New glossary of pool and billiards terms and phrases, including gambling stuff

[BmoreMoney]

" GAPPER " : A tip ( as in $$$ ) Always give the houseman a good gapper and the calls will go your way. OR, Three Finger AL turned me onto that game so I gave him a nice gapper.

 

[TommyT]

I just added:

dead money: gambling wager one is likely to lose.

Thanks,
Dave

I understood it to describe someone who doesn't gamble.

 

[BmoreMoney]

Here are a few more and a few thoughts on one's already in :

Bullets as in 1,2,3 etc. # of barrels he has left is # of sets or games worth of money left. Bullet is interchangeable with Barrell .

Cheddar or chicken : money
Case money : last amount of money before someone is busted out
Civilian : lol, never heard it used that way. Has always meant around here person is not affiliated with ANY gangs AND also has no involvement in the criminal underground ; ie regular law biding citizens
Juice : also to include " vig " or % of interest on money borrowed ( typically by the week )
Lounge lizard: lol, Def not how I would a taken it - refer to lot lizard
Nit: CHEAP!!!!!!
On the arm : on credit
Knot : momeyroll
Choke a horse : referring to either a huge bet or a knot - His knot could choke a horse
Pumped up : same as flush, currently having a large amount of money
In the light / on the light : post up money for a wager
Stack = $1000
Rack = this one may be more regional but usually $10,000

 

[BmoreMoney]

Dr. Dave, I read your glossary and very cool! Thanks for putting it together. I'm kinda guessing you are trying to keep it G rated or at least PG lol . How " the biz " or he's doing business which we all now what it means but newbies wouldnt? Also I had to laugh when I saw " George " in there lol, but where's Tom???? Lol

 

[dr_dave]

'I'm in Alcatraz'. As in, 'I'm in jail' with no way to escape.

Thanks. I've added it.

Regards,
Dave

 

[iusedtoberich]

In Philly sometimes I hear:

Hit Sum = play for practice
Play Sum = gamble

Are you sure on your George def? I thought it meant someone was in on the dump, and you were on the right side?

 

[dr_dave]

Doc.....three things

Traffic...I'm familiar with that term at 3-cushion billiards...
..traffic is what you try to avoid...it's your cue ball running into the ball you hit before
getting to your objective off three rails...it can also the be ball hit running into the third ball
It's why a good player doesn't go the obvious way sometimes..he's avoiding the traffic.

cosmo...if you could, I'd like to see the man honored who gave rise to this term.
His name was Tommy Cosmo, a stand-up comedian who could run a 100 at 14.1....
...he actually knocked Jimmy Moore out of a straight pool tournament once.
In an exhibition, he would set up the nine balls so a stop shot on every one would run
the table....hence an easy layout became known as a 'cosmo'...
..however, Tommy would do a ballet dance while he did the run.

Double...I've been to the UK many times...I've only heard 'double' to mean our 'bank'.
...so I asked Willie Thorne what you call a double bank...he didn't know..
..but a three in the side is known as a 'cocked hat double'...
So I asked him what you call a four or five in the corner..he said they didn't do things like that...

I already have these terms in the glossary. I prefer to keep the definitions as concise as possible, but thank you for sharing the info.

If a "double" refers only to a bank shot, what do UK and snooker people call a kick shot?

Thanks,
Dave

 

[dr_dave]

Hello again Dr Dave.

On snooker tables the line drawn across the table through the head spot (the head string) is usually referred to as the baulk line (pronounced balk as in the game) and being "in the kitchen" usually referred to as "being in baulk".

A lot of UK guys and snooker players generally will use the same terminology when playing pool.

Best regards.

Thanks. I've added some baulk-related entries.

Regards,
Dave

 

[pt109]

In Philly sometimes I hear:

Hit Sum = play for practice
Play Sum = gamble

Are you sure on your George def? I thought it meant someone was in on the dump, and you were on the right side?

"George' is flexible...it can have different connotation to fir the situation.
..basically, 'George' is good, 'Tom' is bad

 

[pt109]

I already have these terms in the glossary. I prefer to keep the definitions as concise as possible, but thank you for sharing the info.

If a "double" refers only to a bank shot, what do UK and snooker people call a kick shot?

