How about a few more bar bets? First, a reminder of the rules for safely making bar bets:

1. Only engage in them with people whom you know have a sense of humor.

3. All bar bets should be done for fun. Wagering should be held to a minimum, maybe a round of drinks or a couple of dollars, not major amounts of money.

Some of these seem obvious and simple to the point of being absurd but I've used the all at one time or another. An important point to remember about bar bets - the set up and timing, as required in successfully telling a joke, are everything. Feel free to embellish to suit your personality and style Sorry, no "I'll bet you I can make a nuclear reactor using only two match sticks and that lady's right ear ring" type bets this time. Here we go.

Bar Bet:
Button a friend's top sport coat button and put a rubber band around it, twisting the rubber band around the button a few times. Tell him that you will bet him that he can't take off his coat alone. Assuming that your friend has the use of both his hands, he should have no trouble removing the rubber band and unbuttoning his coat. As he does so and is about to remove his arms from the coat, you remove your coat. Get it? He is not removing his coat alone as you are doing it at the same time. The rubber band is window dressing as misdirection.

The first time I heard about this I thought it was pretty lame and that no one would fall for it. Just for the hell of it I decided to try it one night at a local pub, after work. Not only did someone else fall for it, it went on all night with different people showing it to their friends until there was no one left who had not been had. What was that? Well, maybe I do frequent bars that cater to people who are a couple of cards short of a deck.

Bar Bet:
Order a shot of brandy. Offer someone the bet that you can drink a full jigger of brandy out of an unopened Brandy bottle without breaking the seal, pulling the cork, breaking the bottle or tampering with it in any way. When the bet is accepted ask the bartender to bring you an unopened bottle of brandy. Turn the bottle upside down and pour the shot of brandy into the concave indentation in the bottom of the bottle. Knock back your brandy. There, you have complied with the bet's requirements, i.e., drinking from the bottle without opening it.

You have to be careful with this one as not all brandy bottles have the concave bottom. Make sure in advance you know which ones do and that the bar you are in has that particular brand. An Army buddy of mine used go from bar to bar every time he went to a new town, pulling this on bartenders. If you intend to do the same it will only work for one night. Bartenders tend to talk amongst themselves about things like this.

Bar Bet:
Ask, "Which Lord's Prayer do you like better?" When you get the response that there is only one Lord's Prayer in the Bible offer, "I'll bet I can show you two Lord's Prayers in the Bible." The response to this is usually, "Maybe, but only one is commonly accepted." Set the hook by offering, "I'll bet I can show you a Lord's Prayer in two different places in the Bible that are both commonly accepted." At this point the bet should be accepted.

The Lord's Prayer is in both Mathew VI and St. Luke XI. Since they are both the same prayer they are both commonly accepted. Another winner!

Bar Bet:
This winter, tell the person with whom you wish to bet, "I can't wait until the Earth is further away from the Sun so we will have warmer weather." Most people think the Sun is closer to the Earth in the Summer, not the Winter. At this point make the bet that the Sun is further away from the Earth during the Summer*.

The Sun is closer to the Earth during the Northern Hemisphere's Winter than it is during its Summer. It is the Sun's position relative to the Northern Hemisphere that causes Winter and Summer here, not how far it is from the Earth.

*Do not try this bet if you are in Australia or any place in the Southern Hemisphere. Its seasons are the opposite of the Northern Hemisphere and the Sun is closer to the Earth during its summer.

Bar Bet:
What is the most densely populated country in the world? Most seem to answer India, China or maybe Bangladesh. The answer happens to be the Principality of Monaco that has a population, as of 1995, of 31,515 (maybe even more now) living in an area of 1.9 square kilometers or 0.7336 square mile. A comparative area would be about three times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC.

With the right timing and buildup, these have won lots of drink:

What living creature is predominate in the world? The ant.

Which as a faster current, a crooked river or a straight one? A straight one.

Where in the Bible is the quotation, "Cleanliness is next to Godliness?" Look all you want but you won't find it in the Bible. The quote is from a sermon by John Wesley (not the gunfighter - that was John Wesley Hardin).

How many capitols did the USA have before Washington, D.C.? Two, New York City and Philadelphia.

What country had the first cigar store Indian? The idea for it came from the American Colonies but the first one was made and displayed in England.

Bet anyone they can not name the longest river in the USA. Most people will say the Mississippi (2470 miles long). It is actually the Missouri River (2475 miles long). You might want to carry a geographical dictionary if you want to make this bet.

I will end this piece with another little known fact; if it were well known there would be no bar bets. Here it is:

When someone offers to make what appears to be a preposterous bet and offers to back it up with money, that person is hoping to get a sure thing.

Bar bets are really nothing more than small, good natured con games. As with all con games and scams, if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is. Have fun with them but be careful. Even if you take someone up on that bar bet, knowing that the guy just can not win and then you lose, you can always pull the bet on someone else, recouping your loss. Remember, it is all supposed to be in fun.

Good luck.