Picking 2 cards out from 5 gives you 10 possible combinations. If we asume the cards were simply numbers i.e 1,2,3,4,5 this is the combinations you can pic: 12,13,14,15,23,24,25,34,35,45
The envelope has a hidden compartiment containing all the cards that are in the original deck. The cards that are given to the gentleman in the audience contain metal discs, each card has its own specific pattern. The cards in the envelope contain magnets. The arrangement of the discs and magnets is such that, when opening the pile it opens in the correct position...
After he looks at them he realized he had them on the wrong side. Watch the cards after he pulls them out and if you follow which side should have the + you can see that in the end it's actually the circle. So, he knows what cards are in there but doesn't really know what side of the envelope they are on so he uses distraction to make sure hes flipped them to the right way before revealing.
Also if you watch it carefully after he opens the envelope and peaks at the cards he flips them over - so he can tell what cards are in the envelope but not in which order they are.
Each of the cards has a metal insert. So when he handles the envelope he has a magnet in his hand - perhaps in the marker - that he can use to feel the metal and determine what the cards are.
If he removed the "+" and the "o" from the packet, he would have to have replaced the with two other cards. ANY TWO other cards would decrease his 'odds' of having ONLY THE THREE under the chair. Two stars? and two squares? There would likely be DUPLICATES remaining. If he did switch the cards, than the Great Randi is lying. To suggest that NO ONE HAS FIGURED IT OUT would be an outrageous boast rather than 3vidence of his ingeniousness.
Is it any coincidence that the cards are in the same order at the start and the end?
At 0:45, he lists them off: Circle, Plus, Wavy, Square, Star. At the end of the demonstration, the circle is in the front of the envelope, the plus is in the back, and the wavy lines, square, and star are in that order on the floor.
He is good, he even peeks and flips the black card around when he changes hand to have the right one on top. The key to a magic trick is often more "when" than "how". But I still have not figured how he did it, Otherwise, if the tricke had been set-up, he would have known wich one was on top and not have to peek.
I love Randi, but i believe i know how it was done. he switched cards, twice. once before handing the cards to the man in the audience. the cards he gave the man did not contain a o or +, so no matter which cards he selected, none of the remaining cards could be the o or the + then he switched the cards (or the envelope, it was laying on the table for a while) again before showing them to the audience.
as an amateur magician myself, i know that the secret to a trick is often revealed by what the magician says or doesn't. he insisted the man selecting the cards not look at them. why? because there was no 0 or + in the deck. all of the talk about the odds was misdirection. no magnets, no mirrors, no plants or "shills" in the audience required.
@martyswn The reason for insisting that the volunteer not look at the cards is that it TRULY IS a random choice amongst the five symbols. If the volunteer had noticed that he picked a STAR and THREE WAVY LINES, then Randi's pre-determined "+" and "o" would blow the trick. Each one of the five cards contain the potential, when cleaved, to reveal a "+" and a "o". It doesn't matter which cards are chosen. But--the volunteer musn't be aware of the discrepancy. See below for full explanation.
@jkeyes1000 theres one problem with your solution. it breaks one of the rules of stage magic. never, and i mean never, let a volunteer handle your gaff. if the cards are gimmicked (gaffed) in the way you suggest, there would be no possible way that Randi would ever give those cards to a member of the audience. there are two things that no good magician ever does, they never put themselves in real danger. and they never leave anything to chance. only bad ones do. Randi is one of the greats.
@martyswn I'm familiar with Randi's rep (I've been follwing his career since I was a kid and always got a kick out of his pursuit of Uri Geller et al), but--he IS OLD SCHOOL. Not a bad thing by any means. A composite card would be perfectly in keeping with his basic training. As a magician myself. I am not aware however of your rule about gaffs. If you watch the other clips of this lecture, you'll find that Randi reminds us to "never assume". The exception that proves the rule of Misdirection.
@jkeyes1000 Type in "James Randi: We All Make Assumptions", a companion video to this one, from the same session. In it, Randi suckers the intelligencia by first demonstrating that his glasses have no lenses, and next that a cardboard box tossed on stage is PRESUMED EMPTY, merely because the magician's attitude is nonchalant--i.e., he doesn't spefically CLAIM that it is empty. If this doesn't convince you that he takes chances in order to make his point, nothing will.
@martyswn I'm probably belabouring at this point, but--your contention that only bad magicians put themselves at risk is a little dubious. I mean--Houdini is considered one of the very best and he took risks all the time. He could have drowned doing his escape from a trunk under water, and he in fact did die of complications from a severe blow to his abdomen. Other greats have perished as a result of live ammunition in guns supposedly loaded with dummy ammunition, etc.
@jkeyes1000 while i don't doubt your admiration of randi, your understanding of houdini is something i question. yes, i suppose that theoretically he could have drowned, except, it was his trunk, that he built, that he designed, with chains, also provided by him, and handcuffs, that despite what he told the audience, were his as well. so yes, he was underwater, so perhaps there was some danger of drowning, but no more than you or I in a swimming pool
@martyswn I think our mutual bone of contention here is the idea revolves about the question of whether 'great' magicians allow participants to handle the apparatus. In the case of Houidini--he allowed strangers, often experts in the field of restraint, to secure him IN THE GIMMICKED APPARATUS. Likewise, the problem with the gun firing live ammo was the fact that a volunteer was given the gun and permitted to substitute his own.
@martyswn Are you suggesting that 'great' performers like Blaclkstone for instance, never let members of the audience touch gimmicks? Think of his famous Floating Lightbulb, which he took into the crowd and gave out for examination, still illuminated. Was this not a gaff? The way you do it is to allow them to peruse it ONLY BRIEFLY. Randi tells the volunteer to gingerly shuffle them, NOT TO LOOK AT THEM, to place them under chair and in envelope. Not full analysis!
@jkeyes1000 to use Blackstones floating lightbulb as an example they examine the lightbulb briefly, and with him standing very close, but if you know that trick, then you also know that the real gaff was not on the lightbulb, (i'm referring to floating bit,the light up part is self contained) the gaff was on Blackstone himself. he never allowed an audience member to examine him.
@martyswn I anticipated your mention of the PROXIMITY of the performer to the gimmicked apparatues. But--recall that I also suggested that an ACCOMPLICE was sewated directly behind the volunteer. Randi CHOSE the volunteer, therefore his relative position was pre-determined. The stooge could have alerted Randi if the volunteer got too curious.
@martyswn The main purpose of the shill is to SWITCH THE CARDS that are placed under the chair. This is necessary, as there's no way to assure that ONLY the three 'not chosen' cards remain. The stooge's ability to keep an eye on the volunteer is an added bonus. "Why?" Why not? Isn't the point of a trick to amaze the audience by achieving the seeming impossible? Using a shill in the way you suggest would fool no one. Half of the comments have suggested it. So he can tell them THEY'RE WRONG.
@jkeyes1000 i'm not the one suggesting he's using a shill. You are. I'm saying that if he is using a shill, using him the way you suggest makes no sense. he switches the cards, pure and simple and elegant. he may be using a gaff as the way to switch them, but the cards he hands to the volunteer does not contain either a + or a 0. he then switches them again,( perhaps with a gaff, i don't know.) to a prepared set up which he pulls from the envelope. i know too many other tricks that use the same
@martyswn Something's bothering me about your latest comment. You say that my solution is too complex, though--it involves only ONE SIMPLE SWITCH by the accomplice (step on the cards with his foot, drag them under his chair; then drop three other cards under volunteer's chair when latter is distracted), yet--you call the notion of Randi making TWO SWITCHES "pure and simple and elegant". I don't get it. But--the most important fact is that your theory CAN'T WORK.
