| P |
| Pop-Off Valve [Motor Sports] |
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In Indy-style racing, this valve is connected to the plenum exiting the turbocharger. Many racing groups supplies these valves in order to restrict the pressure generated by the turbocharger.
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| Popinjay [Archery] |
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A figure of a bird suspended from a pole and used as a target by archers and crossbowmen.
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| Popularity [Horse Racing] |
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Harness racing outranks flat and jump racing (combined) in races run, prizemoney paid and betting turnover in every mainland country of Europe, except Spain and Greece. Trotting accounts for 51% of racing prizemoney in France, 57% in Germany, 62% in Italy and 90% or over in Scandinavia.
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| Poque [Poker] |
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An early French card game, from which some say the word poker came. The French pronunciation of the word is like poker without the r sound.
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| Port [Sailing] |
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(1) The left side of the boat from the perspective of a person at the stern of the boat and looking toward the bow. The opposite of starboard. (2) A place where ships go to dock. (3) A porthole. A window in the side of a boat, usually round or with rounded corners. Sometimes portholes can be opened, sometimes they are fixed shut. Also see hatches
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| Port Rig [Rowing] |
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An arrangement in which the stroke rows on the port side.
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| Port Tack [Sailing] |
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A sailboat sailing on a tack with the wind coming over the port side and the boom on the starboard side of the boat. If two boats under sail are approaching, the one on port tack must give way to the boat on starboard tack.
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| Portal [Curling] |
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Same as port.
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| Porthole [Sailing] |
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A port. A window in the side of a boat, usually round or with rounded corners. Sometimes portholes can be opened, sometimes they are fixed shut. Also see hatches.
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| Position [Poker] |
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1) Where a player sits in relation to the others at the table. 2) Where a player sits in relation to the dealer, or, sometimes, in relation to the blinds. Position 1 is generally the position to the left of the current dealer, although, in a three-blind traveling blind game, position 1 could be the position to the left of the big blind, that is, position 1 is three positions to the left of the dealer. Mike Caro reckons position as the number of players remaining to act. Thus, in an Seven-player game, the position to the left of the dealer is position 7, while the dealer position is position 0. The compiler of this dictionary has extended this in his writings to blind games, wherein the position immediately to the left of the big blind is position 7, the dealer is position 2, the middle blind is position 1, and the big blind is position 0 (because no players act after him).3) Where a player sits in relation to a particular player. Sitting to someone's left is generally termed good position, and to his right bad position. 4) Good position with respect to the other players at the table. "You can open with a worse hand when you've got position." 5) Sitting in good position with respect to a particular player, usually sitting one or two seats to the player's left. "I had position on the live one all night, but I never held any hands."
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| Position Bet [Poker] |
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A position bet is a bet made more on the strength of one's position than on the strength of one's hand. A player on the button in hold'em is in good position to steal the pot if no one else opens.
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| Position Doubtful [Sailing] |
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A mark of PD made on a chart when plotting a boat's position to indicate that there is reason to doubt that the fix is accurate.
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| Position Player [Poker] |
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Someone who plays position, that is, who is more or less liberal with his opening requirements and more or less aggressive in the play of his hands, dependent on his position with respect to the other players, or one vulnerable player in particular.
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| Positive Crankcase Ventilation Valve [Motor Sports] |
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An emission device that routes oil pan vapors to the intake manifold to be burned during combustion. Also known as the PCV valve.
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| Positive Equity [Motor Sports] |
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The vehicle's market value is greater than the amount the borrower owes on it.
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| Positive Expectation [Poker] |
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The situation in which a particular bet, in the long run, has an overall average profit. A wager can lose more times than it wins and still have a positive expectation; this is because in the long run the amount of money won on the times it wins is greater than the amount lost on the times it loses. Also called positive return.
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| Positive Return [Poker] |
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The situation in which a particular bet, in the long run, has an overall average profit. A wager can lose more times than it wins and still have a positive expectation; this is because in the long run the amount of money won on the times it wins is greater than the amount lost on the times it loses. Also called positive expectation.
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| Positive Ski Base [Skiing] |
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A patterned non-wax ski base that has a protruding pattern, above the level of the base. See also negative ski base .
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| Possession [Football] |
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To be holding or in control of the football.
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| Possession Arrow [Basketball] |
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A sideline indicator at high school and college games that has a lighted arrow showing which team is next entitled to the ball under the alternate-possession rule.
