Poker is a popular card game that can be enjoyed by players of all levels of experience. If you’re new to the game, one of the first things you need to learn is the different poker hand names.
This guide will teach you everything you need to know about poker hand names, including how to form them and what they mean.
50 Poker Hand Nicknames: The Complete List
If you sit in a poker room for any length of time, you will hear some of the most well-known poker hand names referred to as poker hand nicknames.
“Pocket Rockets,” Big Slick, “Snowmen,” and “Ducks” are all common colloquialisms that players use as poker hand names. Here’s a list of 50 of the most popular poker hand nicknames.
While most of the nicknames are for Texas Hold’em starting hands/hole cards, a few others refer to nicknames for five-card poker hands. Others, such as “Barry Greenstein” refer to a specific card that hits the table in a particular situation.
Let’s take a look below at 50 poker hand names that are used around the globe.
Pocket Aces
Pocket Rockets– One of many common nicknames for a pair of pocket aces, Pocket Rockets is derived from the similarity of the “A”, to a rocket. This hand will also lift your spirits into the stratosphere if it comes your way.
Bullets The “A” looks a bit like a bullet when it is turned sideways, with the tip of the letter appearing at the top. “Pocket Rockets” is about as frequent as “Bullets” at the table.
American Airlines The initials “AA” is a reminder of some of the initials of one of the most popular airlines in the US. Pocket Aces is a top-flight hand. The sky is the limit when you have “American Airlines” as your hole card.
Pocket Kings
Cowboys A pair of kings are sometimes called “Cowboys”, possibly because “kings” and “cowboys”, both start with the same sound. Even in a bad session, you can still get back in the saddle if you grab this hand.
Ace Magnets The nickname “Ace Magnets” for pocket kings refers to the hand’s ability, in Texas Hold’em, to cause an Ace on the flop. It’s time to check out the flop in disgust when that happens.
Pocket Queens
Ladies– The female counterpart of pocket kings and queens, sometimes called “Ladies.” If you are dealt this hand, pocket queens are the best starting hands in Texas Hold’em. Lady luck will have found you.
Pocket Jacks
Hooks This nickname is derived from the similarity of the “J,” to a fishhook. Pocket jacks will make you believe
Pocket Tens
Dime – This is the counterpart to “nickels”, which
Pocket Nines
Wayne Gretzky – Named after the uniform number of Wayne Gretzky, the NHL’s greatest player. Although pocket nines are acceptable, they are not G.O.A.T. status like Gretzky.
Phil Hellmuth – The legendary Phil Hellmuth won the 1989 WSOP Main Event Championship with pocket nines. Although you won’t be able to play this hand as well or as well as Hellmuth will, it is worth trying.
Pocket Eights
Snowmen The shape of the “8”, which resembles a snowman is pocket eights. However, they are more like a warm hand unless it improves after the flop.
Dale Jr. Named after the No. Dale Earnhart Jr. Dale. Jr. is
Pocket Sevens
Hockey Sticks The “7” looks like a hockey stick, just like Wayne Gretzky would.
Candy Canes– Another reference to “7”, candy canes can be quite sweet, but they’re not very great.
Pocket Sixes
Route 66 – Named after the most iconic highway in the US, route 66 is also the source of our next poker hand nickname.
Kicks – “Get your kicks on Route 66” is the title of the most well-known song about Route 66.
Pocket Fives
Nickels You can’t call pocket 10s “dimes” if you don’t coin pocket fives as “nickels”.
Presto — The origins of “Presto,” the nickname, date back to the 1990s pre-poker boom. According to PocketFives poker news outlet, the fascination with the namesake hand began on gambling forums in the 1990s.
Pocket Fours
Darth Vader Two black fours are sometimes called “The Dark Side of the Fours”, or “Darth Vader”.
Luke Skywalker “May the fours be with You”, aka Luke Skywalker for another Star Wars reference to pocket 4s.
Sailboats The “4” is a sailboat that looks a lot like a sailboat. However, it’s not as smooth sailing as a pair of fours when they’re trying to win a showdown.
Pocket Threes
Treys – An easily-used substitute for “three”, “trey” is a French word that means “trey”.
Pocket Twos
Deuces “Deuce” is the common term for “two”, in any card game. Deuce is derived from “Deux”, a French word that means “two”.
