I see, in that case it is in the rules that someone can ask to lag, and it shouldn't be an etiquette problem!
The Lag
- Thread starter peppersauce
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I see, in that case it is in the rules that someone can ask to lag, and it shouldn't be an etiquette problem!
My local singles league and tournaments have moved to lags in the past year. Are you sure it's so old-fashioned?
I always lag lol. I got my pool foundation from watching the major pro tournaments. It wasn’t until I started watching some of the POV pool hard Times tournaments and similar that I saw people flipping. When I played in a league it was always lag as well. I agreed to flip with a guy once and his captain yelled at us about skill vs luck lol.
I didn’t much care about it before but I have noticed the more I play with strangers the more they want to flip so I try to lag since I win more often. It’s good to have a little win in the beginning, in case that’s my only chance
I didn’t much care about it before but I have noticed the more I play with strangers the more they want to flip so I try to lag since I win more often. It’s good to have a little win in the beginning, in case that’s my only chance
one of the funniest lines ever but true!
Someone, I believe Rodney Morris but it has been a long time, anyway, he lost the lag and with winner breaks his opponent broke and ran the set out on him. When somebody asked him how he had done in that match a little later he just said, "I dogged the lag." True enough but has always sounded funny to me. Saying you dogged the coin flip just wouldn't be the same.
Hu
I always lag lol. I got my pool foundation from watching the major pro tournaments. It wasn’t until I started watching some of the POV pool hard Times tournaments and similar that I saw people flipping. When I played in a league it was always lag as well. I agreed to flip with a guy once and his captain yelled at us about skill vs luck lol.
I didn’t much care about it before but I have noticed the more I play with strangers the more they want to flip so I try to lag since I win more often. It’s good to have a little win in the beginning, in case that’s my only chance
Someone, I believe Rodney Morris but it has been a long time, anyway, he lost the lag and with winner breaks his opponent broke and ran the set out on him. When somebody asked him how he had done in that match a little later he just said, "I dogged the lag." True enough but has always sounded funny to me. Saying you dogged the coin flip just wouldn't be the same.
Hu
In APA, the break is determined by the lag. If someone asks to flip, and both sides are willing, that's fine, but if one of the players wishes to lag, that's what you do. It's not poor etiquette to wish to lag.
Most of the local tournaments that I've played are the same way. Some tournaments its customary to flip, and that's fine, too.
I'll always lag, if given the choice. Not that I'm particularly good at it, but its how I was taught, and I like the tradition. Still, when I'm in one of those tourneys where they flip, I don't make an issue of it.
Most of the local tournaments that I've played are the same way. Some tournaments its customary to flip, and that's fine, too.
I'll always lag, if given the choice. Not that I'm particularly good at it, but its how I was taught, and I like the tradition. Still, when I'm in one of those tourneys where they flip, I don't make an issue of it.
If there is no tournament rule about this, I think "whatever". When I play in a new place that is one of the things I ask about. My first preference is to lag since it's the start of a match and that should be where the skill of the players comes in, it's like starting positions in a car race, it's based on skill around the track not just luck.
I can’t believe that no one has suggested that flipping a metal disc with a sharp-ish edge onto a piece of expensive fabric that is tightly stretched over a slab of rock may not be that great for playing conditions in the long run.
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With how little force the coin would land I don't think it's an issue. There is probably at least a 100-1 ratio of impacts with things like break cue tips, jump cues, just plain bad players smacking cues into the table, etc... than coins landing on the table and all of those are much harder on the cloth.
Plus there could be a house rule done where you use a penny which is light and no sharp edges
I don't think I have ever seen a hole or tear or even scratch in a table and then someone told me "yea some guy flipped a coin and messed up the table" LOL
This has nothing to do with etiquette, or any other bullshit machoism.
The majority of the tourneys around here play the coin flip. If someone asked me to lag, I'd tell them to get bent. I'm not practicing my lag and anyone who asks to lag obviously has a pretty good and practiced lag. Obviously giving them the advantage, why would I do that?
This question is a no brainer to me and about as straight forward as they come.
Anyone who asked to lag, has confidence in it, do you?
The majority of the tourneys around here play the coin flip. If someone asked me to lag, I'd tell them to get bent. I'm not practicing my lag and anyone who asks to lag obviously has a pretty good and practiced lag. Obviously giving them the advantage, why would I do that?
This question is a no brainer to me and about as straight forward as they come.
Anyone who asked to lag, has confidence in it, do you?
That's from the perspective of the less skilled of the parties...
How should the more skilled individual feel?
That he should ignore his competencies to accommodate one who wouldn't be troubled with practice?
Neither perspective is right or wrong, but both are surely valid.
How should the more skilled individual feel?
That he should ignore his competencies to accommodate one who wouldn't be troubled with practice?
Neither perspective is right or wrong, but both are surely valid.
The more skilled individual should enter tourneys that only use a lag or talk with the TD if that person is upset about it.
If most of the tourneys I played in had a lag, I'd be much better practiced at the lag. You can bet your last quarter I would never ask for a flip in a lag tourney. The converse being just as true.
Life is too short to be practicing the lag. Then there are occassions when its very close and your opponent asks for someone to 'measure'. It can get the match off to a bad start.
Dont be a nit and just flip it
Dont be a nit and just flip it
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However the tournament is set-up is how I would do it.
Oh no! You missed an excellent opportunity to use the word “Machismo” which doesn’t come up often these days.
Lagging is where it’s at. It IS pool. Coins should be pitched or thrown at phone booth slots or wished upon at the well, flattened on train tracks even.. but they don’t scream Pool to me like a good lag.
You never practice your speed or new tables/cloth/cue with tens of lags? The coin flip just doesn’t do it for me, but it’s also true that the world passed me by with My Space so..
Still lagging in Chicago’s western suburbs.
Last time I was out and about and playing under structured rules, rule was ~ players may lag or flip for first break. In cases where players do not agree (lag/flip), lag shall be required.
Imagine this scenario:
After years and years of hoping, pool is finally made an Olympic sport and for the first time in years is going to be televised for the whole world to see. So....it's time for the match to begin, millions (okay, probably thousands) of viewers tuned in ready to see this momentous occasion.....
And what do they do? Flip a coin to see who breaks first????
WTF?????
Maniac (done here)
After years and years of hoping, pool is finally made an Olympic sport and for the first time in years is going to be televised for the whole world to see. So....it's time for the match to begin, millions (okay, probably thousands) of viewers tuned in ready to see this momentous occasion.....
And what do they do? Flip a coin to see who breaks first????
WTF?????
Maniac (done here)
The first version of the XFL tried to do away with that, but too many people got hurt.