Hardin's Magic Brain

When in Rome
When in Rome

Notes from Italy

By Peter Turner

Devil Publishing, 2014
Copyright © 2014 by Peter Turner

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or any information storage and
retrieval system now or to be invented, without permission of the
author.

First printing: 2014

Devil Publishing

Editing & layout by:

Mike Vance, [email protected], www.magicmike.org
Peter Turner

Dedication

Zach, I hope to see you performing some of this
material one day. This book is dedicated to you, I love
you little man. The world is your oyster, no matter what
happens follow your dreams.

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Table of Contents
Dedication ............................................................................... v

Table of Contents ................................................................. vi

Acknowledgements ............................................................... x

Foreword ............................................................................... xii

Introduction ............................................................................ 1

Ethics and codes ..................................................................... 7

Your intuition ....................................................................... 15
Effect ...................................................................................................... 17

Breakdown ............................................................................................ 18

The psychological force of 7 .......................................................... 18

Springboard ..................................................................................... 20

On its head ....................................................................................... 21

Full performance .................................................................................. 25

The outs ................................................................................................. 28

Additional idea .................................................................................... 32

Mark Chandaue additional idea ........................................................ 32

Paul Shirley additional idea ............................................................... 40

Credits ................................................................................................... 45

Your Notes/Ideas ................................................................................. 46

Simply overlooked .............................................................. 51
Effect ...................................................................................................... 51

Breakdown ............................................................................................ 53

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Making the effect more ....................................................................... 54

The Matrix moment ............................................................................. 56

The justification .................................................................................... 58

The peek ................................................................................................ 63

Presentational acrobatics..................................................................... 67

Full performance .................................................................................. 71

Additional ideas ................................................................................... 78

Stealing information ............................................................................ 79

Applying the information ................................................................... 81

Credits ................................................................................................... 84

Name place variation (after stealing the information) . 85
Effect ...................................................................................................... 85

Breakdown ............................................................................................ 86

Updating the one-ahead...................................................................... 87

Full performance .................................................................................. 91

Additional idea..................................................................................... 94

Credits ................................................................................................... 95

Your Notes/Ideas ................................................................................. 96

Bold unlock pin divination.............................................. 101
Effect .................................................................................................... 104

Breakdown .......................................................................................... 104

Morgan Strebler additional idea ...................................................... 108

Michael Murray additional idea ...................................................... 109

Credits ................................................................................................. 111

Your Notes/Ideas ............................................................................... 112

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Increment control (force) .................................................. 117
Effect .................................................................................................... 118

Breakdown .......................................................................................... 118

Credits ................................................................................................. 124

Not Ed Marlo’s snap change ............................................ 127
Variation #1......................................................................................... 127

Additional idea .................................................................................. 130

Variation #2......................................................................................... 131

Credits ................................................................................................. 133

Your Notes/Ideas ............................................................................... 134

Positive actions and words speak loudly ...................... 139
Effect .................................................................................................... 139

Breakdown .......................................................................................... 140

Full performance ................................................................................ 143

The anagram ....................................................................................... 161

Additional ideas................................................................................. 182

Credits ................................................................................................. 184

Your Notes/Ideas ............................................................................... 185

Why star signs? ................................................................... 189

Reaping what you sow ...................................................... 193
Mark Chandaue additional idea ...................................................... 194

Credits ................................................................................................. 196

The Bob principle - Hearing stars................................... 199

Your lucky star.................................................................... 209

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Effect .................................................................................................... 209

Full performance ................................................................................ 216

Your lucky star – Any sign, sure fire ............................................... 221

Effect .................................................................................................... 222

Breakdown .......................................................................................... 223

Nod to star sign .................................................................. 229
Effect .................................................................................................... 235

Breakdown .......................................................................................... 236

Credits ................................................................................................. 240

Your Notes/Ideas ............................................................................... 241

Double star sign revelation.............................................. 245
Effect .................................................................................................... 245

Breakdown .......................................................................................... 246

Be controversial – Think backwards ............................................... 246

Effect .................................................................................................... 247

Back to the effect – Double star sign variation ............................... 252

Additional idea................................................................................... 260

Credits ................................................................................................. 262

Your Notes/Ideas ............................................................................... 263

Scarred for life .................................................................... 267

Conclusion .......................................................................... 274

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Acknowledgements
Michael Murray, Mike Vance, Dave Garbett, Ryan
Robertson, Kenton Knepper, Bob Cassidy, Atlas
Brookings, Enid Blyton, Paul Shirley, Mark Chandaue,
Chris Bartak and Morgan Strebler.

- The groovy gang. My Sound boards, inspirations,
analytical eyes, look outs and most importantly my
friends. I love you guys.

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Peter Turner

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Foreword

I feel both honoured and privileged to be the one who
introduces this work to you. Whilst I'm sure that most of
the readers will already be familiar with the high calibre of
Pete’s work through his prior releases, most will not have
had the good fortune to meet the man himself. Let me offer
you a small glimpse into the world of this “larger than life
character.”

My first introduction to Pete and his work came a few years
back when he released his limited edition book Bigger Fish.
Initially cautious about the high price tag, Pete offered to
Skype me prior to making my purchase.

