Helder Guimarães: A magical search for a coincidence

Small coincidences. They happen all the time and yet, they pass us by because we are not looking for them. In a delightfully subtle trick, magician Helder Guimarães demonstrates with a deck of cards, a dollar bill and a stuffed giraffe.
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[@yugiohamersfoort6051]

Helder is a master cardician. Don’t forget his winning FISM act in 2006. He’s a world champion of close-up magic.

[@Felixjin]

The lady kept the man's dollar

[@PasinduPereralink]

and all that just to steal a 1 $. million tricks = 1 million $

[@CapnBlood]

The woman reading the serial #'s wasn't randomly chosen, a plant perhaps? We couldn't see the serial # (and it's just to convenient that the last card was a dramatic face card too.)

[@bn4063]

ntblood @ 11:59 you can see the serial number, and that is correct number

[@herbymichel973]

Lmao

[@herbymichel973]

Lmao that was funny

[@Joker-io8zx]

the man throw back the giraffe in very disappointment like a little kid. he was really expecting *10 of the heart* 10♡ 😂😂😂😂

[@jerejakob5825]

indeeeeeeeeeed!!!!!!!!!!!!! it was

[@LNKTTTXS]

lol

[@kyleleon85]

That ACAAN was fucking mind blowing. Probably the greatest card trick I’ve ever seen. Jesus.

[@luxurious0346]

Old man: my dollar...

[@wherethetatosat]

"Sir, this is not your show. Keep the giraffe for a moment." Can already tell this is going to be one of the better ones!

[@noornasri5753]

Unfortunately it wasn't

[@benjaminfranklin4149]

That routine with the dollar bill serial number is mindblowing. Wow.

[@kevster288]

When he said think of any card I picked jack of spades and it actually was that card.. I'm scared :/

[@Quarks123]

Indeeed! but I did not

[@cameronl1859]

I did too...

[@webgpu]

let's see... there are 52 cards in a deck.. there's thousands of youtube viewers, and you're one them. Lets say there are 52000 viewers. The probability of anyone choosing one of 52 cars is 1/52 of 52000 which is 1000 people. So if just 52000 people watched this video, then there are other 999 people besides you that choose the same card. I'm scared too, but i'm scared of how little people know basic math.

[@dannyduchamp]

"I felt your energy" ... wtf

[@Stone101Cold]

Danny Duchamp was it not sarcasm ? i felt like it was sarcasm ..

[@dannyduchamp]

Kareem Battah It may well have been. It didn't seem like that to me though.

[@mazemir1]

Danny Duchamp Think he was trying to be funny

[@matejplachta9460]

Indeed!! he did

[@johndez5213]

Danny Duchamp He was trying to speak magician

[@user-yn6pl2qh9u]

he did a incredible thing ,that is all magicians ,no matter they are professional or ameture, we should keep the secrets of tricks and entertainment for audience !

[@frozen3078]

Fico sempre orgulhoso quando vejo Potugueses em eventos como este com tópicos interessantes para colocar na mesa. Muito bem pensado e realizado da parte de Helder Guimarães!

[@samuelws1996]

AWESOME HELDER!! hope youre going to release it soon :))

[@LikeAGroove]

indeeeeeeeeeeeeed

[@PrincessaAnastasiya]

In the past, I noticed that everyday life does indeed become increasingly more beautiful when you pay it closer attention, as Guimarães says, but I also realized that this is usually not because these "coincidences" just exist for us to maybe stumble upon, but our mind creates and connects them. I think that's pretty magical to think about too. Great video! Although magic shows always leave me feeling strange at the end when the strategy is not revealed.

[@PasinduPereralink]

he just tricked you so bad. only part I can't figure out is how he knew the serial number of that $, hidden cam on the giraph ?