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| Possible [Poker] |
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1) In high poker, a hand that needs one card to be completed, as four cards to a flush or straight. For example, in seven-card stud, after the last card is dealt, you have face up three spades in sequence, possibly even four. Together with your three down cards, there exists a great possibility that you have a straight or better. A player may have board cards that rank higher than yours, such as a pair, but that player is afraid of your possibilities. When it is his turn to initiate the betting, he might say, "Check to the possible." 2) In stud games, the description, often by the dealer of the hand, of a hand that could, based on its exposed cards, be part of a complete hand, such as a flush or straight. For example, in a five-card stud game, one player has four spades showing; another has K-Q-10-9, so that a jack in the hole would give him a straight. As the dealer distributes the last round of cards, he might say, "Possible flush, possible straight, pair of aces. Pair of aces is high.
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| Post [Poker] |
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Put up a missed blind. If you miss playing the blind in a particular round, probably because you were away from the table or because you just came into a game and the blind has already passed you, the house dealer asks if you want to post, that is, put in as many chips as are in the blind you missed. When the action gets to you, you have already called one bet, and, if the pot has not been raised, you do not have to put any more chips in the pot. (You can, of course, raise in turn.) This is not the same as an over blind or kill, in which the action temporarily skips the player who has put the blind chips in the pot, and which causes the limit to increase.
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| Post Dive [Skydiving] |
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Review of a skydive after everyone has landed.
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| Post Mortem [Poker] |
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An exhaustive discussion after a hand is over about the play of the hand, with so-called experts giving their opinions (with the loser usually providing the most strident) on how the hand should have been played.
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| Post Oak Bluff [Poker] |
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In a no-limit game, a minimal bet made into a large pot by the holder of a marginal hand in the hopes that the bet won't be raised and the bettor will either win the pot because no better hand is out, or that he will get to see the best hand "for free" because the holder of a slightly better hand is afraid to raise. Also, protection bet.
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| Post Parade [Horse Racing] |
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The time period before the race when race animals leave the paddock, come onto the racetrack, and parade in front of the grandstands for review by patrons.
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| Post Pattern [Football] |
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A long pass play, usually when the wide receivers take off down the sidelines.
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| Post Position [Horse Racing] |
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A race animal's position in the starting gate/box from the inside rail out, decided by a drawing at the close of entries before the race.
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| Post Time [Horse Racing] |
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The official time set by the stewards/racing judges and the mutuel department at which a race will start.
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| Post Up [Basketball] |
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To establish a position in the low post, usually in order to take advantage of a smaller defender.
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| Post Weight [Greyhound Racing] |
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The greyhound's official weight reported before the greyhound enters the racetrack.
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| Post-Entry (Pe) [Motor Sports] |
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A team or driver who submits an entry blank for a race after the deadline for submission has passed. A post-entry receives no NASCAR Busch Series, Grand National Division driver or team points.
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| Posterior [Horse Racing] |
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Situated behind or toward the rear.
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| Posting Up [Basketball] |
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The process of getting into post position.
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| Postponed [General] |
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A contest cancelled for any reason and rescheduled at a later date.
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| Posture [Wrestling] |
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Having good body position in stances and during movesand counter attacks
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| Pot [Poker] |
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1) The chips in play on a particular hand. "They both had straight flushes and the pot was over $1000." 2) The portion of the table in which the pots in play on a particular hand go. "Is that money in the pot?" might be what the house dealer asks a player who is toying with a stack of chips very near to the perimeter of the pot. 3) The interval of time from the deal of cards until the showdown. 4) Make an arrangement to pay for drinks, sandwiches, etc., out of the next pot over a certain amount (usually twice the cost of whatever they're potting for); often followed by for. An example is a drink pot. "Let's order a round. Who wants to pot?" "Who wants to pot for cigarettes?"
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| Pot a!. [Poker] |
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A player who announces this has just won his first pot of the session.
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| Pot Bunker [Golf] |
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A small, deep sand trap that has steep sides.
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| Pot Game [Bowling] |
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A type of gambling competition in which two or more bowlers put money in the pot and the high scorer wins it all.
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| Pot Limit [Poker] |
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A game where the maximum bet is determined by the size of the pot at the time. Note that a player wanting to raise first calls the bet, then totals the pot to determine the maximum amount he can raise.
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| Pot Odds [Poker] |
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The amount of money in the pot versus the amount of money it will cost you to continue in the hand.
