The Force Not for Release

T h e S p i n F o r c e

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NOTFORRELEASE

Th T h e S P I N f o r c e The history of this little gem seems to be surrounded in uncertainty. I was shown it years ago by my friend Andrew Edmonds - who was in turn shown it by another friend. Neither seemed to know where it originated. I subsequently demonstrated the move to a few friends, one of them being Thomas Heine from Paralabs. He immediately recognized the move as one he had used as a teenager to spin his nger ring. This

dates the move back at least as far as the eighties. But upon speaking to the owner of Magick Enterprises in Shefeld, Russell Hall also

recognized the move from decades previous. New York Magician, Vinny Marini has been using the move and variations for years and makes reference to it online back in 2008. A mentalist from the UK by the name of Karl Scott also stumbled upon the move independently and calls it the PACT principle. What is obvious from speaking with the above people is that the move itself has clearly been in existence for a long time, with whispered origins dating back as far as the American old west. Given Given the vocations of the people knowledgeable about this move, it is very likely that it had its origins in the bar bets and swindles in big

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cities and boom towns of the prior century - a technique passed along through generations of con men, as it is a move ideal to their methods. One thing I do know for certain is that this move lends itself beautifully beautifully to the sorts of effects that you’ll read below and which are the result of my many years of tinkering with the principle. Regardless of its origins, I really hope you enjoy it and the powerful

mentalism it makes possible.

T y p e s o f C o i n s For this wonderful move to work, you will need to use a thick coin. Here in the UK, I use either a £1 or a £2 coin. When I lectured in Germany, I borrowed an audience member’s €2 coin, but rmly rmly believe a €1 coin will work equally equally well. Speaking to some of my American friends, it would appear the majority

of US coins are too thin, however some report that you can get good results with a Nickel if you only spin the coin using 3/4 power. American readers may also nd some use to taking two coins of the

same denomination and attaching them together either by using double sided tape or even glue! This double thickness coin can produce the same results.

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Execution Take an appropriate coin and go to spin it on a table. The majority

of people (right-handed) will spin the coin by gripping the edges of the coin with the pads of the left thumb and right index nger. For

this to work, you need to t o be careful not to spin s pin the coin in a perfectly vertical alignment. Instead, angle the coin away from your body by about 15 degrees. Pay attention to the face of the coin that you can see, as the side that is visible will will face upward after spinning. So, for example, if you saw a ‘heads’ it would land heads side up, and viceversa.

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As you spin the coin, be careful not to put too much on it or you can lose control of the coin and send it rocketing across the table. You’ll want enough power for momentum to gather and to cause it to spin for approximately ten seconds. I will typically spin the coin at about ¾ the strength as I normally might. This helps me to ensure that the coin doesn’t wander erratically around the table. This is important, as some tables have grooves or wood grains that can interfere with the outcome of the spin, and you want to ensure that the coin stays in an area that is at and smooth.

You will note that, as the coin spins, the visual impression you get is that of a sphere. At the top of the sphere, you will see a small hole begin to open, and the hole will gradually become wider the longer the coin spins as the coin eventually slows and loses momentum.

The hole that you see is the face of the coin that will eventually land face up. Essentially, this means that your spin, although very convincing, is actually only spinning on the angular edge and not the

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actual at edge of the coin. By spinning it this way, the coin will

always be destined to land one way – the one you determined when you angled your coin away from your body.

Again, this is because the coin isn’t truly spinning vertically; it is only spinning at a slight angle - an angle that doesn’t ever reach a vertical stance. Therefore the centrifugal force of the coin is engaged in a spin that lacks the impetus to correct outside its center of gravity and lurch over to the opposite side. It can never land on that opposite side. This is especially the case when you use a thicker coin with a greater mass.

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Variations on The Spin Force There are several subtle variations of this spin that still provide the performer with a range of options that they may wish to experiment with.

T h e A i r F o r c e S p i n Instead of spinning the coin on the table, you can accomplish the same spin force in a standing position and allowing the coin to drop onto a table. The coin will continue its spin and still land in the same orientation as the side angled away during the execution. You may wish to add a little more power to the spin to give it slightly more momentum. This helps to ensure that the coin will still continue to spin after its impact with the table. This is a very convincing variation as the coin is clearly seen spinning in the air before it lands on the table and continues to spin.

