Glossary

| Glossary of Billiard Terms

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| 3-Ball | A pool game with 3 balls, where the object is to packet the last ball
| 8-Ball | A pool game with 15 balls, where the object is to pocket all of the striped or solid balls, saving the 8-ball for last
| 9-Ball | A pool game with 9 balls, where the object is to pocket the 9-ball
| 14+1 Ball | A pool game with 15 balls, where the balls are worth one each and pocketing requires preliminary nomination
| Action | Refers to betting on a game
| American | A pool game with 16 balls, where any ball could be sank to any pocket in any order and goal is to make 8 balls
| Angle | A deviation from a straight line
| Angled | When the cue ball is inside the jaws of a pocket preventing the shooter from shooting directly at the desired object ball, then the cue ball is said to be "angled"
| Apex Ball | The ball located in front of the rack and is situated on the foot spot or the spot at the far end of the table
| Backspin | Striking the cue ball below center to produce backspin on the cue ball
| Bad Hit | Usually when two object balls are close together and the player attempting to hit desired ball accidentally makes contact with the other object ball
| Ball-in-Hand | The player that has ball-in-hand can place the cue ball anywhere on the table or anywhere behind the kitchen line
| Ball Banger | A player who is not serious about playing pool and takes a lot of slop shots
| Ball On | A ball in a group of balls that is on the pocket meaning that if the group is struck in a certain manner the "ball on" will be thrown into the pocket
| Ball Path | A feature of Billiard game that displays the exact path of the every ball involved in a shot
| Bank | Shooting a ball off of one or more of the cushions and then into a pocket
| Bed | The playing surface of the pool table
| Big Ball | The ball near a pocket that can be pocket easily
| Black Ball | Also known as the 8-ball
| Blast | A very hard strike onto the cue ball
| Bottom | To "hit the bottom" is to hit the cue ball below the centerline
| Break Shot | To strike a rack of balls with the cue ball
| Butt | The bottom of a cue stick is called "the butt"
| Call Pocket | To designate a ball and pocket before a shot attempt
| Cannon, Carom | British term for when the cue ball strikes two or more balls
| Choke | A player is unable to compete due to high pressure
| Combination | A shot that hits more than one ball and pockets the last one hit
| Consecutive Order | Following a numerical sequence
| Cross Corner | A bank shot across the table into the corner pocket
| Cushion | The rubber that is attached to the edge of the table
| Cue Ball | The white or yellowish ball used as the shooter
| Cueing | Moving the cue stick back and forth prior to striking the cue ball
| Cue Stick | The stick that is used to strike the cue ball
| Cue Tip | The top of the cue stick that strikes the cue ball
| Dead Ball | If the cue ball "stops dead" upon contact with the object ball it is a "dead ball"
| Diamonds | The markers on the table that are used to help with aiming bank shots
| Dirty Pool | A slang term When a player has a shot but doesn’t take it or places the cue ball in a difficult position
| Dogging | A player that is playing at less than normal speed or when a player intentionally misses an easy shot
| Double | A British term for a one cushion bank shot
| Double Kiss | When a ball strikes the same ball twice during one shot
| Drift | When a ball diverts from a true course due to the influence of an off center hit
| Ducking | Playing safe or not shooting out
| Draw | Hitting the cue ball below center to cause backspin
| End Cushions | The cushions at the ends of the table
| English | Striking the cue ball off center left or right to produce left or right spin on the cue ball
| Even Up | When a player feels he can play without a spot or head start
| Fanning | To hit an object ball so soft it seems it was blown into the pocket
| Favored Position | The position on the table where the player places the cue ball after his opponent has fouled in the game of 9-ball
| Fish | An innocent player being consumed by a pool shark
| Fluke | A lucky shot
| Follow | Striking the cue ball above center to produce topspin on the cue ball
| Foot of Table | The end of the table where the balls are racked
| Foot Spot | The spot at the end of the table where the balls are racked
| Force | The amount of movement applied to the cue ball or an object ball
| Foul | A foul is something that should not happen and is illegal for play
| Frame | Same as "inning" All players in the game have completed their turn
| Freeze Out | A player that has bet everything on the outcome of a match or set of games
| Front Runner | A player who is leading a match by few games
| Frozen | A ball that is in contact with another ball or a cushion
| Full Ball | Hitting an object ball straight on with the cue ball produces a full ball hit
| Good Hit | The opposite of "bad hit" A well made shot
| Good Shot | When a player makes a difficult shot
| Hard | A difficult shot
| Hazard | British term for pocketing a ball
| Head of Table | Where the game starts
| High Run | A total of the points or balls pocketed in succession
| Holing | British term for pocketing a ball
