This story has been updated since it was originally published.

Harry's Place is crowded on Thursday nights. It's the trivia.

Groups gather around tables, ready to tackle eight rounds of questions. Beer and Harry's homey bar food are the fuel.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's the right answer," says one player.

There's a pause. Fewer than 30 seconds remain on the clock.

"You sure?" another asks.

Folks there compete for a little cash, but it all boils down to street cred.

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"Ultimately, it comes down to bragging rights and having a good time," said Keith Kris, who hosts trivia nights at Harry's, which are put on by Geeks Who Drink.

There are more than two dozen weekly trivia nights in the Lansing area. There are leagues even for those who want to show off their knowledge.

Here's your go-to guide to the companies that put on Lansing's most popular trivia nights.

DJ Trivia

If your idea of a good time includes learning useful and not-so-useful information, DJ Trivia is where it's at, according to co-owner David Wyatt. With more than 450 games weekly, DJ Trivia is one of the country's biggest trivia companies. They've been quizzing folks for nearly three decades.

Format

There are four rounds of four questions each. Some are multiple choice. Others are fill in the blank. If you choose to answer the "double double" question after rounds 1, 2 and 3 and answer it correctly, your game score is doubled. Get it wrong? Lose whatever you've accumulated in that round.

Feeling risky? Double your game score or lose all your points for the "do-or-die" question after the final round. This question is the deciding factor in which team comes in at first place.

"Each team is never not in the game because of the way our scoring system works, which makes the game more enjoyable," Wyatt said.

How it's different

All questions are displayed on TV screens to make it "impossible" to mislead players.

www.djtrivia.com

Locations

Tony M's, 3420 S. Creyts Rd., Lansing. 7 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays

The Nuthouse, 420 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing. 8 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays

City Limits East, 2120 E. Saginaw, East Lansing. 8 p.m. Wednesdays

The Green Door, 2005 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing. 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays

The Tin Can East, 313 E. Grand River Ave., East Lansing. 8 p.m. Tuesdays

The Tin Can West, 644 Migaldi Ln., Lansing. 8 p.m. Tuesdays

Piazzano's, 1825 N. Grand River Ave., Lansing. 8 p.m. Tuesdays

Jimmy's Pub, 16804 Chandler Rd., Lansing. 7 p.m. Tuesdays

Gus's Bar, 2321 W. Michigan Ave., Lansing. 7 p.m. Tuesdays

Coach's Pub and Grill, 6201 Bishop Rd., Lansing. 8 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays

Classic Pub & Grill, 16219 Old U.S. 27, Lansing. 8 p.m. Wednesdays

Moriarty's Pub, 802 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing. 7 p.m. Thursdays

Center Stage, 1785 W. State Rd., Lansing. 7 p.m. Thursdays

Sporcle Live!

The Sporcle Live! team runs "a bit like a newspaper," according to Jeff LeDuc, director of operations. There are fact checkers, writers and editors selected from a group of the top online quiz curators and commenters.

What started out as an online database with over a million quizzes played over two billion times is now a live trivia experience hosted in 340 locations across the U.S.

Format

The first round consists of 10 questions. All categories are presented before the game starts. For each question, the teams must assign a "wager worth up to 10 points, but they can only use that point value once," explained LeDuc.

Each game has a follow-up question. If the teams answer correctly, they earn a "nerd point." Here's an example: "Name one of the two songs released by the Beach Boys that reached the top 10 in the U.S. and had a girl's name in the title. Nerd Point: Name both."

There's even a mystery round that consists of four questions tied to a specific theme. Each question goes for two points. At the end of the night, the host asks a final question. In that moment, teams can wager up to 20 points. Answer correctly and the wager is added to the total score. Otherwise, the wager is deducted from the total, so pick wisely, LeDuc said.

How it's different

To allow more winners, Sporcle Live! hosts two one-hour games per night.

www.sporclelive.com

Locations

Ellison Brewery and Spirits, 4903 Dawn Ave., East Lansing. 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Mondays

The Riv, 231 M. A. C. Ave., East Lansing. 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Mondays

Crunchy's, 254 E. Grand River Ave., East Lansing. 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tuesdays

Zoobie's Old Town Tavern, 611 E. Grand River Ave., Lansing. 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays

Lou & Harry's Bar & Grill, 211 E. Grand River Ave., East Lansing. 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. Tuesdays

Reno’s West Sports Bar & Grill, 5001 W. Saginaw Hwy., Lansing. 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tuesdays, 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. Wednesdays (starting Jan. 30, 2018)

Bagger Dave's, 1351 E. Grand River Ave., East Lansing, 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. Wednesdays

Lansing Brewing Company, 518 E. Shiawassee St., Lansing. 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. Wednesdays

Team Trivia

"What arteries carry blood from inside the heart to the heart tissue?"

"How many U.S. states end with a 'n'?"

The folks at Team Trivia have a database of 100,000 questions. Franchise owner Dale Schumaker promises to "never run out."

Format

Players answer 20 questions: two rounds of three questions, a halftime question and a final question. Topics range from music and pop culture to geography.

How it's different

Every week, Team Trivia posts a hint i.e. "Famous Bobs" or "People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive" on its Facebook page. In addition, players can visit the website to find out the free answer of the day to get a jumpstart on that night's game.

www.teamtriviami.com

Locations

Reno's North Sports Bar and Grill, 16460 Old US 27, Lansing. 7:30 p.m. Mondays

City Limits East, 2120 East Saginaw Hwy., East Lansing. 7 p.m. Mondays

Reno's West Sports Bar and Grill, 5001 W. Saginaw Hwy., Lansing. 7 p.m. Tuesdays

Buddies Bar and Grill, 3048 Lake Lansing Rd., East Lansing. 8 p.m. Wednesdays

Reno's East Sports Bar and Grill, 1310 Abbot Rd., East Lansing. 8 p.m. Wednesdays

Leo's Lodge, 2525 Jolly Rd., Lansing. 9 p.m. Wednesdays

Geeks Who Drink

Are you a Harry Potter or Star Wars buff?

Geeks Who Drink bills itself as "the only pub quiz that matters." The Denver, Colorado company hosts more than 700 pub quizzes across 45 states weekly. Folks play for bar cash and other small prizes.

Format

The game consists of eight rounds of eight questions each. Play in teams of up to six, or fly solo if you'd like. Rounds 1, 4 and 6 are usually themed e.g. "TV Shows Your Parents Watch." At least two rounds incorporate audio depending on the venue.

How it's different

"Our pub quiz is an extension of what was done in Ireland and the U.K. in the sense that it's more fast-paced," said Ken Brill, director of PR and marketing for Geeks Who Drink.

All 64 questions are curated by a group of six to eight people from various backgrounds to ensure that the questions speak to a broad range of people. There's even a team of fact checkers. Christopher Short, a six-time Jeopardy champion, serves as editor.

www.geekswhodrink.com

Locations

Unicorn Lounge, 327 E. Grand River Ave., Lansing. 8 p.m. Mondays (starting Jan. 20, 2018)

HopCat, 300 Grove St., East Lansing. 8 p.m. Wednesdays

Harry's Place, 404 N. Verlinden Ave., Lansing. 8 p.m. Thursdays

Contact Reporter Princess Gabbara at pgabbara@lsj.com or 577-377-1006. Follow her on Twitter @PrincessGabbara.