Spot

What it means

The foot spot is the marked point where the apex ball of the rack sits. To "spot a ball" is to place it back there after it has been pocketed illegally or under a rule that requires its return.

Where the word comes from

A literal spot — a paper or decal marker on the cloth.

How it sounds at a table

"Spot the eight." "There's a ball on the spot already — put it behind."

What it means in a three-strikes night

Comes up in exactly one place: the common variant where pocketing the 8 earns a life back. The 8 is then spotted and the game continues, which is why that rule does not just end the rack early. If a ball already occupies the spot, the convention is to place the incoming ball directly behind it on the long string.

The mistake people make

Spotting a ball in the middle of a cluster because the spot is occupied. It goes on the long string behind the spot, as close as possible, touching nothing.

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.

Rack

Both the triangle and the balls arranged in it. A rack is the frame used to set the balls up, and also the arrangement itself — "a new rack" means a fresh set of fifteen.

Head string

The line across the table you break from behind. An imaginary line across the width of the table through the second diamond from the head rail.

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

Spot 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.