When I began my game journey, there were no major forums or Facebook groups (there was no Facebook, just MySpace). I found all my early wings on Gumtree or Craigslist. It was genuinely underground.
There was no such thing as day game. There was no such thing as even a direct opener. Game was a long drawn out charade of a wholly indirect nature. It was enormously effective but it took skill and charm to execute properly. My early crew and I spent a good long five years doing ‘game’ in London. That meant indirect bar game. As wholly different to street-pickup as you can imagine. In fact, in my opinion, day-game is not really game. It’s a hack. A short-cut. It’s just an enormously effective one and you’d be crazy not to take it.
If you want results, day-game is king. If you want genuine skill as a pickup artist, then you need to learn night game.
The whole idea of night game is that you use a static environment with a fairly stable base of actors. If there are 100 people in the bar, over the course of the hour or two, you’re likely going to have the same core of 80 people you’re working with.
Because the environment is static, you have time to raise your value in the target’s eyes before you open her.
Nowadays, night game, good night game, is as rare as a tolerant Leftie. I see guys doing ‘night game’ now and it’s little more than normal chode game with some cockiness and negs thrown in or just street game in a bar. It’s a lost art. But if you’re interested, here are the basics.
One: Suitable Bar
You need to find a bar, not too loud, with a nice blend of seated and standing areas and with a selection of targets. Not every bar is good for game. It’s an art in itself selecting the correct environment.
Two: Entrance
Walk in. Don’t scan the bar for skirt. Be mildly laughing and jovial with your crew. Not over the top like some over excited hyenas. No high fives. Order drinks and try to have some kind of brief banter with the barman. OK, if you really must, you can high five the bar man.
Three: Set Up Camp
These doesn’t mean you start doing Frankie Howerd impersonations. No, set up camp in some space which is largely visible. Be focussed on your crew. Your feet should initially all point at each other. Be happy and relaxed for a minute or two. Do not scan the bar, but try to soak in an idea of what the battle ground looks like. Who are the allies, targets and obstacles? There are two kinds of sets. Target sets and pawn sets. A target set is one with a girl you want. A pawn set is one you simply want to use in order to get into a target set.
Four: First Pawn
Begin. Open a pawn set, ideally a set of guys. Anything will do, how many local football teams are there? Is there a game we can see this weekend? Most likely the lads will want to tell you they are fans of such a club and the other club are scumbags. Try to have a light, fun and fairly high energy conversation. Just assume that your target is watching everything you do. All she sees now is the fun guy who is not sharking for skirt. He’s the cool guy, the jack the lad who everyone loves.
Don’t overstay your welcome on the first set. You ideally want to keep it balanced in that atmosphere where it’s not weird if you stay, but it’s not odd if you roll off at any moment either. You don’t want to be stuck talking about who the best English centre back is (currently Michael Keane) for an hour.
Five: Second Pawn
With an idea where your targets are, try to migrate towards them. Open another pawn set, maybe this time with some women in. If there are women in the set, gently DHV yourself. You want women to be interested in you but you don’t want a pawn set to think you’re trying to game their skirt.
Assume that women sense when other women like a guy. It’s a pre-selection switch. You may now see target sets showing an interest. You may not. Either way, don’t think no one is watching. While you may see no fireworks or thumbs up for your efforts, people do notice. Just assume they do.
Six: The Target Set
Open a target set. If you’re getting interest, you can be direct and simply say ‘Hi, I’m Jimmy’. It’ll open. If you’re not, try an indirect opener. It doesn’t have to be much since you’re perceived as the warm end of the pool. ‘Are you guys tourists’ is a good enough indirect opener at times. Remember it’s not the words that matter, it’s the vibe you have set up. You’re the freewheeling banter pack. It would be social ineptitude for any girl to be rude to be the guys who are the warm end of the pool.
So to recap
- One: Suitable Bar
- Two: Entrance
- Three: Set Up Camp
- Four: First Pawn
- Five: Second Pawn
- Six: The Target Set
Tips:
Be creative. Use situational variables to your advantage. If someone walks in dressed as a storm-trooper, befriend him, buy him a shot in exchange for a photo.
Be overheard. So important. Remember that what you say to Dave may be overheard by Sally. Use this gambit wisely. Let Sally overhear that you’re a great guy before you open her. This is the whole point of what you’re doing – raise your value before the opener.
Don’t expect anything. It doesn’t work every time. It works about 1 in 4 if you’re reasonably good. There are situational variables that can always scupper you.
Don’t tell lies. Just tell the truth. The true you is enough if you’ve done your self improvement and present it properly.
A brief description of basic bar game can be found here.
If you want to learn bar game fully then simply buy the Mystery Method. The Mystery Method is two very important things:
One: An explanation of evolutionary biological drives, how they apply to the dating market and how to use this knowledge to your advantage.
Two: A structured method for managing the social dynamics of a bar environment to allow you to manipulate these evolutionary drives.
>> There was no such thing as day game. There was no such thing as even a direct opener.
There was “always” daygame… as long as girls have walked around on God’s green earth and men had the time to notice (which was “always”).
And there was always direct game… as long as men felt like telling girls that “there was just something about you…”
There just weren’t any YouTube videos telling us to tell girls they look “French.” : ]
Glad to see you’re writing again, JJ. Rumor has it, you might have something “long format” coming??
Good post, nice that somebody still talks about nightgame. I strongly agree on point 1: knowing where to go, on nightgame, is all: the place, the day, the time. In my crazy years in Krakow I had developed an anal obsession with the venues, knowing perfectly which days and exactly at what time to go, plus I knew perfectly how the girls reacted to that enviroment, hence what kind of specifi game to use on them. The results soon got so good that I literally had to stop because I was becoming to r-selected (I’m a natural K) If you are in the city you told me (Zigozigorizigorigo) I did an helluva lot of nightgame there in 2013 and if things have not changed i know a lot of nuances about it.
I agree with points 2 and 3 but not with 4. It is not intrinsecally wrong but it’s not an advice I’d give to a guy, especially to a beginner. This because not all the men have a natural talent to bond with other guys or be liked by them, or to command their respect. A girl may spot you and find you awkward in the interaction, plus there is the risk that the guy once sees you in set will feel free to insert himself in it and fuck it up (it happens…)
I agreed mate, that’s really basics 😀
Lol.