INTRODUCTION
Firstly, this will be a professional like 'read' for all the people who dont have an understanding for Ping AKA Latency. This should provide a better understanding for anyone who knows about ping, or someone who is completly dumbfounded and dont even know what ping is. Please dont say 'This was posted before you choob'. I dont think thiers will be as indepth as mine. So stfu and read.
WHAT THE 
is PING?
Ping, also more uncommonly known as Latency is (I quote from Wiki);
Code:
In various network multiplayer games, the server notes the time it requires for a game packet to reach a client and a response to be received. This round-trip time is usually reported as the player's 'ping'. It is used as an effective measurement of the player's latency, with lower ping times being desirable. Note that this style of ping typically does not use ICMP packets.
Put simply, it is the time that Your client sends a packet to the server and back again, and is noted as 'ping'. Ping is influenced by your client location (The spot where your computer client is sending information from) the top speed, and realtime speed of your internet and other environmental influences. In games, the higher the ping, the higher the delay. However, there are two types of delay. I call them Ghost, and Lag delays. A ghost delay is where you, or the other person is lagging and your client is placing the person AHEAD of realtime. This occurs in Team Fortress 2 as you can kill a heavy that ran past a corner. Lag delays are delays in the packets being sent, and your 'bullets' take a while for them to spawn and be processed to apply damage. This applies to Crossfire, as you could snipe someone however the person may not recieve dmg.
HOW DO I CHECK MY PING?
A simple test from speedtest.net can test your ping.
I performed a test to K. Lumpur in Malaysia.
(Laptop speedtest, ping usually like 150)
Ping: 291 ms
DL rate: 1.2mbs
UP rate: 0.2mbs
To test for servers such as crossfire, you must find out where the servers are loctated and find the closest host to the crossfire host. and it should give you a good approximate.
HOW DO I MAKE MY PING LOWER?
There are many ways to make your ping a less substantial and impacting one.
Firstly, by default, laptops have a 40-100 ping increase due to Wireless. If you use cable, its 10-50 more. (Or less if your smart enough). To reduce Laptop or Iphone wireless lag, you require BOTH transmitter and reciever to be N series to be able to transmit at gaming speed. G routers and recievers have less capacity to trasmit, therefore increasing your latency even more.
(PC ONLY) Your internet will, increase by 800-1500 MS if ONE laptop is connected to the WiFi network. They dont even need to play cards on the net. If they do, your ping goes up even more. Ask them to read a Adult magazine or watch grass grow.
Get a better internet plan that increases your top speed.
Do not torrent or download while playing. It reduces to amount you can transmit packets
Exit out of Social networking such as mIRC, MSN, AIM and close down explorers such FF, IE, OPERA and safari.
Turn off Voice chat, then you download voice over VOIP and upload voice over VOIP.
Turn off virus scanners as they can scan your incoming packets and increase your ping.
Hacks can increase your ping, and you should know it. Rofl.
Use google to find more ideas. Im tired of typing. Will update later on today when im on the PC. Feel free to Thank me. If you believe i am wrong in one of points of infomation, please PM me and not post it. I will look it up and attempt to fix right away. Sorry if my English isnt perfect, English is my second language.
Credits;
Wikipedia
Speedtest.net
Myself (Experience mostly)
Google
(Mods read; This was made specifically for the CF Hack thread, as there was continous Ping and Lag threads, Please dont move away from this area)
[GUIDE] What is Latency/Ping 
Linear Mode