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| Pot-Limit Dig [Poker] |
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A pot-limit game not played for table stakes, that is, one in which players can take money out of their pockets if they run out of chips in the middle of a hand. This is permitted only in private games, never in public card rooms and casinos
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| Potato [Wrestling] |
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V.t. To injure a wrestler by hitting him on the head or causing him to hit his head on something.
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| Potato Shot [Wrestling] |
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(noun) When a wrestler accidentally delivers a blow that lands heavily and could cause legitimate damage.
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| Potstuck [Poker] |
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Having invested so much in a pot that it "wouldn't be good poker" to fold.
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| Potting Out [Poker] |
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Taking money out of a pot to buy food, cigarettes, or drinks, or to make bets.
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| Poule [Fencing] |
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French for "pool."
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| Pound [Sailing] |
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The action of a boat's bow repeatedly slamming into oncoming waves.
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| Pour in Place Insert [Golf] |
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Epoxy-based mixture used to replace broken or missing inserts in wooden wood. Requires a 24-hour curing time and may be any one of many colors.
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| Poverty Poker Dictionary [Poker] |
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A form of poker, usually found only in home or private games, in which a player is given a free buy-in, after going broke, on which to continue playing. Usually that buy-in must be returned to the source if the player wins, and the player must quit if he loses the free buy-in. The source for such funds either comes from a direct contribution at the time by the other players, or, more frequently, by cutting money from each pot, which money goes toward a special fund to be used for this particular purpose.
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| Powder [Skiing] |
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Fresh, dry, light snow that hasn't been groomed.
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| Powder Snow [Skiing] |
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Dry, freshly fallen snow that has not yet been compacted, by natural or other means. Deep powder requires different downhill skiing techniques if the skier wishes to remain above the snow surface.
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| Powderus Dangerous [Wrestling] |
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A handful of Talcum Powder is completely harmless unless it is thrown into the eyes of a wrestler at which time it miraculously gains the same properties as a can of mace.
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| Power [Poker] |
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1) In stud poker, the hand containing the strongest up cards, or, sometimes, the hand with the most potential (as four cards to a straight flush). 2) The holder of the hand who has been betting the most aggressively. For example, in no-limit lowball, you made a large raise before the draw, I called to draw a card, and you stood pat; if I miss the hand I was drawing to, but either made, or want to imply that I made, a hand with which I might call, I might say, "Check to the power."
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| Power Forward [Basketball] |
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A strong, bulky forward who can score from near the basket and get rebounds. Compare small forward.
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| Power Gathering [Martial Arts] |
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The act of breathing while meeting an opponent's attack in order to unify one's internal and external forces.
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| Power Lines [Skydiving] |
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Nasty things. Not a good idea to land in those. Bzzzzt!
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| Power of the Pen [Roulette] |
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The ability to issue hotel comps to players on the part of some casino executives.
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| Power Plant [Motor Sports] |
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Another name for a vehicle's engine.
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| Power Play [Ice Hockey] |
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An attack by a team at full strength against a team playing one man (or two men) shorthanded because of a penalty (or penalties) which resulted in a player on the opposing team receiving penalty-box time.
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| Power Play Goal [Ice Hockey] |
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A goal scored by a team on the power play. Compare short-handed goal.
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| Power Rating [General] |
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A number created by a handicapper on the basis of the strength of a particular team.
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| Power Steering [Motor Sports] |
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A steering system that uses a separate motor or engine power to reduce the effort necessary to turn the front wheels.
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| Power Ten [Rowing] |
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A series of 10 powerful strokes, usually either to gain on a crew that's leading or to open a larger gap over a crew that's trailing.
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| Power-to-Weight Ratio [Motor Sports] |
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The maximum power output of the vehicle per unit mass. The higher the ratio, the more powerful the vehicle. In comparing several vehicles, this can be a better measurement than engine horsepower or torque because it considers the weight variable. In other words, a car that seems to have a powerful engine but is also heavy may have less get-up-and-go than a vehicle that has a similar or less powerful engine but also weighs less.
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| Power/Speed Number [Baseball] |
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A way to look at power and speed in one number. A player must score high in both areas to earn a high Power/Speed Number. The formula: (HR x SB x 2) divided by (HR + SB).
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| Powerhouse [Bowling] |
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A ball thrown very fast and with a lot of action, resulting in an unmistakable strike.
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| Powertrain [Motor Sports] |
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The combination of engine and transmission.
