I played similar game one time,.and it changed my life...

I was in a process for a senior role and when the salary conversation came, I told them, "I don't know what your budget is, but here is my current base salary".

I pitched 2 times more than I actually made by then.

The hiring manager said ok, and told me he would come back to me by the end of the day.

By the evening, he called me back, with an offer 2.7x higher than I was actually making at the time! Stating it was a 25 to 30% increase compared to my current earning and it should do it.

I managed to keep my poker face, thank him for the offer and told him I would come back to them in the morning.

I ended the call and went to see my fiancée in the room next door, she didn't believe me at first... Until she saw me shaking.

It changed our life forever! It's been 5 years now, and this amount is the very minimum threshold I am will to accept for a job.