Professional Documents
Culture Documents
UBT by Dustin Dean PDF
UBT by Dustin Dean PDF
Bottom
Tear
Crediting ….............................................................................2
Part I – Preparation
Page 1
Crediting, History and a Big Thank You:
First off, I'd like to thank all of you for purchasing my personal
hope this tear will serve you as well as it has served me for many
years to come!
If you need any help with anything at all, you can always feel free
I'd like to also take this time to thank all of those that have
helped me along the way, and that have contributed their time and
ideas for this project. A huge thank you goes to all of the following:
Longman, Bob Cassidy, Richard Osterlind, Ran Pink, and anyone else
Page 2
While this is not technically a center tear, I feel it is close enough
center tear technique. The exact origin of the original center tear is
American student named J.T. Garrus, wrote three letters to his closest
Annemann's works. Both the Jinx and Practical Mental Effects contain
Center Tear). It was the first Instant Access Tear I have ever seen, and
wasn't long after learning his technique, that I came up with my own
Tear.
Page 3
It was brought to my attention after sharing my tear with some
of the most knowledgable mentalists in our craft, that there are also a
couple of tears that use similar methodology as mine that are worth
Now that we have gotten all of the fun stuff out of the way...
Let's get into what you've all been waiting for! Welcome to the UBT!
Page 4
Part I
Preparation
Page 5
The Materials:
To begin this tear, you will need.. Paper! Okay that may seem
obvious.. But more specifically, you will need thicker paper. Business
cards are the ideal paper stock to use for this tear. They aren't too
Some people may feel that tearing their own business cards
may think that tearing your name symbolizes that you don't truly care
about your business. If you feel this way, no worries! I've got you
covered.
You have a few options. You can either use other random
business cards that you may find from other businesses, buy blank
business card stock, or use index cards that you cut to a business card
size. Index cards aren't the best option, but they will work.
sharpie as its easier for me to read. This is what makes a tear so great
for mentalism.. You only need a piece of paper and a pen to make
straightforward mind-reading!
Page 6
The Pre-Writing:
This is an optional step you may take that I highly recommend.
With the UBT, (like the name implies) their writing will end up being
on the bottom of the billet, right in between the center fold. This area
isn't too strange for someone to write in, but I always like to include
Not only will this justify the placement of the participant's writing
in a very natural way, but will also give you an opportunity to take
advantage of a very nice dual reality ploy (if you so choose) that I will
explain in just a moment. If you don't want to use the ploy, you'd
name here,” with an “x” and a line being in the area of which they
are writing.
As seen here:
Page 7
If you'd like to use the dual reality ploy.. Please read on.
Although I've seen this technique used in many other works, I credit
specific command on top (ie. Please write your best friend's name,
Please write your favorite animal, Please write the name of your pet
etc). You then hand your participant the card keeping the writing
unseen from the rest of the audience. You then tell the participant
not let anyone see what that information is. Now you can perform the
Peter Turner likes to use the line, “Just so we are all aware, you
are thinking of your best friend (or favorite animal etc) now correct?”
the audience that you are truly getting inside your participant's head
Page 8
The Fold:
I'd like to take a moment to thank Millard Longman for allowing
you with many great subtleties on how to use the peek and will go
into further detail on the fold itself. You can purchase his Acidus
wasn't until Robert Cosley came up with a small variation that hides a
from a fold Ran Pink uses in his T-Rex effect. So again, thank you
My variation of the fold is very simple. You will take the card and
fold it from left to right at a downward angle. The top right corner of
the half closest to you should be slightly below the top right corner of
the back half. If you look at it from the front, there should be a small
Page 9
As shown here:
Now you will fold the card upwards, bottom to top, making sure
the back half is slightly below the front half as seen in figure. This will
hide the move that you will be performing during the actual tear. You
Page 10
Shown below:
ready to go.