S p i n n i n g H i g h / S p i n n i n g L o w The following two variations came from New York magician, Vinny Marini, who suggested that you can determine heads or tails by taking the coin and spinning high (above the ‘equator’ of the coin), or by

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spinning low (below the ‘equator’ of the coin). My attempts with these variations have produced inconsistent results, but Vinny claims to have been using this approach with success for many years.

T h e S l a p : A P e r f e c t C o n v i n c e r Instead of allowing the coin to slow down and gradually stop spinning on its own, the coin can be stopped suddenly by the participant watching. This is a very convincing subtlety that makes it almost impossible for any audience member to believe anything sneaky could possibly be going on. As the coin is spinning on the table, instruct the participant to place his/her hand down onto the coin to stop it from spinning. Think of it as a ‘slapping’ motion to bring the spin to an abrupt stop. Believe it or not, because the coin is not engaged in a true vertical spin, the slap will always result in the coin laying the same orientation up as it was when you angled it back and initiated the spin. ‘The Slap’ doesn’t need to be a heavy handed hard slap; just enough to bring the

coin to a stop. Please encourage your participants not to slap their hand through the table! I cannot emphasize enough just how convincing ‘The Slap’ is to all

watching and anyone who saw me lecture in Cologne can attest to that. I always employ this move when working with this coin spin force.

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This so convincing because the participant themselves can choose when they want to intervene and bring the spin to a stop. It genuinely creates the illusion that the coin could land facing up or down depending on when the participant stops it.

This illusion is so

strong that it is quite difcult to entertain any other notion of

reality.

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Coinfabulation What follows is a classic of mentalism, updated with the use of the coin spin force. The very rst time I performed this was at a wedding held at Firth Court in Shefeld. I had been hired by the groom’s

mother to perform for two hours in a strolling capacity. During the booking procedure, I had requested a photograph of her son James so that I could ‘recognize’ him on the big day. Of course, this was just an excuse to get a photograph as I had already

checked online to see if he had a Facebook account and started to make a few mental notes about him (birthdays, hobbies, etc.). He had restricted his privacy settings so I couldn’t look at the photographs section, hence the reason why I requested one from his mother. Upon receiving the photograph via email, I opened it in Photoshop and created a very special prediction that I had planned on using on the day of the wedding. The prediction was printed out, sealed inside an envelope, and taken with me on the day of the performance. I used the coin force three times to ensure that a city, car, and landmark were forced in the context of creating an imaginary trip that James could visualise: ‘James, by now you may be thinking that there’s a possibility I could inuence your thoughts and choices?’ ‘Denitely!’ Which was such an emphatic answer because I had already

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performed a couple of pieces for him and his wife. ‘So instead, I will ask you to summon up a few different thoughts and we will let fate decide which way we will go, okay?’

I took out the envelope and balanced it against a wine glass that was sat on the table. I also asked James if he had any change on him, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a few coins. I looked into his hand and took a £1 coin from him. ‘I would like you to imagine taking a trip somewhere… a mental journey if you will.’

‘I’ll spin this coin, and if it lands on heads, you’ll imagine yourself in Tokyo. If it lands tails, you’ll imagine yourself visiting New York.’ I spun the £1 on the table between us, waited a few seconds and then continued: ‘James, when you want to, reach forward and slap your hand down over the coin, keep it there and don’t show me which way you have made the coin fall.’ (Pay particular attention to that underlined part. You have completely disarmed the coin spin and placed full emphasis on the fact that the participant themselves has stopped the coin spinning at a truly random point, thus creating a completely random outcome.)

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After a few seconds, James reached over and slapped the coin down onto the table, he kept it covered and looked at me: ‘Lets see where you are heading – remember, heads is Tokyo, and tails means you’re off to the Big Apple.’ James lifted his hand to reveal the coin resting tails side up. ‘New York it is! Have you ever visited there before?’

‘No, but I’ve always wanted to!’ ‘Well, now’s your chance! Let’s think about how you will get around once you land. I think you should travel in style, so how about hiring something ashy, something exotic. How about a gleaming Red Ferrari? Or perhaps something even more outlandish - a bright Yellow Lamborghini?’

