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 Mental Die-Mensional

Introduction
As a young child, I loved board games, and in particular, dice. I still do. As an avid
gamer, I've always been fascinated with trying to determine in advance what the
outcome of a few die rolls might be or trying to guess the numbers that were rolled
on dice hidden from view.

As a result, I've played around with nearly all of the commercial versions of this effect,
many of which rely on a cleverly gimmicked die (or container) and some even use
electronics and extraordinarily ingenious methods such as water! These typically use
just one die and tend to be fairly expensive with some methods even costing in the
hundreds of dollars.

While many of these marketed effects work wondrously well, the down-side is that
you can’t perform the effect whenever you’d like if you don’t have your 'special'
apparatus with you, and heaven forbid that you should ever damage or lose them!

As far as ungimmicked methods for achieving this are concerned, there aren't really
any truly great methods that exist, though there are a small number of "okay"
solutions. However, none of them can compare with most of their gimmicked
relatives.

Over the years, I've managed to develop a number of methods to achieve this which I
have shared with others on occasion, but not the method you're about to learn here -
which is the best of the bunch. In my opinion, Mental Die-Mensional is truly the finest
solution for accomplishing this effect using ungimmicked dice and an absolute
"game-changer". To date, it has badly bamboozled every Mystery Performer who's
witnessed it. Lay audiences love it too and the reactions from both camps are
everything you could hope for and more.

What makes Mental Die-Mensional so good?

First, you reveal not just the number on one die, but two - and also exactly which
number is under which hand. But it doesn’t stop there. You can also successfully
predict the total that a participant freely rolls - or at least, much of the time. It also
has a compelling and logical premise and the dice really are 100% normal and can be
borrowed.

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 Mental Die-Mensional

The method is extremely simple - yet deceptively effective, and can actually compare
with (and in some cases, surpass) many of the gimmicked versions of this effect.
Finally, this is truly 100% impromptu and can be performed any time a pair of dice are
handy; however I strongly suspect many of you will start regularly carrying around
your own set of dice after learning the routine. It can even be performed over video
calls, text chat, and phone!

I am confident that Mental Die-Mensional will find a permanent place in your

repertoire and hope that you'll enjoy performing this for many years to come -
perhaps even for the rest of your life. It really is that good!

Description of the Effect

The performer offers to demonstrate the difference between "intuition" and
"thought-reading" after a brief discussion.

Producing two dice, he openly places one of them under his hand and asks the
participant to try to use their "intuition" to guess what number is on top. The
participant will almost always guess wrong, but will occasionally be correct. This is to
simply demonstrate the difficult of relying on intuition.

He then proposes a test of his own "intuition" by the participant, but to make things
more difficult, he tells them that they will use not one, but both dice - and several
rolls. Stating that he will try to use his intuition to guess the outcome in advance, he
jots something down briefly on the back of a business card which he places in full
view on the table, written-side down. The participant is now asked to roll both dice
several times to ensure that the dice are not "fixed". When they are satisfied that this
is true, the performer turns his back so as not to see any of the proceedings.

The participant is instructed to roll both dice and silently total the numbers on top.
He then offers the participant a decision: pick up either die - their choice, and add the
number on its bottom to their total and then keep hold of that die afterwards. They
do so. Finally, they are asked to roll the die they are holding and add the number
rolled to their previous total. The performer then instructs the participant to hide one
die under each hand. Once they’ve done so, he turns back around.

Explaining that no one could have possibly known the total in advance because the
outcome was uncertain, the participant is asked to announce their total.

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 Mental Die-Mensional

The business card is turned over to reveal that his intuition was quite good - the
totals match!

Stating that "thought-reading" isn't just a matter of guessing, he asks the participant
which die they want him to reveal first: the one under the left hand or the one under
the right. He then immediately reveals the number on the die they asked for!

Turning attention to the other hand, the participant is asked to visualize the number
on the die concealed underneath. With no hesitation, he immediately reveals that one
too!

Brief Discussion of the Principle Method

The effect seems completely impossible. Especially when one considers these
conditions:

 the dice are completely normal

 the totals are freely rolled
 the results are different every time - no force is used
 the performer truly doesn't see anything
 the participant writes nothing down
 absolutely 100% impromptu

So how could this possibly work?

