When Banachek penned Psychological Subtleties 2, he had enough extra material to fill a book twice its size. But rather than bloat that volume, he held back some absolute gems with a plan to create a worthy companion piece. And here we are! What you’re holding is a treasure trove of Banachek’s lifelong wisdom, crafted through live performances and sprinkled with insights from a global ensemble of talented friends who truly grasp the magic behind his first book.
The "Psychological Subtleties" series is often hailed as the mentalism bible. Honestly, it’s hard to find a magician—especially in mentalism—who hasn’t taken a leaf (or five) out of Banachek’s playbook. His philosophy, performances, and writings are practically the lifeblood of modern mentalism.
In this third instalment, he continues to wow readers with fresh ideas and full routines from himself and a stellar cast of contributors worldwide. You’ll find routines from the likes of Paul Alberstat, Sean Waters, Robert Domenech, and a whole heap of other clever clogs who know a thing or two about mind-boggling magic.
Psychological Subtleties 3 is brimming with routines layered with psychological nuances to spice up your mentalism/magic repertoire.
In the Introduction, the legendary David Berglas shares his admiration for Banachek (and rightly so, mate!).
Chapter One - Subtle Dealing with Difficult Spectators: Ever had your performance interrupted by a mobile ring-a-ding? How about a spectator who refuses to spill the beans on their thought-of number? This chapter will arm you with strategies to ensure such nuisances never darken your stage again.
Chapter Two - Subtle Creating the Perfect Situation: You'll learn to make a killer first impression in the first two minutes of your show and master some nifty equivoque subtleties. Plus, discover how to appear as if you know intimate details about complete strangers. Banachek breaks down the importance of conviction—because let’s face it, belief is everything. And don’t miss the cheeky pseudo-explanation that’ll have your audience scratching their heads over how you got them to think of a specific vegetable.
Chapter Three - Subtle Verbal: This explores the art of verbal "dual reality," where you can be both right and wrong simultaneously. Tricks like "Picture Perfect" allow a spectator to describe things they’ve never seen. Sounds dodgy? It’s brilliant! “Ultimate Imagination” is a coin routine that’ll leave them baffled as you name the invisible coin they're thinking of.
Chapter Four - Subtle Drawings: Dive into Banachek’s professional stash with the Cheshire Cat Principle, revealing how you can predict a spectator’s mental doodle while exposing a sneaky detail they missed. You’ll also learn to duplicate drawings using nothing but psychological finesse.
Chapter Five - Subtle Letters: Here’s a revisit to Banachek’s principle where spectators mix up letters in a word, and you magically guess it. The effects in this chapter take it up a notch—know not just letters, but also animals, places, and people from their minds. It wraps up with a devilishly clever book test.
Chapter Six - Subtle Cards: Discover how to employ psychological principles to force playing cards effortlessly.
Chapter Seven - Subtle Dates: Three spectators think of a date, and you nail it—twice! With a bit of a surprise ending for the fourth spectator. Originally sold as Kenton's Kalendar for twenty quid, this chapter also offers methods to reveal the day of the week from any date.
Chapter Eight - Subtle Psychokinesis: Want to make your audience feel some heat or even metal bending? This chapter covers how to create these sensations, both psychologically and physically. (Hot stuff, eh?)
Chapter Nine - Subtle Telephone: Play a nail-biting game of Russian Roulette, reveal a song a spectator’s thinking of, and detect a fib—all over the phone. Talk about multitasking!
Chapter Ten - Subtle Numbers: Get ready for the “Reversal” principle, now with a twist that’s simply genius. You’ll also revisit the "Gray Elephant in Denmark" principle and learn how to create an origami raven with psychokinesis as a parting gift. (How’s that for a souvenir?)
Chapter Eleven - Subtle Paradox: With just the written word, predict which coin will be chosen, whether it’s heads or tails, and even the make of a car. You’ll also reveal someone’s PIN in a cheeky way while crafting dual realities—because why not?
Chapter Twelve - Subtle Perceptions: Optical illusions meet psychic effects. Watch George Washington on a dollar bill reveal if your volunteer is telling porkies, while two spectators read your thoughts through a third’s scribble.
Chapter Thirteen - Subtle Betting: Two methods to make it look like you predicted the lottery results, plus a clever way to show that you won a bet on a sporting event. (No, you’re not buying a ticket for this—just the secrets!)
Chapter Fourteen - Subtle Dunninger: Uncover the bold subtleties that Dunninger used on stage and in his TV show. (You might want to take notes.)
Chapter Fifteen - Subtle News: Banachek spills one of his best-kept secrets for predicting newspaper headlines.
Pages: 226 - Hardbound with Dust Jacket
