Problem: To divine or locate two cards that are merely thought of by two persons.

This effect has intrigued me for many years. I've published several approaches in the past ("Think Stop" in Automatic Placements, "Talons of the Hawk" and "Talons of the Bat" in Potpourri 2, to cite a few) but these tricks smack openly of mathematics. They lack the directness of selection and revelation I would deem ideal.

Two classic but widely divergent approaches are Ed Marlo's "Double Thought, Single Deck" and Simon Aronson's "Simon-Eyes." Recently, I combined Marlo's basic premise with a concept of Aronson's and a hitherto unpublished key card technique of my own to create Twin Killing.

It's still not a perfect method, but it's a significant improvement on anything I have released before. Not only is it direct, but a neat overhand shuffle sequence at the start will perfectly disguise the use of key cards. Of course, as in all items in this series, no sleight-of-hand is required.

Four different approaches are given, all with the same basic effect and the same key card technique. The only difference is how one of the two selections is determined. All are designed to overcome the weak point of the original Marlo effect.

The strong point is that both cards are in fact mental selections and that the pack is cut before and after the selection process.

Table of Contents