@FlintSparkedStudios Well--I would, but--I think I just had the last word. He held on for the longest time to the notion that the "+" and the "o" cards were removed from the packet of five. I believe he understands now that that wouldn't accomplish anything. In order for the star, the square and the wavy lines to remain under the chair, Randi would have to have FORCED the volunteer to choose the other two (whatever they were). Thus THEY must have been switched.
@jkeyes1000 nope. not the last word, just been busy, real life has reared it's ugly head and interfered with my internet time. but for the record, you're still wrong. ;)
@martyswn Well, for the record--so far, I've proved your main contention wrong, that the five cards in the hands of the volunteer consisted of other than "+" and "0" cards. The fact is, iot wouldn't make any difference WHAT was on the cards. The odds of leaving ONE STAR, ONE SQUARE AND ONE WAVY LINE CARD are precisely the same. By your own confession, this theory is impractical and illogical because it "takes too many risks".
@jkeyes1000 principles. i do not know of any trick that is as complicated as the one you suggest. it is unnecessary and risky. Randi is too good of a magician for that.
@martyswn I'm afraid it is necessary in order to accomplish what Randi does--i.e., pre-determine the contents of the envelope AND the cards that remain under the chair, WITHOUT the complicity of the volunteer and WITHOUT switching envelopes (both of which Randi denies having done). Which is WHY it "drives magicians nuts". That's the point.To illustrate that an illusion of psychic phenomena can indeed be a trick despite the difficulty of its explanation.Can appear to be proof of ESP when it's not
@jkeyes1000 and yes, magicians have died, mostly from bullet catches and the like. but they the result of either bad maintenance of their equipment, being really bad magicians and not understanding the proper way to do a bullet catch, or from allowing an audience member to handle the gaff (gun) allowing the volunteer to slip something into the barrel. if the card were gaffed as you suggest, the last thing in the world Randi would do is hand them to a random vounteer. there would be too much
@jkeyes1000 not directly under Randi's control. the possibility of the volunteer discovering the gaff is too great. there may be other gaffs involved, or the volunteer may be a shill, but no magician worth his salt would take such an obvious risk. no i believe that randi removed the + and the 0 before handing them to the volunteer, either by gaff or by sleight of hand, though, as a i am fan of Randi's as well, i lean more towards sleight of hand
Dammit, I wanna know how to do this trick. My best guess is he's got a mirror hidden in the right spot so he can see what cards are put into the envelope.
Simple trick.... place ferromagnetic metal into those big thick cards in a unique pattern on each card. Place a neodymium magnet into the cap of the marker. As you are talking to the audience, move the marker tip over the envelope. You should be able to feel the metal pattern in the card. In his case, he figured out what the cards were using his "magic marker", but got confused with which side they were facing, so after he looked, he had to distract audience as he "flipped" the cards.
@toadzapper You are right I think. Something like the strip you can extract in the tyny barcoded box on products. Perfect size and ferro-magnetic. You arrange them in such a way that you can recognize any pair in the envelope. Of course, being magnetic, you can't tell wich one is on top. His peeking and flipping is pure comedy. Very good trick.
@rouelibre1@toadzapper, i dissagree the first move occurs at 1:27. there is a reason he is showing the 0 card up until that moment, to convince you that it is in the deck when he hands it to the volunteer, but it is not, Randi removes it and the + card before handing it over. im not sure when he makes the second move, but i do know that randi is a master of sleight of hand, not of ferro magnets and tech.
Just watched this on dump.com and noticed the first time watching it that he switched the order of the cards. Nice job pointing out all the times though, top commenter. :)
@lapis269 Randi doesn't "disprove" psychic phenomena. He merely demonstrates that it can be duplicated by simple means. I am a magician and a logician, but--it doesn't help the cause of Science to make bogus claims of "proof" or the "disproof". There is a significant difference between lack of proof and ruling something out entirely.
@lapis269 Randi doesn't "disprove" psychic phenomena. He merely demonstrates that it can be duplicated by simple means. I am a magician and a logician, but--it doesn't help the cause of Science to make bogus claims of "proof" or the "disproof". There is a significant difference between lack of proof and ruling something out entirely.
It's not science's responsibility to DISPROVE that gnomes exist to say that someone is wrong, it's that someone who's responsible for PROVING it. Manticores, homeopathic water, santa clause, magic - all equally real, if you need to DISPROVE it to call it fake.
@soseg I am going to make a video that explains this trick fully, as I can't stand seeing all these comments ffrom people who are tearing their hair out. Clues: the cards are THICKER than they need to be. The black paper's purpose is to HIDE the back of at least one of the cards after Randi opens the folder. He CHOOSES the participant not because he is a confederate, but--because he is seated in front of one. See my earlier comments (a few pages back) for more details or message me if interested
@jkeyes1000 It's been 2 months. You can't stand it, I'm sure, but now that you've made the announcement, I and at least a few others would love to see your solution.
@KarstenJohansson I will try to explain as concisely as possible: each of the 5 THICK cards are two cards glued together (rubber cement/spray adhesive). One will have a standard card backing and, say a "O" on the face. The other will be double-faced, with a "+" and one of the five random symbols. Thus the two that are ultimately displayed are ONE THICK card, slpit open. The cards under the chair were switched by an accomplice sitting behind the volunteer.
@KarstenJohansson If that was TOO CONCISE, I'll elucidate a bit more. There's NO LEGITIMATE REASON for the cards being so thick other than to gimmick them. And the only gimmick that makes sense is the composite card. Print a "O" on a blank card (with a standard backing) and a "+" on one side of a TOTALLY BLANK card and a random symbol on the other. Glue the five "O" faces to the five "+" faces and you have five THICK cards that appear as shown in the video. Pry apart and display inner faces.
@KarstenJohansson Might as well add more detail to my 'solution'. Notice the way Rando PINCHES the bottom of the envelope as he's removing the black folder. Also, how his fingers remain inside the envelope for an unusually long time before he slides the folder out. I suggest that he might be retaining one of the double cards in the envelope (which he tosses on the floor) so that when he splits the ONE THICK CARD that remains, there are no excess cards. Or he hides the other under one that we see
@KarstenJohansson Lastly--the purpose for the black folder is to conceal the fact that one of the two cards that arefinally displayed is DOUBLE-FACED. I.e. either the "+" or the "o" has a random symbol on the other side. Naturally, he doesn't offer the cards for examination at the end. The reason for insisting that the cards be placed int the envelope FACING EACH OTHER is likewise because of the gimmick. Since they are glued together that way, that's the only way he can practically display them.
The statistics of him guessing one card right are 2 in 5 because there are 2 cards in it... I can't believe he didn't precise that... they would be 1 it 5 if there where 1 card inside.
@WickedLukas I'm prety sure i'm right, because any of the 2 can be the one he guessed. unless he ment guessing just the first one right. and your coment doesn't help me at all if you think you'll make me understand your view of the matter, also I"m still in school ;)
@ProfessorBorax I know a similar trick that works on your principal: Name any 2 pip or card card faces - eg. 2 and King. What are the chances that they will appear together in a randomly shuffled deck? Try a few times. You will be right far more often than not.
But you give James 40% odds. He is clearly more confident that his trick will work than you are. Cut yourself 5 pieces of paper and duplicate his steps. You will fail more often than not. There is something more than odds at play here.
