We need a new metric in addition to the notch count that correlates more strongly to game, but one that is measurable, objective, and easily tracked over time. The reason why guys ask other guys “Bang any new girls lately?” is because the other question is too subjective. Your flag count is the number of countries you have slept with, and if you sleep with two girls from the same country, that’s still one flag. That is what makes the metric cleaner than most of the other stuff people brag about.

For example, if I have sex with a girl born in Greece, two girls born in Poland, one from Colombia, and a ton from the United States, I have four flags. Most American guys have flags in the low single digits while some multilingual friends are in the high single digits. I have only met two men who are in the double digits, and prolonged travel seems to help. It may even game the metric a little unfairly. Still, the number gives you a rough snapshot that is hard to fake.

Flags are more telling of your game skill because you are having sex with girls that have different and usually more conservative cultural beliefs and norms. Being desirable to women from several countries signifies more game than being desirable to the same type of girl from the same locale. An American flag is the least valuable because American girls, from my experience, are the easiest in the world. That is why the same number from different places does not mean the same thing.

If a guy tells you he has 30 notches but 2 flags, chances are he found a niche for which he is exploiting. If a guy tells me he has 15 notches but 6 flags, I’ll make the safe assumption that his diverse banging is probably not the result of a golden goose. The only way to really identify a guy’s game is to observe him over a prolonged period of time and stay skeptical. Stories are cheap, but patterns are harder to fake. That is why you need context before you believe what he says.