Ducks– The “2”, which looks and sounds a lot like a duck, is also called “Duck”. The pocket duck is the lowest pair of Texas Hold’em hands, but they perform well against other non-pair players.
Ace-King
Big Slick The nickname “Big Slick” for ace-king is to pick up this hand combination as your Texas Hold’em hole cards. Ace-King is a premium starting hand, but it can also lead to slippery situations if it doesn’t improve.
Anna Kournikova Named after the Russian female tennis player Anna Kournikova. AK is
Walking Back To Houston – The “Walking Back To Houston” moniker for Ace-King is perhaps the most memorable of all poker hand names. It comes from Texas’s poker games that were played decades ago. Barry Greenstein thanks T.J. Cloutier, a poker legend, for inventing the term.
Cloutier was referring to Houston poker players who lost all their money playing ace-king and had to walk home from Dallas.
Space Cowboy A combination of “Ace From Space” and “Cowboy”, the “Space Cowboy”, a poker nickname that combines two great poker nicknames, is another way to describe an ace-king.
Ace-Queen
Rocket Queen is a “rocket” combined with a “queen”. “Rocket Queen”, also refers to a Guns N’Roses song.
Anthony and Cleopatra — Named after a Shakespearean tragedy. If it meets ace-king, the ace-queen may turn into its own tragic story.
Ace-Nine
Rounders– Named after Mike McDermott’s hand in Rounders’ scene in which Teddy KGB took all of Mike McD’s money. This hand sets the stage for an amazing up-and-down
King-Nine
Canine– This is one of the simpler poker hand names. The “canine” hand refers the “K” (and the “nine”) coming together in a tribute to man’s best friend.
Queen-Ten
Cutie– “Cutie”, also known as “QT”, makes a hand that looks quite good when it is suited preflop.
QTip is another simple poker hand name for queen-10. Like “cutie”, this hand’s QT initials inspire the nickname “Q-Tip”.
Quentin Tarantino Another “QT”-inspired nickname. These three nicknames can be used interchangeably to keep your opponents guessing.
Jack-Ten
Justin Timberlake: The initials “JT”, which refer to one the most well-known pop stars of all times and one of Texas Hold’em’s most playable starting hands, are Justin Timberlake.
Jack-Nine
T.J. Cloutier – We go “JT” from “T.J.” with our nickname of jack-nine. Legend has it that T.J. Cloutier flopped three consecutive flushes with this hand. This hand, along with “Walking Back to Houston” for ace-king, is the second named after Cloutier in our poker hand names.
Jack-Five
Jackson Five The nickname “Jackson Five” is a natural fit for the jack-five. Although the Jackson Five was a major-money act, it can lead to negative cash flow if it is played too often.
Mowtown — The record label that brought you the Jackson Five, “Motown”, is another poker hand nickname.
Ten-Deuce
Doyle Brunson– Named after the legendary poker player, “Doyle Brunson”, Texas Hold’em hand refers only to ten-two. Brunson won two consecutive World Series of Poker Main Events, with ten-deuce his final hand.
Nine-Five
Dolly Parton The most well-known song by a country singer, “9 to 5”, is what gave rise to the nickname nine-five in poker. The 1980 comedy film “9 to 5”, also inspired the song.
Five-Four
Chris Moneymaker The nickname for five-four poker hands is derived from Moneymaker’s 2003 World Series of Poker win with the 54 combinations as his final hand. Although the suited version five-four can make some money, it is best to fold the offsuit edition before the flop.
Three-Two
The Nut low – This is the lowest hand you can get in a poker game. Three-two offsuit, if you’re referring to preflop in a Texas Hold’em tournament, is the absolute lowest nut low.
Eights and Aces
Dead Man’s Hand Legend has it that Wild Bill Hickock had two pairs, aces, and eights when he was killed in a five-card stud game in Deadwood.
Straight from Ten to Ace
Broadway – “Broadway”, or a “Broadway Straight”, refers to the ace-king-queen-jack-ten version of a five-card straight. These cards are sometimes called “Broadway” cards.
Straight Ace-to-5
The Wheel– The Ace-to-5 straight is often called the “wheel”. The wheel
Ace on the River
Barry Greenstein The poker book written by Barry Greenstein, the legendary legend of the game, “Ace on the River”, is a famous poker book. It gives us
Ace from Space –Another name for when an ace appears on a river. This refers to hands where the ace saves a player’s life from certain doom.