Taking Pete up on his offer, we embarked upon a
marathon session during which Pete tipped almost
everything from the book. I was immediately taken not
only by his approach to mentalism but how genuinely
passionate he was about the art. I’m seriously convinced
that if I didn't have work to go to, we would still be talking
now!

Naturally I was quick to invest in his work and so our
friendship grew. Most often when you finally get to meet
someone in person whose work you admire, they are a
disappointment. With Pete it is a whole different story.

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Despite his outward appearance, he is a very gentle and
caring person.

He gives his time freely and really brings out the very best
in those around him. With Pete there is no ego or hidden
agenda. He is a people person, and in this respect I feel that
he would make a great councillor.

I mentioned above that he was a larger than life character
and I firmly believe this to be true. If Pete told me that he
was not from this world I would believe him. He is so
sickeningly talented. His skill set does not end with
mentalism; he plays the piano better than anyone I know
and that is nothing compared to his guitar work.

Whilst it would be so easy to hate him from sheer jealousy,
he somehow brings out the very best in you. Every time I
speak with him I am enthused; he has managed to unlock
the gates to my own creative talents and almost all of my
recent creations were a direct result of our talks.

I have seen Pete do things that you wouldn't believe. He
doesn’t create legends, he is a legend.

Read the words that follow, be attentive, be inspired and
be thankful to Pete for all that he does for us.

Michael Murray
September 2014

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Introduction

What you have here are my notes from Italy. When you
hear the word “notes” it sounds like a brief outline of
what’s important thrown onto paper.

Anyone that knows me knows that I could not do that—I
love to ramble and go off on tangents as I feel that is where
the flavour is. I have done that countless times in these
notes.

I hope the reader gets a feel for who I am as a person
throughout these notes. I have tried to let you (the reader)
know about me as a person as the notes go on, as hopefully
these notes will still be being read long after I am gone.

I have detailed routines that I use presently. These routines
have taken a long time to refine and I am proud of each
and every routine, idea and premise within these notes.

95% of the routines and principles you will read inside
these notes have never seen print and have never been
shared publicly.

I have no doubt in my mind that you will love the material
detailed in these notes. What I hope you take away from
this is a realisation of maturity in comparison to my earlier
works. This should serve as a good representation of

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growth and I am thankful that you have followed my
journey thus far.

Mentalism is an art that is constantly moving and I am
learning and growing daily. I hope you realize when
reading these notes that I am just expressing my opinions
and the way I view things.

If you have an opposing view on how things should be
done or don’t like some of the material, that is fine also.
Mentalism is a purely subjective art form and it is natural
to have different viewpoints.

I hope these ideas spark off ideas and thoughts when you
read/refine/perform these routines, whether it be one line,
an entire routine or a story.

When reading these notes, try to think about all of the
applications you can come up with for each idea. Think
about how you would present these effects—you will
notice after each effect/principle I have added pages for
you (the reader) to add your own notes.

This will make the book completely unique and personal
to you.

So why are these notes here?

Well these are details of some of the things that I shared in
Rome in 2014 that had a great response. There were a lot
of things shared in Rome, so naturally not all of them made

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it into the book. If you were one of the participants in
Rome, I am sure you will remember the impact these
routines had on the class.

I can promise there is something in here for everyone.

So enough of my ramblings,

Enjoy x

P. Turner, 2014

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I
Ethics and codes

This is a simple essay on revealing pin codes. Years ago
revealing a pin code was something I shied away from for
obvious reasons. This is also the opinion of a lot of
performers, as it is a subject area that is very delicate.

I am not here to try to change your opinion of how/what
you should perform. All I ask is for you to think of safe,
creative ways you can reveal pin codes without actually
revealing any delicate information.

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I have come to realise, over the years, people for the most
part don’t care (in England).

If you look at the “Matrix moment” detailed later, you will
notice that you can apply this small principle to gauge
from your participant whether or not they would like you
to proceed in divining their pin code.

I think that in all honesty the key here is asking them if
they are comfortable with it. It is simple: if they are not,
they will say they are not; if they seem unsure (which
should be easy to gauge from their body language), there
are ways to deal with things in such a way that you can
guess the number safely and gain trust simultaneously
from your audience.

I feel whenever you climb inside someone’s mind and start
revealing information you are touching upon things that
are delicate.

There are a few things I want to outline to make this type
of effect safe. This is for the people that don’t already know
(which I am sure a lot will), but I would rather be safe than
sorry.

In any close-up scenario, I would always advise deducing
a phone unlock pin as it can be changed on the spot to
either a new code they are happy for you to guess, or if
they are happy for you to guess the existing code, they can
change the code immediately after the performance.

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This type of effect is about reminding the participant to be
safe, that these sorts of codes can be guessed if the
circumstances are right and not to leave things like
banking, PayPal and email apps open on their phone.

This means there is something positive that has come of
you divining the code.

