The Poisoned Glass Mental Plot – As Conceived by Oscar Weigle

Four diabolically subtle solutions for Oscar Weigle's compelling "Poisoned Glass" mental plot. In the event you're not not familiar with the general premise, a number of glasses are filled with water. While the performer's back is turned, or he is out of the room, one spectator pretends to pour some invisible poison into one of the glasses. When the performer returns, he tastes or smells every glass but one. The one rejected is, of course, the one that the spectator dropped the "poison" in. None of the four solutions we detail call for a stooge, peek, chemicals, magnets, food coloring, weights, glass covers, thumb tips, or any elaborate contraptions. In fact, they're all 100% practical and together offer you optimum flexibity in how this audience-engaging routine is performed, so you can use real glasses or cards as proxies for close-up. Plus, we provide new printable artwork for two versions along with the fascinating history of the effect, which took on renewed momentum after Bruce Elliott challenged "Phoenix" readers in 1950 to come up with a non-stooge approach. We reprint the ideas from the issue Elliott dedicated to the effect along with a summary of those he published later. 20 pages, illustrated.