Billiards Vault

Definition of Angle of reflection

The angle from which a ball rebounds from a rail, as measured from the perpendicular to the rail.

24 Random Essential Billiards Terms

A foul where the rules are blatantly, intentionally violated, with a stiffer penalty (e.g., loss of game) than normal.
Chiefly British: The rail at the Top of the table. Compare foot rail; contrast Bottom rail.
A shooter's body position and posture during a shot.
To seal the pores of a wooden cue's shaft or to smooth out minor dents in the shaft by rubbing vigorously with some material.
To similarly vigorously rub the edge of a cue tip (especially a new one) to fortify it against mushrooming and ensure that it is perfectly flush with the ferrule.
A cue dedicated to jumping balls; usually shorter and lighter than a playing cue and having a wider, hard tip. Also referred to as a jump stick.
A type of nurse used in carom billiards games. With one object ball frozen to a cushion and the second object ball just slightly away from the rail, the cue ball is gently rebounded across the face of both balls, freezing the away ball to the rail and moving the frozen ball away the same distance its partner was previously, resulting in an identical but reversed configuration, in position to be struck again by the cue ball from the opposite side.
Same as solids, in New Zealand. Compare little, small, reds, low, spots, dots; contrast overs.
Describes a cue ball sliding on the cloth without any top spin or back spin on it.
This shot is a minimally calculated distressed shot which makes it evident to the opponent you no longer have any hope to winning the game.
To play even; without a handicap. Also called heads up.
This is when a mistake is made in the shot and the resulting contact between balls forces you to miss the shot.
Asian Pocket Billiard Union. The APBU is a member of the WPA.
A rack in the form of an equilateral triangle. There are different sizes of triangles for racking different games (which use different ball sizes and numbers of balls), including the fifteen ball racks for snooker and various pool games such as eight-ball and blackball. A larger triangle is used for the twenty-one ball rack for baseball pocket billiards). The smallest triangle rack is employed in three-ball (see illustration at that article) but is not strictly necessary, as the front of a larger rack can be used, or the balls can be arranged by hand.
The object balls in triangular formation, before the break shot, after being racked. See also pyramid.
This is a shot that shows great control and positioning in where the cue will be when all the balls stop rolling.
Describing a pot played at such a pace as to just reach the pocket and drop in without hitting the back.
In snooker, any of the three colour balls that get spotted on the baulk line: the yellow, green or brown ball.
This is a table that offers poor conditions for play; it is either dirty, wet, or overall poor quality.
Short for left english (side), i.e. spin imparted to the cue ball by stroking it to the lefthand side of its vertical axis. Contrast right.
Principally British: In snooker, if a player wins a match without the need for the final session to be played (for example, if a player wins a best-of-25-frames match split into three sessions - two sessions of eight frames and one of nine - by a margin of say, 13 frames to 3), then they are said to have won the match "with a session to spare".
A player who was playing very well but suddenly starts playing badly. e.g. "He was making everything on every shot, then lost his stroke and couldn't hit anything, costing him the match."
In snooker, the pocket nearest the yellow spot.
This is what happens when a player sends the cue ball into a cluster of balls that will in turn spread out in an unpredictable fashion.
Short for right english (side), i.e. side spin imparted to the cue ball by stroking it to the right-hand side of its vertical axis. Contrast left.
This is to have control on the cue ball in your shots.