Buying guide
Best Mentalism Tricks You Can Buy
Eight classic props and kits that give you a strong mind reading effect from the first week, explained without spoiling their secrets.
By The MentalismPro TeamUpdated
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Some of the best mentalism tricks are the ones you can buy ready-made. A well-designed prop does the technical work for you, so all your attention goes into the presentation, which is where mentalism lives. Most of the classics on this page are inexpensive and have been in performers' pockets for decades.
This guide covers eight mentalism tricks and kits you can buy on Amazon: what each one does for the audience, who it suits, and what it takes to perform. We never explain the secret of a commercial trick. That is what you pay for, and it belongs to the people who make it.
Editor's Choice
The Invisible Deck (Bicycle stock)
A spectator names any card in the deck, with complete freedom, and it is the only card reversed in a deck that has been in its box the whole time. Easy to learn, very hard to figure out, and resets in seconds. The single best first purchase in mentalism.
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Best for written thoughts
The classic tool for secretly writing a prediction, the foundation of countless routines.
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Best value
Practical Mental Magic by Theodore Annemann
Hundreds of routines with everyday objects for the price of a paperback.
Quick Comparison
All eight picks at a glance. Level means how much practice you need before performing for strangers.
| Trick | Invisible Deck Editor's Choice | Brainwave Deck | Swami Gimmick | Peek Wallet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trick |  |  |  |  |
| Effect | Any named card is the only one reversed | Named card reversed, with a different back | Secretly written predictions | Learn what someone wrote |
| Level | Beginner | Beginner | Intermediate | Beginner to intermediate |
| Reset | Seconds | Seconds | Instant | Instant |
| Close-up or stage | Both | Close-up | Both | Close-up |
| Buy | Check price | Check price | Check price | Check price |
Editor's Choice
Invisible Deck
- Effect
- Any named card is the only one reversed
- Level
- Beginner
- Reset
- Seconds
- Close-up or stage
- Both
Brainwave Deck
- Effect
- Named card reversed, with a different back
- Level
- Beginner
- Reset
- Seconds
- Close-up or stage
- Close-up
Swami Gimmick
- Effect
- Secretly written predictions
- Level
- Intermediate
- Reset
- Instant
- Close-up or stage
- Both
Peek Wallet
- Effect
- Learn what someone wrote
- Level
- Beginner to intermediate
- Reset
- Instant
- Close-up or stage
- Close-up
The 8 Best Mentalism Tricks to Buy
The list runs from the purchases that give the biggest effect for the least practice to the ones that reward more work.
Invisible Deck (Editor's Choice)
The effect: you place a boxed deck on the table and explain that it is an imaginary, invisible deck. The spectator mimes taking a card, names it aloud and puts it back face up. You open the real deck and spread it: one card is face up among the face-down cards, and it is the card they named.
The Invisible Deck has been a staple of card mentalism for generations, and it remains one of the strongest tricks money can buy, because the choice is genuinely free and the deck is in view from the start. This version is made with real Bicycle cards and comes with instructions.
- ✅ Any card can be named, with no force
- ✅ Learnable in an evening and resets in seconds
- ✅ Works for one person or a full room
- ❌ Widely known among magic fans, so occasionally someone has seen it
- ❌ The cards need gentle handling to stay in good condition
Brainwave Deck
The effect: the spectator names any card. The deck is spread and that card is the only one reversed. When it is removed, its back is a different color from every other card in the deck.
The Brainwave Deck is the natural partner to the Invisible Deck: similar freedom of choice, an extra surprise at the end. It suits close-up performers who want a second card routine that looks unrelated to the first.
- ✅ A double climax: reversed card, then a different back
- ✅ Bicycle stock that feels like a normal deck
- ❌ Best performed close-up, where the back color is visible
- ❌ Too similar to the Invisible Deck to use both in one set
The Swami Gimmick (Nail Writer)
What it does: the swami gimmick, also known as a nail writer or thumb writer, is a tiny writing tool that lets a performer secretly write on a card or pad. It is one of the most important utility props in mentalism, behind countless predictions of words, numbers, names and drawings. This set from Murphy's Magic Supplies includes four gimmicks, a supply of lead and an instruction book.
A swami is a tool rather than a trick: you learn to use it, then combine it with routines from books. Expect a few weeks of practice before your writing looks natural.
- ✅ A professional workhorse that works with any routine you invent
- ✅ Four gimmicks in the set, so a spare is always on hand
- ✅ Weighs nothing and travels in a pocket
- ❌ Needs real practice to write legibly
- ❌ Fit varies with thumb size; try each gimmick to find the best one
Mind Reading Peek Wallet
The effect: a spectator writes something on a piece of paper (a word, a drawing, a name) and seals it face down inside your wallet, where you cannot see it. The wallet goes back into your pocket, and you reveal what they wrote.
