X-Ray Vision

A mysterious mind reading trick with a die (die is singular for dice). A spectator is asked to think of a secret number from 1 to 6 and then place a die inside a small canister with that secret number face-up. The canister is then closed and sealed inside a larger canister. Incredibly, the magician always knows which number is on top of the die.

Secret: For this trick you will need the two canisters, the lids and the die. Although the canisters appear to be opaque, the smaller canister has a slightly transparent lid. When this canister is tilted upside-down, the die inside falls against the lid and the spots can be secretly seen.

Performance: Ask a spectator to think of a number, then to place the die into the smaller canister with that secret number on top. Turn your head away as this is done, making it obvious that you cannot see the die and therefore have no way of knowing what number the spectator is thinking of.

Once the spectator has placed the lid on the canister and the die can no longer be seen, casually take the canister back and, while reaching for the larger canister, secretly look at the die through the lid.

Once you know the secret number, place the smaller canister into the larger one and seal it shut. It now just takes good showmanship to reveal the number in the most dramatic way possible. You can pretend to have X-ray vision and be able to see through the two canisters, or you can pretend to read the spectator’s mind. The more emphasis you place on the great skill required to discover the secret number, the more impressive the trick will become!