whit Haydn and Chef Anton “believe that the Off-Table methods are too complicated looking and so discourage spectators from betting . . .”68 That may be true for the flimflam man, but in my defense, I’m using the effect to entertain; not to make a real wager or con anyone out of their cash. Furthermore, these throws not only move the action upward and outward, framing the performer and bringing in as much of the audience as possible; they also can be executed deliberately enough to put even the wisest mark at ease. As with most unfamiliar moves, these novel throws will take some time to learn; they are, however, far from complicated, and once 67 Cf. “Dennie Flynn Routine,” Nick Trost, Expert Gambling Tricks (1975), p. 22; Chuck Smith, The Ultimate Endless Chain Routine (c. 2002); and Robert L. Brooks, “All-in-Air Endless Loop,” Apocalypse (September 1983). 68 Whit Haydn, School for Scoundrels Notes on Fast and Loose (2000), p. 42. 106
Throw One is learned the others will come easily. Throw One (Lose/Lose) Drape the chain over the left hand so that it enters between the thumb and forefinger, goes across the palm, and then exits between the ring linger and pinky. Move the right hand to the left wrist, and with the right fingers above and thumb below take hold of the length of chain that hangs over the base of the left thumb. Begin to separate the hands and take up the slack. The hands need not separate completely, nor very far, for this throw 107
and its variants to be accomplished; over time, as you familiarize yourself with the mechanics, the distance your hands must diverge can be brought to a minimum. As the large loop begins to form between your hands, adjust the right fingers so that the chain drapes over the right thumb and continues across to the top of the right second finger; the first finger can help by clipping the chain for stability. For Throw One to come out correctly it is imperative that the chain does not have a twist or cross in it: the long sides of the loop that 108
extend between your hands must remain parallel in this first and foundational version of the setup. Move the right hand toward the left fingertips and place its short length of chain over the left thumb and pinky so that it rests parallel to, and just to the right of, the short length already resting there. Specifically, bring the left thumb and pinky up between the right thumb and fingers, allowing the chain to momentarily rest on the left's digits (thereby freeing the right hand completely). 109
In a continuing action move the free right hand downward, simultaneously allowing the fingers and thumb to come around to the outside of each strand of the chain they’ve just released. Finally, just before the right hand gets to the bottom of the looped portions of the dangling chain, reach inward with your right fingers and take hold of the two rightmost strands; help secure these strands from the opposite side with the right thumb. Curl the left index, middle and ring fingers down and around the two strands supported by the left thumb and pinky; separate your hands, and pull the chain completely taut. no
The chain should now be extended before you, gripped between the hands like the steering wheel of a car held at 9 and 3 o’clock. Finish Throw One by bringing the backs of the hands to the table, allowing the chain to maintain its pattern and rest elegantly as you remove the fingers from underneath it. This move must be mastered before learning the subsequent throws. Each of them must look exactly the same. Once they are locked in muscle memory it will be impossible for anyone, including those familiar with the trick, to know which of the three patterns has been placed on the table. 111
Throw Two (Lose/Win) This throw will come easily if you have first mastered Throw One. It follows the same general pattern of actions with a couple of small, but important, differences. In this variation, the part of the chain that is draped over the right second finger must cross over the portion that hangs on the left pinky. This crucial crossover will cause the right side of the resulting pattern to catch fast. Accordingly, you do not need to remove the right fingers because they will already be in the proper place to enter the loop that now 112
hangs rightmost on the left pinky; however, you do still need to move the right thumb around its length of chain to allow the left fingers to continue through and finish their grip as before. Finish as in Throw One: pull the chain taut as you rotate the hands, and place the pattern gently on the table. Throw Three (Win/Lose) The final throw will come easily once you’ve understood and integrated the previous two. It is the same as Throw One, with one exception: you must begin with an “X” in the loop by 113