@ProfessorBorax You mean the probability of guessing. (Not the statistics of guessing.) Still, your comment is incorrect. There are five cards in total, etc. One in forty is about right.
The whole idea behind mentalism, is that things can be subconsciously planted into someone's mind. (no, not like Inception). He used the word mathematics and then calls the + a "plus mark". He holds the O card facing the audience and also uses the words "Oh and OK" several times stressing the O sound. This is all to plant the seed in his mind to pick the plus and O cards. Once those 2 cards were in the envelope, it was easy to switch them if he guessed wrong. Its really a simple trick.
@bleedRng3 The whole idea of mentalism is to make you think that it's the power of the mind. Magicians don't leave anything to chance. You can believe Randi when he says it's a trick. Magicians are the exact opposite of mystics. They are mechanics. The cards are gimmicked.
It was the weight of the cards. That's how he knows. He knows how they are on the side that he displays because of the static charge that holds them to the black paper.
O is 1.000 oz, + is 1.001 oz, Square is 1.002 oz, etc. He puts the envelope on the table, on a hidden scale. He looked at the cards on the table many times (he fidgets w/the water bottle, his glass, the pen, and his hand to distract.)
The sum weight ends with .001, .002, etc. There are two unequal cards, so he knows:
.001=.000+.001 (O,+)
.002=.000+.002 (O,Square)
.003=.002+.001 (Square,+) etc.
The side is a 50% guess for show. He just flips it when wrong.
@dereks443 ha ha ha ha! Or how about this: each card has a satellite tracking chip. the satellite signals Randi's watch letting him know where the cards are!
Nah, He just switches the cards very cleverly before he hands them out, and again before showing them to the audience.
My guess is a plant. It would be so simple to duplicate this trick if Randi and the audience member knew each other and planned everything out. The misdirection is that the audience is focusing on Randi, not the audience member, so it's easy for the audience member to pick the 'plus' and 'circle' to go into the envelope even if he did shuffle it a bit.
I think the cards are weighted and knowing the combined weight would give what two cards are in the envelope So all he would have to memorize is 5 weights. There has to be a reason why he had to put the cards on the desk. We know 100% how he got the cards on the correct sides.
@HalifaxafilaH If they were weighted don't you think the guy in the audience would have noticed something? I would have, especially considering it is a trick someone is trying to preform. I would have looked closely at all cards for anything suspicious.
Misdirection is the greatest trick that a magician (or mentalist) has. Using it to help perform his trick really only strengthens his case that it -is- a trick, after all. If he knows which two are gonna be in their, he has a 50% chance of simply guessing the order. If he fails the guess, no harm no foul--he just misdirects the audience and they're (mostly) nonethewiser. If he succeeds the guess, he looks like an even bigger success.
Misdirection is the greatest trick that a magician (or mentalist) has. Using it to help perform his trick really only strengthens his case that it -is- a trick, after all. If he knows which two are gonna be in their, he has a 50% chance of simply guessing the order. If he fails the guess, no harm no foul--he just misdirects the audience and they're (mostly) nonethewiser. If he succeeds the guess, he looks like an even bigger success.
@PaultheReverend i apologize......he does act EXTREMELY "distracting or rather nervously humerous" between 6:00-6:28.
do to me what you will..
p.s. i think randi hates/ despises scientists (scientists & mathematicians consider pshycologists jokes) ...if he doesnt believe in paranormal then he must not believe in GOD? yes/no?
@PaultheReverend Good idea, however if there was a sort of braille system on the cards then he wouldn't have mixed up the + and the O in the first place. Unless he's purposely guessing backwards to mess with our heads! :O
@PaultheReverend Good idea, however if there was a sort of braille system on the cards then he wouldn't have mixed up the + and the O in the first place. Unless he's purposely guessing backwards to mess with our heads! :O
@PaultheReverend Lol actually he didn't do that if you watch the video he tilts it but it goes right back and not only that it doesn't actually explain how he knew that it was those two cards ?
@PaultheReverend See if you look before he shows them he takes out the cards and doesn't show them then he walks out of camera for a split second which doesn't make any difference because its done in front of a live audience not for the camera. And when he comes back he spins it one time, so you would think that but right when he is about to reveal it, he turns it right back around i watched it at least 3 more times, and its the same thing everytime, so your solution is flawed.
the guy picking the cards in the audience is hired to do so. its common practice on shows like that. his whole talk in the beginning about how his trick is so unique makes you look for non-obvious solutions, while reality is as simple as lying.
By the time the video reaches 6:30 he has turned the cards around. He distracts the audience by asking for bets, but really, he is very carefully turning the cards to the correct position.
My guess is he had a spotter behind the guy choosing the cards. Behind or beside so he gets a good look at the cards either going in or being placed on the floor. Then the spotter signals the two cards in the envelope to the guy up front.
Is it just me or did he flip the cards while distracting everyone, he actually didn't get them on the right side, and he subtly flipped them while asking the class "Who wants to put money on it?"
Watch closely from 5:50 to 6:25 and you'll notice when he realizes that he got the sides wrong he creates a distraction to flip the sides.
He was wrong. When he says this side is plus and this side is a circle watch carefully which side is plus at all times. He switches them so the circle should be a plus and the plus should be a circle.
If you notice, he got the sides mixed up. After he declares the + and o, he goofs around and switches. But how he guessed + and o is the real question.
if you watch the side of the envelope he says the plus side is on as he's walking around he switches sides because he got it wrong. At one point even checks to make sure there the right way round.. epic fail.
if you watch the side of the envelope he says the plus side is on as he's walking around he switches sides because he got it wrong. At one point even checks to make sure there the right way round.. epic fail.
I figured it out! (kinda) He subtlely passes the envelope of a light to see the two cards inside, the order doesn't matter because he never compares it to the envelope.
Might even be something built into the desk to weigh the envelope (each card is a different weight).
@Cybix Not the 'key' precisely, but--a good clue. My theory is that the black paper hides the backs of the cards after Randi opens it to reveal the + and the O. Why hide them? Because what we are seeing is not the original faces of the cards. The five ESP cards were all composite cards, consisting of a O card (with a blue back) and a + card (with an alternate face on the obverse--one of the five random symbols). Glued together, they appear as one, but--slpit apart, they show the 'chosen' cards.
The chance that he guesses one card correctly is actually 2/5, or 40%, as there are two potentially correct guesses he could make out of a possible 5.
Likewise, the chance that he guesses both cards correctly is actually 1/10, or 10%, as there are 10 possible combinations of 2 cards from a set of 5.
However, there are 20 possible permutations of 2 cards from a set of 5, so he's correct that the chance of him correctly guessing both cards in the correct order is 1/20, or 5%.
@Cipscis This is how scientists are fooled my magicians. It's called Misdirection. The only 'odds' of Randi not determining the right cards are based on whether or not his gimmick works. He ADMITS that it's a trick; that he's "up to skullduggery"--that the odds are "100%". Why would anyone waste his time figuring the odds? Logically, if it's a trick, and amittedly NOT a display of psychic powers, the odds of him achieving the effect at random are 0%.
@jkeyes1000 That's why I specified that those are the probabilities of him guessing the correct answer. Essentially I am finding the p-value for the null hypothesis that Randi guessed the correct answer,which I would subsequently reject after obtaining a p-value of 0.05.