‘Heads, the Ferrari…Tails, the Lamborghini.’ The coin was spun a second time and James again slapped his hand down to ‘determine’ the outcome. ‘What car will you be driving James?’

‘The Ferrari!’ James giggled. Genuinely, he did. ‘Excellent, so I’m sure on this trip of yours, you’d like to go sightseeing.

Maybe visit some well known landmark or tourist

attraction?’

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‘Where specically comes to mind in New York City?’

James thought for a moment before responding. ‘Erm… The Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building.’ ‘Good choices! Okay then - heads you’ll go to the Statue of Liberty and tails, to the Empire State Building.’ The coin was spun for a third and nal time. James waited a little longer before nally bringing his hand down onto it. The coin was a

heads and thus James now had his landmark in mind. At this point during the routine, we had gathered a crowd of friends and family who were in attendance at the wedding. For their sake, I recapped on what had happened explaining that we had built up a mental journey based on the spin of a coin. I asked James to tell the group the details of the journey.

‘So right now, I have an imaginary trip planned. At the moment, I am heading to New York City, where I will hire a Red Ferrari and I’ll

drive to the Statue of Liberty.’ ‘These choices were completely random and determined by you, James?’

As I said this, I gestured toward the table with my hand, imitating ‘The Slap’. This gesture subtly reminded him that he chose when to intervene

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with the coin spin and he and his bride immediately agreed that it was a completely random chance. ‘James can you grab the envelope that I gave you before you made any of these choices?’

James picked the envelope up and held it out to me. I shook my head and shied backward, asking him to open it up himself and to show everyone the contents. When the envelope was opened, James took a look at it, his eyes widened and he covered his mouth with his free hand. A crowd gathered around him and when they saw what he was looking at, and murmured scream rippled across the group. Inside was a photograph - a photograph of James sat behind the wheel of a bright red Ferrari parked up outside the Statue of Liberty in New York City. That was the last effect I performed that evening and as I was leaving, James’s Mother (who had booked me) followed me down the stairs and thanked me profusely. Since then, the family and their friends have booked me for several more events including another wedding and a handful of private parties. It’s an ideal example of what can happen by taking a little bit of extra time to prepare something unique and personal. A nal note as regards this presentation. There is a aw that I am

aware of and that is that the routine leans more towards a ‘mental magic’ piece as opposed to straight mentalism. Just what kind of skill

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as a mentalist would I be showcasing through the use of the coin spin in this way? Forced coincidence?

I’m aware that this premise is not consistent with a piece of pure mentalism (unless you contrive to dress it up as a piece of precognition). However, in this particular case I felt that the pay off and the impact on the audience were worth it. It helps to be reminded sometimes that our audiences do not dene

what we do by any other term than wonderful, and as long as they are entertained and have a memorable experience, we ought not to always feel constrained by self-imposed limitations. _

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I was recently sat having lunch with my good friends Atlas Brookings & Laurence Hookway. I related this story to them and Laurence was quite taken aback with it. He emailed me a couple of weeks later with the following story:

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F i s h & C h i p s : L a u r e n c e H o o k w a y f o R r E f D u A l C l T E b D l : a a c u k t p h r o o r j i e s e c d t o f n o r l y

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C oi n i n H a nd A new approach to reading behavior ‘The trouble with predictions is that people are predictable - what I really want to do is predict the unpredictable.’ The real beauty of the coin spin force is found in its impromptu nature. Wherever possible, try to borrow the coin you use, and always offer the participant the opportunity to use ‘The Slap’. This combination is above suspicion and completely disarming. Here’s one of my justications for using a coin to make a truly random

decision. The performer reaches into his pocket and pulls out a handful of small change: ‘What fascinates me as a performer is the difculty people have in

making random decisions. These decisions are nearly always effected by outside inuence. I just selected a pound coin from my change, was it a random choice? No, I just have a preference for it and always try

to use pounds when I play this game.’ The performer hands the £1 to the participant and instructs them to hold it and take both hands behind their back. ‘Pass the coin from hand to hand whilst it’s behind your back and,

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when you are ready, close both hands and bring them out in front of you. Don’t give me any clue as to which hand contains the coin, but you must have it in one of them. Please don’t drop it into your back pocket.’ When I perform this particular routine, I use Hugo Shelley’s Sixth Sense 2.5 - A fantastic little tool, which I denitely recommend and

I am, of course, also using magnetic pound coin. I ask my participant to hold both hands up at chest height, momentarily bringing both their arms up with my hands and getting a reading with the Sixth Sense device at the same time. The script that follows is a typical example of how this plays: ‘Are you right-handed or left-handed?’

