Getting in Under 21 -- Bars and Clubs
Monday, May 19, 2008 by Chris Lesinski We’ve shown you how to pirate movies and cover your tracks on the internet. We’re going to keep being bad. Here’s how to get into a club, bar or Chuck E. Cheese if you’re under the age limit.
I’m not so concerned with legality because I think justice trumps the law. I’m a huge youth rights advocate. I draw parallels between a sign that says “21 and over only” and “Whites only.” Age limits are an unjust social barrier that young people face every day. Say what you will about the drinking age itself. There should be no age discrimination when it comes to just plain hanging out at a bar or club. That’s what age limits come right down to: a plain-as-day rights violation.
I could go on and on arguing against the drinking age – enough with all that. Now that I’m over 21, I have no use for these tactics. Use them to weasel your way into age-restricted establishments. If nothing else, think of them as civil disobedience.
The typical piece of advice is to get a fake ID. I’ll cover that too, but I think you can go without it.
False admission ploys
One way to get in is by pretending like you’ve already been inside. Though many places don’t allow re-entry these days, faking admission can get you into “restricted” areas or “upgrade” you from minor to of-age level.
Hacking the wristband
The wristband is the most common form of age regulation, especially at clubs. Faking a wristband was my go-to scheme for my whole freshman year in college and it worked wonders.
There are a number of problems with getting actual wrist bands. Usually companies sell them by the thousand – all you really need are 10. And how do you know in advance which color you’ll need? The secret is multi-colored paper tape.
Paper tape is cheap, relatively accessible and passes perfectly for a wristband once wrapped around. One of the major benefits is that you can bring a strip of several colors (which covers every possibility at the door) by affixing it to the inside of your clothing. That way, when a bouncer pats you down, they won’t find a roll of paraphernalia in your pocket.
Of course, you’re not going to cover every color – but here’s the secret: bartenders and bouncers don’t notice (or care really). They’re just following protocol and as long as they see something wrapped around your wrist, their brain will confabulate the rest. I’ve passed a dark red band for neon pink or a light blue one for light purple. But if you are caught, this isn’t going to do the damage that a fake ID can. You’ll get kicked out and legally, they can’t do much else (unless you try to order a drink with it).
Find a tape store online and dig up some neon-colored paper tape in small rolls at 3/4” thick. Get every color you can. To cover your bases, you should have these: neon pink, neon orange, neon green, white, a cool pastel (purple, teal, light blue), and a warm pastel (pink, yellow, pale orange). Or just go crazy – it’s only a couple bucks per roll and they’ll lead to plenty of fun nights.
Hacking the ticket
Some age-restricted places (mostly events or special bar parties) will require tickets or passes to get in. Most of the time, you can get away with a duplicate. You just have to be smart about it.
Get your hands on a scanner, color printer and card stock. Just scan a borrowed ticket at high resolution and crank up the DPI for printing (600+ or “photo quality”). Printing on both sides can be tricky – just use trial and error on a piece of plain paper. First, print a black frame to keep it simple and quick. Then, replace the frame with the ticket. You can fake perforations with an X-Acto knife.
A pass works about the same – you just need a lanyard and a clear plastic holder. Get close and it’ll fly.
When you’re waiting in line, you have to do some quick risk-assessment. If they’re checking lists, you’re screwed for the most part – but keep an eye on things. If you’re early in the group and there’s a huge line, they’ll probably skip the list-check in an effort to keep people from waiting. By the same token, if you wait until people are re-entering, you can probably mix in (they can’t really re-check-off someone).
Hacking the hand stamp
Ever thought how easy it would be to get into stuff if you just had a duplicate of their hand stamp? Well this is even easier: a sharpie marker. Do your best to draw the figure and smear it appropriately. It might be better to have a buddy do the drawing instead of contorting your hands to get it done. Like with the tape, it’s easy to cover every color you might need. Stuff your pockets with markers. I’ve never done this one before, but I’ve heard/read that it’s effective.
The social route
There are strictly social ways of getting in and you probably know what I mean. These are for people who really have balls. Or, for people who literally don’t have balls (read: girls can often get in, just based on looks). But I’ll cover the unisex options.
Get food
Go early and stay late. It’s easy.
Most places don’t start carding at the door until primetime, so if they serve food (or even if they don’t), come early, buy dinner or a non-alcoholic drink and stay until things get rowdy. This will work, especially if you’re with a mostly 21 crowd.
