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B [Poker] The second position to the left of the dealer. Sometimes called just B.

B-Dealer [Poker] A Bottom Dealer. A cheat who deals cards from the bottom of the deck. Also sometimes called b-dealer, subway dealer, or cellar dealer.

B-Game [Poker] The second-highest game in a particular club.

B-Main [Motor Sports] A second-chance race sometimes seen at an event that uses heat races to determine qualifying and starting positions for the feature. The B-main includes all cars who failed to finish in a qualifying position in their respective heat races, and a certain number of additional qualifying positions are available to the B-main's top finishers. Also called a "last chance" or "B-heat" race. Some very large events might use a third level of heat race for cars that fail to qualify in the B-main race(s), and this would be referred to as the C-main. Compare to consolation race.

B-Pillar [Motor Sports] Vertical metal roof support between front and rear side windows on the side of the vehicle.

B-Post [Motor Sports] Post extending from the roof line to the base of window behind the driver's head.

B.R. [General] Bankroll.

B.V.M.S. [Horse Racing] Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine & Surgery.

B.V.Sc. [Horse Racing] Bachelor of Veterinary Science.

Ba Scpos Allowed [Baseball] Batting Average Allowed with Runners in Scoring Position.

Ba-Fa [Martial Arts] (Chinese) The 8 therapeutic principles of the traditional Chinese medicine. The Ba-fa are predefined techniques of treatment which are used in several methods like meditation, body exercises...).

Ba-Poker Dictionary [Poker] An Internet mailing list, based in the San Francisco Bay Area (hence the ba) devoted to discussions of poker.

Baby [Poker] A small card, usually a deuce through five in games other than lowball, and ace through five in lowball. "I caught a baby."

Baby Race [Horse Racing] A race for two-year-olds.

Baby Split [Bowling] The 2-7 or 3-10 split.

Baby Split with Company [Bowling] The 2-7-8 or 3-9-10 split.

Baby the Ball [Bowling] To release the ball too carefully, at the expense of the follow-through.

Babyface [Wrestling] One of the good guys; a popular wrestler; usually just referred to as a "face."

Baccarat [General] A card game where the winning hand totals closest to 9 discounting all units of 10. Originating from the game, Chemin de Fer.

Baccarat a Deux Tableau [Baccarat] A variation of chemin de fer (old form of baccarat, played in Europe), where three hands are dealt, and there are no set rules governing the bank's play. Also known as Baccarat en Banque.

Baccarat En Banque [Baccarat] A variation of chemin de fer (old form of baccarat, played in Europe), where three hands are dealt, and there are no set rules governing the bank's play. Also known as Baccarat a deux tableau.

Baccarat Rules of Play [Baccarat] The highest total any baccarat hand can have is nine. A two card total of nine is called a "natural" and cannot lose. An eight is the second best hand and is also called a natural. If both player and bank are dealt identical hands, it is a standoff (a tie) and neither bank nor player wins. No further cards can be drawn to a two card draw of 6 or 7.

Back [Rugby] One of the players usually numbered 9 through 15. Except for the scrumhalf, backs don't take part in scrums or lineouts.

Back at the Knee [Horse Racing] A leg that looks like it has a backward arc with its center at the knee when viewed from the side.

Back Counting [Blackjack] Counting cards while standing behind the players at a table and not playing. This technique is particularly useful with multiple-deck shoes.

Back Door [Golf] The rear of the hole. When a putt goes around the hole and then drops in the back of the cup, it is said to have gone in the back door. Sometimes used as a verb, as in, "He back doored that putt."

Back Door Flush (Or Straight) [Poker] Catching two cards to a flush.

Back Edge [Fencing] The edge of a sabre blade opposite the cutting edge.

Back Flip [Freestyle Skating] A backward somersault performed in the air.

Back Full [Freestyle Skating] A back flip with a full twist, in the layout position.

Back Gate [Motor Sports] Literally, the gate on the back stretch at a short track where car trailers or transporters are let into the pits or garage area, but the term is used by promoters to mean the number of cars and teams that actually show up and attempt to qualify for a race. It's an axiom in the racing industry that the back gate (number of participating cars) has a direct effect on the front gate (number of paying spectators), and so good promoters work hard at keeping their back gate as high as possible.