‘I’m right-handed.’ ‘I ask, because in the years that I’ve been doing this, I have found an overwhelming amount of people always place it in the hand they feel most comfortable using. For you, it’s your right hand, so that’s where I expect you to have put it - yes?’

‘Yes.’ The participant opens their right hand to reveal the coin. ‘Excellent! Let’s do this again. Place the coin behind your back and when you’ve hidden it in one of your hands, please bring both hands

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forward.’ The participant again places both hands behind their back and passes the coin from hand to hand before bringing both hands out again. ‘The second time things are more interesting one, as in my experience, most people try to catch me out by keeping it in the same hand.’ As I say the above, my hands come up toward theirs to adjust their

hands and bring them ever so slightly wider apart. I receive my signal from the Sixth Sense device and ensure I maintain eye contact with the participant the entire time. If the participant has indeed kept the coin in the same hand, I will reveal that that is what I feel they will have done and ask for conrmation.

If the participant hasn’t kept it in the same hand, I continue with: ‘But that’s most people… I feel that you may have considered that option for a few moments but then second-guessed yourself and realized it would be the obvious choice - and therefore this time you will have placed the coin in your opposite hand.’ The participant cracks a smile and opens their hand revealing the coin. ‘Now let’s try this for the third and nal time.’

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The coin is once more taken behind the participant’s back, and they hide it and bring both hands out as before. ‘This time, I’d like you to drop one hand down to your side and keep only one hand up. You take a moment to decide which hand you keep up: the one with the coin or the one without.’ The participant drops one hand down by their side, the performer smiles and takes the hand that remains up right and continues: ‘I love this part. Nearly every time I ask people to drop one hand down by their side, they go though a mild internal conict. They rst

think about dropping the hand that contains the coin, but quickly realize that it is a defensive move that might be too obvious. So as a result they decide to do the opposite and keep the hand that contains the coin up right.’ I take a look at the participant once more and smile, asking them to open their hand and reveal the coin in the up right hand. At this point, a close up audience generally believes your demonstration is done - they will react and usually laugh, showing their appreciation at the demonstration. At this point you should interject and proceed

into the ‘real demonstration’. ‘I appreciate your enthusiasm, but truth be known, that was just a

precursor. I needed you to see that in order for me to make my point. Behaviour – especially human behaviour – tends to be very predictable, and it’s because of this fact that I have a job!’

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‘I’ve been playing that particular ‘which hand’ game for years, and nd

that a very, very high percentage of people make the same choices. They create a predictable pattern that once recognized, can be exploited by people like me.’ ‘Because some behavioural patterns can be predicted, I decided a few years ago to leave some things down to pure chance. Instead of asking you to decide on which hand to put it in, we will simply spin the coin on the table instead.’ The coin is spun, using the force spin with the performer-taking note of which side it will eventually stop. ‘I would like you to choose the moment when the coin should stop spinning, just hold your hand over the coin and when you choose,

bring it down stopping the coin in its tracks.’ The participant takes a few seconds then brings his hand down, covering the coin. The performer turns his head away for the next part and instructs the person to play the ‘coin in hand’ game again, only this time, the orientation of the coin will dictate which hand the coin will be hidden in. ‘OK, so now, instead of you deciding… rather predictably (wink) which hand to hide the pound in, we shall let chance decide. If the coin lands heads up, place it in your left st. If it’s tails up, then place it in your right hand. Hold both sts up as before and let me know

when it’s safe to turn my head back around.’

