Difference between revisions of "Buzzer fake"

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A '''buzzer fake''' is a tactic where one player pretends that he is about to buzz, in the hopes of luring a player on the other team into buzzing early in order to "beat" the faker out, thus inducing a neg.
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A '''buzzer fake''' is a tactic where one player pretends that he is about to buzz, in the hopes of luring a player on the other team into buzzing early in order to "beat" the faker out, thus inducing a neg.</onlyinclude>
  
In theory, a buzzer fake will be far easier for a player with a natural [[full-body buzz]], as he can initiate telltale pre-buzzing movements without actually buzzing. It is also easier with a [[Judge]] paddle than with a thumb-plunger. A fake buzz may potentially work in two situations:  
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In theory, a buzzer fake will be far easier for a player with a natural [[full-body buzz]], as he can initiate telltale pre-buzzing movements without actually buzzing. It is also easier with a paddle from [[The Judge]] than with a thumb-plunger. A fake buzz may potentially work in two situations:  
 
* where a player who actually has a guess is simply waiting for a more concrete clue and then is legitimately lured into a buzz  
 
* where a player who actually has a guess is simply waiting for a more concrete clue and then is legitimately lured into a buzz  
 
* where a player has no idea what the answer might be, but wishes to appear to be buzzing on a question as if he does, thus enhancing his perceived skill rating (which will of course plummet if the fake buzz succeeds). This is known as ''reflex buzzing''.
 
* where a player has no idea what the answer might be, but wishes to appear to be buzzing on a question as if he does, thus enhancing his perceived skill rating (which will of course plummet if the fake buzz succeeds). This is known as ''reflex buzzing''.
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==History==
 
==History==
Buzzer fakes seldom succeed, though [[Anthony de Jesus]] attempted buzzer fakes at least once per tournament, and [[Tim McElroy]] claims to have used one successfully against [[Andrew Yaphe]] at a [[University of Chicago]] practice in 2004. Former [[Maryland]] and [[Illinois]] player [[Vishnu Jejjala]] tried this maneuver on three separate occasions against [[Kentucky|University of Kentucky]] teams, including one at [[1999 ACF Nationals]] which led to a temporary pause in play to allow the moderator, the legendary [[Al Whited]], to ascertain whether Jejjala was all right, and to give him a withering look of contempt when he found out the purpose for the convulsion. In the final attempt, at a [[Michigan]] [[MLK]], the buzzer fake not only failed to work but even cost Jejjala’s team points, when his buzzer spasm baited teammate [[John Nam]] to buzz in and take a neg. Kentucky’s website makes reference to this as the “chump jump”.
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Buzzer fakes seldom succeed, making confirmed cases rare.
  
Contemporary practitioners of the buzzer fake include [[Rob Carson]] and [[Mike Sorice]]. A fake-turned-accidental-buzz by Carson resulted in an embarrassing neg at [[ACF Fall]] 2007, while Sorice claims to have made several successful buzzer fakes, including at least one against [[Trygve Meade]]. At the Minnesota site of the 2008 [[MUT]], Meade was successfully buzzer faked by both [[Igor Luzhansky]]'s cell phone and by [[Jeet Raut]].
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* [[Vishnu Jejjala]]'s attempts to buzzer fake [[Kentucky|University of Kentucky]] teams included [[1999 ACF Nationals]], where moderator [[Al Whited]] was forced to stop to ascertain whether Jejjala was all right, and [[Michigan]] [[MLK]], when his buzzer spasm baited teammate [[John Nam]] to buzz in and take a neg - Kentucky’s website referred to this as the “chump jump”.
 
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* A fake-turned-accidental-buzz by [[Rob Carson]] resulted in an embarrassing neg at [[ACF Fall]] 2007; many years later, Rob redeemed himself by successfully buzzer-faking [[Ted Gioia]] at [[WELD]]
[[Isaac Hirsch]] claims to have successfully buzzer faked [[Zach Foster]] at the Region Four 2011 [[SCT]], after witnessing the latter watching opposing players during a previous matches. Foster denies this, claiming to have buzzed in with (pseudo)legitimate knowledge.
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* [[Mike Sorice]] claims to have buzzer faked [[Trygve Meade]], who was faked by both [[Igor Luzhansky]]'s cell phone and [[Jeet Raut]] at the Minnesota site of the 2008 [[MUT]].
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* [[Max Schindler]] fell victim to an unintentional buzzer fake in the finals of the [[2013 NSC]] when [[Allan Sadun]]'s attempts to buzz with an unplugged buzzer led to his incorrect reflex buzz; Sadun subsequently power-vulched.
  
 
[[Category:Quizbowl lingo]]
 
[[Category:Quizbowl lingo]]
 
[[Category:Original QBWiki Page]]
 
[[Category:Original QBWiki Page]]

Latest revision as of 09:46, 25 May 2021

A buzzer fake is a tactic where one player pretends that he is about to buzz, in the hopes of luring a player on the other team into buzzing early in order to "beat" the faker out, thus inducing a neg.

In theory, a buzzer fake will be far easier for a player with a natural full-body buzz, as he can initiate telltale pre-buzzing movements without actually buzzing. It is also easier with a paddle from The Judge than with a thumb-plunger. A fake buzz may potentially work in two situations:

  • where a player who actually has a guess is simply waiting for a more concrete clue and then is legitimately lured into a buzz
  • where a player has no idea what the answer might be, but wishes to appear to be buzzing on a question as if he does, thus enhancing his perceived skill rating (which will of course plummet if the fake buzz succeeds). This is known as reflex buzzing.

Risks

There are two primary risks inherent when one attempts a buzzer fake:

  • One's teammates could also potentially be induced to reflex buzz, resulting in a neg (see below)
  • If one is not careful, a buzzer fake can turn into a very real terrible buzz, also resulting in a neg.

History

Buzzer fakes seldom succeed, making confirmed cases rare.