Forcing (magic)

In stage magic, a force is a method of controlling a choice made by a spectator during a trick.

[1] Some forces are performed physically using sleight of hand, such as a trick where a spectator appears to select a random card from a deck but is instead handed a known card by the magician.

[2] An example of equivocation can be as follows: A performer deals two cards on a table and asks a spectator to select one.

In the magician's force, the spectator does not know anything about what will happen to the two cards he initially selects.

However, the spectator thinks that he is making a free choice in an otherwise scripted sequence of moves.