The main principle involved is an old one; it’s simply the fact that the opposite sides
of a die add up to seven! Keep in mind that the average person has no knowledge of
this. Despite this, every fellow Mystery Performer whom I've demonstrated this to
(who were familiar with the principle) were still completely bamboozled because it's
usage in this routine is so well-disguised and handled in a very counter-intuitive way.
Of course there are also other principles at work in this routine as well, but the effect
absolutely relies on the "7" principle. Without it, the effect simply cannot work.

The starting point for this came from an effect in Martin Gardner's book Mathematics,
Magic and Mystery published in 1956. I'd signed the book out of a library when I was
still a youngster in grade school and came across an effect in it on page 43 titled
"Guessing the Total". The effect is as follows:

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 Mental Die-Mensional

The magician turns his back while a spectator throws three dice on the table. He is
instructed to add the faces. He then picks up any one die, and add the number on the
bottom to the previous total. This same die is rolled again. The number it now shows
is also added to the total. The magician turns around. He calls attention to the fact
that he has no way of knowing which of the three dice was used for the second roll.

He picks up the dice, shakes them in his hand a moment, and then correctly
announces the final sum.

The method? Before the magician picks up the dice he totals their faces. Adding
seven to this number gives the total obtained by the spectator. The principle remains
the same no matter how many dice are used.

I was greatly enamored with the effect and performed it for a while but soon realized
that audiences weren't as thrilled with it as I was, so I dropped it.

When Nick Trost released his book The Card Magic of Nick Trost many years later in
1997, I discovered that he too, had an effect with dice that makes use of the exact
same procedure put forth in Martin Gardner's "Guessing the Total" - albeit from a
different angle. This is not surprising as Nick Trost has likely published more effects
involving dice than anyone in the literature.

Gardner's effect works by adding 7 to the visible total on the dice to learn the final
total. Trost's idea was to subtract the visible total from the final total to force the
number 7, which he used as a card force to effect a prediction. His effect is titled
"Cards and Dice Prediction" and can be found on page 125 in his book. Trost uses two
dice instead of three, though it works with any number of dice and his effect could
easily be done with more dice if desired. It is clear that his use of two dice was simply
to reduce the amount of card dealing involved in the effect.

This rekindled my interest in the Gardner effect and after some playing around, came
at the effect with a completely different approach to both of these gentlemen.

Mental Die-Mensional uses the exact same procedure but subtracts 7 from the final
total to learn the total on top of the visible total…except those dice aren't visible;
they are hidden - a much stronger effect!

Only two dice are used for the simple reason that the number of possible outcomes
becomes far too great to be able to manage both a divination and prediction.

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 Mental Die-Mensional

It also makes the simple addition involved in the effect an easier task for the
participant.

But then I took things a step further.

Announcing the total on two hidden dice is surely a great feat in itself, but rather
than revealing the hidden total, what if I could simply reveal the two numbers on
those dice individually instead? That would make it a far more powerful effect and
seemingly impossible! But how could I do it? After all, there are numerous
combinations that could make up the hidden total of the two dice. For example, if the
hidden total is 8, are the dice a 2 & 6, a 3 & 5, or a 4 & 4? Was there some strategy
that could uniformly be applied to immediately identify the exact numbers showing
on the hidden dice, and if so, how I would go about identifying which one is under
which hand?

I sat down and began to map out each total when using two dice hoping to uncover
some pattern that I might be able to exploit to make this happen.

This manuscript exists because I found what I was looking for…

Structure of the Routine

Mental Die-Mensional contains 6 steps:

1 - Introducing the premise.

The performer introduces the differences between "intuition" and "thought-reading."

2 - The "Die Under Hand" Test.

A single die is hidden under the performer's hand and the participant is invited to test
out their own intuition by trying to guess which number is uppermost on it.

3 - The Premonition.

The performer explains that the participant will help conduct a test of the performer's
own intuition by rolling the dice to produce an uncertain outcome. He then writes
down a premonition regarding what he thinks the result of the die rolls might be.

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4 - Rolling the Dice.

The performer turns his back and the participant rolls the dice as directed and silently
totals all the results without ever saying a word. When finished, the participant is told
to hide one die under each hand.

5 - Revealing the Premonition.

The performer turns back around. The participant announces the final total they
rolled and the performer's earlier premonition is revealed to see how successful he
was with relying on his intuition.

*He will be correct 45% of the time when conducting this test.

6 - Divining the Numbers on the Hidden Dice.