I try to avoid banking pin codes, as they are
psychologically more dangerous. If I am ever going to
want to seemingly divine someone’s bank pin, I will
always say:

Performer: “Ok, to protect your privacy and anonymity
let’s generate a four-digit number at random. This could
potentially be a bank pin as it is four random digits. I will
refer to this number as your pin code. I need you to
imagine this number really being your actual pin code.”

If you go back to The Devil in Disguise there is a routine
called “Credit Card #1.” This routine uses four digits off of
their bank card that you use as a substitute as their pin
code. That is often how I would get to a four-digit number
or “The life equation” from Jinxed/Bigger Fish 2. Each of
these numbers holds no actual relevance, but there is a
beautiful thing that happens when rubberneckers or
eavesdroppers drop in mid-routine.

If anyone joins the routine mid-effect they will hear you
saying such things as “concentrate on your pin code” and

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see you divining it; to them they witness a miracle as they
missed the first half of what was said. This is a subtle dual
reality but the story they will tell; they will exaggerate and,
of course, it will give you legendary status.

If you are divining a pin for a phone, there are a few things
I would consider. Firstly, a lot of the time when
performing this routine it will be for groups or the
participant’s friends (in close-up) as they tend to
congregate together. This is a more open and relaxed
scenario, but still be cautious. When divining the first two
digits, lift the phone so that only the participant can see
what you are typing. Address the group watching:

Performer: “Keep your eyes on (participant’s) face. Their
reaction should tell you whether I have gotten the
numbers right or wrong.”

Two things happen here: one, the code is kept private from
the group and you can be open with the last two digits,
and two, the audience still has something to watch and
react to.

I have found with this approach, that because the
participant has to react for the first two digits to show
everyone that you were, in fact, correct, the reaction is
normally louder and more exaggerated than it usually
would be as that is what they think you expect them to do.

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I would advise you not to shy away from these types of
effects. They are great to have in your arsenal. Just be
creative with the ways that you apply them. Always be
safe.

That leads us to the first section of the book. Here you will
have a few ideas relating to pin codes with which I have
had no end of fun. Each of these has been something I have
used for a long time, and I hope you get as much mileage
out of them as I have.

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II
Your intuition

This effect is something I consider to be one of the cleanest
pin revelations. One thing I really love about this
divination is that it is not you doing the divining but the
participant, and therefore it instantly adds an air of
credibility to what it is that you do.

First, let me tell you the story of how this came about
(briefly I promise), and then we can get into the routine.

When Michael Murray first performed his incredible
“Springboard” on me, my mind was reeling with ideas. It

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was one of the most versatile principles I had ever come
across, but there was only one issue for me (which I am
sure others will love): the playing cards. I loved the process
so much but felt that it was slightly redundant when using
playing cards, as the possibilities were endless.

I decided the best place to apply the principle would be to
do it for a pin revelation.

I had been toying with a forcing idea of Annemann’s at the
time from 101 Methods of Forcing, which enabled me to
force a four-digit number every single time (I won’t outline
the force here). From this I was able to use “Springboard”
to get to a participant’s pin code.

The problem was (I am also honest about my own work)
that unless the participant was particularly astute and had
a good memory, it was a difficult process for them as there
was a lot to remember. I am sure you can imagine how
difficult this made performing this if I didn’t have the full
attention of the participant and or the participant had been
drinking or was tired. At Blackpool 2013 I was sitting in
the “Winter Gardens,” and Fraser Parker approached me
to show me where he had taken the idea. He had gotten
the participant to arrive at the number “9” using a
mechanical force, and instead of complicating the process
and “spring boarding” four different digits, he applied a
“Springboard” from the preceding digit to guess the

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participant’s pin code. This had stopped any confusion
and made it easy for any participant. It was incredible.

I was thinking about that particular approach and there
were only a couple of things I didn’t like (some of which
was true for my original variation, also). The force of the
number “9” was too long and the process seemingly (for
me Fraser pulled it off really well) mathematical. Then the
second thing was the participant using “Springboard” to
tell me about their pin code. Psychologically, again I think
it sent alarm bells ringing and made the process more
deduction based and also obvious that all I needed was the
first digit (if the participant was to backtrack). So I refined
it again and here is what I developed. I hope you love it.

Effect

The performer, any place, any time, sits with a participant
and proposes that the participant attempts to guess his pin
code. The participant is asked to simply think of what they
believe the first digit is (they never say it out loud), and
then the second, third and fourth.

The performer writes down his pin code on a business card
and slides it in front of the participant.

He then for the first time asks the participant what they
believe the pin to be.

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Let’s say the participant says 6934. The performer asks the
participant to turn around the business card and, sure
enough, the numbers are 6934.

Breakdown

This is a routine that is incredibly simple and employs the
use of a well-known principle in mentalism, a less known
but incredibly brilliant principle and a verbal reversal
technique.

The first technique is the old psychological “force of the
number 7.”

(Don’t skip this routine yet thinking you now know the
routine; trust me, you will miss out on something
amazing.)

The second technique is Michael Murray’s “Springboard.”

The third technique is my “On Its Head Principle.”

Let’s break these down, piece by piece, and then connect
them all.

