Here is my personal presentation for a close-up Bank Night effect, and some thoughts on a more widely applicable version. While my version is specific to a particular occasion, it will be made clear how something very similar can be done at any time of year.
I’m hanging out with a friend at my place and they notice a bunch of Chinese red envelopes on the table.
“Oh those? Yeah, it’s something I’m practicing actually. Growing up in Asia, my family took part in giving and receiving red envelopes filled with cash. Being the main youngster at most family gatherings, I was the one doing most of the receiving. The cash flow didn’t stop even after my move to America, as there were some family friends near where we moved that participated in such traditions.
“So, I had an uncle that would always scam his way out of giving us kids any real cash in those red envelopes. He would insert a neatly folded $100 bill into one envelope, then a one dollar bill into another envelope. Then he’d mix up the envelopes and place them before you, asking you to choose one to keep. Somehow, he’d always end up with the $100 envelope, and leave you with the crummy one dollar envelope.
“As the years went on, he got cocky and started doing it with four envelopes, then with six! Three of the six had $100 bills, the other three had one dollar bills. He’d let you choose three envelopes out of six, and you can guess what would happen.
“As a kid I always thought it was frustratingly hilarious, but as I started to get a real interest in magic I began to wonder how he got away with it every year. I asked him once how he was doing it, and he simply said ‘Oh that old thing? It’s a mind trick I found. I’ll tell you one day.’ I acquiesced, and waited for that day to come.
“Long story short there was a bit of a health scare, and when he was ill he told me the secret. Thankfully he got better.
“Anyway, I’ve been practicing this psychological quirk of influence before Chinese New Year. I’m poor and need to scam my way out of giving these kids my money. Do you want to help me practice?”
Then I proceed to do a very clean Bank Night effect, giving myself big dollar bills and leaving them with three envelopes with tickets from Uncle Drew, saying things like “coupon for one tag session at the park”.
You don’t have to be Asian or have lived in Asia to take advantage of this presentation. Inside those envelopes could be birthday or Christmas cards for example. Some cards would have those homemade coupons, and the others would have $100 bills inside of them. You can really take it in any direction and adapt it to any family member you want. I just chose the red envelope and Chinese New Year because it’s personal to me. Here’s an example off the top of my head: “My dad used to play this game where he’d write down random foods and dishes on slips of paper and put them in envelopes. Then he’d let me pick out half of the envelopes, and the contents of the envelopes is what we would we have for dinner. Somehow he’d always make me pick the envelopes with dishes like salad in them. I never picked the other envelopes which always had items like chicken nuggets inside.”
My Preferred Bank Night
If you don’t have a handling or a method for a close-up Bank Night effect, I highly recommend you take a look at Spoiled for Choice in Doug Dyment’s Calculated Thoughts.
If you can’t reference or buy the book, the DNA of the routine can also be found in the trick Triple Alternative in the underrated Bolivian Brain Bafflers booklet by Marvoyan, available over at Lybrary for $10. If you decide to read Bolivian Brain Bafflers, be warned, there’s an error in the explanation. Namely: “As you see, in any case you end with two XE and one EE.”
This is not true. You’ll need to employ either a force or a switch on the last choice half of the time.
If you want to avoid working this out, it’s worth seeking out Calculated Thoughts. Not only is the book full of spectacular material, but there is an added subtlety in Doug’s version of Triple Alternative that will significantly up the odds of a perfect out.