Hot Rod, a simple magic trick

[jlw]

[Permalink]

[Scrub]

Funny how I react to this sort of thing. If approached in a non theatrical environment I’d assume the person talking was preparing something bad for me. Abduction of something…

[milliefink]

“At a grocery store in line”? No thanks, potential creeper.

[waetherman]

All magicians are potential creepers, just with a healthy outlet.

[daneel]

So what do you do if someone insists on a colour other than red, and won’t accept the forced choice?

[elguapo22222]

““At a grocery store in line”? No thanks, potential creeper.”

I thought the same thing. It’s even worse if he pulls this trick in the “12 items or less” lane. Sorry, buddy, no time for tricks. I just want to pay for my groceries and get out of here.

[Nonentity]

That’s why you ask for a number (in a range) rather than a color. And don’t do the same trick twice in a row, of course.

I think I remember ways to deal with numbers 2-5, but how to deal with 1 or 6 escapes me…

[waetherman]

The trick is in the counting; no matter which number they pick there is a way to get them to the right color. Count from different ends, spell the number, or both.

This is one of the first tricks I bought when I was a kid. Never quite mastered it that well though.o

[anon68952647]

@Scrub

Funny how I react to this sort of thing.

Funny in the Andy Kauffman sense!

[daneel]

I see how it works. But if someone tried this on me I’d want to pick the colour myself, directly. And if they did it once, I’d want it again, specifically with a different number.

But to be honest I’d probably just ignore the annoying guy at the supermarket trying to do tricks because I’d assume he wanted money.

Related (to the bit about ‘potential creepers’, not magic):

A fool and his money - The Boston Globe

[Nonentity]

@daneel

But if someone tried this on me I’d want to pick the colour myself, directly. And if they did it once, I’d want it again

And that’s just the sort of person magicians learn to avoid whenever possible.

Also, never ever show a one-shot trick without having something else on hand to move on to…

[BrickGun]

Count out the letters in their choice.

[Boundegar]

@daneel

But to be honest I’d probably just ignore the annoying guy at the supermarket trying to do tricks because I’d assume he wanted money.

Hell, I’d assume he’s earned his money and throw him a few bills. How often do you see street magicians?

[logruszed]

I’m not as dexterous as the man in the video (I’d argue my patter is better), but I have/had(I can’t find it) a pen-knife gag that I could to a similar color-change trick with. The nice thing is it came with an identical pen knife all in one color. So you could put it in the mark’s hand, and then switch it out for the two-sided job for the illusion.

I might have to buy a new one. Just found it at Midwest Magic for $13

[d_r]

My father used to make similar apparatus out of McDonalds coffee stirrers (back when they were made of wood); you just need to whittle down the stem a bit so it fits properly between your fingers.