Profitable Performances Newsletter
May 2006

#1 - A Very Cool Card Trick!

Here's a very cool card trick that I've been doing for years.
I'm really revved up about it again because I just performed it last week at the bar that I perform at every Tuesday night. You're going to love it.

But first, some background info:

This trick was named "The Wizard Goes Cellular" by Jon Racherbaumer when it was published in MAGIC magazine a few years ago. In that version of the trick, I told how to make your own cell phone start ringing at just the right time in the trick after a volunteer has selected a card. Then you just hand your cell phone to the volunteer to answer, and the voice on the other end names the card. It's too long to explain here. But if you're interested in the full explanation, then email me and I'll send the whole article to you. (My email is Bob@BobMillerMagic.biz)

Here's the short version that I did at the bar last week:

There were two women at the bar that were really enthusiastic about the magic I was performing. Shelly said, "You've got to show my husband a trick when he arrives here." "Ok" I said, casually picking up her cell phone and commenting that it was a nice looking phone. As I did this, I quickly found her 'Phone Info' menu and memorized her phone number. (Memorizing phone numbers in a second is no problem for me. If you'd like to learn how, just see my Memory Magic course at www.BobMillerMagic.biz)

After, I moved on to another table and kept a lookout for Shelly's husband. When he arrived, I went into the liquor store part of the bar and asked the clerk to help me with a trick. I wrote down Shelly's cell phone #, the name of a playing card, and a time. I told the clerk, "When it's this time, call this number, and tell the person who answers that she selected this card. Then hang up."

When I went back into the bar, I was immediately called to Shelly's table to perform. And I was also very happy to see that both of the bar owners had joined them at the table. So I watched the clock and timed my final card trick to coincide with my pre-arranged call.

Previously I had performed a very simple "Poker Face Reading" trick with Shelly, where I pretended to read her facial reactions to determine what card she had selected. Really I was just using the Boris Wild Marked Deck. Well I started the trick for her husband in the same way, and so Shelly presumed that is what I was going to do... until her cell phone rang. She answered it, and I paused to focus attention on her words into the cell phone, "What?...Yes!...OH MY GOD!" She hung up the phone and everyone looked at her. She told them that the person on the other end of the phone just named the selected card!

The response to this trick was HUGE! Shelly's husband was floored. Shelly was surprised because the card trick took an unexpected turn. And the owners were laughing their heads off because they recalled the time when I'd done this trick for them years ago.

Of course, then the discussion turned to who could have made the phone call, who knew her phone number, and who could have known the card! It went on for quite a time.

Well, that's all that you need to know in order to perform a dynamite effect. Just use any card force that you want. It doesn't have to be fancy. The effect far outweighs the method. Oh, and you have to be able to quickly memorize a phone number.

Performing:

We have a winner! The winner of the first random drawing is Bob LaRue, from Boulder, Colorado. He won a copy of The Highway to Success book by Ian Quick and Elliot Smith.
This was a random drawing. Anyone who posted a performing or marketing tip had a chance to win.
We will be starting another contest immediately. So, to be eligible, you need to post a NEW marketing or performing tip at www.ProfitablePerformances.com forum.
    
Marketing Tips:
   I have a special gift for you: A free report called "Seven Business Growth Lessons from Starbucks". This report is based on an interview of Howard Schultz the CEO of Starbucks. It was broadcast on the show Made in America on CNBC in April. I analyzed what Schultz said and distilled his message to 7 important points. This report is only available at the ProPerformers club at www.ProfitablePerformances.com. You can have free access to this password protected site.

1. Go to www.ProfitablePerformances.com
2. Click on the ProPerformers Club link. This will take you to the Club entrance.
3. Enter this at the request:       User Id: success          Password: seeker
4. Download what you want from the club. There is also a Birthday Info card in Word format that you can have. I tell how to use it in the MagicBase tips section of this newsletter.

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