The psychological force of 7

I first saw this in Psychological Subtleties by Banachek. The
force was around long before this, but I thought this would
be an amazing book to reference and credit as even the

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simpler ideas in that book can serve an amazing purpose
in an impromptu situation.

Here I will outline how I would force the number 7 as
though it was just the force, and then later explain how it
fits into this routine.

Here is a simple script to follow that should allow you to
force the number seven:

Performer: “I want you to think of a number from one to
ten, but don’t go for 3 as it seems everyone does.”

That’s it. As simple as it sounds, that effectively forces the
number 7.

Note: I have found if you ask the participant to say out
loud the number instead of thinking it, the hit rating is
much higher, but in this routine you don’t want the
participant saying anything out loud, as the process is
transparent. An alternative I would suggest (this is not
mandatory) is to give them a pen and paper and say:

Performer: “I want you to quickly write down a number
from one to ten, but don’t go for 3 as it seems everyone
does.”

This will have the same effect that saying it out loud does.
It also makes the participant’s job a lot easier, and at the
end you can both turn around your pieces of card for
confirmation.

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The reason this hits more often is simple psychology: when
you ask a participant to think of a number from one to ten
the chances are it will be 7, but because the participant has
never said the number out loud, they have never
committed to it in tangible form and it gives them the
opportunity to change their mind a few times (they can do
this even when they are trying not to be a pain).

Conversely, asking them to say it out loud or to write it
down means that they are committing to their natural
instinct and don’t have a chance to change their mind. If
you really wanted to not use the paper (which I don’t), you
can redirect them back to their original thought.

Performer: “Be honest with me, did you change your
mind?”

If they say yes:

Performer: “Remember, this is all about trusting your
instinct. Go back to your initial thought.”

This, again, just redirects them back to their first thought.

Springboard

Without being rude, I am not going to outline
“Springboard” here because I feel it is easier to explain in
the context of the performance. I also feel it’s easier to
explain in the performance section.

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On its head

For the purpose of a fuller explanation, here I will outline
the “On Its Head Principle” in its simplest form and then
proceed to explain a couple more potential uses for the
principle.

Imagine you are going to force a playing card using a
psychological force (usually the Ace of Spades or the
Queen of Hearts).

Address the participant before the force, saying:

Performer: “I am thinking of a playing card and I want you
to try to guess what it is. Coincidentally, I think this
happens to be your favourite playing card. I want you to
guess what card I am thinking of, and to tell me when you
have a playing card in mind.”

Participant: “Yes.”

Performer: “Let me remove the playing card I am thinking
of from the deck.”

Run through and pick out the Queen of Hearts and place
it face down onto the table.

Performer: “What is the card I am thinking of?”

Participant: “The Queen of Hearts.”

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The card is turned over it is the Queen of Hearts. This is
the way it was originally portrayed in The Portugal Notes.
This is fairly bold as the card could miss, but it is easily
washed away by saying:

Performer: “As you can see by simply guessing, the
chances of you getting the card right are next to none. Now
that you know what my favourite card is, let’s mix up the
deck and do this again using your feelings.”

(I noted an out here just to show how a simple miss can be
handled in a situation like this. From this point move into
an “Equivoque” and have them successfully use their
feelings to find the card.)

I then took the technique further and realised it has many
uses. Using it to its full potential, there is no chance of a
miss (a slight exaggeration, but if there is a miss, it’s
usually a performance fault).

One idea I toyed with was the use as a justification to
handle a billet after a participant had written down a
thought.

Performer: “I know recently you have been questioning
your decision-making ability. I want to prove to you that
if you follow your instincts, your own intuition is often all
you need to make decisions. Right now I am thinking of a
name. It’s a name that holds some relevance in my life. You
have never met this person and haven’t heard me speak

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about this person, but if you could tune into my feelings, I
am sure you can pick up on this.

“I want you to relax and trust yourself. Don’t just try to
guess what this is, try to feel what this is. I am not going to
write down this name as I don’t want you hearing the
sound of the pen or letting the way my arm moves to write
specific letters influence you in anyway.

“I want you to write down what you believe the name is.”

A pen and a billet are handed to the participant, and the
participant writes down the name and the billet is folded.

There should be no heat on the billet now because it’s the
participant guessing the name you are thinking of and not
the other way around.

That means if you take the billet, you say:

Performer: “You think you have written the name I am
thinking of inside here?”

This is where you take your peek.

Performer: “In fact, before we open this, it’s best you
ensure there is no way this can be seen through. You check
that it is completely opaque and I will write down what I
am thinking of, as I don’t want people thinking I am just
agreeing with you.”

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Hand the billet back to them and gesture that they should
hold it up.

Write down the name you peeked onto a billet and place it
face down.

Performer: “Before we commit to seeing if you got the
name right, do you think this person has dark hair or light?
(They answer.) Follow your instincts: is this person an
introvert or outgoing? (They answer.) And finally, what do
you feel this person’s star sign is? (They answer.)

“You may think you were just guessing at those details. I
could spend all day telling you that you are correct, but
then again I would say that. There is only really one way I
can prove that you got everything right.”

Slide your billet in front of them.

Performer: “Before you turn that over—it is in front of you
and isn’t going anywhere—who did you believe I was
thinking of?”