Of course we all know that this is a trick anyway - Randi even goes so far as to tell us - but after hearing him give the wrong odds for if he were guessing the answer I just couldn't help myself but post the correct ones.
@ChannelRiley It doesn't work that way. Let's take it right back to basics, shall we? Ignoring order, let's arbitrarily label each card such that the correct cards are 1 and 2 (in that order), and the other cards are 3, 4 and 5.
Now, if he were to make 1 guess, there are 2 out of 5 guesses he could make correctly, hence a 2/5 chance of him correctly guessing 1 card.
Then, for him to get only 1 card correct out of 2 guesses, the chances are 2/5 and 3/4. 2/5 * 3/4 makes 3/10, or 30%, not 60%.
@Cipscis You have calculated the chances that his FIRST guess is correct and his SECOND guess is wrong. If you do the same assuming his first guess is wrong and his second is right then you again get 30%. Add these together (they are mutually exclusive) to get 60%. Back to basics... label cards A,B,C,D,E. There are 10 possible pairs (no order). Assume correct pair is AB. Then there are 6 possible pairs (no order) with only one card correct. AC, AD, AE, BC, BD, BE. Thats 6/10 = 60%
After he looks at the cards he sees that the cross and circle ARENT on the side he predicted so then he misdirects by asking the audience if they want to take bets. If you watch closely though, he flips the cards over so that they are on the correct side. Pretty clever!
@greenmatthews That still doesn't explain that he knew it would be a plus and circle, it only explains that he guessed right on which side they would be.
Picking 2 cards out from 5 gives you 10 possible combinations. If we asume the cards were simply numbers i.e 1,2,3,4,5 this is the combinations you can pic: 12,13,14,15,23,24,25,34,35,45
xismxist 1 week ago
no magic how boring :(
flyinv1967 3 weeks ago
I think I know how this trick works...
The envelope has a hidden compartiment containing all the cards that are in the original deck. The cards that are given to the gentleman in the audience contain metal discs, each card has its own specific pattern. The cards in the envelope contain magnets. The arrangement of the discs and magnets is such that, when opening the pile it opens in the correct position...
Can I get the million dollars now ? ;-)
Bigman74066 3 weeks ago
@Bigman74066 i think you only get 1 mil if you do the trick with esp and prove it... not with the way you described it :)
duanebg 3 weeks ago 2
@Bigman74066 The audience member given the envelope would notice the cards, and also where would putting the chosen cards in the envelope factor in?
badboyfrvr 3 weeks ago
This is so obvious....James Randi must have ESP abilities!
SeamusCallan1 3 weeks ago 5
After he looks at them he realized he had them on the wrong side. Watch the cards after he pulls them out and if you follow which side should have the + you can see that in the end it's actually the circle. So, he knows what cards are in there but doesn't really know what side of the envelope they are on so he uses distraction to make sure hes flipped them to the right way before revealing.
PSNspraynpray 1 month ago 10
@PSNspraynpray True
bukifuriku 1 month ago
@PSNspraynpray Randi used DISTRACTION
Its super effective.
ImAleXD 1 week ago
Also if you watch it carefully after he opens the envelope and peaks at the cards he flips them over - so he can tell what cards are in the envelope but not in which order they are.
asennad 1 month ago
Each of the cards has a metal insert. So when he handles the envelope he has a magnet in his hand - perhaps in the marker - that he can use to feel the metal and determine what the cards are.
asennad 1 month ago 2
1:28 hmmm
Nevyle 2 months ago
If he removed the "+" and the "o" from the packet, he would have to have replaced the with two other cards. ANY TWO other cards would decrease his 'odds' of having ONLY THE THREE under the chair. Two stars? and two squares? There would likely be DUPLICATES remaining. If he did switch the cards, than the Great Randi is lying. To suggest that NO ONE HAS FIGURED IT OUT would be an outrageous boast rather than 3vidence of his ingeniousness.
jkeyes1000 2 months ago
Is it any coincidence that the cards are in the same order at the start and the end?
At 0:45, he lists them off: Circle, Plus, Wavy, Square, Star. At the end of the demonstration, the circle is in the front of the envelope, the plus is in the back, and the wavy lines, square, and star are in that order on the floor.
matrixphijr 2 months ago
He is good, he even peeks and flips the black card around when he changes hand to have the right one on top. The key to a magic trick is often more "when" than "how". But I still have not figured how he did it, Otherwise, if the tricke had been set-up, he would have known wich one was on top and not have to peek.
rouelibre1 2 months ago
I love Randi, but i believe i know how it was done. he switched cards, twice. once before handing the cards to the man in the audience. the cards he gave the man did not contain a o or +, so no matter which cards he selected, none of the remaining cards could be the o or the + then he switched the cards (or the envelope, it was laying on the table for a while) again before showing them to the audience.
martyswn 2 months ago
as an amateur magician myself, i know that the secret to a trick is often revealed by what the magician says or doesn't. he insisted the man selecting the cards not look at them. why? because there was no 0 or + in the deck. all of the talk about the odds was misdirection. no magnets, no mirrors, no plants or "shills" in the audience required.
martyswn 2 months ago
@martyswn The reason for insisting that the volunteer not look at the cards is that it TRULY IS a random choice amongst the five symbols. If the volunteer had noticed that he picked a STAR and THREE WAVY LINES, then Randi's pre-determined "+" and "o" would blow the trick. Each one of the five cards contain the potential, when cleaved, to reveal a "+" and a "o". It doesn't matter which cards are chosen. But--the volunteer musn't be aware of the discrepancy. See below for full explanation.
jkeyes1000 2 months ago
@jkeyes1000 theres one problem with your solution. it breaks one of the rules of stage magic. never, and i mean never, let a volunteer handle your gaff. if the cards are gimmicked (gaffed) in the way you suggest, there would be no possible way that Randi would ever give those cards to a member of the audience. there are two things that no good magician ever does, they never put themselves in real danger. and they never leave anything to chance. only bad ones do. Randi is one of the greats.
martyswn 2 months ago
@martyswn I'm familiar with Randi's rep (I've been follwing his career since I was a kid and always got a kick out of his pursuit of Uri Geller et al), but--he IS OLD SCHOOL. Not a bad thing by any means. A composite card would be perfectly in keeping with his basic training. As a magician myself. I am not aware however of your rule about gaffs. If you watch the other clips of this lecture, you'll find that Randi reminds us to "never assume". The exception that proves the rule of Misdirection.
jkeyes1000 2 months ago
@jkeyes1000 Type in "James Randi: We All Make Assumptions", a companion video to this one, from the same session. In it, Randi suckers the intelligencia by first demonstrating that his glasses have no lenses, and next that a cardboard box tossed on stage is PRESUMED EMPTY, merely because the magician's attitude is nonchalant--i.e., he doesn't spefically CLAIM that it is empty. If this doesn't convince you that he takes chances in order to make his point, nothing will.
jkeyes1000 2 months ago
@martyswn I'm probably belabouring at this point, but--your contention that only bad magicians put themselves at risk is a little dubious. I mean--Houdini is considered one of the very best and he took risks all the time. He could have drowned doing his escape from a trunk under water, and he in fact did die of complications from a severe blow to his abdomen. Other greats have perished as a result of live ammunition in guns supposedly loaded with dummy ammunition, etc.
