{"id":9212,"date":"2020-10-05T18:07:44","date_gmt":"2020-10-05T17:07:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/?p=9212"},"modified":"2021-01-19T16:54:48","modified_gmt":"2021-01-19T16:54:48","slug":"berglas-effect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/blog\/berglas-effect\/","title":{"rendered":"How one of the most famous and difficult tricks of all time is now part of my virtual act."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_heading-7868c05049f822ca0e4e11714405fe39\">\n#top .av-special-heading.av-av_heading-7868c05049f822ca0e4e11714405fe39{\npadding-bottom:10px;\n}\nbody .av-special-heading.av-av_heading-7868c05049f822ca0e4e11714405fe39 .av-special-heading-tag .heading-char{\nfont-size:25px;\n}\n.av-special-heading.av-av_heading-7868c05049f822ca0e4e11714405fe39 .av-subheading{\nfont-size:15px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='av-special-heading av-av_heading-7868c05049f822ca0e4e11714405fe39 av-special-heading-h1 blockquote modern-quote  avia-builder-el-0  el_before_av_image  avia-builder-el-first '><h1 class='av-special-heading-tag'  itemprop=\"headline\"  >How one of the most famous and difficult tricks of all time is now part of my virtual act.<\/h1><div class=\"special-heading-border\"><div class=\"special-heading-inner-border\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-k2xdybux-abf8d0f05a13de2b36dce48b2aa5abdd\">\n.avia-image-container.av-k2xdybux-abf8d0f05a13de2b36dce48b2aa5abdd img.avia_image{\nbox-shadow:none;\n}\n.avia-image-container.av-k2xdybux-abf8d0f05a13de2b36dce48b2aa5abdd .av-image-caption-overlay-center{\ncolor:#ffffff;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='avia-image-container av-k2xdybux-abf8d0f05a13de2b36dce48b2aa5abdd av-styling- avia-align-center  avia-builder-el-1  el_after_av_heading  el_before_av_textblock '   itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><div class=\"avia-image-container-inner\"><div class=\"avia-image-overlay-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" class='wp-image-9217 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-9217 avia_image ' src=\"https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Berglas-Quote-1.jpg\" alt='David Berglas Quote' title=''  height=\"400\" width=\"850\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" srcset=\"https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Berglas-Quote-1.jpg 850w, https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Berglas-Quote-1-300x141.jpg 300w, https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Berglas-Quote-1-768x361.jpg 768w, https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Berglas-Quote-1-705x332.jpg 705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-39j46m-e7528f10bf7a9a6d70731cc7c2eb5a35'  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock av_inherit_color'  itemprop=\"text\" ><h3>In the 1950s, mentalist David Berglas came up with a trick that astounded people right around the world \u2013 including other magicians.<\/h3>\n<h3>Try as they might, they simply couldn\u2019t figure out how he was doing it.<\/h3>\n<h3>He would place a deck of cards on full view before the effect, and invite a randomly selected person to name any playing card.<\/h3>\n<h3>It\u2019s important to stress that this person \u2013 let\u2019s call him Mister X &#8211; was not a \u00a0\u2018plant\u2019 and was totally free to make any choice that he wished.<\/h3>\n<h3>So let\u2019s say that Mister X named the Three of Diamonds. A second person \u2013 let\u2019s call her Mrs. Y \u2013 would then be asked to pick any number from 1 to 52, representing the order of the cards in the deck. Let\u2019s say she opted for number 34.<\/h3>\n<h3>A third person \u2013 let\u2019s call him Mister Z &#8211; would then deal the cards until he came to card number 34.<\/h3>\n<h3>Again, these second and third persons were not plants. And critically, Berglas did not touch the cards at any stage.<\/h3>\n<h3>Invariably, the card nominated by Mister X would prove to be at the number specified by Mrs. Y.<\/h3>\n<p>This trick is commonly known as \u2018The Berglas Effect\u2019, and is widely regarded as the Holy Grail of card magic.<\/p>\n<p>Ever since Berglas performed it, magicians have been trying to work out how he did it, but to this day, nobody knows his method.<\/p>\n<p>I have obsessed over this idea since I first heard about it, and it is one of my favourite effects to perform.<\/p>\n<p>I can\u2019t be certain whether I\u2019m approaching it in the same way that Berglas did \u2013 but the end result is exactly the same \u2013 utter amazement on the part of anybody who sees it.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s now become one of the most popular parts of my <span style=\"color: #ff6600;\"><a style=\"color: #ff6600;\" href=\"http:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/virtual\/\"><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\">virtual entertainment<\/span><\/a><\/span> &#8211; and if you\u2019d like to get a sneak preview of my virtual show, including this version of the amazing Berglas Effect \u2013 you can do so below:<\/p>\n<p>And just to give you an idea of how difficult it is to perform, the chances of knowing what card someone will name are 52 to 1.