| Hooked | A bad game or bad bet
| Hug | When a ball rolls along the cushion
| Hustling | To take advantage for a player by not revealing your true skill as a player
| Incoming Player | The player who turn is up next
| Inning | When all players in the game have completed their turn This is one inning
| In Stroke | A player that is playing well
| Jaw | The inside of a pocket opening
| Jump | When a ball leaves the table surface
| Jump Shot | Jumping the cue ball over another ball This is done with a raised butt of the cue stick
| Key Ball | Next to the last ball to be pocketed The seventh ball in 8-ball
| Kibitz Shot | A shot recommended by the computer by pressing Ctrl-K The computer uses Ball Paths to suggest a shot This feature only works during a Practice game
| Kitchen Line | A line drawn between the two center diamonds at the head end of the table You must break from behind this line
| Kick Shot | To strike a cushion before striking an object ball
| Kiss | When two balls strike each other twice usually resulting in a missed shot
| Kitchen | The area behind the kitchen line
| Lag | A soft hit on a ball
| Leave | A safe play where the incoming player doesn’t have a easy shot to make
| Line Ball | When an object ball is center on the kitchen line
| Live Ball | A ball that is in on the table and in play
| Lock Up | A player that has no chance to win
| Long | If a ball hits the short cushion before it is pocketed it is said that the ball rolled long
| Masse | A curve shot performed with extreme English and a raised cue stick butt
| Milking the Game | Limiting the number of games won in a match to hide you skill
| Miss | When the shot fails it’s objective
| Miscall | A shot other than the one intended
| Money Ball | A ball in which a bet is placed
| Multi-Bank | To strike more than one cushion with a ball
| Natural | An easy shot
| Narrow Angle | A small angle
| No Hit | Failure to strike the desired ball
| Object Ball | Any ball that is hit by the cue ball
| Object Ball Angle | Is determined by the location of the object ball and desired pocket
| Obstructing Ball | A ball that is in a line between a desired object ball and a favored pocket or between the cue ball and a favored object ball
| On a Break | Means making a run
| On the Rail | Means to play safe by placing the cue ball near the cushion
| On His Game | Means that a player is in stroke or in a zone
| On a Roll | Having a good game or match
| Open Break | In 9-ball it means to pocket a ball In 8-ball it means to drive four or more balls to a cushion
| Out of Stroke | A player that is playing below his usual skill
| Over Cut | Striking an object ball farther to the inside than was intended
| Play Out | To pocket all of the remaining balls on the table Also known as "running out"
| Pocket | To sink a ball into a table pocket or the pat of the table that the balls fall into
| Pocketing | To cause a ball to enter a pocket
| Pool Shark | British for pool hustler
| Position | To pocket a ball and setup the next shot
| Principle Ball | The last ball prior to the game winning ball
| Pyramid | A pool game with 15 balls, where the balls are worth by numbers and goal is to reach 71 points
| Race | To play a match where the winner is the first to win a certain number of games
| Rack | To group the balls at the start of a game
| Ranking | A player’s ranking is determined by past game play performance
| Reading the Table | To examine the position of the balls and make a shot sequence plan
| Riding the Balls | A slop shot at a group of balls
| Run | Pocketing a series of balls in succession
| Run Out | To packet all remaining balls in a single shot sequence
| Safety | A difficult leave of the balls
| Scratch | Pocketing the cue ball
| Screw | Same as draw shot
| Setup | Balls are positioned in a manner that insures an easy shot for the opponent
| Shape | Same as position
| Shark | A player of very high skill
| Shooting Out | Playing to make every shot on the table
| Shot Pattern | A player’s preference for a certain shot
| Shot Sequence | A selected grouping of shots preferred by a player
| Short | If a ball hits the long cushion before it is pocketed it is said that the ball rolled short
| Side Cushions | The cushions at the sides of the table
| Slop | A ball that is pocketed by luck
| Spot | To place a ball on the spot marker as a result of a scratch or foul or to advance an opponent’s score
| Spotting | To place a ball on the spot
| Spot Ball | British term for the ball resting on the spot
| Solids | The lower numbered balls with a solid color
| Split Hit | To hit two balls with the same amount of force Illegal in 9-ball
| Straight Pool | A pool game with 15 balls, where the balls are worth one each and can be pocketed in any order
| Squeeze | A close call or no chance for error shot
| Stab | British for trying a difficult shot
| Straight On | British for striking an object ball "straight on"
| Stick | Slang term for cue stick
| Stripes | The higher numbered balls surrounded with a stripe
| Stroking | Warming up with a back and forth motion of the cue stick prior to striking the cue ball
| Stun | British term for striking a dead ball hard
| Sucker | Same as "fish" An innocent player being consumed by a pool shark
| Throw | To make a ball travel other than a straight line