Back Giant [Gymnastics] A giant that begins with the body moving backward.

Back Handspring [Gymnastics] A back flip using both hands on the floor or apparatus, beginning and ending in a standing position. The legs come over the head as a unit. Compare back walkover.

Back Header [Soccer] A player's use of his head to direct the ball backwards.

Back in [Poker] 1) In a pass-and-back-in game, come into the pot after having passed. 2) Come into a pot cheaply as a result of having a blind and there not having been a raise.

Back into [Poker] 1) Win a pot unexpectedly or by default. For example, in a lowball game, John drew three cards and caught K-Q-J. He passed after the draw, planning to fold if anyone bet. The three one-card draws also passed, all having paired and all afraid to bet, and John backed into the pot. 2) End up with a hand other than the one you were drawing to. For example, in seven-card stud, start with two pair on the first four cards and end up with a flush.

Back Layout [Synchro Swimming] A position in which the body is extended with the face, chest, thighs, and feet at the surface. Head, hips and ankles should be in line.

Back Line [Field Hockey] One of two lines marking the lengthwise boundaries of the field. The goal line is the section of the back line between the goal posts.

Back Line Skinner [Craps] Betting that the next roll will be the number of 7.

Back Lip [Golf] The edge of the bunker that is farthest from the green.

Back Marker [Horse Racing] In a standing start event, which is handicapped, the horse who is given the biggest handicap is known as the backmarker. For instance, in a race five horses may start off the front (who travel the nominated race distance), three off ten metres (who travel the race distance plus an extra ten metres), one off 20 metres and one off 30 metres. The horse starting from 30 metres is known as the back marker.

Back Nine [Golf] The second 9 holes on an 18-hole course.

Back of the Bow [Archery] The surface of the bow furthest from the archer when they hold the bow in the firing position.

Back Off [Blackjack] To ask a player to not play Blackjack. This occurs when casino personnel, usually a manager or a pit boss asks a blackjack player to no longer play the game of blackjack in that casino. It can also refer to less harsh anti counter measures, such as restricting a player to flat betting or a very small bet spread, such as a 1-2 spread.

Back Out [Motor Sports] When a driver takes his foot off the gas pedal (all the way or part way), he "backs out" or "lifts off."

Back Peek [Poker] A cheating maneuver that enables the dealer to see the face of the top card on the deck, accomplished by squeezing the top of the deck between thumb and little finger in such a way as to bow the top card in the middle so that its value can be surreptitiously viewed. This move is made prior to dealing seconds. Also called heel peek.

Back Peel [Croquet] Peeling a ball through its wicket, immediately after running that wicket.

Back Pike [Synchro Swimming] A position in which the body is bent at the hips to form a 45-degree angle or less and the legs and trunk extended, with the back straight and the head in line.

Back Raise [Poker] To make a small raise to prevent further or larger raises, when the number of raises in a betting interval is limited. Usually permitted only in home games, in which the rule that a raise must equal in size the previous bet or raise does not hold.

Back Row [Rugby] The two flankers and the No. 8 man, lined up for a scrum.

Back Seat [Freestyle Skating] An undesirable situation in which the skier's weight isn't centered over the skis in the stacked position.

Back Side [Golf] Same as back nine.

Back Splash [Rowing] Spray toward the bow from an oar that enters the water on recovery.

Back Straight [Greyhound Racing] The straight length of the track or paceway farthest away from the spectators and the winning post.

Back Tackle [Soccer] An attempt by a defender to take the ball away from a ball carrier by swinging the defender's leg in front of the ball from behind.

Back Tuck [Freestyle Skating] A single back flip in the tuck position.

Back Up [Horse Racing] The action of a horse slowing down noticeably.

Back Walkover [Gymnastics] A move that begins with a back arch or bridge position, in which one foot is brought down to the front, followed by the other foot. Compare back handspring.