Page 11
Part II
The Tear and
Basic Handling
Page 12
The Tear:
Now let's get into the best part, the actual mechanics of the
Now that you have the card folded and ready to go, you can
hand this to your participant to write their secret thought on. Turn
away as they do so and let them know to tell you when they are
finished writing. After they have finished, instruct them to fold the
If you are worried they wont fold the card as it was, you could
use the classic ploy of having them initial or sign the corner that will
be facing them when you perform the tear. This way you can tell
them to fold the paper so that the initials are still seen. Therefore, no
switches could be made and the card will be folded just how you
want it!
take the card back and display both sides. Explain that the card is
Page 13
Position the card as such:
All of the folded edges should be to the left and the open edges
with the flap to the right. This will give you easy access to perform the
the dirty work, you must turn your head away towards the right and
look up at the ceiling. Remain in this position until you are ready to
peek at the writing at the end of the tear. This will require some
practice, but you will find that it will become much easier and will feel
Now that you have your head turned away and you are holding
the billet in the correct position, you are ready to perform the tear.
Page 14
Hold the billet with both hands, using only your first fingers, middle
Now pop open the flap with your right thumb, and place it on or
around the “x” before the line written earlier on. Place your left
thumb inside of the crevice made by the flap, in the left-most corner.
Now pull back with your left thumb making sure to use moderate
force, while firmly holding onto the billet with your right hand.
Page 15
This will cause the billet to open up halfway, tearing open a secret
If this doesn't happen and the card rips in the wrong spot.. No
worries! Simply continue on to the bonus section for a tip to solve this
not fear that your participants will notice this initial “secret” tear, as it
process. I have never had anyone tell me that they noticed an out of
Page 16
place tear and I'm willing to bet that neither will you!
seem as if you have only opened the billet halfway. The justification
for unfolding the billet after having it folded into fours, is that it is
separating the bottom half of the card (where they have written) from
the top half. You will find that this is very easy to do because of the
Page 17
way the card has already been torn. It is important to hold the flap on
the right half of the card with your right thumb as you tear. You will
the flap. This will cause the flap to pop open, exposing their secret
writing! Use your left thumb to open the flap all the way to the left
while rotating the the entire package clockwise. Re-grip the package
with both hands, naturally hiding the secret flap with your left hand.
Page 18
Their writing is now in full view and the bottom half of the billet
REPEAT.. DO NOT PEEK! At this point you could easily peek at the
peek after fully destroying the card. Simply tear down the middle of
the torn halves, keeping the writing still intact. Keep these halves
Page 19
You are now ready to get your peek. All of this time you have
had your head turned completely away and all seems very fair. So
how will we get our peek in a logical and justifiable manner? Simple..
With your head still turned away, ask, “Could you help me out?”
Now turn your head back to them as you make eye contact. “Could
you cup your hands together just like this?” Now place the pieces in
your right hand behind the pieces in your left. Cup your hands
together, and look down at your hands. This gives you a logical
Page 20
Simply peek, then immediately look away after you have done so.
As soon as you turn your head away again, you will tear the
piece with their writing in half twice. Once downwards with your right
hand moving forwards and once backwards with your right hand
moving backwards. This removes any evidence that may suggest you
From here on, the tears are up to you! You can tear as much as
you want, or as little as you want. I personally don't like to tear too
much as I think it creates too much dead time.. Just remember, stay
confident and casual. Always practice and make sure to keep that
Great job, you have finished learning the tear and you are one
step closer to blowing peoples' minds with one of the most versatile
flowing.
Page 21
The Why:
As important as the actual mechanics of the tear are, I am a firm
believer that the “why” is just as important. Why have them write
anything down if you are just going to tear it anyways? Did you plan
to tear it to begin with? These are valid questions and need valid
answers.
I will share with you my reasoning, but be aware that this may
must touch the paper for the thoughts to come to him, almost like a
this down, they are committing to this thought and therefore cannot
Page 22
tear the paper. I always say, “Actually.. I don't normally do this, but
I'm going to get rid of this because I trust you. I don't think you
Again, this may not be your style.. But the most important thing
to take away from this section is that the “why” is just as important as
the “how.” Find whatever works for you and run with it.
Page 23
PART III
Bonus Routines
and Tips
Page 24
“Underground Manoeda” - Ever Elizalde:
I am extremely excited to share this gem of a routine with you.
there today.
When Ever shared his wonderful Manoeda routine with me, I was
immediately bursting with ideas. It's one of the few propless routines
in their pockets.. You then proceed to tell them exactly where the
coin is!