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Of course, you have just previously remembered which side the coin

will land when you utilized the spin force and therefore you will now also know in which hand the participant will hide the coin. Your presentation from this point on will have to change to suit the premise of genuinely reading the participant and trying to work out which hand the coin is in. You can repeat the game as many times as you wish, but I prefer to play three rounds in total, varying the reveals to avoid any monotony. When I perform this way, I really try to make the reveals as visual and interesting as possible. What works for me won’t necessary work for you and vice-versa, it comes with experience and practice in real performances. Having said that, I’d like to give some examples of the types of revelations that I have used and experimented with over the years.

Example Reveal One - (The Finger) ‘Okay, hold both sts out a little wider at about chest height. Focus

on which hand contains the coin.’ I bring my left hand up, with my index nger pointed upwards towards

the sky as I slowly lower it down from their eye line towards to the hand that doesn’t contain the coin. As I keep asking them to focus on the location of the coin, I quickly change direction of my nger and

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tap the correct hand, claiming that this is where the coin has been hidden. This surprising reveal usually generates either a smile or a giggle from the participant as you’ve misled them from the start, causing them to believe that you were being drawn to the wrong hand.

Example Reveal Two - (This & That) ‘Please hold both sts tightly, but down at your side. In a moment I want you to bring just one st up to chest height and say the words:’

‘The coin is in this hand.’ ‘Good!’ ‘Now bring the other st up to chest height, in line with your other

hand and say the words:’ ‘The coin is in that hand.’ ‘Excellent!’ Once the participant has done this, there are two possible outcomes to plan for. As you already know which hand contains the coin, simply watch for whether the participant has called the st hiding the coin

‘This’ or ‘That’ and proceed as outlined below.

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The Participant Calls the Fist that Contains the Coin ‘This’ ‘I’ve been clever here and used a bit of psychology. It was interesting to see which hand you assigned the value ‘this’ to, as the term ‘this’ actually denotes ownership, and people subconsciously tend to associate ‘this’ hand with the coin. You see, because it is in their hand, they will refer to something that is a part of them or in their possession as ‘this’.’

The Participant Calls the Fist that Contains the Coin ‘That’ ‘I’ve been clever here and used a bit of psychology. It was interesting to see which hand you assigned the value ‘this’ to, as the term ‘this’ actually denotes ownership, and people subconsciously tend to associate ‘this’ hand with the coin. You see, because it is in their hand, they will refer to something that is a part of them or in their possession as ‘this’. As a result the person holding the coin often intuitively feels this is the case, and as their intention is to deceive me, they end up changing their mind to try and catch me out. So everyone I try this with will therefore call the hand with the coin ‘that’ to try and make it seem less obvious.’

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Example Reveal Three - (Drop one arm) ‘Bring both sts out at chest height, just like you did in the previous

game. Focus on which hand contains the coin but don’t give me any clues, okay?’ ‘In a moment, I want you to drop just one arm down to your side. You

can choose to drop the empty hand down, or you can do what most other people do in this situation and drop the hand down that actually contains the coin - almost as if the weight of guilt made it heavier. Take a few seconds now to decide which hand you will drop, and at the count of three, let one hand fall to your side. One, two, three.’ As before, only one of two things can occur:

Dropping the Empty Hand ‘When I labeled the hand that contained the coin as the ‘guilty one’, you found yourself in something of a predicament.

It felt more

comfortable to drop the guilty hand, because it would be a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind’ and you could relax somewhat.’ ‘But because I said that, you felt it would almost be too obvious to drop the guilty hand and therefore you will have at this point forced yourself to have done the brave thing and kept the hand that contains the coin up here at chest height. Open your hand and show us the coin.’

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Dropping the Guilty Hand ‘By labeling the hand that contains the coin as the ‘guilty one’, you’ve found yourself in something of a predicament. It feels more comfortable to drop the guilty hand, because it would be a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind’ and you could relax somewhat.’ ‘Having said that now, it would almost be too obvious to drop the guilty hand and therefore you will have, at this point, thought about blufng me and dropping the empty hand - but right at the last minute

you should have had doubts and reverted back to what felt comfortable and dropped the guilty hand. Open it and show us the coin.’