The performer explains that he will now attempt to read the mind of the participant
to reveal the exact numbers on the dice hidden under each hand to illustrate the
difference between "intuition" and "thought-reading." He succeeds completely!

*He will always be 100% successful in this task.

Step One: Introducing the Premise

This is my presentation for Mental Die-Mensional. Again, my presentation. That
doesn't mean that you can't use it. I simply mean that if this doesn't suit you, change
the parts you don't like and keep the parts you do, or change the whole thing
entirely. Your choice. Ok? The main importance with this presentation is in
introducing the premise. After the effect is underway and the premise is established,
the patter will largely depend on the outcome of the circumstances.

Have you ever met someone, and your instincts gave you second thoughts about that
person? Of course, you have - we all have. It's simply human instinct and a part of our
survival system. Sometimes these 'hunches' turn out to be accurate - or pretty close to
what we imagined, and other times we discover that we were completely off the mark.

Occasionally, we may even get 'hunches' about random things. For example, there's
the story of the guy who never played the lotto in his entire life.

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 Mental Die-Mensional

One day he's in a convenience store, and for some strange reason, is suddenly
overcome with the idea that he should buy a lottery ticket. Following his instincts, he
purchases one for the first time in his life. Two days later, he wins the Jackpot with
that ticket and becomes a multi-millionaire!

We tend to label this phenomenon 'intuition'. Some people seem to always have great
intuition and are often viewed by others as being 'psychic' or a 'mind reader'.

As a 'thought-reader' myself, this has always amused me because I've never really
considered myself to be any more intuitive than anyone else. Come to think of it, my
intuition can be downright terrible at times! Take women for example. My intuition
with them is terrible - just ask my last girlfriend!

All kidding aside, I find it ironic that my abilities as a 'thought-reader' have caused
people to think that I'm highly intuitive. This is simply because they don't understand
the differences between the two. So I thought maybe I'd try to illustrate the differences
for you. You'll get to test both my intuition and abilities as a 'thought-reader' and
have some fun in the process. But don't worry, when I attempt to read your thoughts I
won't be digging too deeply. I'll simply ask you to think of something that's rather
meaningless and random and then I'll try to figure out exactly what it is you're
thinking. Think of it as a game. Sounds like fun, right?

Step Two: The "Die Under Hand" Test

Before we begin however, I'm curious - how's your intuition? Would you describe
yourself as being highly intuitive, not very intuitive at all, or somewhere in between?

Let's try a simple test of your intuition first. I thought we might use some dice for our
tests because they're perfect for producing random results and don't involve anything
personal.

Introduce the two dice.

The test is not hard; I'll simply place one of these dice under my hand and all you have
to do is guess what number you think is on top. You can try to read my thoughts or
you can simply use your intuition and take a guess - it's up to you. You’ve got a 1 in 6
chance of being correct, which are pretty decent odds. I'll even try to help you by
giving you a clue: it's not an obvious number that I've chosen.

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 Mental Die-Mensional

So, what number do you think is under my hand?

When you place the die under your hand, make sure that the number 4 is on top. You
might choose to make this look random or you can do as I do and make it openly
clear that you are placing a specific number on top - it really doesn't matter. Just be
sure that the number 4 is on top.

I've told the participant that the number is not an obvious number. What does that
even mean? I don't know, but it sounds good. More importantly, experience has
shown that it helps to steer them away from the numbers 1 or 6, though it doesn't
matter what they choose. There are three possible outcomes for their guess as far as
we are concerned, and they are:

1 - They choose 1, 2, or 6.

These are complete misses. If they choose any of these three numbers, lift your hand
revealing the 4 and say:

"Ooh bad luck. Well, you only had a one in six chance of being correct anyways. But
you can see how difficult this is. It's not easy, is it?"

2 - They choose 3 or 5.

This is a near miss and what we are secretly hoping for. If they choose either of these
numbers, lift your hand revealing the 4 and say:

"Wow! You were SO close - you were only off by one! That was pretty good. But you
can see how difficult this is. It's not easy, is it?"

This "off by one" result is valuable because we might make use of this as a "call-back"
later on in the routine.

3 - They choose 4!

A direct hit! In this case, lift your hand revealing the 4 and say:

"Wow - you're intuition's really GOOD! But did you actually know that it was a 4, and
if we tried it again, do you think you'd be able to guess correctly with 100% certainty?"

Of course, nobody in their right mind would ever say that they could do it again with
full certainty.

