Pool glossary
Running order
The sequence players shoot in, fixed at the start of the night.
What it means
The list of who shoots when, in order, wrapping from the last player back to the first. In a three-strikes night it is drawn once and then holds for the whole game.
Where the word comes from
Borrowed from live events — the running order of acts on a bill.
How it sounds at a table
"Where am I in the order?" "Seventh. You've got a while."
What it means in a three-strikes night
Drawing it in front of everyone matters as much as drawing it fairly. The question "why am I shooting first again?" comes up at every night where the order was decided privately, and it is the fastest way to sour a room that has all put money in. A visible scramble answers it before it is asked.
The mistake people make
Letting people pick their own position, or going round the table in whatever order people happen to be standing. Position is an advantage; it should be drawn.
Terms that come up alongside it
Written out rather than linked only, because looking up one term usually means you are standing at a table and do not want four more taps.
- Rotation
- Two meanings: the order of play, and a rule that you hit the lowest ball first. In a multi-player game, the rotation is the running order — who shoots after whom, and how it wraps round.
- On deck
- The player whose turn is next. The person who shoots after whoever is at the table.
- Three strikes
- The format: one shot a turn, three misses and you are out. A multi-player elimination format in which players take one shot each in a fixed rotation, lose a life for failing to pocket, and are eliminated at three.
Where it comes up
Running order matters most in three-strikes pool, where a single turn is one shot and the cost of getting something wrong is a life rather than a visit to the table. If you are learning the game, the guide to running a night puts most of this vocabulary in context, and the format pages show which games the term applies to and which it does not.