Me actually. We got some money for Christmas, so decided to use it for a meal out. I mentioned the Italian because its fairly reasonable and very good.

Oh I am sure its a trick, I was just stunned

@Amisja I wonder if he had eavesdroppers stationed in the lobby or other places?

@pasha-one-nine This is my only guess, Paul tends to call me 'darling' (I'm not keen but its his thing). He didn't get Paul's job but very weirdly he got my ex's. Its a trick but it was very cleverly done.

@Amisja Did he make guesses for you to choose from? Banachek did that. Then it seems like he got it right when you actually directed him to the answer.

@Stephanie99 He said, 'Hi its Jayne right, with a y?' 'Let me guess you are a nurse, no...hmm more than a nurse, an educator, in university'.

@Amisja Cool. I would guess cheating somehow. Someone there must have given you up, or based on ticket information? At mine, one of the people who he cold read had sat behind the table selling tickets when we came in. He wasn't worried about giving things away too much as he was quite upfront about being a cheat. Maybe something like that happened?

@Stephanie99 He was just a table top magician, we didn't make reservations, Paul paid cash and they don't know us. Its obviously cold reading but it was very good

No reservations

How is it done? I want that trick

@Amisja [en.wikipedia.org]

@mordant So I look and behave like a Jayne..not a Jane. I look like a nurse but more specifically a university nurse lecturer? I am stunned by his accuracy.

@Amisja The article also covers warm and hot reading techniques. Read it in detail.

Note the tendency of audience members to mis-remember the actual statement of the reader and make it more compatible with reality and more specific. Note the various ways for the reader to do most of the talking but to get a ton of unwitting help from the audience.

@mordant but but I am so clever

@Amisja Did you bring a cell phone with you? Did you have it on the table? Did you have waitstaff who might have read it?

@RavenCT phone was in my hand when he approaced us. Everything online is 'Amisja'

He was literally inches from me and elevated a card and turned £5 into £50. It was super cool. I am very impressed but the name thing was freaky

I didn't get to keep the £50

Obviously...but how?

He has never met us before. He randomly selected us. He also put a pen through a fiver that had my name on which was then perfect when he handed it back. I get slight of hand but the name thing was strange.

@Amisja Every time a mentalist does a trick like that, he got the info from someone who knows the subject. If there was no one else around who knew you, I have to assume your date gave it up. That's just a guess, of course, but how else could it be done?

@Sgt_Spanky He didn't.

@Amisja Then that was a damn good trick. Do you remember his name? I'd like to look him up.

@Sgt_Spanky [andrewdeanmagic.co.uk]

@Amisja I am glad that you understand and accept that it is indeed trickery.

@jlynn37 Course

@Amisja Did it ever occur to you that your dinner partner could have pre-planned this event just for this purpose?