[@mbssseattle]

the trick is to switch the man's dollar with your own $ before he writes on it. you pocket his dollar, have him write on your dollar when you "break" the deck you recover the set of prepared cards in your sleeve. (proof: watch the video right hand when preparing to break his index and middle finger are stiff. the same trick will smith did on 'men in black.' ) you must preselect the dollar to have obviously 1-10 but only K, J, Q, A on the serial. that's why he was specific about the amount. odds are highly probable that someone has a one dollar bill. that's the reason he had to show us his dollar too, preventing anyone from saying, "hey why did I see on your side"

[@iconforu2c]

Mind blowing stuff. He is a really speaker as well as a trickster!!

[@carlosvaquera4679]

One of the greatest creator of illusions from the new generation. I love it!!!!

[@luxurious0346]

Sees him folding a bicycle card into a quarter extraordinarily slowly* Him: I saw you react there

[@stanis_gaming]

Love the tricks, but I don't really get what it has to do with TED.

[@camerondrew9402]

Technology, Entertainment and Design...

[@GriffJoe95]

Cameron Drew Entertainment, maybe.

[@rei9817]

StanisTheMenace E is for entertainment. I found this entertaining.

[@KatrinaAune]

Seeing the positive and negative of all things, with power of intention.

[@KatrinaAune]

Steff's Thailand Travel .... YOU just became the perfect example of, QUIT THINKING TO SOON... lol I just screen shot these last 5 comments. Gonna tweet it to him. Gol

[@JapaneseNathan]

11:22 look by his shoes there are 2 cards that made a pyramid. coincidence?

[@MFper4mance]

+Loudlazer Inc. i think not... *x-files song in background*

[@lorvik]

Indeed it is!

[@richardwang3340]

Probably just the Illuminati

[@aimanhalim5430]

Indeeeeeeed.

[@flo4968]

mind blown .

[@SlurponMuhdickKillTheState]

The thumbnail shows the loophole. I won't tell you what it is, but its there. He's still VERY good.

[@rawstarmusic]

He was quite amazing. One thinks that some of these guys would fail on stage but they never do. Perfect show.

[@MavDillain]

12:59 Mexican Ben Shapiro chillin in the front seat

[@Shaunt1]

Very interactive with the audience.

[@Boston-prince]

TED talks, ideas worth spreading. I honestly felt like the idea (small coincidences...) in this talk was forced in to only serve Helder's simple tricks. That been said, there was no "worth spreading idea" in this talk.

[@fabled.]

That depends on the interpretation. To me it was less about the coincidences themselves but the meaning we give to them and the stories we make up to come up with an explanation. That gives variety and enjoyment in life and leads us to be more attentive and more appreciative of the little things that happen all the time but we are too busy to notice them, dismissing them as unimportant. To me, a way to live a happier life is not an "unworthy" idea to spread.

[@asdasdasdasd7483]

entertainment, nothing else

[@PS3sky]

FabledDan well said my good man.

[@jimlovesgina]

"TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less). TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, and today covers almost all topics - from science to business to global issues - in more than 100 languages. Meanwhile, independently run TEDx events help share ideas in communities around the world." Entertainment is the fucking 'E' in TED. If you disagree with something the guy in the video is saying, posting about THAT would be relevant. You are just bitching about what you BELIEVE TED should be limited to in its provision of FREE content. You are a fucking idiot.

[@peteryeung111]

Well said Jim! This is indeed very entertaining to me at least.

[@SquamatoHD]

Haha what a funny coincidence, i was looking through some boxes in my room while watching the video and at the moment he asked if the man had a one dollar bill, i opened a box and found a single one dollar bill and im living in germany :D

[@SeaOdeEEE]

This man must be a Master of Synchronicity.

[@themagician1762]

1:30 I now know how to deal with a heckler. lol

[@penspinner]

Really excited to see one of my favorite magician hold a ted talk! He is one of the few magicians who inspired me to start learning magic, and as usual his tricks are phenomenal. Although i do agree to a certain extent the message he is trying to bring across is pretty much gibberish, to get to see him perform his tricks are alone worth watching (:

[@EvanCarmichael]

Great presentation - well done :) #Believe

[@sofiarodrigues6453]

amazing!