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| Ppg [Motor Sports] |
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Actually, PPG Industries, founded in 1883 as the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company. PPG has been the source of tough urethane finishes on cars racing in the Indianapolis 500 since 1975. In 1980, it became the title sponsor of the PPG Indy Car World Series.
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| Ppw [Wrestling] |
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Powerhouse Pro Wrestling
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| Practice [Golf] |
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What every golfer should do before they play their game. -Top
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| Pram [Sailing] |
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A type of dinghy with a flat bow.
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| Pre-Rotation [Skiing] |
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Turning the body into the direction of the intended turn, to assist the skier's change in direction. See anticipation.
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| Pre-Selector Gear Box [Motor Sports] |
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An arrangement that enables the driver to select a gear speed before he needs it and then depress the clutch pedal when he desires to use the selected gear.
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| Pre-Staged [Motor Sports] |
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In drag racing, when a driver is approximately seven inches behind the starting line and the small yellow light atop his or her side of the Christmas Tree is illuminated.
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| Predictability [Croquet] |
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It is extremely difficult to predict the outcome of any shot due to the myriad of factors affecting the ball: the very shape, size, weight, surface and compactness of the ball all contribute to how it responds to being stuck by the mallet, the attributes of which must also be figured in the equation: weight, density of the wood or plastic, configuration of the face or hitting surface. Combine with this the state of the course upon which the game is being played, whether or not it is grass or artificial turf, length of the grass, levelness of the overall course, and the weather! Humidity, air density (playing in Denver will be different than in Newport), temperature, wind, sun will all affect how the balls respond. Fortunately, players need to be adaptable from one shot to the next and may be able to just take the shot and not be overly concerned about the individual variables affecting any given game. All players will be affected by the course and weather in the same way on any particular day. (see Chapter on Weather).
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| Predominance [Croquet] |
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A common error in which a hand or a foot leads the swing too much.
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| Preference List [Horse Racing] |
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A system used by racing secretaries to give preference in entries to horses that have not raced recently. The system is designed to ensure equity in determining which horses entered in a race will be allowed to race if there are more entries than available places in the race.
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| Preferential Shuffle [Blackjack] |
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The act of intentionally shuffling the cards early in order to remove any possible advantage which may have been gained by the players. It is used to discourage counters and to eliminate their playing advantage.
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| Preferred Channel Buoy [Sailing] |
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Also known as a junction buoy. A red and green horizontally striped buoy used in the United States to mark the separation of a channel into two channels. The preferred channel is indicated by the color of the uppermost stripe. Red on top indicates that the preferred channel is to the right as you return. Also see can and nun buoys.
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| Preferred Lie [Golf] |
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Under local rules, a manner in which a player is allowed to improve his lie without incurring a penalty.
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| Preferred Lies [Golf] |
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The local rules may allow you to improve your lie because of the condition of the course. You are usually allowed to clean the ball and more it no more than one card length from the original position.
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| Preferred List [Horse Racing] |
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Horses with prior rights to starting, usually because they have previously been entered in races that have not filled with the minimum number of starters.
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| Preflop [Poker] |
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Pertaining to the bet or situation before the flop.
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| Preliminaries [Diving] |
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A series of dives used to determine which divers reach the semi-finals of a meet.
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| Preliminary [Horse Racing] |
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The warm-up given to a horse on the track just prior to its race. Runners are usually let out onto the track around ten minutes before the start of a race to warm up.
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| Prelude [Horse Racing] |
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A race designed as a lead-up for a major event, however, as opposed to heats, the winners and placegetters of a prelude are not automatically included in the field for the final or major race. For instance, the Qantas Sprints are held the week before the Miracle Mile and are referred to as preludes. The winners of these preludes may or may not be invited to contest the Miracle Mile.
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| Premiere [Roulette] |
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French term for first and refers to the first group of 12 numbers in the Dozen Bet.
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| Premium [Poker] |
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A bonus or royalty paid by all players to the holder of a particular hand, or a very high hand. For example, in some private games, anyone holding aces full or better receives one or more chips at the showdown from all the players, in addition to winning the pot. Also called royalty or bonus.
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| Premium Hand [Poker] |
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A hand that entitles the holder of the hand to a premium (A bonus or royalty paid by all players to the holder of a particular hand, or a very high hand.). Also called special hand.
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| Premium Players [Roulette] |
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A casino term meaning big bettors or players with big credit lines.