jkeyes1000 2 months ago
@jkeyes1000 while i don't doubt your admiration of randi, your understanding of houdini is something i question. yes, i suppose that theoretically he could have drowned, except, it was his trunk, that he built, that he designed, with chains, also provided by him, and handcuffs, that despite what he told the audience, were his as well. so yes, he was underwater, so perhaps there was some danger of drowning, but no more than you or I in a swimming pool
martyswn 2 months ago
@martyswn I think our mutual bone of contention here is the idea revolves about the question of whether 'great' magicians allow participants to handle the apparatus. In the case of Houidini--he allowed strangers, often experts in the field of restraint, to secure him IN THE GIMMICKED APPARATUS. Likewise, the problem with the gun firing live ammo was the fact that a volunteer was given the gun and permitted to substitute his own.
jkeyes1000 2 months ago
@martyswn Are you suggesting that 'great' performers like Blaclkstone for instance, never let members of the audience touch gimmicks? Think of his famous Floating Lightbulb, which he took into the crowd and gave out for examination, still illuminated. Was this not a gaff? The way you do it is to allow them to peruse it ONLY BRIEFLY. Randi tells the volunteer to gingerly shuffle them, NOT TO LOOK AT THEM, to place them under chair and in envelope. Not full analysis!
jkeyes1000 2 months ago
@jkeyes1000 to use Blackstones floating lightbulb as an example they examine the lightbulb briefly, and with him standing very close, but if you know that trick, then you also know that the real gaff was not on the lightbulb, (i'm referring to floating bit,the light up part is self contained) the gaff was on Blackstone himself. he never allowed an audience member to examine him.
martyswn 2 months ago
@martyswn I anticipated your mention of the PROXIMITY of the performer to the gimmicked apparatues. But--recall that I also suggested that an ACCOMPLICE was sewated directly behind the volunteer. Randi CHOSE the volunteer, therefore his relative position was pre-determined. The stooge could have alerted Randi if the volunteer got too curious.
jkeyes1000 2 months ago
@jkeyes1000 if there is a shill in the audience, why not just give the cards to the shill?
martyswn 2 months ago
@martyswn The main purpose of the shill is to SWITCH THE CARDS that are placed under the chair. This is necessary, as there's no way to assure that ONLY the three 'not chosen' cards remain. The stooge's ability to keep an eye on the volunteer is an added bonus. "Why?" Why not? Isn't the point of a trick to amaze the audience by achieving the seeming impossible? Using a shill in the way you suggest would fool no one. Half of the comments have suggested it. So he can tell them THEY'RE WRONG.
jkeyes1000 2 months ago
@jkeyes1000 i'm not the one suggesting he's using a shill. You are. I'm saying that if he is using a shill, using him the way you suggest makes no sense. he switches the cards, pure and simple and elegant. he may be using a gaff as the way to switch them, but the cards he hands to the volunteer does not contain either a + or a 0. he then switches them again,( perhaps with a gaff, i don't know.) to a prepared set up which he pulls from the envelope. i know too many other tricks that use the same
martyswn 2 months ago
@martyswn Something's bothering me about your latest comment. You say that my solution is too complex, though--it involves only ONE SIMPLE SWITCH by the accomplice (step on the cards with his foot, drag them under his chair; then drop three other cards under volunteer's chair when latter is distracted), yet--you call the notion of Randi making TWO SWITCHES "pure and simple and elegant". I don't get it. But--the most important fact is that your theory CAN'T WORK.
jkeyes1000 1 month ago
@jkeyes1000 Could you guys private message eachother or something? haha
FlintSparkedStudios 1 month ago
@FlintSparkedStudios Well--I would, but--I think I just had the last word. He held on for the longest time to the notion that the "+" and the "o" cards were removed from the packet of five. I believe he understands now that that wouldn't accomplish anything. In order for the star, the square and the wavy lines to remain under the chair, Randi would have to have FORCED the volunteer to choose the other two (whatever they were). Thus THEY must have been switched.
jkeyes1000 1 month ago
@jkeyes1000 nope. not the last word, just been busy, real life has reared it's ugly head and interfered with my internet time. but for the record, you're still wrong. ;)
martyswn 1 month ago
@martyswn Well, for the record--so far, I've proved your main contention wrong, that the five cards in the hands of the volunteer consisted of other than "+" and "0" cards. The fact is, iot wouldn't make any difference WHAT was on the cards. The odds of leaving ONE STAR, ONE SQUARE AND ONE WAVY LINE CARD are precisely the same. By your own confession, this theory is impractical and illogical because it "takes too many risks".
jkeyes1000 1 month ago
@jkeyes1000 principles. i do not know of any trick that is as complicated as the one you suggest. it is unnecessary and risky. Randi is too good of a magician for that.
martyswn 2 months ago
@martyswn I'm afraid it is necessary in order to accomplish what Randi does--i.e., pre-determine the contents of the envelope AND the cards that remain under the chair, WITHOUT the complicity of the volunteer and WITHOUT switching envelopes (both of which Randi denies having done). Which is WHY it "drives magicians nuts". That's the point.To illustrate that an illusion of psychic phenomena can indeed be a trick despite the difficulty of its explanation.Can appear to be proof of ESP when it's not
jkeyes1000 2 months ago
@jkeyes1000 and yes, magicians have died, mostly from bullet catches and the like. but they the result of either bad maintenance of their equipment, being really bad magicians and not understanding the proper way to do a bullet catch, or from allowing an audience member to handle the gaff (gun) allowing the volunteer to slip something into the barrel. if the card were gaffed as you suggest, the last thing in the world Randi would do is hand them to a random vounteer. there would be too much
martyswn 2 months ago
@jkeyes1000 not directly under Randi's control. the possibility of the volunteer discovering the gaff is too great. there may be other gaffs involved, or the volunteer may be a shill, but no magician worth his salt would take such an obvious risk. no i believe that randi removed the + and the 0 before handing them to the volunteer, either by gaff or by sleight of hand, though, as a i am fan of Randi's as well, i lean more towards sleight of hand
martyswn 2 months ago
"wanna know how I did it? Tough" lol how educational....
undeadpresident 2 months ago
Dammit, I wanna know how to do this trick. My best guess is he's got a mirror hidden in the right spot so he can see what cards are put into the envelope.
jbevan70 2 months ago
@jbevan70 From the other side of the stage? With the guy keeping the cards face down? Hardly.
carmium 2 months ago
Heh ★★★★★
Katalyzt 2 months ago
You're all wrong about how he knew which was which. How dense are you people? He winked right at the guy! :P
elysium735 2 months ago
illuminati go to guy disinfo agent
doingitnowoncemore 2 months ago
Simple trick.... place ferromagnetic metal into those big thick cards in a unique pattern on each card. Place a neodymium magnet into the cap of the marker. As you are talking to the audience, move the marker tip over the envelope. You should be able to feel the metal pattern in the card. In his case, he figured out what the cards were using his "magic marker", but got confused with which side they were facing, so after he looked, he had to distract audience as he "flipped" the cards.
toadzapper 4 months ago
@toadzapper You are right I think. Something like the strip you can extract in the tyny barcoded box on products. Perfect size and ferro-magnetic. You arrange them in such a way that you can recognize any pair in the envelope. Of course, being magnetic, you can't tell wich one is on top. His peeking and flipping is pure comedy. Very good trick.
rouelibre1 2 months ago
@rouelibre1 @toadzapper, i dissagree the first move occurs at 1:27. there is a reason he is showing the 0 card up until that moment, to convince you that it is in the deck when he hands it to the volunteer, but it is not, Randi removes it and the + card before handing it over. im not sure when he makes the second move, but i do know that randi is a master of sleight of hand, not of ferro magnets and tech.
martyswn 2 months ago
Just watched this on dump.com and noticed the first time watching it that he switched the order of the cards. Nice job pointing out all the times though, top commenter. :)
HewoSabby 4 months ago
I wanna know how you do it!
klasmenos 4 months ago
It's the 100th video!