[@abdelrahim5184]

Wrong placement of dollar bill at end but he gets a giraffe ❤😊

[@headlightdear]

That's such a great routine

[@isiseejanuarieRA1788weareUtube]

Amazing the first time i observed several month ago

[@RonaldL.MAngela.vaught17HH]

i -felt your energy seems coinsedental

[@SchiferlED]

Not sure why it matters, as the tricks were very convincing, but when he threw the deck into the air and "grabbed" some cards out of the air, he was producing a new deck. The shuffling that the audience did was a farce.

[@TDrudley]

That was kind of clear, but when did he switch bill and how did he put the signature on it? Assuming the signature was still on it when the lady read the numbers.

[@LuizBGomide]

Not really... the cards he produced were from the same deck shuffled and prearranged. I'm more interested on how he switched the bill (assuming it wasn't a confederate).

[@Dekunutcase]

***** Or he could just have a lady in the audience who memorized a different number for the bill...

[@LuizBGomide]

MCWestover You can see the numbers on the bill as he unfolds it. Two choices here, either he switched the bill for his own with some fake signature on it; or the person in the audience was a confederate. The trick with the card in the middle of the notebook also seems strange, he could place the card as he was turning the notebook but I couldn't find any evidence of that; or else that notebook has a lot of "outs".

[@Dekunutcase]

***** I see. Yeah, couldn't be a confederate. The numbers look right. I retract my theory.

[@Barsiel]

So the guy lost his dollar?

[@jeeves31415]

he paid a dollar for a pretty cool trick

[@finfan7]

If he can afford the ticket to TED he can afford a lost dollar.

[@AndersLillere]

+Madon Games But he got a giraffe for free!

[@rufusw1992]

Entertaining

[@a.b.4052]

Has Helder released any of these effects? They are all phenomenal.

[@benjaminfranklin4149]

@@EpicBunty Not common at all. They would only appear common if you don't know anything about magic.

[@EpicBunty]

@@benjaminfranklin4149 thats me!

[@user-rr5oq2ii2b]

@@EpicBunty Not at all. none of these effects are common at all. It requires deep understanding to even choreograph them. :P

[@EpicBunty]

god knows what I was on about. those weren't common tricks at all!! mb G's@@user-rr5oq2ii2b

[@popcornthemagictalkingcat7996]

I thought the tricks were really great! It sucks that many people referred to them as "just tricks", those were some great routines.

[@vinayraut7646]

Indeed

[@PachucoDesigns]

Dat magic tho.

[@rossturcotte419]

is there a copy of 'invisible tango' &/or his 'nothing to hide' glitch w/ derek delgaudio available online? 🃏

[@dwaynegibson8470]

I think I missed the point. That being said coincidences are a phenomenon.

[@Vicvines]

I watch Ted talks in a window and do things in another window. Recently, Google has changed the layout and function of their site. So now whenever I put this window to the side to watch the videos while doing other things in the other windows, this window snaps to the suggestion panel so I have to go back and move the scroll bar back over. Try this. Put the window on the left part of your monitor and try to move your mouse around.

[@jjpp1993]

he has improved his english so much

[@BernardoPatino]

How was it before?

[@coolandniceyearbob8093]

+Bernardo Patiño bad i guess

[@BernardoPatino]

Coolandniceyear Bob That actually makes sense.

[@chinesespeakwelsh]

Portuguese got talent!!!

[@SangoProductions213]

interesting magic tricks.

[@kunkushun1]

Professional beautiful ideas handlings and well spoken patter!

[@jyesucevitz]

that ending was beautiful. hadn't see it done that way before.

[@debayandattachowdhury]

where's the guy who explains how it was done??

[@BillM1960]

Dang, pretty good trick.

[@juliusk9235]

i think the crew guys filmed the bill, and when he back to the stage there was planty time to say the numbers, and when he shuffle last cards he place all in order(maybe was not hard, all cards could be 1,2,3.. similar to serials on bills) also he, correct same when, show to all on stage, that can be seen. he correct becouse, the guy put some card over, when let finish to someone. It's just my opinion.

