A Sucker Born: How to Hu$tle Free Drinks

As a journalist, I'm no stranger to free stuff. A complimentary theatre ticket here, a free movie pass there and always advance copies of books for review. Combine that with the professional prerequisite that is the power of the schmooze and suddenly you've got a potent combination for social advancement. Imagine my delight when I discovered a bet that combines my penchant for free stuff with a charm honed over countless interviews and events. It was something that could be pulled off outside my professional capacity, it assured I'd never pay for a drink unless I wanted to, and, the best part, anyone could do it -- even you.

They're called proposition bets and though they may look physically impossible from the opposing point of view, they're designed to only go one way -- your way. Below are the steps to the very best ways to pull a fast one over on friends old and new joining you at the bar:


Tip of the Hat
What You Need

• 1 shot of an alcoholic beverage of your choice
• 1 straw
• 1 baseball hat

The Bet
Put a shot under the hat and bet a group of friends that you can down the shot without touching the hat.

Solution
Pull out a straw and explain that you won't touch the hat, but you will use a straw. Then, from your side of the hat, next to where the hat meets the table, start sucking air through the straw as if you're drinking the shot from under the hat. Then announce that you've done it and you want your drink. Of course your friends will say they don't believe you, so you must insist that you're done it until they ask you to lift the hat. Once that happens, you must goad them into lifting the hat. Once they do, quickly drink the shot before they've processed what just happened. They now owe you drinks because you drank the shot without touching the hat.

Circumference of the Glass

What You Need

• 1 pint glass
• 1 paper napkin
• 2 ashtrays
• 1 mobile phone
• 1 box of matches
• 1 pencil

The Bet
This bet happens in three phases: First, you ask your friends to guess which distance is longer, the height of the pint glass or the circumference of the rim of the glass? For those that say height, bet them a round of beers that the circumference is longer than the height. Then, offer to sweeten the deal, stack the pint on an overturned ashtray and bet the next round of drinks and the appetizer that the circumference is still longer than the height from the bottom of the ashtray to the top of the glass. Then make the deal irresistible and put the pint glass on top of two ashtrays, a box of matches and a mobile phone. Then bet the next round, the appetizer and the entree that the circumference is still longer than the height from the bottom ashtray to the top of the glass.

The Solution

After the third bet, pull out a paper napkin, unfold it and wrap it tightly around the circumference of the glass. Ask a friend to mark where the two ends of the napkin meet. Then hold the napkin vertically against the height of the glass. The napkin should reach at least double the height compared to the glass. This is because the average height of a pint glass is 15 cm, while the circumference is 27 cm around. As long as your stack of items doesn't exceed 27 cm, you will win every bet every time.

Copycat

What You Need

• 1 highball glass filled with the cocktail of your choice
• 1quarter

The Bet
Scope out a friend with a drink in their hand and bet them that if they can copy everything you do, you will buy them a drink. If they can't, then they will buy you a drink.

The Solution

This bet requires all your movements be slow and deliberate, so that your friend may follow along. Raise your glass to them then take a sip. Then, move the coin across the table with your finger without lifting it from the surface. You can incorporate as many additional moves as you like, but it's the last move that's most crucial. Raise your glass to them once again and take the drink into your mouth just as before. This time do not swallow the beverage and hold it in your mouth for a second or two before spitting it back into your glass. Your friend will have undoubtedly swallowed his take and will not be able to perform this last maneuver. Thus, he or she cannot copy you and owes you a drink.

To see more proposition bets, watch The Real Hustle Tuesday afternoons and nights on National Geographic Channel. Of course, all of these bets work in front of groups, or, what pick-up artists term "sets" of people. Someone in a group of five or six is bound to take you up on your challenge. Like the carnies always say, "There's a sucker born every minute!"