[ News
| Homes
| Life
| Entertainment
| History
| Science
| Community
| Shop ]
| Sport
| Culture
| Cars
| Money
| Broadband
| Learning
| Health
| Dating
| Games ]
[ Text Only: Homepage ]
[ Graphical: Channel4 Homepage ]
Home | Reading Minds | Mind Control Tests | Secret Skills | Behind the screen | Find Out More
Most of us associate card tricks with the kind of sleight-of-hand conjuring that anyone can do if they practice hard enough – the traditional mainstay of party entertainers. In this week's episode of Mind Control Derren Brown transforms this tradition, imbuing it with a darker and altogether more lucrative edge.
Taking his place alongside three other gamblers in a prestigious London casino, Derren wins at blackjack continuously, beating not only his fellow players but outwitting an increasingly suspicious croupier, who is forced to admit that Derren is almost breaking the bank at her table. 'I've never seen this happen before,' she says. 'That's just far too lucky.' One of Derren's fellow players observes astutely: 'If he had been taking risks, he would have lost as well as won – but he just won.'
This is the key: Derren was not taking risks. In fact, he knew exactly what he was doing, predicting every card before it touched the table. 'If you can keep track of the cards which are being dealt, you have the advantage of knowing whether the remaining cards are of a useful value,' says Derren. 'As the game progresses, I am following each player's hands and keeping track of the cards being dealt.' But while Derren is off cashing in his chips, the other players must have been wondering how on earth he does it.
The secret behind Derren's seemingly astounding feats of memory is actually quite simple. Using the centuries-old theory of mnemonics – the art of improving memory using an identifiable system of rules – Derren is showing us mind control at its most effective.
There are records of people using mnemonics to improve their memory and sharpen their mind as far back as ancient Greece. An anonymous work from 82 BC, for instance, refers to a visual memory aid in which the mind uses locators such as buildings in which to carry symbolic pictures or objects. These are then attached to the facts to be remembered, so creating a 'memory room'.
Describing how he uses this method, Derren says, 'I visualise a sprawling Florentine house. In that house there are memory rooms, each yielding information I place there to remember. When I play cards, I visit the card room on the top floor. In it there are 52 objects, each with a mnemonic link to a playing card. A clock set at seven, for instance, represents the seven of diamonds. As cards are dealt on the table I move quickly to the relevant object and remove it. This means I can see at a glance which cards are left and then know when to play for high stakes.'
The croupier at the casino has a less positive perspective on Derren's card skills: 'I can see why Derren Brown is bad for casinos,' she says, adding wryly, 'I think if he came here again, he would be asked to leave – politely.'
Channel 4 Television is not responsible for the content of third party sites
Maximise Your Memory by Jonathan Hancock (David & Charles, 2000)
Instructions, illustrations and sample exercises that show you how to build a system of personalised frameworks for storing and recalling information on demand. Buy this book from Amazon.
Secrets of Mind Power by Harry Lorayne (Frederick Fell, 1999)
Guide to memory techniques and methods to improve concentration, thinking and problem-solving skills. Buy this book from Amazon.
Better Bridge with a Better Memory: How mnemonics will improve your game by Ron Klinger (Cassell, 2002)
This guide shows how using mnemonics can help your game by improving your memory. Buy this book from Amazon.
Metaphors of Memory: A history of ideas about the mind by Douwe Draaisma, translated by Paul Vincent (Cambridge University Press, 2001)
Memory is essential to our sense of identity and throughout the ages philosophers and psychologists have used metaphors as a way of understanding it. This book takes you on a guided tour of metaphors of memory from ancient times to the present day.
Buy this book from Amazon.
History and Memory in Ancient Greece by Gordon Shrimpton (McGill Queens University Press, 1997)
A study of the effects of memory and mnemonics on early Greek historical writing when, argues the author, ancient historians saw memories about public events as public possessions
Buy this book from Amazon.
Memory Master
www.vlaardingen.net/~tom/Mainmenu.htm
Online training course that aims to demonstrate the power of human memory and teach you how to dramatically improve it.
Memory Techniques and Mnemonics
www.demon.co.uk/mindtool/memory.html
Lots of articles on techniques to improve your memory, including a section on how to remember playing cards.
The Memory Expansion Channel
www.brainchannels.com/Memory/history.html
Goes back to 516 BC to explain the history of the art of memory.