An American Pool Player’s Dictionary
Written by the AZB Forum members
http://www.azbilliards.com/index.php
First Edition October 2009
These are words and terms commonly used today in pool halls in and around the United States of America.
211: robbery in progress (a player is currently winning all of some one’s money)
6 pack - started off as six-pack, meaning the player ran 6 racks in a row, but people have since changed it to refer to any number of consecutively run racks.
7 and out: an advantage to one player, a handicap (spot) where the player getting the spot has to legally make the 7 ball to win the game in a game such as 9-Ball or 10-Ball. Can be used as 6 and out or any similar spot.
9 Footer: regulation pool table.
Ahead: The number of games the player must win above the opponent’s wins. In five ahead the player must be five games ahead of his oppont to win the set or match.
Air Ball: total miss of the intended ball that hits nothing.
Air barrel: To gamble without the funds to pay one's debts.
Al Bundy: Person who tends to miss and leave easy shots. The person you want to follow in a ring game.
Backer: The person who puts up the money for another person who is gambling. Sometimes known as the stake horse or horse as in “paying the horse.”
Ball Banger or Banger: Someone who can't play or just bangs balls. Sometimes refers to a player who shoots very hard.
Bar Box: A seven foot coin operated table usually found in bars.
Basing the Goose or Stuffing the Turkey: Allowing your losing opponent to win back a little money so they will come back tomorrow.
Bite (the): Looking for a loan or a handout.
Bullets or Barrels: $1.00 or the amount of money you will bet on a game or match.
Busrt: To score more than 14 points in a game of straight pool.
Cabbage: Money.
C-Note: $100.00
Calcutta A player auction held before a tournament. The money in the Calcutta pool goes to the person who “bought” the winning player. Usually the player has the right to put up 50% of the auction price and thus claim 50% of the pool if the money is posted before the tournament begins.
Called 5: If players agree that one player only has to make the balls through the 5-ball, the called five means that one must call this shot before it is made.
Ceicils: Multiples of $100.00
Cheese (the): See Money Ball. The ball that wins the game and thus is the ball for which one is paid. May have originated from the game of 9-Ball where the yellow 9-ball is the game winning ball. Alternate definition is simply money as in playing for the cheese.
Chicago Roll: many $1.00 bills wrapped with a $20.00.
Chicken bone: caught in the throat see “dog it.”
Chop the pot: 1st and 2nd split the tournament instead of playing finals.
Citizen: Any non player or banger who is a potential victim of the hustle.
Coma: Playing slow to get the other player out of rhythm.
Corporation: A group of players pooling their money to buy a player in a Calcutta.
Cosmo: an easy lay out, stop-stop-stop, stop.
Counterman: The person who hands out the balls and keep track of time and collects the fees for playing in a pool hall. Often this person acts as a go between to set up gambling matches.
Cue Ball: The Rock, Whitey, Snow, Pearl
Dead Man: Swears he can play, robs everyone when no one is looking but will not play in a $2 ring game
Dead punch: player is at the top of their game.
Dead stroke: the player is in top form and seldom misses.
Dime: $1,000.00
Dog it: to miss an easy shot because of nerves.
Double Cheese: see on the hill
Double sawbuck: $20.00
Drag your feet: Yelling at the CB to slow down if it seems to be heading for a scratch
Draw: suck, low, bottom: striking the cue ball on the lower half so it stops the cue ball or rolls back toward the shooter
Duck: an easy shot such as a ball hanging over the pocket.
Duck: to duck a shot is to play safe.
Dump: purposely lose a game.
Electric chair: To be stuck sitting down and watching the opponent run multiple racks.
Fade: Difficult to overcome.
Field Goal: When a player tries to play a safety behind two balls but leaves a straight shot right between them, or if the player happens to get a shot between two balls.
Fin: $5.00
Fish: a sucker who doesn’t know his money is being stolen because of the superior skills of the opponent.
Flyer: A difficult shot.
Foul: To break a rule and lose one’s turn at the table. Most fouls are unintentional. At times the player may take an intentional foul.
Fram: or framed it: to jar the ball or leave it on the edge of the pocket
Free Wheeling: Shooting fast and without concern, yet making every ball.
Freezer: see Electric chair. To be suck in a chair watching your opponent run multiple racks.
Getting in the grease: getting into action
Give him a drink!: Saying that to the CB when your opponent is about the scratch, implying the CB is heading for the pocket.
Green Card: the wild six ball in a game of 9-Ball or 10-Ball.
Hawk's Kiss: Named for a 3 cushion situation made famous by Bill Hawkins. According to legend, Hawkins was playing a 3 cushion billiard shot and his cue ball and one of the object balls were both on a collision course for the other object ball. Hawkins as was his habit, had run around the table after hitting the shot so he could hover over the spot where the billiard was to be made. It was a dramatic moment of whether the cue ball would reach the object ball first and make a point or be just kissed out by the moving object ball, all three balls in the same zone, when it became clear to Hawk that he was going to be kissed out. Hawk reached down, grabbed the offending moving object ball, fouling and allowing the billiard to be made, and promptly popped himself in the forehead with the ball, knocking himself out.
Heart: The willingness to play, sometimes in the face of overwhelming odds.
Helen Keller: Easy out. The layout of the remaining balls are easy to run and hence win the game.
He's got NO shot!: referring to a player not having ANY chance of winning.
Hicky: see fould. To break a rule of the game.
Hot Seat: The winner of the winner’s bracket in a tournament has to play the winner of the loser’s bracket
Hustler: See Road Player.
Inning: Turn at the table.
Italian disease: funds are low.
It's George: Hustler or Carney talk for its a good set up, the coast is clear or everything is OK.
Part two is in the next post
