How to Pick Up a Girl

=1=

Have a line ready. Start by knowing the first thing you're going to say to the girl you have your eye on before you say it. It doesn't have to be anything especially exciting – just an invitation to talk. Try bringing up the weather if you're outside, or the decor if you're somewhere indoors. At a party, bring up something about the party or ask how she met the host or hostess. Just have a starting line picked out before you begin.

=2=

Build the conversation. If your prompt elicited a cold response, you have two options: give up or go straight to a flirt and hope for the best. If, on the other hand, the girl responded warmly to you, it's time to let your conversational skills shine.
Talking to someone you've only just met is challenging for both of you. If you make it easier for her she'll appreciate it. Try offering a few opinions on something inconsequential, such as the music in the background. Keep it honest, and see how she responds. Listen to what she says and ask her for more details about her opinion. By putting yourself out there first, you are making it safe for her to follow suit and agree or disagree with your opinion.
Try not to turn the conversation into an interview, asking things like: “What do you do?” “Where do you live?” “Where did you go to school?” in rapid succession. Instead, turn such questions into statements (like "You look like you're from Rome" or "I bet you're an event planner"). You'll seem bolder and give her room to respond more naturally, which will help her relax and enjoy the talk.

=3=

Use humor. Humor is universal, and finding someone who appreciates your personal sense of humor is a great feeling. On the other hand, someone who lets your jokes fall flat is probably neither interested in you nor worth pursuing, which makes humor a great way to test the waters without being awkwardly upfront about it.
Even if you think your sense of humor is too quick, subtle, or strange for most people to appreciate or understand, unleash it during your conversation. If the girl you're talking to is interested, she'll hang on your jokes and laugh at them even when other people don't.

=4=

Keep compliments subtle. Whatever compliments you make should come up naturally. The key to a good conversation is to talk about things you both feel comfortable discussing. When you find a way to give her a compliment or a flirt that doesn't break the flow of the conversation, go for it; otherwise, keep your pickup lines to yourself.
The only possible responses a woman can give to a blatant compliment are to agree with it (in which case she seems full of herself), disagree (in which case she seems embarrassed), or throw the compliment back at you, which is generally unlikely, especially early on in the conversation. It's more important to show that you're fun company than it is to explicitly state that you find her attractive, which should already have been obvious from the fact that you came over and started running your game on her.

=5=

Show your spine. Girls like a guy who is secure and comfortable in his own skin. Never shy away from answering questions about yourself honestly. Most girls prefer the guy who builds robots in his basement and has the moxie to say so with a smile over the guy who acts ashamed or embarrassed about it.
Don't be afraid to make gentle criticisms (making them in the form of questions, as in “but isn't that kind of silly?” is a good way to do this) or gentle jokes at her expense, as long as you don't make very many. Girls appreciate it when a guy seems interested but not dazzled, because it means he's less likely to become too attached too quickly and make things uncomfortable for them. On the other hand, someone who's constantly making mean jokes at her expense is just going to seem rude and childish.