Peek wallets are a family of everyday-looking wallets that let a performer learn written information without being seen to look. They are favored by close-up and walk-around mentalists because a wallet is something everyone expects you to carry.
- ✅ An ordinary object, so nothing about it looks like a prop
- ✅ Works with words, names, numbers or drawings
- ❌ Close-up only
- ❌ Requires a little acting to hide the moment you gain the information
Svengali Force Pad (Prediction Book)
What it does: a notepad that looks blank and ordinary, designed so that a choice the spectator makes from its pages can be controlled. You prepare it yourself with words, pictures, numbers or symbols, which makes it a flexible base for book tests and predictions.
Because you fill it in, a single pad can carry many different routines: a word prediction, a drawing duplication, a number force for a mathematical effect. It is a good entry point to the book test, one of the most admired effects in mentalism.
- ✅ Customizable: you decide what it forces
- ✅ Inexpensive and easy to replace
- ❌ Needs careful preparation before each show
- ❌ A paper pad looks less impressive than a real book on a big stage
ESP Cards Magic Kit
What it does: a beginner kit built around the five ESP symbols (circle, cross, wavy lines, square and star), with additional prediction props. Its own listing describes the cards as performer's cards rather than test cards, so this is a kit for telepathy-style magic routines, not for running a genuine ESP experiment.
ESP symbols are a perfect theme for mentalism because audiences recognize them from films and psychology classes. For the history of the cards, plain decks for honest tests and more routines, see the full guide to ESP cards.
- ✅ A themed set that makes telepathy routines instantly understandable
- ✅ Suitable for adults and teens starting out
- ❌ Not suitable for a real Zener test
- ❌ Budget materials compared with a branded deck
Penn & Teller Magic Kit (Kit for Adults)
What it is: a broad magic set aimed at teens 14 and up and adults, with more than 200 tricks taught step by step and video lessons. It is a general magic kit rather than a mentalism kit, but a broad grounding in magic builds the handling, timing and confidence that mentalism relies on.
A kit like this suits someone who is curious about performing in general and wants to try many kinds of effects before specializing. If you already know that mentalism is your thing, the individual props above are a better use of money.
- ✅ Many tricks and video instruction in one box
- ✅ A strong gift for a curious teen or adult
- ❌ Only a small part is mentalism
- ❌ Some props feel like toys next to professional gear
Practical Mental Magic by Theodore Annemann (Best Value)
What it is: a Dover reprint of Theodore Annemann's classic collection of mental effects, including book tests, predictions, billet work and stage routines, most of them with everyday objects. Many of the props on this page can be used with routines from this book.
If you can buy only one thing, buy a book rather than a trick. A single prop teaches one effect; a book like this teaches the principles behind hundreds. Our guide to mentalism books covers the next titles to read.
- ✅ Hundreds of effects for the price of a paperback
- ✅ Teaches principles you can combine with any prop
- ❌ Written decades ago, so some language and patter need updating
- ❌ Text-only explanations take patience
How to Choose a Mentalism Trick to Buy
The right prop depends on where you perform, how much you want to practice and what kind of effect suits your personality.
Start From the Effect, Not the Gadget
Ask what the audience will remember. "He named the card I was thinking of" is a better memory than "he had a clever wallet". The best mentalism tricks produce one clear, simple result that a spectator can describe to a friend in a sentence.
Match the Prop to Your Practice Time
Self-working tricks like the Invisible Deck can be performed the day they arrive. Utility tools like the swami gimmick take weeks to master but pay back for years. If you have never performed, start with a self-working trick and the free routines in our mentalism tricks guide, then add a utility tool once you know what you want to do with it.
Close-Up, Parlor or Stage
Close-up props (peek wallets, the Brainwave Deck) work at arm's length. Parlor and stage routines need effects that read from a distance: predictions on a large pad, a book test, a named card. The Invisible Deck is rare in that it works in both settings.
Buy Originals Where You Can
Many classic props are made by several manufacturers, and that is normal. Some newer tricks, though, are invented by working creators and copied by others. Where a trick has a known creator and an original version is available, buying the original supports the people who keep the art moving.
What Is in a Magic Kit for Adults?
A magic kit for adults usually combines several small props, a deck or two of cards, and printed or video instructions for dozens or hundreds of tricks. The value is in the variety: you discover which kind of magic you enjoy without buying each prop separately.
Kit or Individual Props?
A kit is the better choice for a gift or for someone exploring magic in general. Individual props are better for someone who already knows they want to perform mentalism, because each one is designed for a single strong effect. A mentalism starter set can be put together from three items on this page: the Invisible Deck, a swami gimmick and Practical Mental Magic.
Free Routines to Pair With Your Props
You do not need to buy anything to perform strong card mentalism. The mind reading card tricks page teaches five routines with a normal deck that pair well with the Invisible Deck in a short set.
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