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 Mental Die-Mensional

The nice thing here is that the participant feels good about being correct and will be
mildly amazed. They are also often unsure if you had anything to do with them
guessing correctly or if it was "all them."

There are two very good reasons for conducting this test with the participant.

The first is that we want to create empathy within the audience and participant. We
want them to get a feel for how difficult this sort of thing actually is so that when
you're faced with your much more challenging test shortly, they're better able to
appreciate what you're up against.

The second reason, is because we are secretly hoping for the near miss where they
are "one off."

This is because the "prediction" you're going to make shortly might be "off by one".
When this is the case, you can then say:

WOW - I was so close! I only missed by 'one' too! That's really good considering that I
could have easily been off by far more than that. My intuition seems to be pretty good
today too!

Step Three: The Premonition

Now that you've gotten an idea about what it's like to rely on intuition, it's your turn
to test my intuition. However, to make things more difficult, my test won't use just one
die. Instead, you'll use both of them and make more than a single roll. I'm often
successful with this test and if I'm wrong, I usually only miss by just one - which is still
incredible considering the odds against me succeeding. Occasionally, I'll fail terribly
because the outcome is so uncertain; but that's what happens when one is relying on
intuition alone.

A number has already entered my mind regarding what I think the results will be - I'll
write it down before we begin so that I'm committed.

Write down the number "14" on the card, and then place it written-side down on the
table, off to the side but in full view. Why 14? This will be discussed in detail in Step
Five.

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 Mental Die-Mensional

Step Four: Rolling the Dice

Alright, I've made my prediction and I hope my intuition's good today, but we'll see.
It's time now for you to roll the dice. Are you ready?

I'll turn my back as I don't want to see any of the rolls you make because I want to be
surprised by the results and not see them while they are happening.

Turn your back now.

So here we go; roll both dice and total the numbers they roll.

They do this.

Now that you've rolled the dice, I want you to think about this for a moment: is there
any way I could have actually known in advance and with absolute certainty that this
is the total you'd roll? Of course not.

I'm also going to allow you to throw a monkey wrench into things. In a moment, but
not just yet, I want you to pick up either die - your choice, and add the number on its
bottom to the total you already have in mind and then keep hold of that die
afterwards. Do you understand?

They say "Yes".

Great. Do that now.

Now you have a new total. Keep in mind that there's also no possible way I could
know which die you selected is there?

They reply "No".

Exactly. Now roll the die that you're holding and add whatever number it rolls to your
previous total. Go ahead.

They do so.

You now have a final total in your mind that was arrived at completely by random. Do
you agree that there is simply no possible way that I could have known with absolute
certainty before you rolled the dice what the outcome would be?

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 Mental Die-Mensional

They agree.

Exactly. There really is no way I could have known for certain. Before I turn back
around I'd like you to do one last thing. You likely have two different numbers
showing on top of the dice right now. If so, then cover the lower-numbered die with
your left hand, and the higher-numbered die with your right hand…(pause a beat)...
unless, of course, they're the same number - in which case, it doesn't matter which die
you cover with which hand. They're not both the same number are they?

If they're both the same number, we'll refer to this as DOUBLES from here on. Due to
mathematical probability, the numbers on both dice are rarely DOUBLES. The
participant will say "No", and you simply reply:

Ok great, I didn't think they'd be. Then cover the lower one with your left hand and the
higher one with your right."

In the event that they are DOUBLES, the participant responds "Yes, they are!" and you
reply:

Yes, for some strange reason I got the impression that they might be and that's why I
asked! Just cover one with each hand then.

You've just gotten a free "hit" before you've even started when they are DOUBLES!
But more importantly, you now know an extremely valuable piece of information: you
know whether they're DOUBLES or not. This will be important later. For now, just
remember if they're DOUBLES or not.

One last thing: never refer to the dice under the hands as lower and higher again in
the routine after they've covered them with their hands. Later, you'll simply ask them
to "Concentrate on the die under your hand…" without referring to them as higher or
lower.

Having learned this valuable piece of information and with the dice now concealed,
you turn back around.

Step Five: Revealing the Premonition

Pick up the business card you wrote your premonition on and hold it up facing the
participant, but with the written-side towards yourself.

