Hello

There are a lot of threads based on effects being created out of pure coincidence. Someone will name a random card, or someone will lift a finger and the lights will go out, etc. These are viewed as "miracle" moments, and often times people will lament about how unlikely it is to ever happen again.

What about having an effect, in your pocket, that you can use to create these miracle moments?

I have such an object. It is a lighter - given to me by a friend. It's a cool looking, black Zippo, with the 7 of spades painted on just one side. I always use this lighter, so it is naturally associated with me.

I will OFTEN take the lighter out and place it card side down on the table or in someone's hand, and then just ask them to randomly name any card. No verbal forces, etc are used. My lighter is a running joke at the club, as nobody there has named the seven of spades.

I must have asked at least 50 - 70 people now to name card, and not one has named the correct one. With laymen, I just remove the card they were thinking of from the deck and do an ambitious card routine. If it's in their hand then simply turn it over and laugh when we both see the 7S

However, a few weeks ago, I lay the lighter in a producer's hand. I asked him to name any card in the world. He said 7S. With a poker face (but my insides were actually turning to jelly), I asked him to turn the lighter over.

Goodness, he was completely floored. Stunned silence, mouth agape, struggling to string together a coherent thought - classic laymen symptoms.

I'm going buy some plain lighters, and stick more commonly named mini cards on them.

The point is, you ARE still relying on "coincidence" - that most powerful of magical principles - but at least you are "prepared".

I was thinking about this same thing just the other day. I was debating ideas like, keeping a random card in my wallet. "Thought of Card to impossible location" would be pretty impressive, if nothing fishy was required to accomplish it. Perhaps a piece of paper with a name or number or soemthing scribbled on it, to used as a 'prediction'.. just incase. Maybe it's only used once a year... but something as simple as writing "5" on a piece of paper and keeping it in your wallet would provide an opportunity to create magic more powerful than any gimmick or sleight of hand!

Anyone else have ideas for "prepared coincidences"?

Derren brown does something like that with a lighter with the queen of hearts on, which he talks about on the devils picture book dvd.