Example Reveal Four - (Don’t Look!) This is a cute presentation that can generate laughter amongst the group if done right. Essentially, you will place the participant under slight tension by instructing them not to give you any clue as to which hand contains the coin. By doing so, it apparently gives you an insight into which hand actually holds it. ‘Bring both hands up into sts but don’t give me any clue as to which

one hides the coin. Take a deep breath in, hold it for a moment, and then let it out. At no point must you give me any indication as to which hand contains the coin. You must keep a poker face and give nothing away. In fact, don’t even look at the hand that contains the

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coin, understand?’

As soon as you say those words, the participant’s face will tighten up slightly as they resist looking at either hand. They have just been

given the instruction not to look at the guilty hand, therefore by a process of elimination they won’t look at the other hand because it will instantly tell you which hand is guilty. Their only real option is to look straight on. Continue with the following: ‘The moment I asked you not to look at the hand with the coin in, your reaction was to tense up slightly and avoid looking anywhere in the vicinity of the guilty hand. As a result, your head inched ever so

slightly in the opposite direction, away from what I now believe is your guilty hand. The coin at this point, has to be in your right/left hand.’ I will usually choose from three of the above example reveals and mix up the performances to try and give an organic, almost ‘off the cuff’ presentation. I want to create the impression that I have many tools in my mental tool kit from which I can draw from depends on the circumstances. Once you have correctly revealed which hand contains the coin three times in a row, you can either bring the demonstration to a close or you can produce this kicker ending.

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Predicting the Unpredictable At the start of this effect was a quote, I have included it below, and the quote signies bringing this effect full circle. It is optional,

and not needed, but sometimes is a lovely ending to an increasingly engaging and interesting demonstration. If you choose to include this ending, you will nd the whole group will be often be discussing

it when you leave them: ‘The trouble with predictions is that people are predictable, what I really want to do is predict the unpredictable.’ You are able to predict the outcome of the second coin in hand game because you are utilizing the spin force. If you predetermine how the three coin spins will fall, then why not have it written on the back of your business card and sealed in an envelope from the start?

Some mentalists argue (and they do have a very valid point) that predicting an outcome - after you have supposedly read someone’s thoughts - invalidates the whole process of mind reading. Why go to that level of apparently receiving signals from a participant, only to have apparently known all along what the thought or outcome was going to be?

I agree wholeheartedly and have very little in way of a comeback in this discussion. However, I do genuinely believe that there are rare instances when

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the lines are blurred in favour of something inexplicable. I believe that to ‘predict the unpredictable’, you are already blurring those lines between what is possible and what can only be described as a mystery. At this point, I’d like to introduce another friend’s thoughts on this chapter. Atlas Brookings uses the Spin Force for a unique and quite lovely effect. I’m positive you will love it.

T h e L u c k y T a l i s m a n - A t l a s B r o o k i n g s “It’s lucky,” he said, forcing the coin into my hand. It took up nearly half of my palm and felt cold against my soft hands. I was six. “How do you know,” I remember hearing my small voice asking. “It just is.”

He didn’t want to tell me how he knew, but there was conviction in his voice when he said it. My grandfather passed away later that week. It was only as I grew older that I remembered the incident and talked with my grandmother about it.

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“Why did he think it was lucky?”

She looked at me, I think a bit pained by the sudden recall of the idiosyncrasies of a man that she loved and who was no longer there. And then her face softened and she smiled at me. “Well, your grandfather served in the armed forces. He was in Europe during World War II. Being faced with life and death situations on a daily basis made deeply superstitious men of them all. One of the men in his platoon went to see a fortune teller, and she told him that metal had a talismanic ability to hold good luck. She said that when people had lucky streaks, it was because they were unknowingly in possession of a coin that brought good fortune.” “It was only when they spent that coin that their luck failed them. She told the young man that if he could spin a coin ve times and

correctly predict how it landed, that he ought not to spend it. It would protect him and guide his fortunes. This soldier returned and told your grandfather, and soon, all the men were spinning their coins before they spent them.” “So the coin he gave me – that was his lucky coin?” “Yes. He once told me that he’d spun it - not just ve times, but ten.

