trolling in front of the clubs
GT:
Great to see guys thinking outside of the box!
Trolling outside clubs is a great idea, although there are a couple of concerns.
Generally if you see a crowd outside of a club it is a good sign... it means the club is popular. The crowd can be there for 3 reasons:
1) there is face control and they are lined up waiting to get inside (if they get inside at all). This could mean either the club is full or simply (and more commonly) that the club has a strict face control policy in an effort to maintain or establish the club as one of Moscow's elite exclusive "in" clubs.
2) there is a cover charge and people are lined up to pay. You will find cover charges on the weekends at most mid-level clubs, usually between 150-300 rubles ($5-10).
3) the crowd is just outside to have a breather, get reception on their phones or meet friends. These people have already been inside and have a stamp for reentry.
There are definitely lots of opportunities to meet people in front of the club, that is for sure. Please note the following however:
A) elite clubs:
Elite clubs like Dagilev or First do not have cover charges, they all have free entrance (except for maybe on some special event nights like Halloween, New Year etc.). The deal is, you either get in or you dont. Unless you have a club card, there is no guarantee that you'll get in. I've never personally tried to bribe my way in to a club, but have seen people (usually expats) try to bribe the face control with 500 rubles and get rejected. The best clubs can afford to turn people away and in fact live by the perceived exclusivity of their club. Face control for girls is even stricter than it is for guys. The clubs want rich and important guys in the club and beautiful or important girls in the clubs trying to meet the rich and important guys. Face control is completely unpredictable... I've seen really hot chicks brutally denied (they even broke down crying in shame) and totally hideous people get in. It can also be harder to get in with a girl than without... so if you select a girl outside to help her get in the club, there is no guarantee that you will get in and she may actually hinder your entrance.
You can buy a club card, but for a good club this will set you back at least $500... and there is no guarantee that you will even be able to buy one. And a club card does not mean you can just bring in anyone or however many people you want. Once I actually had one of my gfs denied entrance with me at a club where I actually had a club card (a gift from the former First art director) because she looked too young and dressed too sluttily (I wasnt complaining, I like that look...)... she really does look like she's early teens even though she just turned 20 and she has to show ID everywhere, which makes me feel delightfully debauched. We ended up going to Fabrique on that night instead (by the way Fab is a nice pseudo-elite club not far from the Baltshug Kempinski Hotel), but the 3 minute "walk of shame" from the former First location (has since moved) to Fabrique was quite embarassing with my jail-bait look-a-like bride in tow. Actually, a Russian guy probably would have just went into First and left his girl standing on the street with the crowd wanting to get in... :)
So in terms of elite clubs, you might find great girls outside waiting to get in who will be very grateful if you get them in, but you should be very confident that you will in fact get in with her. It can work though, as 109 (a fellow ISG member and Moscow's resident strip club expert) used the "I'll help you in the club" method with success on a few occasions.... but also had a club card in hand assuring at least his own entrance.
As far as getting into elite clubs in general, its an imperfect science, but you shouldnt be intimidated. Well-dressed 35+ years, confident and made of money is a look that works wonders in Moscow.
B) mid-level clubs with entrance fee:
Mid-level clubs like Park Avenue Disco, Neo, Lionheart etc. do charge cover on the weekends and a lot of the girls there won't have much money, so the idea is a good one. Nonetheless most girls who do go there will have enough money to at least get in, at least I've never noticed any crowd of girls trying to get in and not having the $5 it takes to get a ticket. Where you might have better luck is at venues with concerts, such as B2 or 16 Tons, which have concerts charging cover of $10-20. I have invited girls in before at concerts and on more than one occasion it did lead to TLS (Temporary Love Syndrome) with a Hollywood-esque happy ending.
I definitely like your idea though, and you should at least try it. The main key to success in Russia, and I cant emphasize this enough, is to simply talk to a lot of girls. Any number of schemes or methods might work, but the important thing is to make contact and go with them... you never know where a simple question or comment might lead. If you speak English to them, many will wave you off or shrug their shoulders as they dont understand, but occasionally one will bite. It really doesnt hurt to try.
One trick I have used with success is inviting girls in a club to another club. Particularly if the club you are in is not happening, you can suggest going to another club or even straight to your apartment for some drinks... and take her whole horde with you if she is shy about leaving alone with a guy... which she often will be. A lot of the girls really only have enough money to go to a single club and buy 1-2 drinks. You can definitely put your money to work here. This can also work with girls leaving a club, asking them to go somewhere else with you or back to your apartment to have a drink, but this last chance grasp at glory will just as often fail as well.