Scoring a date on Tinder is easier than finding one in the real world. For starters, you don’t have to bathe before you start your pursuit of companionship.

But just because you can find love from the comfort of your toilet seat, doesn’t mean that there aren’t ways to improve your game. There are an estimated 10 million active Tinder users out there, so the onus is on you to distinguish yourself from the creepy masses.

Step 1: Don’t Try Too Hard

You’re already working from a position of strength before you talk to your most recent matches, because they wouldn’t have chosen to chat with you if they didn’t think you were attractive (or suitable for a one-night stand. Whatever).

To put it in football terms: You have the lead with two minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Just don’t turn the ball over.

Keep the conversation bland at first, and try to read whoever you’re talking with. If you possess a dry sense of humor, make sure that the person you’re wooing can at least spell the word “sarcasm.” If she can’t, chances are you should keep that passive aggressive quip about one of her pictures to yourself.

Nobody ever ignored a simple “What’s up?” from someone who piques his or her interest. It may not be the most original opening line, but it’s the best way to ensure that you won’t send the dreaded “Are you there?” message two days later.

Step 2: BE CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT YOU SAY

Unless you’re a weirdo who wants to live some sort of an alternative online social existence, chances are that you want to meet most of the people who you match with.

So, don’t say anything over Tinder that you won’t be able to back up in real life. It’s easy to get carried away, especially if you’ve been bereft of human contact for far too long. But hold off on the role-play unless you’re willing to stand by everything you said at 2:00 a.m. when you were at your most vulnerable.

Step 3: Try to See More Pictures before You Exchange Numbers

Yeah, it’s shallow. But this is Tinder. You discarded all of your decency the moment you signed up, my friend.

People who include only a couple of pictures in their profiles should be red-flagged. Everybody besides social hermits literally have hundreds of pictures of themselves on their Facebook and cell phone. If they don’t look good in five or six well-angled, brushed up photos, then chances are they look lousy in the morning.

Thankfully, it’s easy to stalk someone’s Facebook page without asking for her information. Find her through your mutual friends, and at least take a look at her profile pictures before you give her your number. “Casual hook-up apps” – or whatever Tinder is – are intrinsically creepy. Folks who don’t want to subject themselves to that kind of scrutiny wouldn’t join.

 Step 4: Snapchat Is a Great Supplementation to Texting

This is the perfect way to see more of a person without committing to something as serious as a Facebook friendship. Send her a few innocent duck faces at first, and see where the “conversation” goes.

Yes, the Cloud will eventually burst. But then everybody will be doomed, so don’t worry about it.

Step 5: Meet as Soon as Possible

We are a hyperactive society with a short attention span. If a story doesn’t contain a new development, it swiftly falls out of the news cycle.

The same is true of chemistry between Tinder matches. Active, attractive users may receive dozens of messages per day. Don’t allow your pretty face to get buried because your inflated ego won’t allow you to compulsively check your profile. Turn on the push notifications, and answer prospective targets promptly.

Once you identify the people who you most want to meet up with, put on the full court press without being suffocating. Ask if they want to “get coffee sometime this week.” It gives off the vibe that you’re serious, but laid back about the process.

The sooner you meet someone, the faster you’ll be able to delete your account. That’s the goal here.