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 Mental Die-Mensional

I'm anxious to see how well I did. My intuition is usually pretty good with this and if I
do miss, I usually miss by just one, but occasionally I'm way off. So, if I do get this
exactly - or even if I'm only off by just one, you'd have to admit, that's pretty amazing
considering the odds against it happening. Remember, I've already committed in
writing… so what was the final total you arrived at?

45% of the time, their final total will be 13, 14, or 15. Why is that? You can view the
dice procedure another way: think of it as rolling two dice and adding 7 to it.

In essence, that's what the dice-rolling procedure is really accomplishing, though it is

well disguised.

When two dice are rolled, the number with the highest probability of being rolled is 7
because there are 3 unique number combinations that can make this total. The actual
mathematical percentage of a 7 being rolled is exactly 16.667%.

Tied for second highest probability are the numbers 6 and 8. These two numbers also
have three combinations that can make each of them, but unlike 7, they are not all
unique combinations - two are unique and the third is DOUBLES. The odds of rolling
two different numbers on two dice are greater than the odds of rolling two the same,
and for this reason, 6 and 8 have a slightly smaller probability of being rolled than 7
does. The mathematical percentage of either a 6 or 8 being rolled is the same for
both: 13.889%

Together, these three numbers have a combined percentage of 44.455% of coming

up. If you take two dice and roll them numerous times you'll see for yourself just how
many times 6, 7, and 8 come up.

This means that just a shade under 50% of the time your prediction will be a direct hit
or only "off by one!" If the final total is either 13 (a hidden total of 6) or 15 (a hidden
total of 8) this is covered by the 14 and you are only "one off!" Of course, if the final
total is 14 (a hidden total of 7) you have a direct hit. Again, this will happen 44.445%
of the time - which is very generous odds, all things considered. Now you see why
we hope that the participant will have the "near miss" result when you place the die
under your hand earlier in the presentation. If the participant was "off by one" in their
test and your prediction also turns out to be "off by one", be sure to draw attention
to this fact to add a little moment of synchronicity as described earlier.

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But what if the final total is anything besides a 13, 14, or 15?

There's no need to worry as it is part of the presentation which showcases the fact
that "intuition" isn't infallible. Nobody really expects that you could have guessed the
final total 100%. It is clearly obvious that that this would be impossible to do with
absolute certainty.

Secondly, the participant understands how difficult this would be to achieve after the
experience they had with trying to guess the number on just one die. Remember, this
is what the presentation is all about: the differences between intuition and thought-
reading. It simply demonstrates that intuition is not an exact thing.

The real effect we are going for is the revelation of the numbers hidden under each
of the participant's hands, which is something you are going to be 100% correct
about - thanks to your skills as a "thought-reader."

Keep in mind also, that if your intuition happens to be off by more than one in your
"prediction", it is reasonable for the audience to also later assume that you may very
well not be able to divine the numbers hidden under each hand as well. This is a good
situation because their expectations are mildly lowered, meaning that when you
reveal the numbers on the die under each hand, the impact is strengthened. So
there's no harm whatsoever if you do miss by more than one. You will still hit with
your prediction 45% of the time and you'll be surprised at how many times this
happens because, as discussed, 6, 7, and 8 have the highest probability of occurring.
Long story short, 45% of the time you will get the bonus "cherry" on top when the
"prediction" hits.

The real purpose of the "premonition" is to learn what the participant's final total is
without drawing suspicion. Rather than outright asking for the final total, we are
learning it under cover of performing a logical and motivated "test".

In discussing this effect with other performers, they raised the idea of using a swami
gimmick to write in the correct total to make the prediction hit every time. While
there's nothing inherently wrong with this idea, I personally don't recommend it.
Why? Because it's simply not necessary. There is literally nothing wrong with
occasionally missing on the intuition test. One of the real strengths of this effect is
that it is 100% impromptu and the use of such an item removes it from the strictly
impromptu category.

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To my mind, using a "writer" becomes a case of "gilding the lily" and smacks of
"magician thinking", wherein everything always has to be 100%. I rather like the fact
that we are doing precisely what we say we are doing: guessing. It's just that we are
using mathematical probability to leverage our odds for a favourable outcome. That
said, there is nothing wrong with the idea of using a "writer", and if it appeals to you,
then by all means do so. I just don't feel that it's necessary.

Once you've revealed your premonition, comment on the results accordingly. By now
we've learned the participant's final total and have secretly subtracted 7 from it to
learn the hidden total. We're now set to proceed with the major climax: divining the
numbers hidden on the dice.