Every time, it landed the way he’d called. He didn’t know what the odds of that were, but he knew they weren’t good. And yet, he’d done it. He’d beat the odds. He told me how he’d spun it that last time with trembling ngers, and when it landed the way he’d called, he just felt

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peace washing over him. It gave him condence. He believed that

coin would preserve him and so he kept a cool head in every situation he faced, and he came home to me – entirely unscathed.” Now, I am a grown man, and I don’t know really what to think about this. Every word of it is true – but I like to think that a man makes his own luck. But I also believe that there are things out there that we don’t entirely understand. Is it possible that the coins that pass through our hands each day can bring us bouts of good fortune? I can only

propose that we put this to the test. “Has anyone here felt particularly lucky lately?” “You have? Excellent. And do you have some change in your pocket?

Perfect. Let’s have a look at these...” From here on in the presentation, you’d use the coin spin force that was outlined above to ‘locate’ a lucky coin. Now, every time I’ve performed this, there has been a pile of change on the table, and I take great pains to test a few coins before I get to the ‘lucky’ coin. This enhances the performance by building anticipation. By the time you are employing the coin spin and have got four correct calls in a row, the audience is on the edge of their seat. It also really sells the idea that there is nothing tricky going on. When I perform this, I am careful to seem curious about the process myself, and keep an air of detached incredulity.

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The rst time I did this, I was making it up as I went and didn’t know

what to expect. The result was both shocking and gratifying. After the tenth spin, my participant, a burly construction worker, took up the coin and held it up to his friends. “I ain’t never spending this,” he declared in a broad Yorkshire accent. The way he said it, and the force of conviction in his voice was indescribable. I have no doubt that he still has that coin to this very day. ___________________ Thank you Atlas, I absolutely love this routine, it’s an enchanting, yet simple piece and - what’s best – is that it is completely impromptu. Speak to someone, borrow some of their coins and potentially change their life forever. What more could you want?!

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O t h e r A p p l i c a t i o n s f o r t h e S p i n F o r c e The coin spin force has potential applications across many plots in mentalism and how you use it is up to you. Here are a couple of ideas to get your creative juices owing - I have, at one point or another,

experimented with all of them and still use one of the following in my close up performances. You might use the coin spin force: •

As part of a traditional three phase ‘One Ahead’ routine

•

In a Positive/Negative routine (You can genuinely control which side the coin will land on a spin)

•

In my ‘Nod to Pocketwatch’ routine - simply offer the participant £1 and ask the participant what they would buy with it. You can predict the orientation of the coin spin and what product they would buy with it.

•

In an open prediction made by a participant - for example someone shouts ‘heads, tails, tails’ and that’s how the coin lands.

•

To never ever pay for a drink again. ;-)

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And Now for Something... The coin spin force isn’t the only way to control the outcome of a coin toss. Included below are a selection of ideas that I have used in conjunction with genuinely ipping a coin into the air and catching

it, yet still being able to determine the orientation of the coin.

T h e T e e k ( T o u c h P e e k )

f o R r E f D u A l C l T E b D l : a a c u k t p h r o o r j i e s e c d t o f n o r l y

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T h e T r a p D o o r P e e k f o R r E f D u A l C l T E b D l : a a c u k t p h r o o r j i e s e c d t o f n o r l y

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T h e C l i p P e e k f o R r E f D u A l C l T E b D l : a a c k u t p h r o o r j i e s e c d t o f n o r l y

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T w i s t & T u r n f o R r E f D u A l C l T E b D l : a a c u k t p h r o o r j i e s e c d t o f n o r l y

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O r c h e s t r a t i o n An idea by Michael Murray Michael Murray has a wonderful variation of the Twist and Turn move, one that allows the participant to hold the coin when its orientation is revealed.


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f o R r E f D u A l C l T E b D l : a a c k u t p h r o o r j i e s e c d t o f n o r l y

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f o r

R E D A C T E D

f u l l b l a c

: a u t h o r i s e d

k p r o j e c t

f o r

o n l y

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Coinfabulation Updated Now that you’ve had a full sermon on coin work, I thought I would save the best piece, in my opinion, for last. Since the original Coinfabulation performance at James’s wedding, Atlas and I sat down at a pub and developed an interesting variant that we are sharing here. Inspired by Laurence’s suggestion in ‘Fish & Chips’ of allowing the participant to spin the coin, we realized that a few small changes in the routine could make a big impact.


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The Force Not for Release

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