crossing the chain over itself. To do this, put your right thumb in from the right rather than the left just before the right hand slides down the chain. The long length of chain that hangs between the left thumb and the right second and index fingers now crosses over the other long strand. The image below shows the “X” in mid-formation. Of course, you will not reveal that the chain has been crossed over. Just casually and covertly place the “X” in the chain and finish exactly as if executing Throw One. Specifically, transfer the short length from the right hand to 114
the left; move the right hand out and down to secure the hanging loops; and with the left hand secure the strands its maintaining; separate your hands to pull the chain taut; and, finally, lay the pattern gently on the table. A Classic Throw The One-Finger Throw69 is probably as old as “Fast and Loose” itself. Indeed, it is merely a variant way of forming the pattern on the tabletop or barrelhead, and it was likely discovered by some unscrupulous con-artist in the scams heyday. The throw is so strong and looks so incredibly fair that Johnny Thompson uses it to end his elegant version70 (which should be studied by every serious student of magic). In the present routine, this throw is used as a transitional sequence just after the participants initial loss. I believe its crucial to 69 See e.g., George Blake, Loopy Loop: A Treatise on the Endless Chain (1949, 1968), p. 14. 0 Johnny Thompson, "The Endless Chain," Commercial Classics of Magic, Volume 2 (1999). 115
drive home the fact that one side always wins and one side always loses; after all, if the audience does not believe the game is truly binary, then what’s the point of the effect? The One-Finger Throw serves a couple of functions in “Our Kind of Gir(d)l(e)”: it allows you to firmly establish the false fact that one side always wins and one side always loses while simultaneously setting up the mark for loss number two. A: The One-Finger Throw (Win/Lose) Begin with the chain lying on the table, with your left fingers and thumb spreading the chain out slightly on the left side. Put your right forefinger into the loop at the rightmost side and begin to carry this portion outward and counterclockwise toward the left hand. Placing your right forefinger in this way is essential because it will cause the left side of the pattern to catch fast. The mnemonic to differentiate this from the upcoming version B is in to win. 116
Continue to move the right hand counterclockwise, carrying the chain on the forefinger until it crosses the outermost strand. 117
Once the right hand crosses over the outer strand and reenters the large section of the spread-out chain, place the forefingers tip onto the table just to the right of the left hand and let the chain fall. To conclude the throw and complete the pattern, remove the right forefinger from its loop; insert the left forefinger and thumb into the spot previously occupied by the right fingertip; and place the right forefinger and thumb into the small loop on the right; then open the thumbs and forefingers and expand these two loops until the chain is taut, revealing the figure eight pattern. 118
B: The One-Finger Throw (Lose/Lose) To make the pattern lose on either side, perform the same action as in A but with the right forefinger entering the chain from underneath instead of “in.” In other words, with the chain starting as before, place the right forefinger onto the table outside the rightmost end of the spread-out chain. At this point take the chain with the right forefinger, causing the loop to dangle from it. As in the previous choreography, move the right hand outward and to the left, carrying the chain on the right index finger over until it 119
crosses the outside strand, and then place the fingertip to the table, letting the chain drop. Again, place the left forefinger and thumb into the spot previously taken by the right fingertip. Place the right forefinger and thumb into the small loop now on the right. Open the fingers and stretch out the chain, once more creating our familiar display. 120
Method & Presentation Playing Fast and Loose After transforming some bills from a smaller to larger denomination via Pat Page’s “Easy Money,” throw the cash to the table and say, "Who would like to win some of this funny money? You, sir? ... “Let me show you a game. Ifs an old game. In fact, ifs so old that even Shakespeare mentioned it in some of his plays. Perhaps you're familiar with the phrase from one of them, the one 121