ErichoTTA 4 months ago
he tries so hard to disprove something that cannot be disproved, unless you are god...
ekpa 4 months ago
@ekpa Randi constantly disproves this bunk and very easily...what the hell are you talking about?
lapis269 4 months ago
@lapis269 Randi doesn't "disprove" psychic phenomena. He merely demonstrates that it can be duplicated by simple means. I am a magician and a logician, but--it doesn't help the cause of Science to make bogus claims of "proof" or the "disproof". There is a significant difference between lack of proof and ruling something out entirely.
jkeyes1000 4 months ago
@lapis269 Randi doesn't "disprove" psychic phenomena. He merely demonstrates that it can be duplicated by simple means. I am a magician and a logician, but--it doesn't help the cause of Science to make bogus claims of "proof" or the "disproof". There is a significant difference between lack of proof and ruling something out entirely.
jkeyes1000 4 months ago
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MrPointless 4 months ago
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It's not science's responsibility to DISPROVE that gnomes exist to say that someone is wrong, it's that someone who's responsible for PROVING it. Manticores, homeopathic water, santa clause, magic - all equally real, if you need to DISPROVE it to call it fake.
MrPointless 4 months ago
...so HOW is this done?! i thought he would tell us! CMON!
soseg 4 months ago
@soseg I am going to make a video that explains this trick fully, as I can't stand seeing all these comments ffrom people who are tearing their hair out. Clues: the cards are THICKER than they need to be. The black paper's purpose is to HIDE the back of at least one of the cards after Randi opens the folder. He CHOOSES the participant not because he is a confederate, but--because he is seated in front of one. See my earlier comments (a few pages back) for more details or message me if interested
jkeyes1000 4 months ago
@jkeyes1000 It's been 2 months. You can't stand it, I'm sure, but now that you've made the announcement, I and at least a few others would love to see your solution.
KarstenJohansson 2 months ago
@KarstenJohansson I will try to explain as concisely as possible: each of the 5 THICK cards are two cards glued together (rubber cement/spray adhesive). One will have a standard card backing and, say a "O" on the face. The other will be double-faced, with a "+" and one of the five random symbols. Thus the two that are ultimately displayed are ONE THICK card, slpit open. The cards under the chair were switched by an accomplice sitting behind the volunteer.
jkeyes1000 2 months ago
@KarstenJohansson If that was TOO CONCISE, I'll elucidate a bit more. There's NO LEGITIMATE REASON for the cards being so thick other than to gimmick them. And the only gimmick that makes sense is the composite card. Print a "O" on a blank card (with a standard backing) and a "+" on one side of a TOTALLY BLANK card and a random symbol on the other. Glue the five "O" faces to the five "+" faces and you have five THICK cards that appear as shown in the video. Pry apart and display inner faces.
jkeyes1000 2 months ago
@KarstenJohansson Might as well add more detail to my 'solution'. Notice the way Rando PINCHES the bottom of the envelope as he's removing the black folder. Also, how his fingers remain inside the envelope for an unusually long time before he slides the folder out. I suggest that he might be retaining one of the double cards in the envelope (which he tosses on the floor) so that when he splits the ONE THICK CARD that remains, there are no excess cards. Or he hides the other under one that we see
jkeyes1000 2 months ago
@KarstenJohansson Lastly--the purpose for the black folder is to conceal the fact that one of the two cards that arefinally displayed is DOUBLE-FACED. I.e. either the "+" or the "o" has a random symbol on the other side. Naturally, he doesn't offer the cards for examination at the end. The reason for insisting that the cards be placed int the envelope FACING EACH OTHER is likewise because of the gimmick. Since they are glued together that way, that's the only way he can practically display them.
jkeyes1000 2 months ago
The statistics of him guessing one card right are 2 in 5 because there are 2 cards in it... I can't believe he didn't precise that... they would be 1 it 5 if there where 1 card inside.
ProfessorBorax 4 months ago 2
@ProfessorBorax That's what I thought!
Musicmonk84 4 months ago
@ProfessorBorax go back to school please.
WickedLukas 4 months ago
@WickedLukas I'm prety sure i'm right, because any of the 2 can be the one he guessed. unless he ment guessing just the first one right. and your coment doesn't help me at all if you think you'll make me understand your view of the matter, also I"m still in school ;)
ProfessorBorax 2 months ago
@ProfessorBorax that not how you calculate that man, he even said how he got 1:20 too, learn high school math kid
Ezekial88 4 months ago
@ProfessorBorax I know a similar trick that works on your principal: Name any 2 pip or card card faces - eg. 2 and King. What are the chances that they will appear together in a randomly shuffled deck? Try a few times. You will be right far more often than not.
But you give James 40% odds. He is clearly more confident that his trick will work than you are. Cut yourself 5 pieces of paper and duplicate his steps. You will fail more often than not. There is something more than odds at play here.
KarstenJohansson 2 months ago
@ProfessorBorax You mean the probability of guessing. (Not the statistics of guessing.) Still, your comment is incorrect. There are five cards in total, etc. One in forty is about right.
atomiclev 1 month ago
@ProfessorBorax yes but the attempt is once
imcrazy85 1 month ago
He had the cards right but, he switched the + and 0 side, during his bullshit talk...
He was wrong :D
smulozrout 4 months ago
The whole idea behind mentalism, is that things can be subconsciously planted into someone's mind. (no, not like Inception). He used the word mathematics and then calls the + a "plus mark". He holds the O card facing the audience and also uses the words "Oh and OK" several times stressing the O sound. This is all to plant the seed in his mind to pick the plus and O cards. Once those 2 cards were in the envelope, it was easy to switch them if he guessed wrong. Its really a simple trick.
bleedRng3 4 months ago
@bleedRng3 yes but the audience member had the cards facing down so he didnt know which was which
DFredleinPortfolio 4 months ago
@bleedRng3 The whole idea of mentalism is to make you think that it's the power of the mind. Magicians don't leave anything to chance. You can believe Randi when he says it's a trick. Magicians are the exact opposite of mystics. They are mechanics. The cards are gimmicked.
jkeyes1000 4 months ago
lol!!!
Just watch at 4:00 and 4:09
yenr35 4 months ago
He's like the magic version of santa.
BrennyBlues 4 months ago 2
It was the weight of the cards. That's how he knows. He knows how they are on the side that he displays because of the static charge that holds them to the black paper.
MikeonTU 4 months ago
Gob Bluth doesn't approve of these comments
theycallmenavid 4 months ago 9
The cards are weighted?
O is 1.000 oz, + is 1.001 oz, Square is 1.002 oz, etc. He puts the envelope on the table, on a hidden scale. He looked at the cards on the table many times (he fidgets w/the water bottle, his glass, the pen, and his hand to distract.)
The sum weight ends with .001, .002, etc. There are two unequal cards, so he knows:
.001=.000+.001 (O,+)
.002=.000+.002 (O,Square)
.003=.002+.001 (Square,+) etc.
The side is a 50% guess for show. He just flips it when wrong.
dereks443 4 months ago 5
@dereks443 ha ha ha ha! Or how about this: each card has a satellite tracking chip. the satellite signals Randi's watch letting him know where the cards are!
