Revolutionary Take on the Classic Out Of This World Effect

This innovative version of the classic Out Of This World effect eliminates the need for stacked decks and color-changing indicator cards during the performance. Participants can shuffle the deck freely before the magic unfolds.

Effect: The magician presents a deck of cards along with four opaque envelopes. Two participants, a man and a woman, are invited to explore their psychic abilities. The magician explains that women typically gravitate towards red cards (hearts and diamonds), while men are drawn to black cards (clubs and spades). To test this theory, the participants will use their intuition to identify whether a card is red or black, with the woman focusing solely on red and the man on black.

For instance, let’s say the woman is named Becky and the man is Bob. The magician displays four envelopes, approximately 4 x 6.5 inches in size. Using a red marker, he labels one envelope “Becky’s Reds” and another “Becky’s Discards.” With a black marker, he marks one envelope “Bob’s Blacks” and the last one “Bob’s Discards.”

The magician arranges Becky’s envelopes in front of her and Bob’s in front of him. They are then given the deck to shuffle as much as they like.

Once shuffled, the magician spreads the deck face down on the table, without looking at the cards. He states, “Before we start, I have made a prediction about the outcome of this experiment.” He places a folded piece of paper on the table for all to see.

Bob is instructed, “I will randomly remove face-down cards from the spread. If you believe the card is black, place it in your envelope labeled ‘Bob’s Blacks.’ If you think it’s red or are unsure, it will go into your discard envelope.”

Becky is told, “You will do the opposite. If you think the card is red, put it in ‘Becky’s Reds.’ If you think it’s black or are unsure, it goes into your discard envelope.”

The magician begins to draw cards from the deck without looking at them, alternating between Bob and Becky. If Bob identifies a card as black, it goes into his black envelope; if he’s unsure or thinks it’s red, it goes into his discard envelope. Similarly, if Becky identifies a card as red, it goes into her red envelope; otherwise, it goes into her discard pile.

This process continues until about 30 cards have been selected. The magician then reveals the remaining cards, showcasing a mix of red and black.

“Let’s see how you did,” he says, prompting Bob to open his envelope. Bob reveals all his cards, and astonishingly, they are all black! This is repeated with Becky, who finds all her cards to be red!

But the surprises don’t end there. The magician suggests checking the discard envelopes. Bob opens his and finds all red cards, while Becky discovers all black cards except for one red card she mistakenly placed in the wrong pile.

Finally, the magician asks Bob to read the prediction aloud, which states, “Only one mistake will be made; Becky will confuse one red card for black.” This creates a stunning conclusion.

Many spectators are familiar with Paul Curry’s OOTW method, as its original secret has been widely circulated. However, labeling the envelopes with the participants’ names adds a layer of intrigue that can deceive even seasoned magicians.

This fresh approach to OOTW addresses several weaknesses of the original trick. There’s no need for a stacked deck, and participants can genuinely shuffle the cards. Unlike Grant’s Nu Way Out Of This World, the magician does not view the faces of the shuffled cards.

Moreover, there are no indicator cards to switch mid-performance, making this one of the cleanest versions of OOTW available.

• Envelopes are standard, non-gimmicked, easily found in stores for a low price.
• No special skills required.
• No sleight of hand necessary.
• Extremely simple to perform yet incredibly baffling.