Four-of-a-Kind Kings
Four Horsemen These kings are named after the biblical Four Horseman of the Apocalypse. They can be a sign of the end for your opponent.
Club Flush
Golf Bag A “Golf Bag” is a flush of all clubs, which is usually also filled with clubs.
Nicknames For Texas Hold’em Poker Hands
With the poker boom of the last few years and millions of players joining the game, poker hand names have become more popular and well-known than ever.
New players may feel lost amongst the lingo and jargon of seasoned pros, thanks to the spread of the word by poker television announcers and cardroom regulars. They might be a little confused by some of these nicknames.
Some hand nicknames (American Airlines, Fish Hooks, and Jackson Five) are quite clear, but the newer generation of players may have difficulty with others (Broderick Crawford and Dead Man’s Hand and Walking Back to Houston).
Poker is a great source of nicknames, both for its players as well as its opponents.
Although Texas Hold’em is the most popular starting card, many of the two-card nicknames are derived from Wild West draw poker.
Here are some of the most famous poker nicknames:
Nicknames for Hold’em Pocket Pairs
| American | American Airlines Rockets Bullets Snake Eyes |
| KK | Cowboys King Kong |
| Ladies | |
| JJ | Fishhooks or Hooks |
| 1010 | Dimes |
| 99 | Phil Hellmuth (won the 1989 Main Event with two black nines) Wayne Gretzky (the Great One’s jersey number) |
| 88 | Snowmen Piano Keys (88 keys on a piano) |
| 77 | Walking Sticks Sunset Strip (TV show title) |
| 66 | Route 66 Boots (for the slight resemblance of a boot to a 6) |
| 55 | Speed Limit Presto |
| 44 | Magnum (the .44 Magnum pistol was Dirty Harry’s gun) Sailboats |
| 33 | Crabs Treys |
| 22 | Ducks (the 2 is similar to a duck’s shape in water) |
Ducks The 2 is very similar to a duck’s form in water.
Unpaired Hold’em Starting Hands
| AK | Big Slick Walking Back to Houston (the old-time Texas poker players were cautious with this tempting, but vulnerable, Hold’em hand. Overplay Ace-King and you’d be left walking back to Houston.) |
| AQ | Doyle Brunson (the poker legend hates to play AQ) |
| AJ | Ajax |
| A10 | Johnny Moss |
| A8 | Dead Man’s Hand (Wild Bill Hickok was holding Aces and Eights when he was shot and killed) |
| A3 | Baskin-Robbins (an Ace is also a 1 when playing lowball, making 31 for 31 flavors) |
| KQ | Marriage |
| KJ | Kojak Harry Potter (J.K. Rowling) |
| K9 | Canine Fido |
| K3 | King Crab or Commander Crab (a 3 is often called a “crab”) |
| QJ | Maverick (Jacks and Queens from the “Maverick” theme song) |
| Q7 | Computer Hand (statistically, this is the average winning hand in Hold’em) |
| J6 | Railroad Hand (repeating “Jacks and sixes” sounds like a train on its tracks) |
| J5 | Jackson Five Motown |
| J4 | Flat Tire (what’s a jack for?) |
| 10-5 | Dime Store Woolworths (the old discount five and dime store chain) |
| 10-4 | Crawford Broderick (his catchphrase in “Highway Patrol”) Roger That |
| 10-2 | Doyle Brunson (he won both his WSOP Championships with this modest holding) |
| 98 | Oldsmobile (the classiest model was the 98) |
| 93 | Jack Benny (always claimed to be 39 years old) |
| 76 | Union Oil (owns the 76 gas station brand) |
| 75 | Heinz (for Heinz’ 57 flavor varieties) |
| 72 | The Hammer |
| 63 | Blocky (from Doyle Brunson’s Super System) |
| 54 | Jesse James (he was allegedly killed with a shot from a .45 pistol) |
Other Poker Hands
| AKQJT | Broadway |
| A2345 | Wheel |
| KKK | Three Wise Men |
| TTT | Thirty Miles of Bad Road (Gilroy to San Jose) |
| QQKK | Mommas and Poppas |
| AK47 | Assault Rifle (named after the Russian machine gun) |
| 222 | Huey, Dewey, and Louie (three famous “ducks”) |
| Unbeatable Hand |
Nuts |
| Four of a Kind |
Quads |
| Club Flush | Golf Bag |
| 3 of a Kind | Set (using a pocket pair) Trips (using a pair on the board) |
| Any Face Card |
Paint |
Poker Hand Names & Rankings
Texas Hold’em Poker has a unique culture. There are many poker card names, from ‘Motown’ and ‘the Dead Man’s Hand’. Let us help to explain the jargon so you can sound like a pro at poker.
