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February 14, 2018
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January 04, 2018
A-Z Pool: Terms You May Not Know
“What does that mean?” “ I never heard of that before!?”
Have you ever said these words out loud when playing pool and somebody throws out a term that is less than familiar to you! Ok, so you’ve never in the history of your pool-playing life, heard this term!
No worries! At Delta-13 we’ve always got your...rack! (And your back, too.)
So, to help you out we’ve compiled an A-Z list some of the not-so-common terms you may hear people say more than once during a game...
A
“Air Ball!”
When someone makes a shot but their object ball is missed entirely!
“Al Bundy”
Describes a player who has the tendency to miss shots or easy shots.
B
“Bagel”
a game score of...0!
“Break pad
to break cloth.
C
“Chop the Pot”
When two final tournament players match and split the total winnings, regardless of the outcome of the final match.
“Close to your work”
When the cue ball is too close to your target object ball and complicates your shot.
D
“Dead bank”
Bank shot where the cue ball is on the natural aiming line to shoot for a square hit on the object ball.
“Drag follow”
a drag shot where the cue ball has developed roll before object ball impact, resulting in a follow shot.
E
“Eight and Out”
A run of 8 balls into your pocket, resulting in a one-pocket victory!
“Elevated Bridge”
a hand V-bridge where the heel (base) of the hand is lifted off the table to raise the cue (e.g., to clear an obstacle ball close to the cue ball).
F
“Fat”
Describes how a ball hits when it's undercut.
“Feather shot”
Very thin cut shot.
“Forced error”
A miss or mistake after your opponent left you with a tough shot or *safety shot.
G
“Grinder”
A dedicated player that is deliberate, straightforward and uncreative.
“Goalie”
A player that never scores himself but defensively plays so other can’t score.
H
“HAMB”
To “Hit a Million Balls”, referring to what some people think is required to aim well.
“Hug the rail”
When a ball rolls along the rail cushion.
I
“Inside cut”
bank shot when the cue ball hits the object ball on the side toward the bank direction and imparts natural cut-induced spin to the object ball.
“Insurance ball”
An easily pocketed ball that you leave untouched until you need it to get out of trouble.
J
“Jellyroll”
A great roll of the cue ball which sets up perfect position for your next shot.
“Jump shot”
An illegal shot when the cue ball is lifted off the table surface to jump over an obstacle ball by hitting the cue ball well below center.
K
“Kill shot”
a shot where you use draw to limit the cue ball’s motion after object ball or rail contact.
“Knuckle”
the tip of a rail cushion bordering a pocket opening.
L
“Lag shot”
A skillshot used where each player must shoot a ball from behind the head string and return it as close as possible to the head rail after bouncing off the foot rail.
“Long string”
imaginary line through the head spot and foot spot.
M
“Miscue”
a stroke in which the cue tip does not establish good contact with the cue ball, resulting in poor transmission of force and an unpredictable cue ball path.
“Money ball”
a ball, which when legally pocketed, results in victory.
N
“Near point”
the pocket rail cushion point closest to the object ball.
“Nit”
person who wants too much of a handicap, or complains about the fairness of a wager. A nit is usually a better “talker” than a “player.”
O
“Out of stroke”
A player is not playing well.
“Out shot”
A difficult shot that, if made, should result in a victory.
P
“Pearl”
The cue ball.
“Pattern play”
strategically playing the balls in a certain order based on position and groupings.
Q
“Quiet eyes”
Focusing on a target with still eyes for a period of time (e.g., to get a visual lock on your aim and/or tip position).
“Quick draw”
A cut shot draw action where the CB draws back from the tangent line as soon as possible. This is achieved with a high spin-to-speed ratio created by hitting the CB as low as possible with moderate speed.
R
“Railbird”
A person that watches or gambles on a game without playing.
“Running english”
Side spin that causes the cue ball to speed up after bouncing off a rail, also resulting in a wider (longer) rebound angle. The spin is in the direction that results in “rolling” along the rail during contact.
S
“Safety break”
A defensive break where you try to leave your opponent without a shot.
“Slop shot”
A shot hit hard with no clear objective.
“Stop on a dime”
When a players hits a perfect stop shot (cue ball stops dead in place.)
T
“Throw shot”
A shot in which sidespin is used to alter the path of the object ball.
“Train a table”
To make indentations in the cloth at each racked-ball position to help hold the balls in place and touching when racked.
U
“Under cut”
To hit the object ball with too small of a cut angle, hitting the ball too fully.
“Up and down”
A long bank shot off a short rail into a corner pocket, traveling almost the full length of the table twice.
V
“Vertical centerline”
When you aim at the vertical line passing through the center of the cue ball.
“Visit”
Same as “inning.”
W
“Wagon wheel drill”
Position control drill where you try to send the cue ball in a wide range of directions off the same shot.
“Wipe its feet”
When a ball wasn’t hit dead center and brushes against the jaws of a pocket on its way in.
Y
“Yips”
Technique flaws as a result of nervous tension.
Z
“Zone”
State in which a player is not distracted by anything and plays top-level pool!
Do you have more terms that you’ve heard at the table to add to our list?
Share with us @theDelta13 so we all can keep learning! We may even add yours to this list on our blog page.
In the meantime, keep playing pool!
Delta-13 is the world's leading aluminum billiard accessory company designing and producing in Parker, Colorado.
The Delta-13 billiard ball rack is the highest quality, most consistent, tight rack in the world. The balls explode, giving players more fun at the table. This pool table rack is completely safe for all cloth and is guaranteed to never warp, bow, or splinter.
The Delta-13 Elite is the official rack for the WPBA, several Men’s ESPN tournaments, professional tours, and several amateur leagues.
The aerospace precision design creates a powerful break preferred by professionals. This pool rack is the only personalized aluminum ball rack that can be customized with engraving and special colors.