recited by King Phillip: 'Play fast and loose with faith? so jest with heaven! “Its a famous line, but few people know that it references is this old gambling game. Its not like the games we play here on the strip nowadays; and, lucky for you, the odds are much easier to understand, too. Unlike Blackjack or Craps, it’s a very simple proposition; you see, it’s fifty-fifty, win or lose. Let me show you.... “It has been called 'Fast and Loose,’ ‘The Endless Loop,’ ‘The Figure Eight’... Many different names....” Setting the Rules Phase 1 Execute Throw One (i.e., Lose/Lose) and lay it on the table as you explain, “You see, when I lay the chain down it makes a figure eight. We play in only these two spots....” As you say this, point at both the right and left loops of the pattern. Sometimes, as Johnny Thompson suggests, it may be best to 122
push the long sides in toward the center, thereby eliminating the large sections between them as choices. “I always pull this part of the chain .” Point at the central point of the length of chain nearest yourself. “Right here” It is important to make the audience certain of where you will pull the chain; you don’t want them later to feel that it could have been drawn from another place to achieve a different result. 123
“Fifty-fifty. One side is a winner and the other, a loser. Your choice . . . But, lefs have a practice run to start with. This one wont count, but let me explain exactly what will be a winner and a loser.” Have the participant make a decision by placing his fingertip into either of the side loops. “Ah, very good.” Take hold of the chain at the previously mentioned pull-point. “You've actually chosen the side that loses.” Pull the chain free. “See how it came loose? Hence the title . . . You want it to hold fast, meaning your finger remains stuck inside — that would be a winner. Again, one side always wins; the other side always loses. “If you had placed your finger in this side we would have had a winner. You follow me? . . . Good. “And here's the catch: I can put the winner on either side, but (and this is where it gets interesting) I think I know exactly what choice you'll make, even before you ever make it.” 124
Phase 2 "let me show you exactly what I mean. I’ll throw it down exactly the same way as I did before.” This time place Throw Two on the table: i.e., Lose/Win. What comes next is the first of only two contingencies in the script, although it is an explanatory point where the participant has no real choice. No matter what decision he made before, you will now place your finger into the winning side, i.e., the loop on your right. In this process, depending on his previous decision, you will prove your claims that one side always loses and the other side always wins or that you can throw the winner to either side. If he just chose the loop on your left, say, "Just, a moment ago, you placed your finger here, in the loop on my left, and you lost. Remember, however, one side is the winner and the other is the loser. I’ve just laid the pattern the same way I did before. See, if you would have placed your linger in the loop on my right — remember, I always pull from the same spot — it would have 125
wrapped around your finger, holding fast, just as it has on mine right now. That's the winner.” If, however, he chose the loop on your right, say, “Let me show you what I mean when I say that I can put the winner on either side. Although it looks similar, this isn’t the same way I laid the pattern before. You chose the side on my right, and you lost; but now...” Do the same thing as described above: place your first finger in the loop to your right and say, “Remember, one side always wins and the other loses. Of course, I always pull it from the same spot. See how it’s wrapped around my finger, holding fast? That’s a winner. Now, you look as if you understand the game.” Phase 3 “You know, since we’re friends, I’m going to give you a little more help. Most people who play this game will never show you this.” Execute Throw Three: i.e., Lose/Win. The following sequence is designed to visually reinforce the idea that one side always wins while the side always loses, and thus it enhances the drama. 126
“This is like a look behind the curtain, a peek behind the scenes, a lifting of the veil.” With Throw Three, i.e., Win/Lose, on the table, use your the left fingertips to pinch the uppermost length of the chain at its outer left corner and lift it straight up and back a few inches. This will reveal a huge opening in the right loop and, again, show that while one side will lose the other will definitely win. “When you look at it this way, it's obvious that this loop on my right could never win, while there’s no doubt that the side on my left would make someone a winner.” Replace the chain, reforming the pattern. Point to the loop on your left and say, "Here, put your finger in there. And, remember, I always pull it from the same place. That’ll be the winner.” Once he places his finger in the left loop, pull the chain from the designated spot. Just as the chain catches fast on his finger, emphatically ask, “See how that feels? . . . Yeah? . . . It feels good, right? Well, enjoy it because it’s the last lime you’ll be feeling that!” 127