They state the name and turn over the billet. It matches,
but more beautifully, it confirms the star sign, the hair
colour and characteristics! Obviously this takes advantage
of my “Confirmation Principle” as well, but you can see by
flipping it on its head, it opens up a basis for more hits and
a nicer presentation.

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I also squeezed in this line: “I know recently you have been
questioning your decision-making ability. I want to prove
to you that if you follow your instincts, your own intuition
is often all you need to make decisions.” This sort of thing
gives the participant an air of confidence and therefore has
a therapeutic effect, also killing two birds with one stone.

If you don’t like “spectator as the mind reader” routines,
hopefully this one can convince you to try it out and you
may just change your thinking (Who knows?).

Now that you have the necessary steps to making this
routine work, let’s piece it all together with the full
performance script and “Springboard.”

Full performance

(We will imagine you are acquainted and have performed
a few things on the group.)

“I know recently you have been questioning your
decision-making ability. I want to prove to you that if you
follow your instincts, your own intuition is often all you
need to make decisions. I know earlier you were
wondering if it was possible for me to guess a pin code.
The honest answer is, ‘Yes, I can,’ but it wouldn’t be that
impressive as that is what I do. Whereas if you could guess
my pin code, we could kill two birds with one stone.

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“Firstly, it would prove it is definitely possible to deduce
someone’s pin code.

“Secondly and more importantly, it will really show you
just how strong your own decision-making ability is.

“The only clue I will give you is that the first digit is not a
three. Think of a number from one to ten. Got it?”

Participant: “Yes.”

Performer: “Be honest, did you change your mind?”

Participant: “I did.”

Performer: “This is about trusting your own intuition, not
questioning it. Go back to the first number of which you
were thinking. Just so everyone is clear, I am not going to
write down my pin, as I don’t want you to be influenced
by the sound of the pen or the way my arm is moving.

“For the first digit you trusted your own intuition. There
is a good chance that, the number you are thinking of is, in
fact, the first digit of my pin code.”

This is where we will employ “Springboard.”

Performer: “Now that you know the first digit, using your
intuition, do you think the second digit is higher or is it
lower?”

Participant: “Higher.”

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Performer: “By how many?”

Participant: “Two.”

Performer: “Now you believe you know the first and the
second digits, right?”

Participant: “Yeah.”

(Just quickly cutting in, assuming the participant has gone
for the number 7, we now also know the first two digits! I
know what you are thinking: what if they haven’t? We will
cover this later.)

Performer: “Knowing the first and the second digits, do
you think the third digit is higher or lower than the
second?”

Participant: “Lower by 5.”

Performer: “Perfect, now that you know the first, second
and third digits, let’s do this one more time. Do you think
the last digit is higher or lower than the third?”

Participant: “Higher by one.”

Based on the participant’s decisions, we now know that
the participant believes (if they have chosen the 7) that my
pin code is 7956.

Performer: “Now that you have what you believe is my
pin code, I am going to now write it down. If I was to just

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say it out loud, people might just think you are agreeing
with me for fear of getting it wrong. In all honesty, it
doesn’t matter if you get it wrong—as long as you were
close you did perfectly.”

Write down whatever the participant believes the pin to
be, in this case 7956.

Slide the business card in front of the participant and ask
them to say what they believe the pin is out loud. If it
matches (which it should), incredible; if not there is no
worry as the message at the end is ultimately what I find
important.

The outs

A lot of the time in this routine, there is no need to employ
the out because the participant will often give away what
the first digit is without realising it. For example, if the
participant thinks of the first digit and then says the
second is 3 higher, then I would bet they have gone for 6,
as starting with 7 and going three higher is going to be too
high (in the context of a pin). Similarly, the participant
can’t have gone for an 8.

It can also go the other way and be too low to be a 7. You
can employ clever questions, too. Let me give you an
example.

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The participant is now thinking of the first digit; they say
the second is 5 lower and the third is 1 lower. In this
context it could be

7 (if it hit), 2 and 0.

Before you write anything, say:

Performer: “Be honest, do you believe there is a zero in my
pin?”

If they say No, you now know it has to be higher than a 7,
so it could be 8 or 9 (I have never had anyone choose a 9).
I would then write down 8, 3 and 1 (I then would apply
the “off by one” outlined later). Remember, there is no
harm in asking any question as they are deducing yours.

Instead of answering, give them a slight smile as if to say
“I cannot confirm or deny your assumption.”

If you can fish for one of the indefinite digits, then you will
always know. If you are a little uncomfortable with a
verbal out, here is a mechanical out.

I have thought long and hard and wondered just how I
could end this routine in as strong a sense as the hit (using
a mechanical out), and in all honesty, there is never going
to be a stronger ending. Every single time I have ever
performed this routine I have never had somebody go for
anything other than 6, 7 or 8.

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When in Rome

This means that the “Off by One Principle” fits perfectly as
an out. The problem I found (which I don’t think most
people will have a problem employing) is that if you apply
the “Off by One Principle,” you are taking the hit away
from the participant.