If you don't have Manoeda, get it! You will absolutely not regret
it! With Ever's generous permission I will be teaching you the basic
thing of pure genius and warrants a purchase from the man himself!
Page 25
You will begin by preparing a business card as such:
Notice how the phrase “imaginary coin” and the drawing of the
coin is placed in a perfect position for the UBT. You tell your
coin. Hand them the card and tell them to focus on what the coin
looks like in their mind. Turn away and have them write the date of
Page 26
Have them fold up the card and make sure it is completely
you'd like for this game to take place only in the mind.
useful kicker at the end of the Manoeda routine. Not only that, but
they will completely forget that you had the billet and the writing in
play. They will only remember that this coin existed only in their
mind.
Next, you will ask the participant to place their imaginary coin in
either their left hand, right hand, or in their pocket. You then ask
them to put both hands in closed fists out in front of them as you turn
Page 27
away. After they have done so, you may turn around.
The method lies within two questions you will be asking the
participant. This works one hundred percent of the time! You will
begin explaining that the game has to do with bluffing and your
ability to spot different “tells” much like in a game of poker. First, you
will ask them, “Is the coin in your left hand?” You will explain that
They will reply with either a yes or no.. Whatever the answer may
be, you will pretend to study them.. Pointing out different “tells” after
their reply. Explain that they are either a very good liar, or just simply
being honest. You will now ask another question to be certain with
your decision. This time, you will explain that if they told the truth,
they will tell the truth again. If they told a lie, they will lie again. Its
that simple!
You ask, “Is the coin in either one of your hands?” They will
again reply with either a yes or a no. So how will you know where the
coin is? Its very simple.. If they answered one question with a yes, and
one with a no, then you will immediately know that the coin is in their
right hand! If they answer both with a yes, or both with a no, then it is
Page 28
either in their left hand or in their pocket.. So now what?
Again, very simple! You will force your participant to end up with
difficult time and instruct your participant to change things up. “If the
pocket, move it to your left hand. If it is in your left hand, you can just
leave it there.”
As you can see, this forces the coin to be in their left hand! I now
tell them that I will ask one more question, but this time, I don't want
them to speak the answer out loud. I want them to say the answer
only in their mind. You will attempt to read their thoughts without
them saying a word! I simply ask, “Is the coin in your left hand?”
thoughts. You then smile and nod as you touch their left hand stating,
“You did excellent.. The answer was definitely a yes, the coin is in
stop..” You look up and away as if you are receiving another thought.
Page 29
“The date on this coin you were imagining.. Was it.. 19..72?” The
Page 30
“Birthday Card” - RW Cosley (RedDevil):
When Dustin asked if I had a routine to submit using the UBT, I
colleague Olivier Boes, who recently published the “10 Second Star
Sign Reveal.” In playing with Boes’s star sign tool, I discovered his
nice little subtlety could be used also as a force. At the very same
may be worried here because you know it is not 100% surefire. But
Page 31
WHAT THE SPECTATOR WILL REMEMBER
You take out a couple of business cards from your wallet and
You place the card face down on the table and forget about it.
easier to grasp, if you know what I mean. Don’t tell me when you
were born, but you weren’t one of those born in the last week or so
my toes. Or maybe it’s just an old wives’ tale. We will see in just a
minute.”
Page 32
“I want to do an experiment with you to see if we can use the
in the brain, by using our physical hands to write or draw them can
actually make the thought more powerful and thus easier for another
person to…well…read.”
“Okay.”
simple by using a thought that you have lived with all your life. Please
don’t tell me what it is, but I want you to think of your birthday: both
the month and the day. The problem with a birthday though is that it
help you make the thought easier for me to connect with mentally. I
beside each month. I want you to find the object or thing written
beside the month of your birth and then picture this object in your
Hand the spectator any piece of paper with a list of months and
Page 33
common objects that an average person can draw. I keep my list on a
folded index card in my wallet (see picture below). As you can see,
“I want you to look through the list of months, find your birth
intensely. Many times, this will make it easier for me to grasp your
thought. Do you think you can draw a crude picture of this object for
me?”