Playing for Real Phase 1 “Are you ready to play for real? Good! Now, you don’t have to put anything up; I actually do this as a personal challenge to myself. How does winning some money sound? Sounds good, right? “After my little lesson here I don’t know what I could do at this point to help you play any better. It’s fifty-fifty, win or lose; but, as I’ve said, I know exactly what you’ll do before you even do it. “Let’s play a little game to let me prove it; that, or you’ll win some serious dough.” Take one bill from the “Flash Cash” set and place it aside for the wager. Then lay down Throw One: i.e., Lose/Lose. “You know how to play, and maybe you’ve already decided — doesn’t matter. Remember, I always pull from the same spot, so I’ve made my decision — the trap has been set.” The participant makes his choice by placing his forefinger in either side, which is, of course, a frivolous decision. 128
“Are you sure you’d like to stick there? This other side is looking mighty profitable.” Give him a chance to move to the other loop. Once he has decided where to play, slowly pull the chain from the designated spot. “Oh no! So close! But I knew you were going to choose that side, and I knew it would be the loser, even though I gave you a chance to change your mind.” Phase 1.5 “Okay, since were friends, let me help you just a little bit more. I’ll show you exactly what to look for... I can't believe I'm going to show you this — no one ever shows anybody this part!” Lay down The One-Finger Throw A: i.e., Win/Lose. “Watch me closely. I’ll do it with just one finger, and you can see exactly where the inside is — it’s right here in the loop on my left. Here, let me open it up some more so you can see our familiar, underlying pattern. No matter where you put your finger in this side, here on my left, it’ll be a winner. You can see that....” 129
Pull the chain, showing that it holds fast on your left index finger, and say, “This side wins.” Phase 2 “Again, please watch carefully. I just use one finger... Lay down The One-Finger Throw B: i.e., Lose/Lose. “And you can see exactly what Tm doing — as slowly as I can possibly move. Let me open the underlying pattern that we are all familiar with; and remember, I always grab it from the same spot. This time I'll raise the stakes and double the money!” Add another bill from the “Flash Cash” set to the one set aside previously. “You know exactly what to do.” Let the participant decide. If he chooses the loop on your left, say, “Come on, do you really think I’d show you exactly what to do to take my cash? “You have to ask yourself if it’s psychology, reverse psychology, or maybe double-reverse 130
psychology . . . I’ll give you one chance to change your mind.” If he chooses the loop on your right, say, “I just showed you exactly what to do and you’re going to choose that side? It seems as if you don’t really want the money! I’ll give you one chance to change your mind.” Either way, after giving him a moment to change his mind, say, “Remember, I always grab it from the same spot. Don’t say I didn’t give you a chance to change your mind. Because, again, I know exactly what you are going to do before you even do it.... And you thought you were going to fool me.” Phase 3 “There is one way I think we can play and make this more fair. Let’s play one last time. I’ll put up all the money this time. In fact, here’s my watch, my wallet with my credit cards, and here are my car keys. Let’s put it all on the line!” Put your belongings and the rest of the money into the pot. Then place Throw One (i.e., Lose/Lose) on the table. 131
“Let’s do it like this: take a finger from both hands and place one into each side. Now don’t, move. Remember, I always pull the chain from the same spot....” Take the chain at the designated spot and lift it off the table and let it briefly become taut between your hand and the participants two pinning fingers. Once it tightens up, relax a bit, putting slack back in the chain. “One side wins, and one side loses. All you have to do to win is have it stuck on your finger. Go ahead and remove either one.” Here is where you want to pay special attention to the tension on the chain. Once your helper lifts one of his fingers, and you begin to pull, the chain will start to unravel. You need to slow this down to milk the moment as much as possible. The instant he lifts his finger, watch the “loop” that is left behind: it will start to vanish as you gently pull on the chain. As you draw the chain and the “winning” side starts to shrink slowly away, emphatically announce, “Look! Oh no! There’s the loop you needed to win!” 132