Pool Terms Glossary: Every Term You Should Know

Why Pool Terminology Matters

When I first started playing seriously, I lost half of every lesson because my instructor was using words I didn't know. He'd say something like 'play a two-rail safety to the short rail' and I'd nod like I understood, then watch him play a shot I couldn't have imagined. Learning the vocabulary of pool isn't a side quest, it's the foundation that lets you read strategy articles, follow commentary, and actually learn from players better than you.

This glossary covers the terms I use every time I step to a table. Memorize the essentials and you'll hear the game differently within a few weeks. The rest will stick the first time you need them.

Equipment Terms

Cue, the stick you shoot with, typically 57 to 58 inches long and 18 to 21 ounces. Shaft, the thinner front half of the cue, usually maple. Butt, the thicker back half, often decorated. Ferrule, the white collar between the shaft and the tip, usually plastic or fiber. Tip, the leather or phenolic contact point that actually strikes the cue ball. Joint, the screw connection where shaft meets butt.

Cue ball, the white ball you hit with your cue. Object ball, any numbered ball you're trying to pocket. Rack, the plastic or wooden triangle (or diamond) used to set up balls at the start. Chalk, the cube you apply to your tip to prevent miscues. Pocket, the six openings on a pool table where balls go. Rail, the cushioned edge around the table surface. Cushion, the rubber strip on the inside of each rail. Cloth, the felt-like fabric covering the playing surface, most often green or blue. Slate, the heavy stone bed beneath the cloth that keeps the surface flat.

Shot Types and Techniques

Break, the opening shot that scatters the rack. Bank, a shot that sends the object ball off one rail before it goes to the pocket. Cross-bank, a bank off the long rail that crosses the table. Kick, a shot where the cue ball hits a rail before striking the object ball. Combo (combination), a shot where the cue ball hits one object ball, which then hits another into a pocket. Carom, a shot where the cue ball or object ball bounces off another ball on the way to its target.

Draw, backspin on the cue ball, making it come back after contact. Follow, topspin, making the cue ball continue forward after contact. Stun, no spin, cue ball stops on contact or moves at 90 degrees. English, sidespin applied to the cue ball to change its angle off cushions. Safety, a defensive shot played to leave your opponent without a good shot rather than to pocket a ball. Masse, a shot struck with an elevated cue to curve the cue ball around an obstacle.

Rules and Gameplay Terms

Scratch, pocketing the cue ball or driving it off the table. Results in ball in hand for the opponent in most games. Ball in hand, the right to place the cue ball anywhere on the table, usually awarded after a foul. Foul, any rule violation, including scratches, double hits, touching balls with anything but the tip, or failing to hit a rail after contact.

Solids, balls 1 through 7, each a single color. Stripes, balls 9 through 15, with a colored band. Call shot, a rule requiring you to declare which ball and pocket you're playing before shooting. Run, consecutive balls pocketed in one turn. Runout, pocketing every remaining ball in a single turn without missing.

Push out, a special shot in 9-ball that lets the shooter after the break position the cue ball freely, with the opponent having the option to accept the resulting layout or pass it back. Snooker (as a verb), to leave your opponent in a position where they can't directly see the legal object ball, forcing them to play a kick or jump.

Table Anatomy Terms

Head rail, the rail closest to where you break from. Foot rail, the rail at the far end where the rack is set. Long rails, the two longer side rails. Short rails, the head and foot rails. Head spot, the marked point where you place the cue ball for the break. Foot spot, the marked point where the front ball of the rack sits.

Diamonds, the small dots, circles, or diamonds inlaid on the rails that serve as aiming references. Kitchen, the area behind the head string, typically used for break positioning. Jaws, the angled entrances to each pocket. A ball 'rattles in the jaws' when it bounces between them before either falling or rejecting.

Strategy and Play Terms

Position (or shape), planning where the cue ball will stop so you have a good next shot. Leave, the position you leave your opponent in after your shot ends. Lag, the opening procedure in some games where both players shoot the cue ball up the table and back; closest to the rail breaks first. Mask, hiding the cue ball behind another ball to prevent a clean hit (similar to snookering).

Dead ball, an object ball so close to the pocket it's effectively already made. Hanger, a ball sitting right on the edge of a pocket, gimme shot. Frozen, two balls touching each other, or a ball touching a rail. The rules around frozen balls vary by game and require attention. Sink, informal term for pocketing a ball. Cheating the pocket, deliberately hitting the object ball off-center to send the cue ball to a better position, at the cost of using more of the pocket.