Back Weight [Golf] A weight, usually brass or aluminum attached to the back of a wooden, graphite or titanium wood head. Powerbilt popularized the use of back weights on their woods in the 1960’s and 70’s. The back weight is designed to move the center of gravity rearward to assist in getting the ball airborne.

Back! [Baseball] Exclamation - emphatic instruction to runner about to be picked off base, when the pitcher or catcher is throwing to the base. Usually shrieked at the top of one's voice, by base coaches and/or team mates.

Back-Arching [Wrestling] Throwing an opponent from his feet to his back

Back-in, Full-Out [Gymnastics] A double salto with a full twist, the twist completed during the second salto. Compare full-in, back-out.

Back-Step [Wrestling] The action (footwork, level changes, etc.) taken tobegin back-step throws (headlock, hiplock, etc.)

Back-to-Back [Poker] Serially, or in a row. "I drew two cards and caught back-to-back kings."

Backboard [Basketball] A 6-by-4-foot rectangular structure of wood or fiberglass that holds the basket.

Backcheck [Ice Hockey] An attempt by a player, on his way back to his defensive zone, to regain the puck from the opposition by checking or harassing an opponent who has the puck.

Backcountry Skiing [Skiing] Recreational cross country skiing away from developed land and open roads.

Backcourt [Basketball] 1. The area from the center line to the baseline nearest the basket being defended by the team. 2. A team's guards, considered as a unit, as in, "Duke has an excellent backcourt."

Backcourt Violation [Basketball] The failure to bring the ball from the backcourt into the frontcourt in the allotted 10 seconds; a violation. See also over and back.

Backdoor [Poker] Catching both the turn and river card to make a drawing hand. For instance, suppose you have As- 7s. The flop comes Ad-6c-4s. You bet and are called. The turn is the Ts, which everybody checks, and then the river is the Js. You've made a "backdoor" nut flush.

Backdoor Play [Basketball] A fundamental basketball play in which one player passes to a teammate in the high post, and when the defenders follow the ball, another player cuts to the basket from the opposite side of the court to take a pass for an open shot.

Backdoor Slider [Baseball] A pitch that appears to be out of the strike zone, but then breaks back over the plate.

Backdoor Straight [Poker] Catching two cards to a straight.

Backed [General] When a bookmaker takes a lot of money on one particular side, it is said that this team has been heavily backed. It is where the punter has put his money on.

Backed Bow [Archery] A bow consisting primarily of wood but having a thin strip of a material (wood or hide) attached to the back of the bow.

Backed in [General] See shorten. A horse which is backed in means that investors have outlaid a lot of money on that horse, with the result being a decrease in the odds offered.

Backed Up [Poker] 1) Paired. "I have kings backed up" means, in a draw poker game, "I have one pair, kings." In hold 'em, wired. 2) In seven stud, having a pair in the hole.

Backed-in [Horse Racing] A horse which is backed-in means that bettors have outlaid a lot of money on that horse, with the result being a decrease in the odds offered.

Backer [Poker] Someone who finances another player. "How you gonna get into the tournament? I thought you were broke." "I have a backer."

Backfield [Football] The area behind the line of scrimmage.

Backhand [Tennis] A ground stroke hit on the left of the body by right-handed players, and on the right of the body by left-handers.

Backhand Shot [Ice Hockey] A shot or pass made with the stick from the left side by a right-handed player or from the right side by a left-handed player.

Backing [Poker] The cash supplied by a backer (Someone who finances another player.). "How you gonna get into the tournament? I thought you were broke." "I have backing."

Backing (Wind) [Sailing] The changing of the wind direction, opposite of veering. Clockwise in the southern hemisphere, counter-clockwise in the northern hemisphere.

