Top mentalists in the world will candidly advise you that mentalism tricks are not that easy to pull off. These acts need constant practice to perfect. Even top mentalism performers will sometimes get the going tough with some tricks. For those who manage to be master mentalists, greatness, superstition, and the supernatural are qualities that will be constantly associated with them. What this means is that, even though anyone can be a mentalist with thorough practice, not everyone can be a master at this craft which requires dedication and devotion. That said, there are a few simple Mentalism tricks that even you can master. These are the basic, simple Deceptions that anyone can attempt and become adept at.

Top Ten Cool Mentalism Tricks Revealed

1. The gray elephant trick.

In this Act, you are first asked to think of a number x between the ranges of 1 to 10 but do not say it loud or even mouth it out. Next, you should multiply your secret number by 2. Add 8 to the number you get. Now you have to divide your answer so far by 2. Finally, subtract your original secret number x from your answer.

Now you are told to convert this number into a letter of the alphabet in the order that 1 translates to A, 2 to B and so on. Then think of a country that starts with this letter. Now move to the next letter of the alphabet. Think of an animal that starts with that letter. Next, think of the animal’s color.

Your answer will be ‘grey elephant from Denmark.’

The Gray Elephant Trick Revealed

The whole calculation done is just a confusion. The math is set in such a way that for whichever number you choose to start with, you will always arrive at the same answer as with the next number. The final answer will always be 4.

The fourth letter of the alphabet is D. Most people asked to name a country starting with D will automatically think of Denmark. The next letter is E, and you should name an animal starting with that letter. The first animal in most people’s mind is a gray elephant. Next, you should name its color. This is obvious as elephants are naturally gray in color. And that how the magician guesses your answer. This has to be one of the most effective and oldest among all the other mentalism tricks out there.

2. The triangle and circle.

Here, the Mentalist first draws their prediction and keeps it. Next, they will ask you to draw two shapes, with one being inside the other. After you are done, they then give you their prediction to compare with yours.

The answer will probably be the shape of a triangle inside that of a circle.

How it is done revealed

The most likely shapes to be drawn in such a situation is the triangle inside a circle. Knowing this, the magician will put it do first as their prediction. Next, they ask you to draw two shapes with one inside the other. In the process, they are drawing what they want in the air to subconsciously guide you in doing what they want.

3. Ashes on the arm Trick

In this Mentalism trick, the magician first writes down the identity of the exact card you will choose. Next, you are shown the deck of cards being shuffled. You are then asked to choose a card, look at it and commit to memory and put it back. The deck is shuffled again and the Mentalist chooses a card for you, which is always wrong. They then burn the wrong card and rub the ashes on their arm, and voila, the image of your card appears on their arm.

Ashes on the arm Revealed

Before starting the trick, the Mentalist draws their prediction on their arm with colorless lip balm. They then trim the card of their choice a little at the top. They put it back in the deck but making it appear longer making it an easy target for their audience. When they first attempt to pick up your card, they always get it wrong. This is in order to burn it and get Ash for their trick. It is important to note that most decks used are black to ensure the same of the ash obtained. The magician then goes ahead to rub the ash on their arm and the image of your card appears.

4. Red hammer.

In this mentalism trick, you are first given a folded piece of paper with your possible final prediction and asked not to open it before giving your answer. Next, you are asked a series of questions;

• On which day of the year do we celebrate Christmas?
• Can you give me the number that comes between one and two?
• What do you think is used in the making of a hamburger?
• On which side of the road do people in Europe drive on?

Next, you are asked to quickly thing think of a color and tool and say it out loud.

Both the magician’s prediction and your answer will be ‘red hammer’.

Revealed

The series of questions asked are supposed to play with your mind consequently influencing your answer. The most probable reason is that with color and Christmas, the first thing that will come to your mind is red. As for the tool, what best rhymes with a hamburger?

5. The number mind reading Mentalism trick.

The magician asks you to think of a number in the range of 1 to 50. This number should consist of two odd numbers which are not the same. Once you get your answer, you should commit it to memory. The Trickster then predicts the number.

The answer is 37.

The explanation

Like all other number mentalism tricks, this is also all about basic calculation and logic. The range of 1-50 gives you an option of 50 letters. When narrowed down to just odd numbers, half the numbers are eliminated leaving you with a choice of 25 numbers. Two odd numbers also eliminate the possibility of choosing a number in the range of 1-9. It also eliminates the possibility of having the number in the 20’s range. You are then left with; 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 31, 33, 35, 37 and 39. Most people will never think of the numbers in the ten’s range, leaving you with the 30’s. The most prominent number in people’s mind here is 37, which is the ideal prediction.

