An elderly man walked into a bar, had a couple of beers, and when the bartender told him the total was four dollars, he shook his head and said, “But I already paid you. Don’t you remember?” The bartender, not wanting to argue with an older gentleman, replied, “If you say you paid, then you did.”

The man left, chuckling to himself, and told a friend outside that the bartender couldn’t keep track of who paid. His friend rushed in, ordered a beer, and when the bill came, he repeated the same trick. Again, the bartender answered calmly, “If you say you paid, I’ll take your word for it.”

Feeling clever, the second man ran outside and passed the trick along to another friend. That friend hurried inside and ordered several highballs, confident the bartender wouldn’t notice. But as he sipped his drink, the bartender leaned over and said, “You know, something strange happened tonight. Two men had beers, neither paid, and both claimed they had. The next guy who tries that stunt is getting punched right in the nose.”

Without missing a beat, the final man waved him off and said, “Don’t bother me with your problems. Just give me my change and I’ll be on my way.” The bartender suddenly realized he’d been fooled three times in one night — and the final punchline left him speechless.