Nah, He just switches the cards very cleverly before he hands them out, and again before showing them to the audience.
martyswn 2 months ago
He's a Professor at Hogwarts
downedpelicanstudios 4 months ago 32
My guess is a plant. It would be so simple to duplicate this trick if Randi and the audience member knew each other and planned everything out. The misdirection is that the audience is focusing on Randi, not the audience member, so it's easy for the audience member to pick the 'plus' and 'circle' to go into the envelope even if he did shuffle it a bit.
JaredTheTwitch 4 months ago
The ink is magnetized as well as the marker. That's why he points to both sides so much. Also he corrects for the order.
jaywsims 4 months ago
I think the cards are weighted and knowing the combined weight would give what two cards are in the envelope So all he would have to memorize is 5 weights. There has to be a reason why he had to put the cards on the desk. We know 100% how he got the cards on the correct sides.
HalifaxafilaH 4 months ago 3
@HalifaxafilaH If they were weighted don't you think the guy in the audience would have noticed something? I would have, especially considering it is a trick someone is trying to preform. I would have looked closely at all cards for anything suspicious.
Shadow01010011 4 months ago
My guess is there are no circle an cross in the original cards given to the guy so all he has to do is switch the envelop
icege3 4 months ago
Comment removed
JonnieL86 4 months ago
@icege3 If this were the case then there would be a chance that you would get two of the same cards on the floor, thus exposing the trick.
jbanks7 4 months ago
fool
dani4wd 4 months ago
dude, jeffrey showed me that trick two weeks ago
fascismanarchy 4 months ago
The way he disproves psychics is phenomenal. Check out how he disproves aura-seers.
jamieboyrockon 4 months ago
The higher your pant, the higher your IQ. :) James is a legend.
SirAlfredSourcock 4 months ago
haha funny how he messed up and panicked a bit there
Fr0ntl1nez 4 months ago
simple, he has retinal augmentations O_o
nameno1elsehas 4 months ago 4
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he got the location of the cards wrong...
covertgamer 4 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
he got the location of the cards wrong...
covertgamer 4 months ago
h egot the location of the cards wrong...
covertgamer 4 months ago
Ive seen tricks like that all over the place
cookiebox339 4 months ago
He was wrong about the order and he corrects for it.
6:00 he checks the order. The O card is on the + side.
He distracts with offers to bet while he switches the order.
6:09 - O card faces right thigh
6:13 - O card faces left thigh
6:14 - O card faces ceiling
6:18 - He starts to tilt the paper so tilt O card is on the side he called it on.
Plant aside, possible solution: The cards have a sort of braille in the upper left/lower right corners, which is why the cards must face each other.
PaultheReverend 4 months ago 61
@PaultheReverend
Misdirection is the greatest trick that a magician (or mentalist) has. Using it to help perform his trick really only strengthens his case that it -is- a trick, after all. If he knows which two are gonna be in their, he has a 50% chance of simply guessing the order. If he fails the guess, no harm no foul--he just misdirects the audience and they're (mostly) nonethewiser. If he succeeds the guess, he looks like an even bigger success.
frogboy7000 4 months ago
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@PaultheReverend
Misdirection is the greatest trick that a magician (or mentalist) has. Using it to help perform his trick really only strengthens his case that it -is- a trick, after all. If he knows which two are gonna be in their, he has a 50% chance of simply guessing the order. If he fails the guess, no harm no foul--he just misdirects the audience and they're (mostly) nonethewiser. If he succeeds the guess, he looks like an even bigger success.
frogboy7000 4 months ago
@PaultheReverend fuck you, you just stole my comment
greenmatthews 4 months ago 2
@PaultheReverend you proved with all your time frames that:
1. you really want to solve this 2.you have watched this video more than 10 times
3.you STILL haven't solved it
meterotronic 4 months ago
@PaultheReverend i apologize......he does act EXTREMELY "distracting or rather nervously humerous" between 6:00-6:28.
do to me what you will..
p.s. i think randi hates/ despises scientists (scientists & mathematicians consider pshycologists jokes) ...if he doesnt believe in paranormal then he must not believe in GOD? yes/no?
Why all the hate randi????
meterotronic 4 months ago
@meterotronic i think youre just butthurt because he disects your beliefs like a frog in biology class
TraceurMeeka 4 months ago
@PaultheReverend Good idea, however if there was a sort of braille system on the cards then he wouldn't have mixed up the + and the O in the first place. Unless he's purposely guessing backwards to mess with our heads! :O
Hooligan8200 4 months ago
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@PaultheReverend Good idea, however if there was a sort of braille system on the cards then he wouldn't have mixed up the + and the O in the first place. Unless he's purposely guessing backwards to mess with our heads! :O
Hooligan8200 4 months ago
@PaultheReverend Lol actually he didn't do that if you watch the video he tilts it but it goes right back and not only that it doesn't actually explain how he knew that it was those two cards ?
AstrophelTDeath 4 months ago
@PaultheReverend See if you look before he shows them he takes out the cards and doesn't show them then he walks out of camera for a split second which doesn't make any difference because its done in front of a live audience not for the camera. And when he comes back he spins it one time, so you would think that but right when he is about to reveal it, he turns it right back around i watched it at least 3 more times, and its the same thing everytime, so your solution is flawed.
AstrophelTDeath 4 months ago
@PaultheReverend when he presents it , its upside down thats why it looks like he turned it around but he never really did that. Watch it again.
AstrophelTDeath 4 months ago
the guy picking the cards in the audience is hired to do so. its common practice on shows like that. his whole talk in the beginning about how his trick is so unique makes you look for non-obvious solutions, while reality is as simple as lying.
FelbaneAD 4 months ago 2
By the time the video reaches 6:30 he has turned the cards around. He distracts the audience by asking for bets, but really, he is very carefully turning the cards to the correct position.
LedZephyra 4 months ago
@LedZephyra
that's what I was thinking, but nonetheless.. he still got the symbols right
DM3062 4 months ago
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HIS HEAD IS REALLY SHINY
MyLittleMind 4 months ago
HIS HEAD IS REALLY SHINY
MyLittleMind 4 months ago
Stick your finger in my thresher
bmbgh77 4 months ago
My guess is he had a spotter behind the guy choosing the cards. Behind or beside so he gets a good look at the cards either going in or being placed on the floor. Then the spotter signals the two cards in the envelope to the guy up front.
leotigerman86 4 months ago
Is it just me or did he flip the cards while distracting everyone, he actually didn't get them on the right side, and he subtly flipped them while asking the class "Who wants to put money on it?"
Watch closely from 5:50 to 6:25 and you'll notice when he realizes that he got the sides wrong he creates a distraction to flip the sides.
jado06 4 months ago 2
@jado06 yup he did flip it.
mrtedlos 4 months ago
between 6:00 and 6:20 he turns around the cards.. which means the plus sign was on the back and the circle was on the front.
the way he guesses the signs i still dont understand unless it was staged.
0ceed192 4 months ago
10 Years ago the camera quality was really shitty compared to today. And today everyone has a camera!
plissk3n1337 4 months ago
@plissk3n1337
Does the movies 10 years ago have shitty qualities?
Martix?
Bumperpegasus 4 months ago
Hello fellow redditors
malcom425 4 months ago
@malcom425 helllllllo
medicrow 4 months ago
He was wrong. When he says this side is plus and this side is a circle watch carefully which side is plus at all times. He switches them so the circle should be a plus and the plus should be a circle.
