Winning a girl's heart depends more on the girl than on you. To get the girl, you have to know her, so unless you are willing to talk to her and spend some time that doesn't involve sporting events, getting drunk or hanging with your friends, you will never win her.

Remember that appearances do count for something. Even though women are instinctively more interested in the person than the image, initial attraction comes from the eyes, so make the effort to look presentable. This doesn't mean you have to go buy a suit or gel the hair. Just be clean and don't wear your most outlandish clothing.

Make eye contact with her eyes, not her chest. The biggest turn-off for a woman when speaking to a man is having him talk to her chest. The next biggest turn-off is a man with roving eyes--those that follow every other woman in the room even while you are talking to the woman you are "supposed" to be interested in. Give a woman whose heart you want to win your undivided attention. No one and nothing else should matter when you talk to her.

Be sober around her. You may drink heavily with the boys at the bar, but when you are with her, be sober so you can carry on a conversation that includes more than "I'm drunk" and "Do you want to come back to my place?"

Treat her like a lady. The surest way to a woman's heart is to make her feel special and make her feel like you are interested in her for more than sex. An actual relationship that includes more than a one-night stand will impact your life in amazing ways. Getting to know someone on a personal level the way you can in a relationship is something you will not easily forget, and though you may get hurt, it is always worth it in the end.

Get a job. Although women are perfectly capable of paying their own way, they still want to know that they aren't going to be carrying you and that you have some initiative beyond video games and the local pub.

Get your own place. Living with your parents? That's a big no-no, unless there is some sort of medical reason or you are between jobs and needed a place to crash for a month or two until you get back on your feet.

Find interests other than sports. Plenty of women can talk shop about football, but honestly they could typically care less when it comes down to it, unless there happens to be a big game on. Even then, their conversation is limited to the time the game is on and does not continue four days later. They'd much rather discuss things such as music, movies or politics. Find common ground with a woman in topics other than sports, and you are on your way to winning her heart.

Be nice to children, elders and animals. It's a respect issue, and it shows you have a heart. If you have a dog, that's even better as long as you treat it well.

Keep a stockpile of good, clean(ish) jokes and stories you can interject in conversation, and be willing to talk in general. The hardest thing for a woman to take, even a quiet woman, is a man who can't have a normal conversation. If you are uncomfortable talking, it's typically a sure indication that in a relationship you won't be able to handle emotional and/or delicate situations that require communication and will choose flight rather than fight.

Build up a strong music collection that includes multiple genres. If you love hardcore metal, great, but she might not, so it's not a bad idea to diversify. There is plenty of great music out there in many different genres that you should at least taste, if not for her, then for your own edification.

Be open to new things, but don't be afraid to draw the line if it's too far out of your comfort zone. For example, she may be an adrenaline junkie who wants to go bungee jumping on the first date. If you are petrified of heights, let her know--you can always find a happy medium.