Step Six: Divining the Numbers on the Hidden Dice

Now that you've seen what intuition is all about, there's one last test. I mentioned
earlier that when I'd attempt to read your mind that I'd simply ask you think of
something random and then I'd try to figure out exactly what it is that you're thinking.
Since "thought-reading" is a much more precise thing then relying on intuition alone
and it isn't just a matter of guessing, I'm almost certain that I should be able to do this
successfully.

Right now you have a die hidden under each of your hands. You rolled them several
times while my back was turned and then covered them. I have never once seen them
and only you know what numbers are on top of each. Correct?

For this last test, you'll merely think of the number showing on each die hidden under
your hands and I'll use my skills as a "thought-reader" in an attempt to reveal exactly
what each one is. I promised earlier that I wouldn't read into anything personal and I'll
stay true to my word by only revealing the numbers on the dice. Ok?

Sounds fun right?

Ok great. Now, which die would you like me to try and read your thoughts with first -
the one under your left hand or the one under your right?

You know two very important things: the hidden total and whether the dice are
DOUBLES or not.

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If they're DOUBLES, simply divide the hidden total in half and the result is the number
hidden under each hand! Here's how to handle this, assuming that the hidden total is
10 as an example:

Earlier I told you that I sensed that both dice were the same number and that was
correct, wasn't it?

"Yes!"

Well then, this makes my job MUCH easier! Would you concentrate on whether they're
an even or an ODD number please? I'm sensing an ODD number… yes, I see it clearly
now - you have two 5's!

In the event that they aren't DOUBLES, 55% of the time you will know the exact
numbers on the dice already!

How?

If the hidden total is either 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9 these are "non-immediate" totals because

we don't know their combination just yet. That's simple enough to remember right?
5, 6, 7, 8, 9 = "non-immediate". 5 of the 11 possible hidden totals fall into this
category.

The other 6 hidden totals are "immediates" because we know what they are
immediately. This is because "immediates" have only ONE combination once
DOUBLES are removed. 6 out of 11 = 54.545454545455%. This means that 55% of the
time you will know the exact numbers on the dice already without needing to do a
thing!

Let's look at the combinations for "immediates".

IMMEDIATES
Hidden Total Combination Doubles
2 1&1
3 1&2
4 1&3 2&2
10 4&6 5&5
11 5&6
12 6&6

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This should be self-explanatory, but let's look at an example. Assume the hidden total
is 10. We've already ruled out DOUBLES, so therefore it can only be 4 & 6! Earlier in
the presentation, we asked the participant to cover the lower-numbered die with
their left hand and the higher one with their right before we turned back around.
Therefore, we know they have a 4 under their left hand and a 6 under their right!

Pretty straight-forward, yes?

"Non-immediates" differ from "immediates" because they have TWO combinations

(once DOUBLES are removed) instead of ONE.

The hidden total of 7 is exceptional among the "non-immediates" because it contains

three unique combinations and no DOUBLES.

Let's look at the "non-immediate" combinations.

NON-IMMEDIATES
Hidden Total Combination 1 Combination 2 Combination 3 Doubles
5 1&4 2&3
6 1&5 2&4 3&3
7 1&6 2&5 3&4
8 2&6 3&5 4&4
9 3&6 4&5

After I'd worked out how to remove DOUBLES from the equation, I knew that it was
this set of hidden totals (non-immediates) that needed a system for me to be able to
immediately identify which combination the participant had under their hand.

I instinctively understood that the parity (ODD or EVEN) of the hidden totals would be
an important factor in devising this system because:

A) EVEN totals consist of combinations where both numbers in the combination

are of the same parity; meaning that both numbers are EVEN… or both are
ODD.

B) ODD totals consist of combinations where both numbers are different parities;
meaning that one of the numbers is EVEN and the other is ODD.

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I began looking for a pattern among the two combinations for each total, keeping in
mind, of course, that the total of 7 is exceptional.

And lo and behold, I found a pattern!

With the EVEN totals, ONE of the TWO combinations always contains two numbers of
ODD parity, while the other combination is the opposite and always contains two
numbers of EVEN parity!

With ODD totals, ONE of the TWO combinations always contains a lower number
which is ODD, while the higher number is EVEN. The other combination is the
opposite and always contains a lower number that is EVEN while the higher number is
ODD!

Always.

In other words, each of the two combinations in any total (except for 7) are opposites!

