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Out of This World (OOTW), has been long considered one of the top card effects, and for many, one of the best close-quarters mentalism effects with cards. This stunning invention of Paul Curry has seen many, many versions, and has been performed throughout the world by many clever performers.
Curry’s original and his own variations are still among the best and worthy of study. Other notable variations are those whose genesis is in the U.F. Grant version, Nu-Way Out of This World. When Grant devised this, he really opened the door to performing this effect, anytime, anywhere and with no preparation. Most of the subsequent versions owe their roots to Grant’s.
One of the issues dealt with in all of these variations was the necessity of having “indicator” cards and ways of managing the “wrong” pile. Some very clever ways of handling this have emerged over the years.
There have been some “sleight assisted” versions, notably by Dick Zimmerman and Steve Draun among others. These versions used the “sleight assist” to eliminate indicator piles and have the cards simply dealt into two piles.
Finally, and I never owned this so I’m not sure, but there was a jumbo card version marketed many years ago. I believe that these were specially printed cards, probably split on the diagonal so that you could show the cards as being red or being black.
With that version as inspiration and the desire to be able to perform OOTW it might be done as a real experiment in psychic testing, I developed the following version(s). I have performed it with great success and was about to market it recently when I discovered that Michael Weber and Dean Dill were about to market their version, which, although I don’t have it, appeared to be remarkably similar. Michael tells me that he has been performing it for over twenty years, and knowing how creative both Michael and Dean are, it makes sense to me.
Therefore, I have chosen not to market my version in any large way but to make my approach available as a lesson in how to approach and construct an effect to appear as a genuine psychic test. This “Test” has such a legitimate feel to it that I usually reserve it for those occasions in which I want to convey genuine psychic abilities. It is perfect to use as a reputation-making device when you are being interviewed by a reporter, for instance.
I have also included a number of more streamlined routines for those who wish to incorporate this effect in their performances in some fashion. I am making the cards necessary to perform this effect available on a very limited basis. If you have this manuscript alone and the cards are no longer available from me, you can purchase Michael and Dean’s marketed version, A New World. I strongly urge you to do so whether or not you have the cards I supply, because knowing those two gentlemen, you will find strong ideas and commercial value in their version.
