I just came home from my first night experimenting with pickup techniques. Until now I was a lurker, reading a lot about PUA but never putting it into practice. One of my biggest advantages is, that I am not shy when it comes to women. I had tough years, suffering from severe acne not being able to hold eye contact with any person including my mum. Fortunately these days are over. Now I'm rather confident talking to people and looking at them.

So my goals for the night were simple:

  • Enjoy the party
  • Open as many sets as possible
  • Try some different openers
  • Keep a strong frame and lead the conversation

And so it begins. I arrive at the party at around eleven. The location is stuffed with about 1400 people so there is enough time and choice to have a great evening. I happen to know a girl right at the entry and talk to her for about five minutes when the discussion suddenly comes to an end. There was her beautiful HB8 friend next to us which was initially quite receptive but lost interest as I lost steam. I didn't know how to start a conversation with her. Should I begin with a neg? Should I use an opinion opener? As I was thinking too hard to come up with something original I somehow missed my opportunity. Maybe I should have offered them to walk in with me which would be great social proof but I waited too long.

So I move on and head for the bar. On my way I talk to many different people (the securities, some friends) to get into the right mood. I order a drink and look around for sets.

While I stand there I have a little chit chat with an obese woman right next to me. I'm polite and listen closely to what she says but I'm more interested in her friend who was an HB6. After a while I get distracted and simply walk away. After about twenty steps a friend of mine literally trips me up. I turn around and see why: I stood in front of two beatiful women. HB8 and HB9. I start with a decent opener by asking the HB9 if he's always like that. After a while I do the ESP test on her and guess the number right (7). She's genuinely impressed. She wants more. I tell her friend she's greedy and earn some giggles.

At this point some initial kino would have been appropriate...

We are talking for about two more minutes and somehow the vibe is gone and I just walk away. This girl I could have number closed. Damn it.

Just a few moments later, two cute HB7s emerge. I immediately start with: "Are you sisters?". That was lame but at least they stop. I ask how long they know each other and enjoy the rapport. I should have elaborated on that (Who's the better cook?). I do some light kino (touching arm, standing real close) and pull off the "do you use the same shampoo?" question. They seem to like it. Unfortunately the conversation stops abruptly once again. I feel like a standup comedian. I couldn't come up with any interesting stories. Just as it became awful I felt a firm tap on my shoulder. I turn around and greet an old friend (HB6). After two minutes of smalltalk I finally notice the HB9 next to her. To my astonishment she was quite shy and hardly said a word. I teased her about it and she smiled. I definitely felt her interest and I had built up enough social proof by now to be confident but I could not take it to the next level. How can I isolate her in front of her friend? Is there even a chance without a wing?

Anyway the HB6 asked for a drink which was a no-go so I turned it down. She mentioned that she drove me home the other night and so I gave in (was this OK?). At least I offered the two women my arm to escort me to the bar and to my surprise they happily accepted. It all fell into pieces when they had to go to the restroom. How should I have handeled the situation?

So I decide it's just time for another walk and I open some random sets with HB6s and get quite a lot of IOIs. Maybe I could have number closed a few of the girls but I just didn't ask. I was not interested.

Out of the blue I see a wonderful girl who could have been a model. She was a lot taller than me and I tried to come up with a little neg about her glasses (which looked georgeous on her face). Listen to my lame introduction: "You look better without the glasses". She rolled her eyes and looked at her friends nearby. They came over and I tried the stuff with the shampoo once again. By this time I knew that I tanked. Hard. There was no way to recover so I escaped. To be honest I was not interested in them so this was no bummer. Nevertheless I'm curious how I could have handeled the situation like a boss. Clearly I lack calibration.

Some more random sets. Boring stuff here and there. The last set of the night was quite good. While I'm talking to my buddy, prepared to leave, an awesome 20-year-old brunette (HB8) stops right in front of us staring at her phone. She looks quite lost. I ask her if she needs any help and she is quite open for a conversation. I do the number game, guess right again (7) and get a kiss on the cheek. Oh well... She tells me about her school and stuff and I listen and tell her I've been to the same school. I introduce myself to her friends (HB6, HB7) and I might have been to direct because I hop from one to the other without dedication. At least they ask me what I do for work so I tell one girl I'm a hand model (let her feel my gentle hands) and the other that I'm Batman but that she was not allowed to tell anybody.

I ask the HB7 where she comes from and she gives me an honest answer which is good but then...I WALK AWAY! At first I wanted to try a little push but I never returned. Stupid, I know.

So let's see: No number closes (because I was too stupid or not interested), no kiss closes (because I was to shy or too imbecile to isolate). Looking back I just blew a lot of sets by waiting too long for kino or not moving the girls to a different place.

Sometimes I felt like a clown because I was not able to lead the conversation away from smalltalk and seldomly gave DHVs (I play in a rock band, blah blah...).

Other than that I have to say thank you for all the help seddit. You freed me from oneitis. This shit really works.

If you have any other suggestions I would be very glad to hear them.

Edit: Typos.