Page 34
pre-folded in the manner for UBT. As you turn your back so you can
clearly not see, ask her to draw a picture of her object in the box and
to write her full birthday on the line drawn for her. Then ask her to re-
fold the card so that you cannot see what was drawn or written.
makes a thought easier to grasp because we are using both our mind
strong in your mind right now. Please look at your card to make sure I
cannot see through it and then hand it to me so I can just touch the
Take hold of the card making sure to emphasize that you are not
Page 35
ceiling or into the spectator’s eyes). Take a few seconds of silence as
You tear up the card and cast the pieces aside as you say, “I was
worried at first, but I then was surprised how strong the thought was
that you sent me. You may not realize that you have a very powerful
presence of mind. Has anyone ever told you that? At any rate, I want
you to follow my fingers in the air, and I will try to draw the image in
Using your fingers in the air in front of her eyes, draw the figure
in large scale in the air and verbally explain the lines you are drawing
without naming the figure/object (I saw Atlas Brookings use this type
presentation here). Over time, you will start to see a reaction of the
spectator, and you will then name the object she drew.
Page 36
But here’s the kicker…
scribbled something down on this card on the table here (this is the
card you alluded at the very beginning before discussing the birthday
and then placed faced down on the table)? This card has been here
since the beginning, even before you picked and object to draw for
your birthday, hasn’t it? Please turn it over and take a look.”
The spectator turns over the card that has fairly and truly been
there before the discussion ever began, and it has the drawing
destroy any suspicion of a peek!). Read this again. You are actually
before he even sees the list of objects to choose from. And you will
page.
Page 37
And here’s the 2nd kicker…
You then proceed to tell her the exact day of the month she was
born in whatever presentation that fits your style. How? Because you
forgotten. Using Olivier Boes’s “10 Second Star Sign Reveal” minutes
earlier, you already knew with 80% certainty what month the
spectator was born. They just don’t realize that they have already
divulged their birth month to you due to Boes’s dreadfully simple and
month of birth, you were able to pre-draw the picture and accomplish
And on the 20% of the time that Boes’s steal does not work and
you are wrong about the birth month, you will still be ahead because
you will find out your error before you attempt to duplicate the
drawing thanks to the center tear! By using the UBT, you will know
Page 38
the exact date of birth and will immediately know that your pre-
drawing was wrong. And thus, you can then change course and
stranger to name the first 3-4 star signs that come to her mind, most
people will default to the one they know the best, their own, and
then say that specific star sign first. You will be as shocked as I was at
how often this works. And the method hits even more when the
Page 39
By itself, the method is simply this:
the spectator’s star sign is Libra. Since most people don’t have an
intimate knowledge of the star signs, they will go first to what they
know (their own star sign) when under pressure to name them quickly.
It works very well, and I am envious that I didn’t think of this myself.
routines.
little exercise to clear her mind. It’s kind of like we when we are
Page 40
sampling different colognes and perfumes in a shop at the mall.
works the same way with the mind. Our brains are always dealing with
embarrass you, and the exercise is dead easy. It’s just designed to
briefly clear your mind for a few minutes before you go back to your
“Sure, okay.”
ask you a series of random questions, and your job is to list 3-4
ask you to name the colors of the rainbow, and your job is to say as
can…Got it? Ready? Okay, here goes; we will start easy and then get
Page 41
a little more difficult.”
circle.”
Snap your fingers and let the spectator name her shapes. After
3-4 shapes have been named, you can stop her and praise her to
“Name as many star signs as you can in 5 seconds. Go!” Snap… (in
my region of the USA, we don’t say “Star Signs.” Instead, I would say
Page 42
seconds!” Snap…
with today.”
with all the star signs. But most everyone knows his/her own sign, and
when she is under pressure, her mind will go straight to what she
knows best: her own sign. Usually, the first sign named in the list is
the one belonging to the spectator! That is the basic rule of Olivier’s
method. You will be surprised how well this works, and I again am
But you have also done something else. You have logically
hidden this ruse inside a larger context, which will eliminate all
suspicion. They don’t have a clue that you will be using this
Page 43
Now, you can either go straight into the birthday card routine, or
doing this, you are emphasizing even more that the questions truly
had nothing to do with any effect you are performing other than
preparing their minds for success. The more time between the star
sign steal and the use of the knowledge you gain from it, the more
Page 44
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
1. Initiate the mind-clearing test and steal the star sign that is likely
Sign Reveal.”
do you do that? So far, you only have the star sign, which could
born.