Names for poker hands
Many nicknames for poker hands are derived from pop culture, history, and everyday life. Some are funny, some are clever, and some are just plain vulgar. However, they all have a story to tell. Below are some of the most well-known nicknames for poker hands.
Nicknames for hands with aces
ace-ace (A-A)
- Alan Alda The double A’s are also initials for the M*A*S*H star.
- American Airlines: Nicknamed because of the double Aces “AA”, which is also the familiar symbol American Airlines uses.
- Batteries This nickname comes from double-A batteries.
- Bullets This hand is known as “bullets” due to the bullet-shaped suit symbols in the middle of each card.
- Eyes in Texas: This popular song was also used because of its resemblance with “eyes” on dice and the origins of “Texas Hold’em”.
- Joe Louis (Given to the pair of clubs and spades) Because the Aces resemble eyes you will get two dark eyes if they are fought like the famous boxer.
- Needles The “A”, which is the top of the needle, looks like it’s pointed.
- Pocket Rockets Aces: Aces resemble rockets and are pocket rockets because they are “pocket cards”.
- Snake Eyes or Eyes: The pair of Aces is associated with rolling snake eyes (double 1), in Craps.
- Teepees The double Aces look like the peaks of Native American Indian Teepees.
- Two Pips: A pip refers to a single unit of a number within a group. For example, two Aces are worth one “pip”, or point is “two points”.
- Visine This special designation refers to the combination of the Ace of Hearts (both red suits) and the Ace of Diamonds (both yellow suits). Also known as “red eyes”, Visine eye drops claim that they “get the red out”.
ace-king (A-K)
- Anna Kournikova This nickname is given to the Ace/King combination for sharing the initials from the former tennis star.
- Big Slick This looks like a winner and many beginners lose a lot of their money on it.
- King Arthur Sharing the initials King Arthur, the legendary King of Camelot.
- Korean Airlines Sharing the initials for the South Korean commercial airline.
- Walking back to Houston: Texas players who placed too much on this hand often lost.
ace-queen (A-Q)
- Antony & Cleopatra The cards share the initials Queen Cleopatra and Marc Antony, two famous Shakespearian lovers.
- Big Chick A rhyming companion for Big Slick, but with a “chick” instead of a King.
- Little Slick Similar to the Big Slick but not as strong.
- Mrs. Slick The King’s wife, imitating Big Slick.
- Rocket Queen The Ace (a “rocket”) has been paired with the Queen. This is also a reference to the Guns & Roses song.
ace-jack (A-J)
- Armani Jeans Sharing the initials for the famous clothing line’s Jeans.
- Apple Jacks Per the initials for the popular cereal brand.
- Ajax A phonetic likeness (A-Jacks), to the cleaning product.
- Blackjack: Since A-J
is the best hand in Blackjack. - Jackass: Jack/Ace sounds like Jackass.
ace-ten (A-10)
- Johnny Moss: He started his poker career at the tender age of 10.
- Bookends Each section of the end of highest poker straight (10 J, Q, K), A).
ace-nine (A-9)
- Rounders hand: Popularized as a key hand in the movie Rounders.
- McDermott: Named after Mike McDermott, the character in Rounders. He goes bankrupt holding this hand.
- Jesus (or Chris Ferguson: Chris Ferguson was the player nicknamed Jesus because of his long hair. He won the final hand at the 2000 WSOP with this hand.
ace-eight (A-8)
- Dead Man’s Hand This was the famous combo that Wild Bill, a famous gunfighter and lawyer, held when he was killed.