[@kamenidriss]

and this is relevant for TED exactly how?

[@WardTheBushEsport]

Technology ENTERTAINMENT Design.

[@kamenidriss]

fair enough. I just assume TED is all about the serious ideas worth spreading

[@GarethField]

You didn't have any ideas worth spreading from watching this, really? Are you sure? Maybe there's one ... behind your ear? No? Just muck? Oh dear.

[@ddh540]

The Harlem globetrotters are entertaining as well but I don't think that they would be invited to TED. These talks are intended to focus on the convergence of Technology Entertainment and Design. This talk was just entertaining. Just not what I expected I guess.

[@CusterDawg]

Mission Statement: We believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world. So we're building here a clearinghouse that offers free knowledge and inspiration from the world's most inspired thinkers, and also a community of curious souls to engage with ideas and each other. I'd say this falls under that statement. His talk/performance was a kind of dual purpose. Yes it was entertaining, but he also asks us to "search for a coincidence"/magic in our everyday lives.

[@EdwardMDL]

That Portuguese accent duude

[@Exceltrainingvideos]

That was amazing!

[@eyewaves...]

Great Stuff. Loved it !!!

[@karamjnah976]

11:18 0.25 speed you will see that when he trows the cards he already has cards in his hands

[@mazemir1]

Well aren't you cool.

[@mikadevine216]

but that doesn't explain the order

[@txia77]

this is because the 1 dollar was his , not the other man ones..so he knew the order.

[@MavisRileyJunior]

Well time stamp where the switch occured then. He was not near the spectator when they signed the bill

[@fll3340]

karam jnah exactly!

[@evropaheart]

was I supposed to get anything more than a hacky magic show from this?

[@adrianflo6481]

+witcher766 Technology ENTERTAINMENT Design.

[@Skeletor611]

I’m interested to know why do you say it’s “hacky”

[@rahulsolankib]

Crazyyyyy

[@michaelweiss9024]

To everyone trying to figure out the meaning behind this TED talk here's my thoughts', Helder is stating that everyone is so busy going from point "A" to point "B" that we don't notice the little things' in our lives'. When you evaluate your own life you will start to notice patterns' or better yet..coincidences'. He illustrates' his point using magic to create a pathway for the viewer to help better understand the performers own self discovery and coincidences' in his life in which he shares' with his audience.

[@CorigamiC]

No no no no no. Helder was folding his own bill at the beginning to demonstrate to the man in the audience how to do it. Helder's bill was the one with the correct serial code that the man signed. Notice Helder's precise instructions to the man on the ORIENTATION of the bill when he was teaching him to fold it, so there wouldn't be any discrepancies when he swapped his folded bill for the man's in the audience without anyone noticing, BEFORE the man in the audience signed it (thinking it was his folded bill). Also notice how Helder maintained a packet of cards in his hand when he was demonstrating to the audience how to shuffle. This packet contained the cards which were revealed in the end to be the same as the bill's serial number. The deck was stacked before the trick started. This packet's order was maintained through Helder's "shuffles". And when he handed that small packet to the audience member to cut, that is very easy to undo, as a cut can be undone with a single hidden cut. That packet stayed on the top of the deck when the cards were gathered back up. Helder showed his hands empty before fanning the cards, but immediately after showing his hands empty, he palmed off the top packet of cards before fanning the remainder of the deck. Notice how his top hand's fingers stay cupped and do not spread apart. And notice the angle he held his body at for this part of the trick (watch this part of the video in slow motion and see). He fans the remainder of the deck, hiding the cards in his hand. He throws the fan in the air, and within that mess of flying cards, he has the perfect cover to unpalm the cards in his hand as if he had just caught them in the air. He places them in the cup on stage, and has an audience member read the serial number from the signed bill (which is the one HELDER folded at the beginning), which matches the cards in the cup, which HELDER controlled and maintained the order of. Tadaaaaa. Coincidence....

