“You don’t need to be the biggest guy in the room,” says Robert C. Smith, a San Diego-based nightclub consultant who has trained more than 10,000 bouncers nationwide. In fact, you don’t need to be a guy at all. You do need social skills: the ability to talk to people, spot potential problems, de-escalate tensions, stay calm. “It’s about how do you avoid using force,” Smith says.

Alcohol can make people mean and rowdy. “Drunks are like puppies or toddlers,” Smith says. Expect bad behavior. Be patient and firm. If you’re working the door, don’t admit overly intoxicated people in the first place. Inside, watch for rude behavior; alcohol will only make it worse. Take note of out-of-towners too. “Tourists cut loose in a way they wouldn’t at home,” Smith says. The demographic most likely to get violent at bars are men between 21 and 28 years old. If you see such a group, go say hello. Ask open-ended questions, like: “Hi, what are we celebrating tonight?” Scan their faces for the levelheaded one. He will probably be older and less drunk. “When there’s a problem later, that’s your go-to guy,” Smith says. When violence erupts — which usually happens after midnight — pull the fighters apart, grab them around their chests in a big bear hug that keeps their arms down. Ask yourself if there is a victim. Should law enforcement be called? (You may face pressure not to call the police; such calls can be a factor during annual reviews of liquor licenses.)

Your job is to help maintain a space where people can safely experience inebriation. Smith, who helped design the country’s first state-mandated bouncer-training program in California, puts bouncers through all kinds of role play, including how to deal with sex crimes. If you see men exiting with a very intoxicated woman, stop them. Ask for ID. If suspicious, you have the right to detain them. The No. 1 date-rape drug is alcohol, Smith notes, but you might encounter others, including ketamine and rohypnol. On the dance floor, sometimes what looks like consensual grinding can suddenly become unwanted touching or worse. “Guys will say to me, ‘But she kind of led him on,’ ” Smith says. “I tell them, ‘So what?’ ”