- Obelix and Asterix: Named for the comic book characters A and Obelix, respectively.
ace-seven (A-7)
- Slapshot Nicknamed because of the 7’s resemblance with a hockey stick and Ace being a bullet (hockey ball).
ace-six (A-6)
- Mile High Club: Since six sounds phonetically like sex, and the Ace is associated with airlines, the nickname refers to sex in an airplane being known as joining The Mile-High Club.
ace-five (A-5)
- High Five This is The “high card” (Ace) that is combined with the five. Simple, yet effective.
ace-four (A-4)
- Plane Crash The A-4 combination looks like the double Ace combination, with one of its “wings” missing (the four being a partial’ Ace).
- Stu Ungar: This hand was won by Stu Ungar, a well-known player who won his last WSOP title as part of a straight.
ace-three (A-3)
- Ashtray Due to the phonetic similarity to Ace-Trey.
- Baskin Robins: The Ace/Three are numbers 1 and 3. This nickname is due to Baskin Robins’ 31 flavors of ice cream.
- Thrace The word Thrice is a combination of Ace and three times.
ace-two (A-2)
- Acey Deucey: From a game of the same title.
- Hunting Season Nicknamed as Aces are bullets, and Twos are often referred to simply as ducks.
- Little Slick A low imitation of “Big Slick”. For added confusion, it can also be used for A-Q.
Nicknames for hands with kings
king-king (K-K)
- Ace Magnets This name was given because it seems that every time you are dealt this hand, an Ace appears on the flop to weaken your position.
- Cowboys Phonetic similarities between the C in Cowboys and the K in Kings. Texas is also known for its poker players as well as cowboys.
- King Kong Shares initials and a famous movie ape.
- Elvis Presley Referring to the ‘King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
king-queen (K-Q)
- Marriage/Royal Couple To unite a King and Queen.
- King Of Queens: Refer to the Kevin James sitcom.
- Valentine’s Day When both the cards and the hearts are in your hand.
king-jack (K-J)
- Kojak Given because of its phonetic similarity with TV’s lollipop-loving detective from the 1970s.
- Joking/Jacking Because of the phonetic similarity.
king-ten (K-10)
- Katie/Ken – Phonetic similarities to K-10 or K-T.
- Big Al: Named after the Wisconsin poker player who was nicknamed “Big Al” Emerson.
king-nine (K-9)
- Canine: Nickname based on the phonetic sound of the K or Nine pronounced
- Dog: Due to the name canine.
- Fido/Mutt/Pedigree/Rin Tin Tin/Doctor Who: More canine references.
king-eight (K-8)
- Kate: Named after the phonetic pronunciation K-eight.
- Feast It’s what the King ate.
king-seven (K-7)
- Columbia River The King Seven is a phonetic cousin to King Salmon.
- Kevin: More phonetic fun.
king-six (K-6)
- Kicks A combination of the words King and six.
king-nine (K-5)
- Seattle Special: Named after the Seattle television station KING5.
- Knives K, Fives almost makes knives
king-four (K-4)
- Fork/Core This is the phonetic combination of 4 and K.
- Oppression by the Masses: For what purpose is a King? Here’s one for the anarchists.
king-three (K-3)
- King Crab: Because 3s look like a sideways crab, King Crab is a popular food.
king-two (K-2)
- King Fritz/Big Fritz – Named after the German poker pro Andreas Fritz.
- Donald: This is a reference to Donald Duck (the King of the Ducks) and is most commonly used when the hand is not in-suit.
Nicknames for hands with queens
queen-queen (Q-Q)
- Ladies: The only court cards depicted in are those of a queen.
- Calamity Jane A famous Cowgirl. This is a play on the KK nickname “Cowboys”.
- Canadian Aces The Queen Of England is respected in Canada.
queen-jack (Q-J)
- Maverick From the western show of the name, whose theme song refers to “livin’ On Jacks and Queens.”
- Hawaii: You’ll be able to save enough money for a trip in Hawaii if you don’t play this hand for a year!
queen-ten (Q-10)
- Robert Varkonyi: Won WSOP 2002 with this hand.
- Quint/Q–Tip: To see the phonetic similarity with Queen-Ten.