Look at it logically: they were all off by one and you knew
it. It’s almost (in my opinion) like laughing in their face
and saying, “Your decision-making ability is s**t, mine is
far superior.”

I then realised that if I softened the blow with a message
then it no longer becomes a problem.

If you are going to hand them a card on which to write
their choice, I would recommend handing them a card
with the following message printed on the back. Don’t
point it out, as you will (if needed) draw their attention to
it later.

“True perfection has to be imperfect.

“In life when you trust your own intuition, you will always
get so close to anything you aim for. You should always
use your intuition whether it be when making a simple
decision or within an intricate social situation.

“You will have truly used your intuition to its maximum
capacity today if each decision you make is just one step
away from where it needs to be.”

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Peter Turner

(Or if you prefer you can just write “off by one.”)

If the digits are, in fact, off by one, then no problem, you
have credited them for doing exactly what they needed to
do.

I would point out verbally that each one was off by one
and then say this:

Performer: “The aim of this entire thing was to have you
see what has been staring you in the face this entire time.
Often the greatest things in life are right under our own
noses and we just don’t see them.”

Gesture for them to turn over the card.

After they have finished reading the card, address the
participant:

Performer: “I think you now know your decision making
is exactly where it needs to be. If you take anything away
from this it’s the ability to view things from a fresh
perspective and above all else to trust yourself.”

Note: As I pointed out I don’t hand them the card to write
down their pin. If you choose to follow the way I perform
the routine, in which I just write something down, I simply
have the printed message on my card and slide it toward
the participant with the writing upside down.

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When in Rome

This way, because it is a block of text and upside down,
they won’t think about reading it. If you notice they are,
just tell them to place their hand on top of it so it cannot be
touched by anyone else at any point.

Additional idea

This is just a quick point about this type of routine.
“Spectator as the mind reader” routines are like marmite:
some people really love them and some people really hate
them.

I am obviously in the camp of loving them…too much!

Even if you are not a fan of this plot, you don’t need to
frame these types of routines as spectator as the mind
reader. You can quite easily turn these types of routine into
influence routines, where you psychologically (or
psychically) implant the thoughts.

Then you are still achieving the same result, yet they are
not reading your mind. You are simply controlling their
thoughts.

Mark Chandaue additional idea

Note from Pete: Before you get to read Mark’s amazing variation
of this effect, let me tell you about Mark.

He is one clever guy!

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Peter Turner

I constantly run my ideas past him and Michael Murray now.
The two of them are happy to pull apart my ideas as they
understand the feel I am going for.

They always offer good alternatives and criticisms that
ultimately make my work better, and if it wasn’t for them I
wouldn’t know what to do.

Even though I haven’t known Mark a long time, I instantly felt
a connection with him—he is genuinely one of the good guys.

I know you will love his take on this. When his book comes out,
get it; you will regret it if not!

My first experience of this effect was when I was driving
up to Bradford to hang out with Pete for a few days. Pete
called me on my mobile to ask how far out I was. I told him
I was about half way and had just stopped for a coffee. He
said, “Here's something to think about while you drink
your coffee.” He then performed “Your Intuition” on me
over the phone. Not for the first time in my life I was blown
away by Pete's genius. This is probably the best use of a
psychological force I've personally come across. Pete
explained the out to me and it's a real thing of beauty.

However, I perform mostly impromptu and so can't be set
up for the out all the time, so I wanted to find a way to
eliminate the out so that all I needed was something on
which to write. My first thought was to push them towards
the psychological force of 7 by limiting them to an odd

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number. I considered changing the script to: “The first
number is an odd number and it's not a 3.” However this
still left them with too many options—1, 5, 7 and 9—and if
anything, this was worse than Pete's because it still needed
several outs and now they were two apart instead of one.
I changed the script to: “The first digit is an odd number
above 3.” This limited them to 5, 7 and 9, but this still
wasn't good enough; I still needed outs and the options
were two apart instead of one, and so this was still inferior
to Pete's original version. I needed to limit them further
and so I achieved this by giving them a clue on the second
number like this: “The second number is higher than the
first.” This limits them to 5 or 7 on the first number,
because if they guess 9 on the first number, when you say
the second number is higher they can't go higher, and so
they know the first number is wrong and adjust it to 7 or
5…most of the time.

Unfortunately I found that sometimes people think of 0 as
10 instead of zero. I tried to get around this in the scripting
by talking about pins being a combination of four digits
ranging from zero all the way up to nine, but some people
still treated 0 as 10 after picking 9 as the first digit. After
some thought I realised that eliminating the zero would
not only stop this from happening, but it would also help
me to determine whether they started with a 5 or a 7. The
astute amongst you will have realised that with a possible
choice of 5 and 7 for the first digit we are still going to need

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Peter Turner

an out. Eliminating the 0 reduces the number of times we
need an out. With the new script, over 90% of the time I
know which number they started with by the fourth digit.
I will go through my final script and the way I perform it
now, which uses a nail writer, and then I will discuss the
non-nail writer version. Even if you don't use a nail writer,
read the whole thing because much of the explanation is
included in that version. I have only included the
important parts of my script to allow you to use your own
wording for the rest.