So what does all of this mean?

It means that if you discover the parity of EITHER die, you immediately know the
combination they have, and by extension, which one is under each hand!

Let's go over a few examples so that you see how easily this works.

EXAMPLE 1: Hidden Total of 6

6 is an EVEN number. Therefore, we know that both dice have the same parity. The
combinations for 6 are 1 & 5 and 2 & 4. They've secretly got the 2 & 4 under their
hands and have asked you to divine the right hand first…

I'm sensing an odd number. This is an odd number, yes?

Here we're aiming at the 1 & 5 combination.

"No."

We now know that it is the 2 & 4 combination they have!

I'm sorry, can you focus a little harder on the number for me please. Try to really
visualize the die in your mind with that number on the top…

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Ah….that's better! Yes, Ok I see it now. It's a 4!

You now have them focus on the die under their left hand and reveal the 2
underneath according to your tastes.

If they'd had the 1 & 5 under their hand instead of the 2 & 4, your first statement
would have been met with a "Yes!" and you'd not only have a hit, but also everything
you need to reveal both dice!

EXAMPLE 2: Hidden Total of 9

9 is an ODD number. Therefore, we know that both dice have different parity. The
combinations for 9 are 3 & 6 and 4 & 5. They've secretly got the 4 & 5 under their
hands and have asked you to divine the left hand first…

I'm sensing an odd number. This is an odd number, yes?

Here we're aiming at the 3 & 6 combination.

"No."

We now know that it is the 4 & 5 combination they have.

However…

We are going to use "The Other Hand" ploy first before revealing the numbers on the
dice to turn that miss into a hit - even though we now know the correct combination.

"The Other Hand" Ploy

This is used whenever the hidden total is an ODD number and we miss with the
statement about the number being ODD. It works like this:

Well, that's strange because I'm getting an ODD number coming through for some
reason. It must be because you're focusing on the die under your other hand. The die
under your other hand is an ODD number, isn't that correct?

"Yes!"

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I thought so, because I was strongly receiving the impression of an ODD number! We'll
get to that other die in just a moment, but for now please just focus on the die you
asked me to reveal and not on the other one, ok?"

You've just turned that "miss" into a "hit" and in the process, learned all that you
need to be able to reveal both numbers! There is an alternative handling for this ploy
which I sometimes also use that some may prefer:

For this example, we'll assume that the hidden total is 5 and they've asked us to
divine the die under their left hand and their combination is 2 & 3.

Please concentrate on the die under your hand. I'm sensing an ODD number, is that
correct?

We're aiming for the 1 & 4 combination here.

"No."

We now know they have the 2 & 3.

Well, that's strange because I'm getting an ODD number coming through for some
reason - a 3, to be exact. It must be because you're focusing on the die under your
other hand. The die under your other hand is a 3, isn't that correct?

"Yes!"

Yes, that one was coming through very loudly! So now that that die is taken care of,
please focus on the die under your left hand only, ok?

In this case you've not only turned the miss into a hit, but a simultaneous reveal as
well! Just name whichever number is under the other hand. That's all there is to it.

You now have two powerful options for you to turn that small fumble into strong hits
when the hidden total is an ODD number and your initial statement is incorrect.

When the hidden total is an EVEN number, I will often change up the initial statement
and use EVEN in my statement instead of ODD. This is just to shake things up a little
in the event that I might want to repeat the effect afterwards so that I am not always
throwing out the same initial statement.

I'm sensing an EVEN number. This is an EVEN number, yes?

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It doesn't matter which parity you choose to lead your initial statement with because
their answer will always tell you everything you need to know. As there are only TWO
combinations in each of the "non-immediate" totals (except 7), this also means that
50% you will be spot-on (pun intended) with your initial statement without any
fumble at all.

So that's the system. It's as simple as saying:

I'm sensing an odd number. This is an odd number, yes?

Feel free to linguistically embellish this aspect of the presentation as fits your
personality best.

So how is the hidden total of 7 handled? It follows the same system, but occasionally
includes an additional step. Let's look at the combinations for 7:

1&6
2&5
3&4
The three lower numbers in these combinations are 1, 2, and 3. Two of them are ODD,
and the third is EVEN.

The three higher numbers in these combinations are 4, 5, and 6. Two of them are
EVEN and third is ODD.

Once again, we have a mirror opposite situation occurring.