The back door
All bars have a back door and it’s always at least worth a try – always. It’s so easy to forget about this.
Once you’re there, sometimes, you can just waltz right in. If it’s not so easy, get crafty. Coordinate with a group of friends (who are already in) to go out for a smoke, and blend in with them on the way back. Sometimes, all you have to do is get someone to open the back door for you, and a knock might be all you need. This can also be one of the best places to try the above-mentioned false admission methods.
Networking
You know someone who knows someone who knows someone who’s willing to bend the rules – you just have to figure it out. If you know a bar owner or a bouncer, you’re in. Sometimes, it just comes down to naming a name. All you need is one such connection, then you can use it when ever you please.
You might meet someone who owns a bar, but frequently, you don’t know the person well enough to ask them for something illegal – that’s okay. Instead, ignore the entire age issue and ask if they’ll give you VIP access. This worked for me when I caddied for a bar owner once. A VIP upgrade is no hair off their skin – owners dole this out all the time – and it’s a cue for the bouncer to let you in (as well as all of your friends), no questions asked.
Swindle with the bouncer
At a serious establishment, you’ll never talk your way in. It’s stupid to even try it and demoralizing when you fail. But here are some lines/ploys that have been known to work on those rare occasions:
- “It’s in my friend’s purse and she’s inside. I’ll bring it right out.”
- “I forgot it.” – Unfortunately, this will never work. It will work, maybe, if you’re realistically specific, like: “I left it on the beer pong table because we were using them to keep track of who’s turn was next.”
- Cry
- Bribe
- Wear something deliberately against the dress code, get stopped and reply, “I live right around the corner – if I change, can you let me straight in without waiting in line again?” Then, do it.
- Give the bouncer your underage ID – sometimes they’re so preoccupied with verifying its legitimacy that they overlook the birth date.
- Sheer confidence: look the bouncer in the eye, greet him, and walk right in.
A word on fake IDs
First of all, don’t forget that your best bet is probably not a literally “fake” ID. Get a real one from a friend who’s older and looks like you. Even if it’s expired, these work the best. Note that bouncers check height frequently.
If you must get an actual manufactured fake, the basics are self-explanatory. It has to look good, feel good, scan, black-light, hologram… all that stuff. If it costs you $100 or more, trust me, it’s worth it. Just save up.
The only new piece of advice I can offer is on good ID Photoshop-ing: Real IDs are imperfect. Not many fake-makers realize how blurry real IDs are. Bouncers know to look for this because these days, fakes look better than actual IDs. They especially look at the photograph. If there’s a perfect edge between your head and the background, it’s a dead tip-off that it was ’shop-ed in.
Getting around the law
Don’t forget that there are tons of legal ways to have fun (and drink) even if you’re underage. A road trip to Mexico or Canada will open up many doors. And there are plenty of 18-and-over establishments in some cities. In Cleveland, almost every bar and club was open to 18-and-over on Thursdays. Do some research. Yelp.com is a good place to start since they list most of that information, plus users often mention if the bar/club might, albeit illegally, let you in anyway.
Reader Comments (34)
Just another tip: A lot of places where I live now use hand stamps you can only see with a black light so a Sharpie wouldn't work. I'm already 21 as well but I've gotten into a club before without paying the underage cover by faking one. I just got a black light marker (they're pretty cheap and easy to find) and drew the vague shape and I was let in without paying a thing.
[...] link: Hack your college bars. [Hack [...]
Came across http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7395910.stm" rel="nofollow">this new technology on an NPR show: a camera that determines your age by the wrinkles on your face. They're actually using it with cigarette vending machines in Japan.
Unfortunately, this is one thing I cannot hack. Ever.
This was very entertaining. I personally prefer the show up early and eat trick, which has worked for several of my younger than 21 friends.
[...] And an old(er) post is covered, “Getting in Under 21.” [...]
HAHAHA Great work, many helpful tips for persons under 21.
"a plain-as-day rights violation."
What right would that be exactly? Property owners have the right to exclude any persons they like from _their_ property.
Wow, thats the most extensive list of it's kind I've ever seen! And, I know my stuff!
[...] Getting in Under 21 at HackCollege [...]
Being a girl definitely helps, especially if you're with an older girl too. I've pulled the "I just got off work and she dragged me here, I didn't bring anything with me! Now what am I going to do..." If you play the attractive-girl-in-distress, they'll usually feel whatever manly thing they do, and let you in. You just can't ever go there again.