Thanks,
Dave

Rail or cushion first...."three cushions to hit this one"

..haven't been to the UK since '95...words evolve

 

[dr_dave]

" GAPPER " : A tip ( as in $$$ ) Always give the houseman a good gapper and the calls will go your way. OR, Three Finger AL turned me onto that game so I gave him a nice gapper.

I don't know that term. Here's the definition in the Wikidpedia cue sport glossary:

gapper: an agreement between two players in a tournament, one of whom will advance to a guaranteed money prize if the match is won, to give a certain percentage of that money to the loser of the match. Also known as a saver.

Do others have input on this?

Thanks,
Dave

 

[dr_dave]

I understood it to describe someone who doesn't gamble.

This is what I currently have in the glossary:

dead money: gambling wager one is likely to lose; or the tournament entry fee of a player with no chance of cashing; or somebody who doesn't gamble.

Thanks,
Dave

 

[dr_dave]

Here are a few more and a few thoughts on one's already in :

Bullets as in 1,2,3 etc. # of barrels he has left is # of sets or games worth of money left. Bullet is interchangeable with Barrell .

Cheddar or chicken : money
Case money : last amount of money before someone is busted out
Civilian : lol, never heard it used that way. Has always meant around here person is not affiliated with ANY gangs AND also has no involvement in the criminal underground ; ie regular law biding citizens
Juice : also to include " vig " or % of interest on money borrowed ( typically by the week )
Lounge lizard: lol, Def not how I would a taken it - refer to lot lizard
Nit: CHEAP!!!!!!
On the arm : on credit
Knot : momeyroll
Choke a horse : referring to either a huge bet or a knot - His knot could choke a horse
Pumped up : same as flush, currently having a large amount of money
In the light / on the light : post up money for a wager
Stack = $1000
Rack = this one may be more regional but usually $10,000

Thanks for the info. I've made a few changes and additions per some of your suggestions.

Would you or others care to share a definition of "lounge lizard?" The definition I had was inaccurate and I removed it.

Thanks again,
Dave

 

[dr_dave]

Dr. Dave, I read your glossary and very cool! Thanks for putting it together. I'm kinda guessing you are trying to keep it G rated or at least PG lol . How " the biz " or he's doing business which we all now what it means but newbies wouldnt? Also I had to laugh when I saw " George " in there lol, but where's Tom???? Lol

I don't know those terms. Do you or others care to share definitions that others can vouch for?

Thanks,
Dave

 

[dr_dave]

In Philly sometimes I hear:

Hit Sum = play for practice
Play Sum = gamble

Thanks. I've added:

hit some: play for practice (as opposed to "play some").
play some: play for money (as opposed to "hit some").

Are you sure on your George def? I thought it meant someone was in on the dump, and you were on the right side?

No. I am not totally sure. This is what I currently have:

George: a "hustler's" name for a good player or good guy (e.g., he is "George").

Do others have comments on this?

Thanks,
Dave

 

[dr_dave]

"George' is flexible...it can have different connotation to fir the situation.
..basically, 'George' is good, 'Tom' is bad

Thanks. This is what I currently have:

George: a "hustler's" name for a good guy (e.g., he is "George"). Not a "Tom."
Tom: a "hustler's" name for a bad guy (e.g., he is "Tom"). Not a "George."

Any other input?

Thanks,
Dave

 

[dr_dave]

Anybody else have terms or phrases to suggest (with recommended definitions)?

Also, anybody else spot any errors or disagree with any of the existing definitions?

Thanks,
Dave

I just expanded and reformatted my online glossary of pool and billiards terms and phrases to make it more accessible and easier to use on all devices. Previously, the glossary was in a large PDF file. Now it is a standard web document (HTML). I've also highlighted all gambling terms and phrases in green so they are easier to browse for. Please let me know if you think of any important terms or phrases (gambling related or otherwise) that are missing.

Here's the URL for future reference:

http://billiards.colostate.edu/glossary.html

Thanks,
Dave

 

[pt109]

From snooker....."the potter's walk"...when a man hits dead stroke, his gait is sure

in pool, I call it "the McCready"...:smile:

 

[ceebee]

Wow, does that come in a poster size format, it might make a great poster for some folks' room.

 

[dr_dave]

Wow, does that come in a poster size format, it might make a great poster for some folks' room.

The webpage can be saved (as an HTML doc) and edited and reformatted (e.g., in Word) for whoever might want to do this.

Regards,
Dave