Sex & Relationships

Game on

It’s a Saturday night at the packed Lucky Dog bar in Williamsburg when a young man sidles up to the pinball machine. Out of the shadows emerges a young lady, who jumps right into flirtation: “Hi! I like your flannel. You’re cute. Are you straight? Are you single?” To which the (single) guy mumbles something about having a girlfriend, and she slinks away.

She gets points for at least trying, right? Nope. Her eagerness blew it, according to Nick Savoy, a professional pickup artist who normally coaches dudes to get dates but who, for his new book “It’s Your Move: How To Play the Game and Win the Guy You Want,” is helping women successfully land a man, either for a hookup or a long-term relationship.

Savoy says that while the pickup game for guys is an endurance test of rejection and cleverly timed lines, women have a different, much more subtle path to “Make-out City.”

“I’ve been in a uniquely privileged position to understand what men say they really want when it comes time to decide who to date,” he says. “Most guys’ association with women who pursue, especially who pursue pretty hard, is not good.”

Here he shares a few tips that women can use to make the right moves:

Straight guys are not fashion experts

After studying the flirting behaviors of men, Savoy came to an important conclusion.

“A lot of women put a lot more pressure on themselves in terms of their outfit than is really needed,” he says. “Most of these things guys aren’t going to notice.”

Savoy’s final fashion rule in the book? “Relax.”

An hour of chilling out is more likely to bring you dating success than an extra hour of stress on your clothes, hair and makeup. “It’s much more important to feel relaxed and happy and comfortable when you’re meeting a guy than to get your hair exactly perfect, especially since it will probably get messed up once you get wherever you’re going.”

Don’t make your mind up too quickly

Sure women say they don’t want to date consummate players, but here’s the thing, Savoy says: Who do you think is most likely to hit on you?

“Women decide within the first 30 to 90 seconds whether a guy is a ‘no’ or a ‘maybe,’ ” he says. “What kind of guy is going to be very good at making a very good first impression in the first 30 to 90 seconds? One that’s done it before, that’s practiced it. Those guys are disproportionately likely to be a player.”

Savoy says women need to realize that the kind of “nice guys” they want to talk to probably won’t be as suave at hitting on them at first. So, don’t judge the book by its come-on lines.

You might not find love in this club

Clubs attract a certain type of guy. And they’re not typically the guys who spend the rest of their days in book clubs or on nature hikes. So, Savoy asks, if you’re not a club rat, why would you spend your time trying to get picked up at one? Instead, he says, you need to get in the mind of the man you want.

“Put together a realistic picture of what you’re looking for and figure out where he goes,” he says. “Think of a type of man you want, and try to understand his world a little bit. If you become realistic about what this man does for work, what he does socially, it will become obvious where you [are going] to meet him.”

But what about those that claim there just aren’t any good guys in New York? You’re just not trying hard enough, Savoy says.

“Explore a little more, break up your social group a bit.”

After all, confidence is the most important dating trait, and if you can’t be confident in New York City, where can you?