For instance:
October 1-22.
remember from the earlier script, by the fact that you nonchalantly
asked her if she was born in the last week of the month. It sounds like
Page 45
an off-hand question in the script, but the knowledge is crucial for
success. If you have the star sign dates memorized, you will be able
“Yes” when asked if she was born in the last week of the month,
won’t matter. You will still be able to use the alternate ending
Reveal” and her answer to the part of the month she was born.
Lay this drawing face down on the table and pretend it is not
Page 46
*If you don’t have the star signs or star sign dates memorized,
5. Show her the list of months and pictures (see picture previously
mentioned). Ask her to find the object matching her birth month
7. Ask the spectator to fill out the card unseen to you and then re-
duplication” (thanks, Atlas) and then reveal the card on the table
to show that you knew her birthday all along. Go ahead and tell
her the exact day she was born, and you have stunned her with a
great finish!
Page 47
10. If your pre-drawing is incorrect, you will never refer to it
you never refer to it again because the card was supposedly for
conclusion in my book.
CONCLUSION
You may have noticed the 3rd logical disconnect of using a list of
duplication. I think that if we use a list of star signs rather than a list of
With that said, if you don’t have the star signs and their dates
Page 48
memorized, you can just use a list of star signs instead. It’s weaker,
but will still work with most. It also simplifies things, and you don’t
and impactful for a total stranger. If the spectator thinks you could
Finally, I wanted to thank Dustin for sharing his center tear with
me. I love it! I want to also thank Olivier Boes for giving me
permission to share his “10 Second Star Sign Reveal.” And I feel Atlas
“Cloud Nine” should also be credited because Atlas also asks the
spectator what part of the month he was born in his Penguin lecture
in order to correctly identify the person’s star sign. I hope you enjoy
this!
Page 49
Bonus Tip and Alternate Handling:
If you are having difficulties with the initial “hidden” tear, no
do because their paper won't tear right. This was because their cards
were either too thin, or too thick. Thanks to Madison Hagler, I now
have a solution!
Madison found that his card was too thick and made it difficult
to initiate the first tear. To fix this, he simply applied an extra step
during the preparation of the billet. He made a very small tear in the
This causes the initial rip to happen much easier, and won't tear
the card in any other spot but where the small tear was applied. This
means that if the card was too thin and tears in the wrong spot, this
The original version of this tear was slightly different than the
designed to really sell the fact that you can't be peeking at anything.
After each tear, you'd immediately show your view of the card by
turning the pieces over, then back again. It was extremely fair
Page 50
looking, yet dragged out the tearing process and didn't appear as
For the sake of completeness, you may find that you enjoy this
handling so I've decided to include it here. After the first tear that
your participant sees (after the hidden tear), you are left with two
halves of the card. The half facing the participant looks completely
normal and opaque, yet the half facing you has a secret flap for
To hide this discrepancy, you will simply place your right fingers
over the torn away section as you rotate the pieces forward. This will
normal by opening the flap and initiating the second tear. Place the
pieces you've just torn behind the pieces with the writing in your left
hand.
After gaining your peek, simply close the flap as you rotate all of
the pieces to display to your audience. It will now appear that the
audience has seen everything that you have seen, meaning that you
could not possibly have seen their writing. If you need any more help,
Page 51
please feel free to contact me and I will personally help you!
Page 52
Conclusion:
Thank you all so much for investing in this project, both with
your time and money. I sincerely hope this tear serves you well and
There are so many different effects that can be done with a tear,
the possibilities are endless! If you'd like to join the private UBT
Facebook group to discuss routines, tips, ideas and more, please feel
-Dustin Dean
Video Explanation:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/gjtqcq29etnb8ij/ubt
%20explanation.mov?dl=0
Quick Demonstration:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/sc4cwhtzz5p1r3h/ubt%20front
%20shot.mov?dl=0
Page 53