I begin with a business card in hand on which I have
already nail written the number 5. I do not outright state
that this has my pin on it, but I imply it by lifting the card
slightly when I ask if they believe it is possible to guess
someone’s pin. The important part of the script begins, “As
you have never done anything like this before, I will give
you a couple of clues: there are no zeros in my pin and the
first digit is an odd number above three.” This limits them
to 5, 7 or 9.

Once they have indicated they have a number in mind, I
follow with: “The only clue I will give you on the second
digit is that it is higher than the first digit. How many
higher do you think it is?” This kills the 9 and gives you
the first chance to discover the first number; if they answer
more than 2 here, they must have started with a 5, because
there are no zeros that could be considered 10. Whatever

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their response, I add that number to 5 and nail write the
result next to the 5.

“I'm not going to give you any more clues. Do you think
this digit is higher or lower than the second?” Once they
respond, follow up with: “By how many?” I add or
subtract their answer from the second digit and nail write
it next to the second. This is your second chance to tell
whether they started with a 5 or a 7—if the result is higher
than 7, then the first digit must be 5. If the subtracted result
is either 0 or -1, then they must have started with a 7. If at
any point the number indicates they must have started
with a 7, I will casually pocket the card and keep track of
the pin in my head; e.g. 7 + 2 - 7.

The fourth digit is handled just like the third. “Do you
think this digit is higher or lower than the third?” Once
they respond, follow up with: “By how many?” Again I
add or subtract their answer from the third digit and nail
write it next to the second, unless the third digit already
indicated the first digit is a 7 and so the card is out of play.
This is your last chance to tell whether they started with a
5 or a 7. If the result is higher than 7, then the first digit
must be 5, and a 0 or -1 here indicates the first digit is 7. If
this last digit is where I discover that they must have
started with a 7, then I leave the card in play.

We now are in one of three positions.

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Peter Turner

We know they started with a 7: in this situation I calculate
the pin (e.g. 7+2-7+1 = 7923) and say, “Be honest, do you
think my pin is 7923?” As I say this I will casually pocket
the card if it is still in play.

We know they started with a 5 and we have the pin written
on the card: in this situation I hand them the card and say,
“Before you look at my pin, what do you think it is?”

We don't know whether they started with a 5 or a 7, but
we have the 5 version written on the card. This does not
happen that often because with the 0 removed as an
option, there are only a small number of combinations that
work with both 5 and 7 as a first digit. In this situation I
test on the last digit of the 7 version. Let's say we have 5647
on the card. I will say, “Did you get the 9 for that last
digit?” If they say Yes, I will follow up with: “Be honest,
do you think my pin is 7869?” As I say this I will casually
pocket the card. If they say No, then I say, “Never mind,
you've never done anything like this and the odds of
getting a one in 10,000 number with the only clue being the
first number isn't 3 are nearly impossible.” Note the subtle
reframing here—also known as complete bollocks.
Because we eliminated the zeros, the odds are less than one
in 10,000 and the clue was a little more specific than “it's
not a 3,” but they will never question that statement. I now
hand them the card and say, “Before you look at how close
you got, what do you think my pin is?” When they turn

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over the card and see that the number matches, they will
think you were just messing with them, making them
think they had got it wrong, however they will remember
that the odds were 1 in 10,000 and the only clue they had
was the first number wasn’t a 3.

The non-nail writer version is identical save that you
simply track their choices; e.g., 2 higher than 4 lower than
1 higher. By the end you will either know what number
they started with and can reveal it with: “Be honest, do you
think my pin is xxxx?" or you will be in the position that it
could start with a 5 or a 7. In this case simply write the 5
version on a business card and then test on the last digit of
the 7 version and proceed exactly as described when the
number was nail written.

Some final thoughts and tips: Never draw any attention to
the business card beyond the moment when you say, "Do
you think it would be possible to guess my pin?" Here the
emphasis should be on the pin, not the card. If you pocket
the card don't make a big deal out of it; in this situation
you want the implication to be that you only needed the
card as proof if they were wrong. When they start with a
5, always put the business card in their hand before they
reveal the number. Personally, if I'm doing this one on one,
I don't have them reveal the number. I just hand them the
card and say, “Have a look at my pin and see how close
you were.”

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Peter Turner

I prefer the nail writing version. I have found that even
when you pocket the card and never show it to them, they
remember the card was in play before the start. Also when
they start with 5, you have a miracle that is impossible to
backtrack. I originally did the non-nail writer version and
I wrote the 5 version on the card as an out because 7 is the
psychological force. However I have found that with this
particular script, 5 seems to be picked most of the time—
in my experience over 90% of the time. This is great
because often I know this by the second or third digit. If
they go more than 2 higher on the second digit, the first is
a 5; likewise on the third digit if they go higher again they
picked a 5. When they pick 5 as the first digit, you have
been holding a card from the very start and you hand them
the card before they reveal their guess.

Finally, if you are worried about pocketing the card
unseen when they pick the 7 version, simply have a blank
card in that pocket so that you can either pocket or nail
write the 7 version if they ask to see the card (nobody has
ever asked me).

