Definition of Mark

The ball meant to be struck and sunk in your called shot.

In snooker, after particular fouls are committed, the referee can call a "free ball." This allows the next player to assign any ball as "ball on" if he or she is shooting next.

In the UK, a long-distance shot played to pot a ball close to a pocket with heavy top spin, so that when the cue ball hits the cushion it bounces off but then stops due to the counteraction of the spin. It is not common in competitive play, being more of an exhibition shot.

A pocket; usually used in disgust when describing a scratch (e.g., "the cue ball's gone down the sewer").

Asian Pocket Billiard Union. The APBU is a member of the WPA.

This playing to a number less than eight in a game of one pocket.

A bye is a missing team or player on a league schedule or tournament bracket. In other words, a person or team does not have an opponent that date (schedule) or round (tournament bracket). If a team or player has a bye on a scheduled date, they will not be playing that day. If a team or player has a bye on a tournament bracket, they automaticly advance to the next round without having to play another team or person.

Also known as a "power draw", means applying very powerful draw on the cue ball thereby causing the maximum amount of draw.

Any mechanical aid that serves to extend the length of the player's cue, normally added to the end of the butt either by clipping around the end or screwing into the base. Though extensions are used for pool, it is more common in snooker because of the significantly larger table size.
In a tournament where players get limited time to make their shots (common in televised matches), an extension is extra time granted before making a shot; players have a limited number of extensions in each frame.

This is the act of looking over the stack, pile of balls in the middle of the table, to see if there are any opportunities in the game of one pocket.

Describing a difficult pot: "the awkward cueing makes this shot missable."

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.

This is a particular shot where the potential for a miscue is higher because of the amount of draw that is attempted on the cue ball.

This term is used to refer to a player missing a shot.
A widespread term in US parlance describing missing a relatively easy shot—often in the face of pressure. Can be used in many forms: "I dogged the shot"; "I hope he dogs it"; "I'm such a dog."

A shot played slowly and with heavy draw and follow-through so that the cue ball can be struck firmly but with a lot of the pace taken out, allowing more control than just a gentle tap that would travel as far. Also called "Drag Draw".

This is a shot that attempts to move a number of balls onto your side of the table in a kind of herding attempt.

Also known as a Dead cushion. A cushion that has either lost a degree of elastic resiliency or is not firmly bolted to the frame, in both cases causing balls to rebound with less energy than is normal.

Any shot where the cue ball stops immediately after hitting an object ball. Generally requires a full hit.

Same as cheating the pocket. Principally used in snooker.

USA Pool League. A pool league structured exclusively around eight-ball match play.

Same as position. "She got good shape for the next shot". See also position play, leave.

A type of rest, with a straight shaft and "x"-shaped head for resting the cue upon.

This is a kind of cue made of only two pieces of wood, and joined together using an advanced adhesive along the points of the cue. This connection gives the cue a flawless look and a fluid feel when shooting.

Chiefly Australian: Same as a force follow shot.