Using the same initial statement as we've already been doing will tell us which parity
they have, except that one of the outcomes has TWO combinations.

Let's assume that the combination they have is 1 & 6 and they've asked for us to
divine the die under their left hand (the lower number) first. Since it is the lower die
they've asked for, we know that it is either 1, 2, or 3.

Please concentrate on the die under your hand and try to visualize it in your mind as
best as you can. I'm sensing an ODD number. Is that correct?

"Yes!"

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We now know that it is either the 1 or the 3… but which one? This is where the
additional step comes into play. We simply take advantage of the "Repeat It" ploy
made popular by Derren Brown which would go like this:

Yes, now focus on that number in your mind. Look at me now… repeat the number
over and over in your mind silently… 3, 3, 3, 3…..

Just look for their reaction. If they were thinking of the number 3, they are sure to
react and believe that you are revealing the number. You'd then know that the other
die is a 4 and you're good to go.

However, in this example they are thinking of the 1 and there won't be any reaction.
So we follow up by follow up by also tossing in the third ODD number (5) and say:

…but it's not the 3, you're thinking of… and neither is it the 5. You're thinking of the 1!

They will answer "Yes!" and you now know that the other die is the 6.

Why do I choose 3 as the number I name first instead of the 1? Well, it's simply
because it seems to be the one that comes up more often than the other between the
two. But it really doesn't matter which you choose to use first.

There are, of course, other ploys that can be used in lieu of the "Repeat It" ploy and if
you have another that you prefer, then by all means feel free to substitute it.

Of course, the same thing applies if they ask you to divine the die under the right
hand first - it's just that everything is mirror-opposite.

We'll use 1 & 6 as our example again. Since they've requested the right hand, we
know that the number is either 4, 5, or 6.

Please concentrate on the die under your hand and try to visualize it in your mind as
best as you can. I'm sensing an ODD number. Is that correct?

"No."

This means that it can't be the 2 & 5 combination and that it's either a 6 or a 4.
However, had they actually had the 2 & 5 combination you'd have just gotten a hit
and now know which die is underneath each hand. However in this example it was a
miss. We are going to turn that miss into a hit with "The Other Hand" ploy first:

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Well, that's strange because I'm getting an ODD number coming through for some
reason. It must be because you're focusing on the die under your other hand. The die
under your other hand is an ODD number, isn't that correct?

"Yes!"

That miss is now a hit.

I thought so, because I was strongly receiving the impression of an ODD number! We'll
get to that other die in just a moment, but for now please just focus on the die you
asked me to reveal and not on the other one, ok?"

Continue forward with the "Repeat It" technique:

Now once again, focus on that number in your mind. Really try to visualize it. Look at
me now… repeat the number over and over in your mind silently… 4, 4, 4, 4…..

No reaction. Toss in the third EVEN number (2) as you say:

…but it's not the 4 you're thinking of… and neither is it the 2. You're thinking of the 6!

"Yes!"

And now you're set to reveal the 1 under their other hand.

Once the final die has been revealed, I bring the effect to a close by saying:

And THAT is the difference between intuition… and thought-reading!

Final Thoughts
If you want to repeat this effect, you can certainly do so without fear of discovery.
Simply eliminate the "die under hand" test and change your prediction. I typically
choose 16 (which also covers 15 or 17 with the "one off" bit) or 12 - which also covers
11 and 13. It really doesn't matter which total you choose, though I like to stay roughly
in the mid-range of results.

I realize that the variables in this routine might seem like a lot to absorb, but they
really aren't complicated.

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I've spent a good deal of time explaining the various permutations carefully so that
you'd have a thorough understanding of how they work, but it is really just a matter
of simple deductive logic which will make sense to you very quickly after running it
over several times in practice. In actual performance, the die revelations are quick and
tidy and aren't nearly as complicated as they might appear to be in print.

There's one last thing to mention regarding the die revelations. If you are working
this where there are other people spectating, be sure to have the participant lift their
hand to reveal that you were correct after divining the first die so that you can receive
a quick round of applause. It's just good theater.

So there you have it. You've now learned an astonishing mental miracle with two
ungimmicked dice which is 100% impromptu. We've all spent money on pipe dreams
and effects that we abandon after a while, but I'm absolutely positive that this is a
routine that you'll keep with you for the rest of your days.

I also suspect that you'll likely start carrying around two dice with you from now on…

Call it a 'hunch'. ;)

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