Oh, really finally this time, a massive thanks to Pete Turner
for the original effect and Michael Murray for the principle
at its heart. This is now my favourite impromptu effect and
is also my answer to “What am I thinking?” When asked
that question I respond with, “It doesn't quite work like
that; it's a co-operative process. Rather than me guessing

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what you are thinking, maybe I can show you how you can
access the thoughts someone is willing to share with you.
Do you think it would be possible to guess my pin?”

I hope you get as much fun out of this routine as I have
had with it.

Paul Shirley additional idea

Note from Pete: Paul Shirley is an incredible thinker and
performer. I first met Paul over Skype and we instantly clicked.
The thing I love the most about Paul is his sense of humour; he
has an addictive laugh and he really brings out the comedic side
in anyone.

I then had the pleasure of meeting Paul in London—what a
weekend! I got a message saying, “Pete, I am in London. Are you
coming down?”

I am not going to go into the stories of half of the things that
occurred that weekend. All I will say is it involved a restaurant
owner trying to get me drunk to have his wicked way, a French
man fighting someone over a cigarette, and a dead body….

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Peter Turner

OK, not a real dead body, but you may get kicks out of this.

Whenever I leave a hotel, I always shape the sheets for the cleaner
to find.

I hope you love Paul’s thoughts.

Let me start with my thoughts on this effect. I think it is
great, and the reason it is great is that it is the participant
that does all of the work for you.

The one thing with this routine is that it is very systematic.
I am going to offer here my thoughts on how to break the
feeling of it being systematic using a simple presentational
tip.

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When in Rome

When you look at the first digit, it is because it is deduced
differently from the rest of the digits that the process at this
point seems natural. When you get to the second digit,
however, I think asking straight out of the gate whether it
is higher or lower can be a little mathematical.

This is easily remedied.

Simply use this script.

Performer: “You instinctively chose what you believed the
first digit to be. I want you to imagine seeing this digit
right here in the air.”

This is where you will pretend to be holding the digit in
the air.

Performer: “I am going to move my hand above and below
where you are imagining seeing that digit.

“I want you to wait till you get a feeling that just tells you
to stop, and whenever you get that feeling just say, ‘Stop.’
If my hand is above the imagined first digit, it will tell you
the second digit must be higher, and obviously if it is
below the imagined number, it tells you the second digit is
lower.

“It is essential you follow your feelings.”

Wait till the participant says Stop.

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Peter Turner

Performer: “Now you know it is higher. (If they said stop
on ‘lower’ you would say lower.) Using the same feeling
that you just had, close your eyes and feel how much
higher.”

They answer.

Performer: “Now that you have your creative juices
flowing and you feel you know what the first and second
digits are, do you think the next digit is higher or lower
and by how many?”

This stops this part of the process from being two steps;
instead of the participant deciding on the next digit being
higher or lower and then having to answer by how many,
it makes the answer one answer. After they have
answered, the last bit is even smoother.

Performer: “Now that you know the third digit, what
about the last one?”

This should now prompt the participant to answer higher
or lower and by how many without having to ask them.
They should say this out loud without thinking because
they are accustomed to the process.

This means that each process is seemingly different and
isn’t as systematic. It will make the process flow to the
point that by the time the participant realises what has
happened, they know the pin code and so do you.

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When in Rome

This is really simple, but it makes a massive difference to
the overall effect not only to the presentation, but it makes
the participant believe they are really picking up on
information. In essence the routine becomes more credible.

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Peter Turner

Credits

Michael Murray – Springboard principle

(“Springboard” 2013 + Piece of my Mind 2014)

Banachek – Psychological force

(Psychological Subtleties)

Art Vanderlay – Serial divination

(Unreleased)

Mark Chadaue – his take on “Your intuition”

(Unreleased)

Fraser Parker – First digit force

(Utsukushii)

Paul Shirley – Feeling it

(Unreleased)

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When in Rome

Your Notes/Ideas

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Peter Turner

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Peter Turner

III
Simply overlooked

This is an incredibly effective phone code divination that
is so simple you will wonder why you had not thought of
it. Don’t overlook the simple nature of this effect; before
dismissing it go out and try it. I promise it gets incredible
reactions.

Effect

Whilst sitting with a group the performer asks if anyone
has a mobile telephone with a lock on it. One of the people
in the group removes their phone and is asked by the

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When in Rome

participant to show someone they trust at the table the lock
for the phone. Whilst this is taking place the performer
makes a conscious effort to look away, so as not to get any
visual clues. Once the participant has completed showing
someone else, the phone is locked and checked to be
locked.

Two people at the table are now aware of the lock on the
phone, and the performer asks them both to think of one
digit in that series of digits. He looks at the participants,
proclaiming, “I think coincidentally you are both now
thinking of the same number. The reason I use the word
now is because you (the performer points to the first
participant) changed your mind. You thought of one digit
and changed to another. As I have been speaking, you (the
performer points to the second participant) have been
contemplating changing your mind.

“Without giving away what the number is, are you both
thinking of…is it the digit in the third position on which
you are now focusing?”

They both freak out, proclaiming

318163204 When in Rome Peter Turner