- Cutie To hear the phonetic sounds of letters Q and T.
queen-nine (Q-9)
- Quinine Because of its similarity to the name of a well-known antimalarial drug.
queen-eight (Q-8)
- Kuwait: Phonetically identical to Q-eight.
queen-seven (Q-7)
- Computer Hand Because it’s statistically equal to any other random hand. Computers determined that it had a 50% chance of winning and a 50% chance of losing against any two cards.
queen-six (Q-6)
- Quix A combination of both of these words.
queen-five (Q-5)
- Granny Mae Granny Mae is Granny for Queen. Mae is the 5th month. This one is a bit difficult.
queen-four (Q-4)
- Housework A ‘comic” response to the question “What is a Queen for?”
- Prince Maker Another funny answer to the same question.
queen-three (Q-3)
- Windsor Waiter A Queen with her tray (the Queen Of England lives in Windsor).
queen-two (Q-2)
- Daisy A reference for Daisy Duck – Donald Duck’s partner and Queen.
- Queen Liz: Nicknamed in reference to Queen Elizabeth II.
Nicknames for hands with jacks
jack-jack (J-J)
- Brothers Two men who look alike.
- Fishhooks The J looks like a fishhook, and there are two.
- John Juanda – Initials for the Indonesian poker player.
jack-ten (J-10)
- Justin Timberlake: Shares initials with the popstar (J-T).
- T. J. Hooker Nicknamed for the 80’s TV character T-J (played by William Shatner).
jack-nine (J-9)
- T.J Cloutier (when suit): This starting hand was used by the poker player to flop three consecutive flushes in a year.
jack-eight (J-8)
- Jeffrey Dahmer – Named after the notorious serial killer who “ate Jack”.
- Jacket: Jack Eight sounds a lot like Jacket if it’s said quickly.
jack-seven (J-7)
- Jack Daniels – Named after Tennessee whisky that has a “Jack” and a “7” on the bottle.
jack-six (J-6)
- Railroad: Because you repeat Jacks and Sixes fast, it sounds like a train moving over tracks.
jack-five (J-5)
- Motown To honor the association of the Jackson Five and the music label – also known as ‘J5’.
- Jackson Five Thanks for sharing the ‘J5’ nickname of the Motown singing group, the Jackson Five.
jack-four (J-4)
- Flat Tire What’s the use of a Jack?
jack-three (J-3)
- Lumberjack A Jack, and a Tree’.
jack-two (J-2)
- JLo: Play off Jennifer Lopez’s nickname: J and a low-card.
Nicknames for hands with tens
ten-ten (10-10)
- Dime: A dime is worth ten pennies.
- Tension This pair is the first that has a high chance of winning, but not enough to be considered a sure thing.
- Dynamite/TNT T and T resemble TNT when spoken aloud
- Binary:1010 is 10 in binary decimal notation.
ten-nine (10-9)
- Countdown Because it sounds like the beginning of a 10-second countdown.
ten-eight (10-8)
- Tetris A stretch there but thought to be due to mild phonetic similarity.
ten-seven (10-7)
- Bowling Hand/Split Named after the 7/10 split in bowling.
ten-six (10-6)
- Sweet: Also known as “10+6”, which is sweet sixteen.
ten-five (10-5)
- Woolworth Named after the very first “five-and-dime store” in the early 20th century. Five and Dime is a common nickname.
ten-four (10-4)
- Broderick Croft: A well-known actor who used the call sign “10-4″ on the television series ‘Highway Patrol”.
- CB Hand/The Driver/Over and Out/Roger That aEURoe10-4″ is ‘OK’ in CB Radio speech.
- Convoy/Good buddy: The use of “10-4” in the country song “Convoy” is a good example.
ten-three (10-3)
- Fast Connect: Named after the T3 internet connection.
ten-two (10-2)
- Doyle Brunson To see the winning hand of the 1976/77 WSOP Champion.
- Terminator 2 The movie’s subtitle is ‘T2’.
Nicknames for hands with nines
nine-nine (9-9)
- Phil Hellmuth – Named after the 1989 WSOP winner who won this hand.
- Red Balloons After the famous song 99 Red Balloons.
- Wayne Gretzky The jersey number for the Canadian hockey legend.
- Popeyes Looks just like Popeye’s muscular arms.
nine-eight (9-8)
- Oldsmobile or Oldsmobile: The ’98 Oldsmobile was by far the most powerful of the models.
nine-seven (9-7)
- Persian Carpet Ride: Named after Antonio Esfandiari for whom this hand was a favorite.
nine-six (9-6)
- Big Lick A reference to the 69 positions, and a play on “Big Slick”. Many other nicknames for this hand follow the same derivation.
nine-five (9-5)
- Dolly Parton or Dolly Dolly: This is the famous song and movie of Dolly Parton.