[@marklord7614]

Your commentary is spot on...good stuff!

[@magicpuppets]

LOOK AGAIN MR SAVY! HE NEVER TOUCH THE SPECTATORS BILL!

[@thebookofjoy]

nice, but I can't see how is it possible for him to switch the bill before the old guy signed it

[@pamelahill196]

Fantastic and smooth! :)

[@jefjor3542]

"90% of everything is crap" lol

[@x1plus1x]

If it's staged, then it's not a coincidence..

[@raydyfetch3]

You're right, Sherlock!

[@Ndo01]

How, just how.

[@Detonator111]

Amazing!

[@ddh540]

It's a magic show

[@yaroslavlovyagin8779]

Legend!

[@Pedro-tl7jg]

Had to be Portuguese eheh

[@RockstahRolln]

Brasileiro! LOL!

[@andrepereira7461]

ele diz no vídeo que é português, mas se tu dizes...

[@ralphie_yt]

O Helder e Portugues

[@PaulTheillusionist]

Awesome Ted Talk Helder!

[@EineBlondineXD]

Weeeeell... he actually is good.

[@NoelCarson]

Also he switched the dollar bill with the one in his jacket and got the sign on it. He then pulled up a predetermined set of cards matching the dollar bill he had. He is smart and has purposely left clues for us to identify. Probably as this is supposed to educative as well.

[@MedEighty]

Did the guy get his dollar back?

[@theheroofthestory9330]

No, but h bought a giraffe.

[@carlosmillan5451]

The signature over the 1 made a 7 upside down 11:52 ive discovered another coincidence

[@cwbtv989]

What is the na,é of the Card change

[@ciabattalebeau8048]

A fun TED talk, Helder is a fun an entertaining magician. Short much watch video!

[@HideOnMada]

Indeed.. xD

[@lightswarm124]

Does anyone understand what his deep meaning on this talk is?

[@zanenzeller4885]

90 percent of everything is crap

[@lefterisvardakis2018]

good team work they gave hints if you pay attention

[@williamquintin9562]

What if one dude kept the cards?

[@DragonDoFogo]

This was lovely :P

[@ikhosa123]

So did the guy get his $1 bill back?

[@thedarkener]

I want a clown that juggles!

[@tahsinsezadagdeviren8630]

Böyle videolar izlediğim için kendimi tebrik ediorum

[@ryanphillips1781]

I thought his idea was well justified. I also think that having Helder hold a talk was good publicity for TED. He is well respected in the magic community and draws magicians in. After watching the video, I watched more videos on the site and also downloaded the TED app. His talk was a nice break from all the other heavy "sciencey" ones. Overall, great magic and interesting message. Well done.

[@yucongni4791]

I guess I've got something great from the talk...Do I?

[@jundatan1654]

Indeeeed!

[@MrWeAllAreOne]

Amazing

[@TheJaseku]

Crazy shit!

[@PlasteredDragon]

Fun to watch. Nice tricks!

[@minimaxhall]

Maybe we really stop thinking to soon...

[@jishnuviswanath]

That was amazing :)

[@ruthmargaridagregovieira9847]

Very Good - I enjoy it :)

[@hamnahsiddiqui8540]

"...big square.."? You mean a rectangle, right?

[@hungh0]

correctly guessed jack of spades

[@chaosjacky]

Why TED?

[@devindelgrego4500]

Ha! Incredible. Tells us about things being 90% crap because of laziness then shows us card tricks that takes time to think about.

[@fudanchu8436]

It's amusing how "real magic" doesn't exist and only "fake magic" does. You'd think it would be the other way around... Still it's impressive slight of hand, and entertaining.

[@ElliWoelfin]

+Fu Dan Chu Just because you yourself have never seen do not make it not exist. Also, few illusionists claim what they do is magik. It is illusions, sleight-of-hand, and distractions.

[@alexandrepois]

Amazing! :o

[@seastilton7912]

Except he did influence him... At the start the card was the king of spades.