Backline [Poker] 1) Make an agreement between two or more players to accumulate chips in the following manner. One of the players usually maintains the back line. Whenever he or the player with whom he has made the arrangement wins a pot, a certain portion of the chips in that pot are put on the back line, that is, in a pool for later distribution. That amount could be one chip for each pot. It could be some specified larger amount, perhaps five or 10 chips. In a limit game, it could also be one chip for each bet in the pot, or one for each bet won by the winner of the pot. For example, in a $10-limit game, if two players are back lining one chip per bet, and one of them wins a $100 pot (that is, the pot contains 10 bets), $10 goes on the back line. If they are back lining one chip per bet won, and both of them (only) are in the pot, only $5 goes on the back line (because the winner of the pot profited by $50, or five bets). At some prearranged time, the players split the back line. That is the point of this arrangement, that when one of the players is running bad, he makes some money off his "partner's" good fortune. If the player who maintains the back line runs out of his own chips, there may be some argument about whether those chips are playable, or if the other player runs out of chips, he may want to get his share of the back line. For the reason that arguments sometimes arise from this sort of arrangement, many clubs do not permit back lining. In such clubs, some obstinate players do it anyway, but surreptitiously. It's best when back lining that all parties involved in the agreement maintain sufficient chips to avoid running out in one pot or having to use the back line chips to bet with. A sharp tight player tries to make a back lining arrangement with a loose player. The loose player may lose money overall, but he wins more pots (because he plays more pots), and so the back line accumulates. The loose player doesn't mind contributing when he's winning, and when he's losing, and his "partner" is lucky, he gets something from it. He just doesn't realize that he's taking the worst of it in yet another situation. 2) The chips accumulated by back lining. The name probably comes from where the chips are kept. The back line is usually a stack of chips behind the player's own playing capital. Sometimes the back line is kept on the wooden rim, if the table has one.

Backpoints [Wrestling] Points gotten by having exposed an opponents back to the mat; in freestyle, any exposure leads to backpoints, while in folkstyle the back must be exposed for a certain length of time.

Backs [Poker] The reverse sides of the cards, as opposed to the sides that show their ranks and suits.

Backscratcher [Freestyle Skating] A trick in which the skier touches his or her back with the tails of the skis.

Backscrew [Golf] Steel pin or screw used to help secure a steel shaft to a wooden wood head. The backscrew is located on the back of the heel approximately ¾” from the sole of the club.

Backside [Horse Racing] The stable and training area of a racetrack.

Backslide [Skydiving] To move backward in freefall relative to a neutral reference. Usually unintentional and undesirable, caused by poor body position.

Backspin [Golf] The backward rotation of the ball on its horizontal axis influenced by the loft of the clubface, the angle of approach and the clubhead velocity. (A ball struck below its center with any club that has loft, even a putter, will have backspin in the airborne portion of its flight. The greater the backspin, the steeper the ball will fly and more quickly it will stop.

Backsplice [Sailing] A method of weaving the end of a rope to keep it from unraveling.

Backstay [Sailing] A stay (line or cable) used to support the mast. The backstay runs from the masthead to the stern and helps keep the mast from falling forward.

Backstop [Rowing] A small block on the bow end of the slide, which holds the seat on track.

Backstretch [Greyhound Racing] The area of the racetrack opposite the finish line. At most tracks, it is the area that crosses in front of the Tote board.

Backstretch (Racing Surface Term) [Horse Racing] This is the straight-away section on the far side of the track.

Backstretch (Stable Area) [Horse Racing] At many of the track sites the stable area is found adjacent to the back side of the track. Due to this proximity the stable name is sometimes referred to as the backstretch.

Backswing [Golf] The motion of the club, hands, arms and body away from the ball creating the potential energy to be delivered downward, outward and forward through the ball.

Backsword [Fencing] An archaic, edged, unpointed sword used in prizefighting; also singlestick.

Backtrack [Roulette] The outer, stationary rim of the roulette wheel where the ball is spun. Also called the ball-track.

Backup [Bowling] A ball that breaks in the wrong direction, e.g. to the right for a right-handed bowler.

Backup Car [Motor Sports] A complete and set up second car brought to the race by each team. The backup car may not be unloaded at any time during all NASCAR national series practices or pre-race activities, unless the primary car is damaged beyond repair. Backup cars must also pass all NASCAR inspections.

Backward [Horse Racing] A horse that is either too young or not fully fit.

Backward Dive [Diving] Any dive on which the diver begins with his or her back toward the water.

Backwinded [Sailing] When the wind pushes on the wrong side of the sail, causing it to be pushed away from the wind. If the lines holding the sail in place are not released, the boat could become hard to control and heel excessively.

