Sadly I've been pretending to let someone use me for connections.
Really now? What kind of game is it?
A competitive one, I want to play with you... Also I'm a loser with nothing to my name.
I think you'll find that being dishonest with people has too many consequences too make any benefit worthwhile. You end up making it too easy to lie to yourself, for one. For another, you end up treating people in a way you probably don't like being treated.
I'm smart enough to keep up my facade and I'm winning big in the end.
It doesn't matter if you win in the end, if you aren't being honest about it all. How are these people going to feel when they find out your were lying? Why not come clean and accept the consequences, so if you do win, it will be fair and feel good?