Mailbag: Lucid ACAAN

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When I was a kid, I used to sleep with my schoolbooks under my pillow the night before a test. This is what I did instead of studying. My theory was the information would seep into my head by osmosis. I actually did pretty well in school, so we can’t definitively say this didn’t work.

This concept has infiltrated a few tricks I’ve created that happen overnight, similar to the Lucid ACAAN. And it is sometimes a little factoid I share to lead us into such a trick.

Below is some of the feedback I received since last week’s post.

I just wanted to take a moment to say how completely blown away I was by the Lucid ACAAN. There’s something magical, strange, almost mythological about it… and at the same time, it works in such an incredibly elegant way.

But what really struck me — and where I think you absolutely nailed it — is that, with this approach, you’ve finally created an ACAAN that laypeople will actually love. Like, genuinely. It’s not just “a coincidence”… it’s the kind of thing that makes someone stop, stare into space for a few seconds, and wonder if they just experienced a quiet little miracle. With this story, with this structure, the effect becomes absurd — in the best possible way. This is exactly why I’m such a fan of your work.

The whole thing is so well-constructed it feels... I don’t even know. Surreal!

I seriously can’t wait to try it out.

Thanks for creating something so unique, so theatrical, and so personal. —DM

Thank you 🙏

I know this isn’t the ultimate anytime-anywhere ACAAN, but even if you don’t use the full presentation, I think there are elements in it that can strengthen any version of the effect—especially in how it’s framed.

I’ve written more about my thinking on the ACAAN plot in a post called Fizzling ACAAN, but the core idea is this:

If you want the effect to stick, you have to weight the presentation more heavily than magicians typically do. The trick should feel fantastical—something that goes right against the edge of possibility.

Most performers lean into statistics: “It’s pretty unlikely your card would be at your number. And look—it is! How unlikely!” But coincidence, on its own, isn’t always that impactful. It only hits when it feels personal—like running into your college roommate while you’re both visiting Paris after not seeing or speaking to each other in a decade. That kind of coincidence lands because it’s yours.

But a random card at a random number? That doesn’t mean much.

So instead of emphasizing improbability, I try to offer the audience something impossible. Something strange. Something worth wondering about.

That’s at the heart of the Lucid ACAAN. But that general concept can be applied to any version of the effect you do.

Amazing!

To lay person, this would seem mind-blowing!

And the best part for me is ... I don't have to buy anything! I already have Xeno. But I don't use it.

I bought it a few months ago & once I got it, it just didn't resonate with me. Maybe I don't fully understand how to use it.

This Lucid ACAAN of yours will make me try to work with Xeno again. —MP


Bravo.

Lucid ACAAN elevates a mundane magician effect 100 fold with a solid hook and structure.

Xeno continues to be a powerhouse utility app.—LT

I’ve said it before, but I consider Xeno to be Marc Kerstein’s most underrated app. Perhaps the most underrated app in all of magic.

He’s mentioned to me that he’s likely going to give it an overhaul and update in the future to make it even better, which is something I’m definitely looking forward to. But it will probably be more expensive then, too. If you don’t have it, I’d get it now while it’s still relatively cheap.

Then use the search box on my site for Xeno to find the different uses I’ve talked about for that app.

Here are some alternative handling ideas that people sent in. Personally, I’m very happy with the methodology as I described it. There’s no sense that the order of the cards is ever changed, the spectator deals, the spectator turns over the card, it’s easy, and it’s invisible.

That being said, certain methods feel better for certain people, so here are some other ideas to consider:

Thanks for sharing Lucid Acaan, I had a thought which I wanted to share. The dealing process has some similarities to Andrew Gerard’s Extraordinary Proof on the Paul Harris TA dvds. Whilst Andrew's effect is definitely a table version. It has a couple of nice psychological touches that appear to prove  the fairness of the procedure. Combined with your presentation, it would remove any sleights other than the cull. You essentially end up with an image that all the card has come from centre of the deck.  —TB

I just wanted to share this with you, it's a way to position the top card to whatever number is needed in a very clean manner. You have to deal, but you can do it slower and cleaner than the way Paul does it in the video. 

Since in the original handling you need to touch the cards anyway, I think this is pretty darn good. —AFC

Re: The Lucid Cull Alternative

Another alternative would be to spread to the needed card, and then go one further, and put that down as if it's the card you think the person chose.  That card becomes the object of focus so you can do anything with the deck.  Then you can discard that choice however you want (decide to change your mind, fail then try something else, fail and do a top change, whatever).

In the attached video, the blue-backed card is the actual target card.—CC

And, lastly, a crediting note:

I first encountered the switching move used in Lucid ACAAN in “THE DUNBURY DELUSION IMPROVED” 

This effect is credited to Charlie Miller and appears in Alton Sharpe’s Expert Card Conjuring which was published in 1968.

The move is described on pages 50-51. Charlie also used a similar failure ruse as misdirection. The effect is classic.

The application of the sleight in Lucid ACAAN is well timed and appropriate.—RJ