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| Prep (Or Prep Race) [Horse Racing] |
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A workout or a race to prepare a horse for a future engagement.
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| Prep (Race) [Horse Racing] |
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A workout (or race) used to prepare a race animal for a future engagement.
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| Preparation [Horse Racing] |
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The period of time that a horse races for. Standardbreds usually have a spell or rest before returning to the race track for their next preparation.
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| Preparation Charges [Motor Sports] |
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Charges incurred by the dealer while preparing a vehicle for delivery to the buyer.
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| Presentation [Weight Lifting] |
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A ceremony held 15 minutes before the start of competition, at which the speaker introduces the technical officials and the athletes, who are lined up on the stage in the order of their start numbers.
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| Press [Poker] |
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Give a stake player more chips to play on, after he loses his first stack; usually equal to half of what he started with. For example, the shift manager used Crying Cal to help get a game started, by staking Cal, for which he gave Cal $40 in house chips with which to play. Cal lost the $40, and the game is in danger of breaking up, so the shift manager goes to the cage, and says to the cashier, "Press Cal," for which the cashier gives him $20, and writes the $20 on the sheet.
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| Press-Out [Weight Lifting] |
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An illegal move on which the lifter bends the arms while holding the bar overhead, then presses out to try to make them straight; results in no lift.
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| Pressure [Skiing] |
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Applied to one or both skis by the skier's body mass or muscle. See weighting.
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| Pressure Plate [Motor Sports] |
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Holds the clutch disc against the flywheel.
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| Presto [Poker] |
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In Hold'em, what one says when revealing pocket 5's. This term is still evolving and subject to redefinition. The term comes from a more well-established background in Blackjack where one says "Presto!" when turning over a blackjack. When a player says "Presto!" at an appropriate time, the correct countersign is to say "Irwin". This is a method of identification, not a compulsory ritual.
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| Pretensioner [Motor Sports] |
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A device that rapidly yanks in shoulder-belt slack when a crash sensor detects an impact. Some pretensioners are activated by a small explosive charge in the belt retractor; some contain their own inertial sensors. So far, pretensioners are still found on more expensive models, particularly those by European manufacturers. By pulling in belt slack within milliseconds of an impact, pretensioners help reduce chest and head injury by restricting occupant motion and preventing the occupant from hitting the belt.
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| Pretties [Poker] |
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1) Chips of (relatively) large denomination. A stack of pretties is 20 $20 chips, $100 chips, etc. Also, society chips, high society chips. 2) Any particularly good hand.
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| Prevailing Winds [Sailing] |
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The typical winds for a particular region and time of year.
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| Preventer [Sailing] |
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A line run forward from the boom to a secure fitting to prevent the boom from jibing accidentally when running. If the boat jibes anyway, this can cause the sail to become backwinded.
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| Previous Spot [Football] |
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Where the ball was snapped to begin the last play.
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| Price [Horse Racing] |
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Equivalent odds to $1 which a horse paid, or would have paid if he had won.
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| Prick [Poker] |
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Mark the backs of cards with a pin, thumbtack, or other sharp instrument, in such a way that the thief making such marks can later tell by feel the rank of the card. This is the opposite of peg, in which the thief marks the fronts of cards. Such markings are sometimes called pin work.
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| Primary Sponsor [Motor Sports] |
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The sponsor that puts up the bulk of the sponsorship money for a race team, and consequently gets the most exposure on the ca
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| Prime [Fencing] |
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The first guard or parry, in a high line on the side away from the sword arm, with the wrist pronated.
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| Prime Meridian [Sailing] |
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The 0° longitude line that runs through Greenwich, England.
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| Primero [Poker] |
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An early Spanish card game having some of the features of poker.
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| Priority [Fencing] |
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In sabre, the now-superceded rules that decide which fencer will be awarded the touch in the event that they both attack simultaneously; also used synonymously with right-of-way.
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| Prise De Fer [Fencing] |
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Also taking the blade; an engagement of the blades that forces the opponent's weapon into a new line. See: bind, croise, envelopment, opposition.
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| Private Game [Poker] |
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A poker game played elsewhere than in a public card room. Also called home game. Sometimes private game has a wider application, because a private game could be played in other than someone's home (for example, in a hotel room).
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| Privileged Vessel [Sailing] |
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The vessel that is required to maintain its course and speed when boats are approaching each other according to the navigation rules. Also known as the stand on vessel.
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