This is going to seem like a shameless plug, so sorry, but you're a youth rights advocate? You should look at youthrights.org. I only mention it because it's rare to be reading a blog and have those words pop out randomly. More power to you! Unjust laws should rightly be disregarded.
lol these are great, arriving early alwayse waorked for me (and you get in free / cheaper if its the kinda place that charges) also borrowing someone elses id.
Not the most widly useful tip but - try and go to college in / vist the uk, the legal drinking age here is 18 and i know a couple of us students that love this fact.
Bars around here always put the x on the under 21s. Wearing some rubber cement on your hands is a big help. Just peel it off after they mark you. Voila, no x and no messy residue from scrubbing in the bathroom.
Another tip: Hand Sanitizer immediately removes permanent/sharpie marker from your hands. Just rub it around a lot and the mark will vanish!
Please come to the casino. I can tell you that none of this works. wristband idea is a joke since you will get carded and scanned throughout the night regardless of band. the bands are there to make YOU the customer feel good we disregard them. also we are trained to look for taped together and id numbers and colors of bands no matter how long the line. 5 years ago most of this might have slid thru but nowaways any high end establishment is a waste and possibly a crime in some states. I know anyone under 21 state police pick up and charge at LEAST with trespassing if attempting to get into the building. so even walkin up and saying oh shit i forgot it might still get you in trouble since it is spelled out on doors and signs everywhere. good luck... youll need it.
I was 15 and i stayed all night playing at a casino and no one bother'd me for an id or anything as a matter of fact the guys that worked there where flirting with me lol
I know of people who would use rubbing alcohol to transfer the stamp impression from one person to another by rubbing the alcohol into the over 21 person stamp (which reactivates the marker ink) and then rolling/pressing their hands/wrists together. It's not perfect, but it was close enough to pass as someone who had washed their hands in the bathroom.
im 18 & i've hear & tried this, i went club hoping and bar hoping and most of the one's i went to wrote x's on your hand and what i did was i put chap stick on the back of my hands before i got x'ed and once the bouncer put the x on my hand i went stragight to the bathroom & it washed right off. so i got to drink and have fun with all my older friends. :)
I know anyone under 21 state police pick up and charge at LEAST with trespassing if attempting to get into the building. so even walkin up and saying oh shit i forgot it might still get you in trouble since it is spelled out on doors and signs everywhere. good luck... you'll need it.
The imperfection thing isn't always true, I was let in once with a fake when they rejected my real ID because they believed it to be fake. I was over 21 at the time.
You obviously fail to realize that if you are underage and go to a bar that not only can YOU get in trouble - but quite frequently the bar will be fined A LOT of money and possibly lose their liquor license. Drink in your dorms, kids!!! Really - no one wants to hang out with a 19 year old at a bar. And seriously when I see the occassional underage kid who snuck in my regular bar - I tell them they have to leave. Because if my bar closes down because some little college kid wanted to feel cool by getting in to a bar illegally - oh there will be hell to pay.... I know a lot of other people who are protective of their bars and you will rat you out as well... So good luck.
Do most colleges have a bar scene and is this ID thing an issue everywhere? I'm applying this fall and using AcceptEdge to narrow down my choices. It's matched me up with pretty urban schools so I'm guessing I'll face this issue haha
emily - i've used that too! i think the schools seem awesome i can't wait to visit them
casinos are completely different from ordinary bars. they are much more strict. as far as getting into bars underage, here they check your id, KEEP your id, mark your hands, and put the plastic tie around your wrist. at the end of the night if you've still got the plastic and x's, you get your id back.
For hand stamps, just have a friend go in before you, then come back out to the smoking area. Push the backs of your hands together and if you have done it quickly enough, you will both have the stamp! Go in from there.
Okay, this really pisses me off how people act like, "oh nobody wants some little 19 year old college kid at a bar anyway". Look, the point is is that people at least 18 should be allowed to hang out in a bar. I'm 19, but I'm not stupid, loud and rowdy like stereotypical college kids are, so why the hell do I get punished?
Personally, I'm not even LOOKING to have a drink, I just want to hear my fiance perform when they have open mic nights at bars. Granted not every college student is like this, but I've seen enough dumbasses older than 30 who need to be escorted out of places. So, now where is the logic?