6. Elephant Never Forgets

A completely phenomenal mentalism trick this one. It is easy to perform and the good thing with it is that you will only use common materials to pull it off. It can, therefore, be performed anywhere. Get a crowd of four people, a pen, and a notebook. Now ask the first, the second and the third persons to write down three digit figures in a horizontal fashion on the notepad in such a way that they can be added up. Next step is to ask the fourth volunteer to add up the figures and present the total to everyone. Now produce a paper that you had hidden and reveal the total you had predicted. The totals should match.

Revealed

This trick works by basically having another list with three numbers arranged horizontally. When the third volunteer finishes writing their figure, quickly and discretely flip your notebook and let the fourth volunteer add your figures, you should have done the math prior to the show and it should be very easy to match the figures.

7. Crystal ball Mentalism trick.

The Mentalist hands you a folded squared shaped piece of paper with a crystal ball drawn at the center. Your only task here is to think of a number, write it down inside the crystal ball and commit it to memory. Next, you hand the piece of paper to the Illusionist. They then tear it up in your presence without as much as having a glimpse at it. After trashing the paper, they give you your secret number.

The number here again is always random but they never seem to ever get it wrong.

The explanation

The first thing to note in this mentalism trick is the shape of the paper, it was square. The square paper was initially folded in half, this is what enables them to perform their trick. Once you are done writing you give the paper back. When tearing it up, they first tear the folded paper in a perfect half, cutting your secret number into two. They then continue cutting the paper keeping the track of the center for about two or more times. Here they discretely open the initial half to read your number before tossing the papers away. They then present your secret number to you to which they are of course always right.

8. Nail roulette.

This Mentalism trick is meant for the magician to pick out the bottle under which a nail is stuck. Here they work with three plastic bottles. At the beginning, a nail is attached to one plastic bottle. It is positioned in such a way that when the bottle is turned upside down the nail will be pointing upwards under the bottle. Here the three bottles are inverted hiding the nails, while placed on a flat surface like a table.

For best effect, the Mentalist leaves the room so that they have no view of the bottles been moved, making it hard to tell the exact location of the nail. When the Mentalist comes back, they start pressing the bottles down towards the table. They do this twice without being harmed by the nail, making it obvious that the third bottle is the winner.

The explanation

The nail is where the trick here lies. A thin fishing line is attached it to serve a double standard, act as a stand and a tell. The thin line is positioned in such a way as that it slightly protrudes from the bottle. All the Illusionist has to look out for is this tell to fool you.

9. Mind mimic.

The magician asks a member of the audience a series of questions, which are unique to that individual. The same person or another spectator writes their answer and put them into a glass. As they are writing their answer, the Mentalist is also busy writing their answer to the same question. Once they are done they also put their answer in another glass. The answers are then compared and they all match. The magician is then thought to have the power of reading other people’s minds.

The explanation

After every answer the magician asks you, they ask you to put your answer in one glass as they put their answer in another. They then ask you to give the crowd you answer out loud and so forth until the questions are over. What you will not realize is that the Mentalist will always write their answer one question behind. After you give out your answer, they will put it down as the answer to your next question. What about your last question? The last question asked is always less personal but more general with a direct answer. This is the answer the magician write down on their piece of paper at the beginning of their question, hence getting everything right.

10. Reading a friend’s mind.

The Illusionist will put you and a number of your friends in a room. They then provide you with five items, these items could differ but most magicians prefer using a salt shaker, one pair of sunglasses, a mobile phone, one deck of playing cards and a cup. The idea here is for you and your friends to choose on an item and keep it secret. The Mentalist will then leave the room to give you time to choose.

Once you are done, they return to the room and can right away detect the item chosen.

The explanation

Among all other mentalism tricks, this one is easy one and to perform this you need a help from your friend.The magician’s secret is that they will always put someone in the room to act as your tell. They will have a prior agreement on how to act in relevance as a tell to a specific different object. This could be having hands on their hips, a tilt of their head, crossing arms or hands, crossing their legs and so on. Thus the spy does all the work and all the Mentalist has to do it interpret ate the tell.

If you are reading this, you have read through the top ten awesome mentalism tricks out there. Now you can play these cool Mentalism tricks with your friends or family and make them believe that you have some supernatural power in you.