Bad [Poker] A hand of a particular type that will not beat many other hands of that type. Often used in low games to indicate non-nut low hands with a particular high card. A rough 8 in ace to five lowball could be any eight high hand other than 8432A, although 8532A isn't too rough. Rough is the opposite of smooth.

Bad Actor [Horse Racing] Fractious horse.

Bad Actor (Fractious Horse) [Horse Racing] A horse that acts up from time to time when it leaves the receiving barn for the race. Some signs are kicking, resisting being saddled, fighting it's handler or even attempt to savage it's handler. Sometimes this activity will exhaust the horse before it has a chance to run.

Bad Beat [Poker] A very good hand, often a full house or higher, that is beat by an even better hand.

Bad Doer [Horse Racing] A horse with a poor appetite, a condition that may be due to nervousness or other causes.

Bad Game [Poker] Any game in which you figure to be the loser, because the other players are better than you.

Bad Knees [Horse Racing] Natural infirmity or due to injury.

Bad-Beat Jackpot [Poker] In some card-rooms, a prize that is shared by the players in a game, when a very good hand (usually Aces full, or better) is beaten by a higher hand. Jackpots are usually financed by taking a drop ($1 is a common amount) from every pot. A typical division of the jackpot will give the losing hand 50 %, the winning hand 25 %, and the other players at the table share the remaining 25 % of the Jackpot

Bad-Beat Story [Poker] A story told by someone who lost a pot, often a big one, in a bad beat. Usually no one but the teller is interested in hearing the story. The analog in the fishing world is the one that got away.

Badge Horse [Horse Racing] Single horse in stable entitling owner to admission badge.

Badik [Martial Arts] A Malayan dagger shaped like a butterfly whose straight blade bears one sharp edge.

Baff [Golf] An obsolete term, Scottish in origin, meaning to hit or graze the ground behind the ball.

Baffle [Golf] Previous name given to a 5 wood.

Baffy [Golf] A lofted wooden club developed from the baffling-spoon no longer in use. Also the alternate name given to the 4 wood.

Bag [Baseball] The soft, white thing used to mark a base. Usually canvas or vinyl stuffed with straw.

Baglock [Skydiving] A malfunction in which the canopy is trapped inside the bag and cannot be deployed. The reason for this malfunction is almost always an incorrect pack job. To avoid a bad case of frapping, the reserve needs to be pulled immediately.

Bagman [General] An intermediary who picks up and delivers money.

Bail [Sailing] To remove water from a boat, as with a bucket or a pump.

Bail Out [Golf] To avoid or get out of trouble. There are two different senses here: Making a long putt is one way of bailing out; another is to hit a safe shot rather than risk playing the ball into a hazard.

Bait [Poker] A small bet made to encourage a raise.

Bajutsu [Martial Arts] Japanese art of horsemanship. Also known as jobajutsu.

Bak [Blackjack] An abbreviation for Back At the Keyboard, used during chat.

Baker [Poker] The second position to the left of the dealer. Sometimes called just B.

Bakers Bun [Bingo] 61

Bakspin [Golf] Term given to hickory shafted clubs which contained large grooves in their faces. These grooves were much deeper and wider than grooves on modern clubs.

Bal [Martial Arts] Foot.

Balaclava [Motor Sports] Head sock. Sometimes pronounced "ba-CLAH-va", with the second syllable not pronounced.

Balance [Golf] Equilibrium in a static position, i.e., at address (see Dynamic Balance).

Balance Beam [Gymnastics] 1) A piece of apparatus 120 centimeters high, 10 centimeters wide, and 500 centimeters long. 2) A women's event performed on the apparatus. The balance beam routine lasts 70 to 90 seconds and includes a variety of acrobatic, gymnastic, and dance moves, ending with a dismount.

Balance Due [Motor Sports] The amount currently due, minus previous payments, plus cash advances and purchases.

Balance Point [Golf] The point at which a shaft achieves equilibrium; the point at which a shaft’s weight is evenly distributed in both directions when rested on a single fulcrum point.