<\/p>\n<p>Similarly, the chances of knowing what number someone will name are also 52 to 1.<\/p>\n<p>The moral of this blog is that magic knows no boundaries, and great tricks are just as impressive when viewed in a virtual setting as when they\u2019re viewed up close.<\/p>\n<div class='avia-iframe-wrap'><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Shane Black | Mentalist - Virtual Show\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/464557864?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963\" width=\"1500\" height=\"844\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>Since Covid-19 transformed the corporate events and weddings sectors, more and more of my act is delivered to online audiences, and I have to say that companies are now learning how to deliver a great virtual conference that is just as powerful as a \u2018real world event\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019d like to add that even with the changing restrictions on numbers allowed for weddings, I\u2019m being regularly booked by couples who want to make their Covid weddings even more memorable, despite the reduced numbers.<\/p>\n<p>For the personal appearances, I have totally reworked my act to make sure that I\u2019m not asking guests to touch anything that I\u2019m touching, and also make sure that they don\u2019t need to be closer than two metres to get the full impact of the show.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m also very happy to perform outdoors, where the risks are even lower of spreading or contracting the virus.<\/p>\n<p>So despite the limitations that we\u2019re all operating under, let\u2019s remember that there\u2019s always room for innovation. Just ask David Berglas!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/virtual\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-9226 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Book-Demo-1.jpg\" alt=\"Book Demo\" width=\"1036\" height=\"583\" srcset=\"https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Book-Demo-1.jpg 1036w, https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Book-Demo-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Book-Demo-1-1030x580.jpg 1030w, https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Book-Demo-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Book-Demo-1-705x397.jpg 705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1036px) 100vw, 1036px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-ka81djpc-ef4bfa9355c791fa2adbf351a3d0d2ce\">\n.flex_column.av-ka81djpc-ef4bfa9355c791fa2adbf351a3d0d2ce{\n-webkit-border-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n-moz-border-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\nborder-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\npadding:20px 20px 20px 20px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div class='flex_column av-ka81djpc-ef4bfa9355c791fa2adbf351a3d0d2ce av_one_full  avia-builder-el-3  el_after_av_textblock  avia-builder-el-last  first flex_column_div column-top-margin'     ><section  class='av_textblock_section av-kahznbg1-317b7f0418c4a61bf6a4aa1bd985a044'  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\">\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-2mz90t-ca7b88bc2f132a7e24eb17f9ac538dc3\">\n.av_font_icon.av-2mz90t-ca7b88bc2f132a7e24eb17f9ac538dc3 .av-icon-char{\nfont-size:30px;\nline-height:30px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<span  class='av_font_icon av-2mz90t-ca7b88bc2f132a7e24eb17f9ac538dc3 avia_animate_when_visible av-icon-style- avia-icon-pos-left av-no-color avia-icon-animate'><a href='http:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/blog\/'  class='av-icon-char' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue830' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello' ><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3><a href=\"http:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/blog\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Back to blog.<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you think that a virtual mind reading act is not as powerful as a performance in the flesh, you ain&#8217;t seen nothing yet. Check out what you\u2019re missing in my latest blog.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9223,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"How one of the most famous and difficult tricks of all time is now part of my virtual act.","_seopress_titles_desc":"If you think that a virtual mind reading act is not as powerful as a performance in the flesh, you ain&#039;t seen nothing yet. Check out what you\u2019re missing in my latest blog.","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9,8,13,18,19],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9212"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9212"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9212\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9223"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}