On: Penn and Teller's Lab Scam [video] (1990)

[EMM_386]

Yes, while I "know" that what is going on is a combination of extremely precise, perfectly executed actions with cards combined with psychological stuff, it's the effortlessness many times, this routine in particular, that is incredible.

The whole thing comes across as one huge free choice he is never in control of ... "stop where? here, or there?" .... "are you sure? you can change. change?".

Apparently, there are ways to maintain control while still saying things like "whatever you want" all the time.

Oh, and joking around, because clearly such things don't require any focus!

[ethbr1 → EMM_386]

> Apparently, there are ways to maintain control while still saying things like "whatever you want" all the time.

Afaict, a lot of them exploit the asymmetry of initiative.

The audience member doesn't know how many times a magician is "supposed" to ask or do X.

The magician, on the other hand, has free reign to choose when and how often to do so.

Leveraging this + secret information (e.g. the current ordering of cards in a deck due to a perfect shuffle) = magic

But as others say, the trick is making the above look convincingly effortless and spur of the moment.