PotatoSol 4 months ago
5:58 peek, cards in wrong order
6:11 chance to flip cards while distracting
kookoon 4 months ago
If you notice, he got the sides mixed up. After he declares the + and o, he goofs around and switches. But how he guessed + and o is the real question.
HazenHills 4 months ago
@HazenHills I noticed that as well. I accidentally downvoted you as well. My bad.
Viper8930 4 months ago
It's magic, I ain't gotta explain shit.
DrewtheGuitarGod 4 months ago 4
The cards have subtly different weights....
KnightMD 4 months ago
@KnightMD Camera in the floor, and he has a headset.
LostieTrekieTechie 4 months ago
James Randi for president
Slyvr18 4 months ago
read that as emp. left disaapointed
T28spwn 4 months ago
@T28spwn You came here not knowing how to read; left not knowing how to spell.
iknowthetruth881 4 months ago 2
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fucking faggot nigger
thenfm 4 months ago
he is a wizard
urban05 4 months ago
maybe you can feel the sign through the paper?
Climrockz 4 months ago
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fucking faggot nigger
thenfm 4 months ago
@thenfm Lol, wut
ENM173 4 months ago
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@ENM173 fucking faggot nigger
thenfm 4 months ago
At 6:23 he flips the content so that it matches the sides hw was saying...
karlous1 4 months ago 4
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if you watch the side of the envelope he says the plus side is on as he's walking around he switches sides because he got it wrong. At one point even checks to make sure there the right way round.. epic fail.
ReactiveSingularity 4 months ago
if you watch the side of the envelope he says the plus side is on as he's walking around he switches sides because he got it wrong. At one point even checks to make sure there the right way round.. epic fail.
ReactiveSingularity 4 months ago
At 6.14 he switches the front to the back and the back to the front. HE'S NOT PSYCHIC AT ALL
originalusername143 4 months ago
@originalusername143 good job sherlock...jackass
Porkytool5 4 months ago
@Porkytool5 lololololololololololololololololollololololololololololololololololollololololololololololololololololollololololololololololololololololollololololololololololololololololollololololololololololololololololollololololololololololololololololollololololololololololololololololollololololololololololololololololollololololololololololololololololollololololololololololololololololollololololololololololololololololollololololololololololololololololollolololololololololololol
originalusername143 4 months ago
@originalusername143 sarcasm? or did i really make you laugh that hard?
Porkytool5 4 months ago
He flips the sides of the cards. PLus was in the front with circle in the back.
uiemad 4 months ago
I figured it out! (kinda) He subtlely passes the envelope of a light to see the two cards inside, the order doesn't matter because he never compares it to the envelope.
Might even be something built into the desk to weigh the envelope (each card is a different weight).
DiarmaidGNR 4 months ago
@DiarmaidGNR But the two cards inside the envelope are facing each other.
wywywy5 4 months ago
@wywywy5 That doesn't make a difference.
DiarmaidGNR 4 months ago
The key to this trick is the black photographic paper, it seems odd to use that under the circumstances...
Cybix 4 months ago
@Cybix Not the 'key' precisely, but--a good clue. My theory is that the black paper hides the backs of the cards after Randi opens it to reveal the + and the O. Why hide them? Because what we are seeing is not the original faces of the cards. The five ESP cards were all composite cards, consisting of a O card (with a blue back) and a + card (with an alternate face on the obverse--one of the five random symbols). Glued together, they appear as one, but--slpit apart, they show the 'chosen' cards.
jkeyes1000 4 months ago
The chance that he guesses one card correctly is actually 2/5, or 40%, as there are two potentially correct guesses he could make out of a possible 5.
Likewise, the chance that he guesses both cards correctly is actually 1/10, or 10%, as there are 10 possible combinations of 2 cards from a set of 5.
However, there are 20 possible permutations of 2 cards from a set of 5, so he's correct that the chance of him correctly guessing both cards in the correct order is 1/20, or 5%.
Cipscis 4 months ago
@Cipscis This is how scientists are fooled my magicians. It's called Misdirection. The only 'odds' of Randi not determining the right cards are based on whether or not his gimmick works. He ADMITS that it's a trick; that he's "up to skullduggery"--that the odds are "100%". Why would anyone waste his time figuring the odds? Logically, if it's a trick, and amittedly NOT a display of psychic powers, the odds of him achieving the effect at random are 0%.
jkeyes1000 4 months ago
@jkeyes1000 That's why I specified that those are the probabilities of him guessing the correct answer. Essentially I am finding the p-value for the null hypothesis that Randi guessed the correct answer,which I would subsequently reject after obtaining a p-value of 0.05.
Of course we all know that this is a trick anyway - Randi even goes so far as to tell us - but after hearing him give the wrong odds for if he were guessing the answer I just couldn't help myself but post the correct ones.
Cipscis 4 months ago
@Cipscis Please, do not go into the mathematical field. You fail.
TheSteveDallas 4 months ago
@Cipscis
How many combinations are there (no order specified)? 5x4/2 = 10
He guesses the two cards...
There is only one correct guess (no order specified).. the chance is 10%
How many combinations with the other 3 cards (no order specified)? 3x2/2 = 3
Therefore chances he guesses at least one card = 70%
Therefore chance he guesses one card, and not the other = 60% (not 40%)
ChannelRiley 4 months ago
@ChannelRiley
i don't think that's right...
mrcritchell 4 months ago
@ChannelRiley It doesn't work that way. Let's take it right back to basics, shall we? Ignoring order, let's arbitrarily label each card such that the correct cards are 1 and 2 (in that order), and the other cards are 3, 4 and 5.
Now, if he were to make 1 guess, there are 2 out of 5 guesses he could make correctly, hence a 2/5 chance of him correctly guessing 1 card.
Then, for him to get only 1 card correct out of 2 guesses, the chances are 2/5 and 3/4. 2/5 * 3/4 makes 3/10, or 30%, not 60%.
Cipscis 4 months ago
@Cipscis You have calculated the chances that his FIRST guess is correct and his SECOND guess is wrong. If you do the same assuming his first guess is wrong and his second is right then you again get 30%. Add these together (they are mutually exclusive) to get 60%. Back to basics... label cards A,B,C,D,E. There are 10 possible pairs (no order). Assume correct pair is AB. Then there are 6 possible pairs (no order) with only one card correct. AC, AD, AE, BC, BD, BE. Thats 6/10 = 60%
ChannelRiley 4 months ago
@ChannelRiley Sorry, you're absolutely right about that. The chance that he guesses 1 card correctly with just 1 guess is 40% though, like I said.
Cipscis 4 months ago
After he looks at the cards he sees that the cross and circle ARENT on the side he predicted so then he misdirects by asking the audience if they want to take bets. If you watch closely though, he flips the cards over so that they are on the correct side. Pretty clever!
greenmatthews 4 months ago 115
@greenmatthews Good catch!
ravendta 4 months ago
@greenmatthews that's not clever, that's fraud.
sugashane2386 4 months ago
@greenmatthews but how does he know which ones they are?
skydark 4 months ago
@greenmatthews
Yes but how did he know it was a circle and a plus...?
Saints9R 4 months ago
@greenmatthews this guy is a master of trickery
FongoBongo 4 months ago
@greenmatthews That still doesn't explain that he knew it would be a plus and circle, it only explains that he guessed right on which side they would be.
Noctis411 4 months ago
@Noctis411 when did I claim to answer that question
greenmatthews 4 months ago