- Hardworking Man: A person who works 9 to 5.
nine-four (9-4)
- San Francisco: The San Francisco football team, the 49ers.
- Joe Montana: The most famous football player for San Francisco 49ers.
- 49er: San Francisco 49ers NFL Football Team. Also refers to men who mined the Sierra Nevada hills in the vicinity of San Francisco during the gold rush era.
nine-three (9-3)
- Jack Benny has always maintained that he was “39 years old”.
nine-two (9-2)
- Twiggy The famous supermodel’s waist measurement is 29 inches.
- Montana Bananas: Bananas can grow in Montana’s cold climate before anyone wins with this hand.
Nicknames for hands with eights
eight-eight (8-8)
- Snowmen Nicknamed because of the 8’s resemblance to a snowman.
- Time Travel: The DeLorean character in the movie “Back to the Future” needed to travel at 88mph to travel through the time.
- Piano/Wurlitzer The number of keys on an organ/piano/piano.
- Pretzels Looks similar to the twists of two pretzels.
- Lacey The 8s look like shoelaces
eight-seven (8-7)
- RPM This refers to the speed at which old-fashioned records are spun at 78 revolutions per hour.
eight-six (8-6)
- Eubie If this hand was “u-be”, it would go bankrupt.
- Maxwell Smart The number moniker for Maxwell Smart (Agent86) from the TV series ‘Get Smart.
- Rick James This is the website of the famous singer who died on August 6th.
- Pooch For Bill Puccio, who swears that this is the winningest hand.
eight-five (8-5)
- Chad The number Chad Ochocinco is a football player. This is the literal Spanish translation for “eight five”.
eight-four (8-4)
- Orwell The author of ‘1984’, George Orwell.
- Big Brother This is a reference to Orwell’s famous book “1984”.
eight-three (8-3)
- Raquel Welch: Either she claims to be 38 every single year or because of her curvaceous measurements.
eight-two (8-2)
- Tadpole What did the duck eat.
Nicknames for hands with sevens
seven-seven (7-7)
- Hockey Sticks A 7 looks like an upside-down hockey stick.
- Candy Canes To see the resemblance with a pair of candy canes.
- Axes/Walking Sticks/Mullets/Scythes: Because 7s look a little like these things.
- Sunset Strip Refers to the television series ’77 Sunset Strip’.
seven-six (7-6)
- Trombones From the song 76 Trombones’.
- Union Oil For Union76 gas stations
seven-five (7-5)
- 007 To see the winning hand from the Bond movie ‘Casino Royale.
- Heinz For the line of ’57 varieties’ used to advertise Heinz.
- Vietnamese Slick The Vietnam War was over in ’75.
seven-four (7-4)
- Kalashnikov This refers to the AK-47 assault rifle. Some may also use it to describe Ace-King, however, it is confusing.
- Double down: Always Double down on 11 in Blackjack.
seven-three (7-3)
- Dutch Waiter/Swedish Boy: Sven carries a tray.
- Joe Hachem – This is The 2005 WSOP Main Event Champion who flopped a straight with 7-3 to win the Main Event.
seven-two (7-2)
- W.H.I.P.: Off-suit only. The acronym for “Worst hand in Poker.”
Nicknames for hands with sixes
six-six (6-6)
- Cherries: Because sixes look like cherries.
- Route 66 After the famous old road linking LA and Chicago.
- Kicks For “Get your kicks on Route 66”
six-five (6-5)
- Bus Pass: UK citizens over 65 get free bus passes
six-four (6-4)
- Billion-Dollar Hand: Refer to the old TV series ‘The $64,000 Question’.
- Gilchrist Australian cricketer Adam Gilchrist scored a lot of 6s, and 4s.
six-three (6-3)
- Spanish Inquisition: Because it is an unassuming hand that nobody expects to win. From the Monty Python quote “nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.”
six-two (6-2)
- Aimsworth Byron Cowboy’ Wolford once played this hand and ended up with four deuces. When asked about his intention, he replied that he wasn’t drawing but was aiming for another deuce. This led to the unusual nickname for an uncommon hand.
Nicknames for hands with fives
five-five (5-5)
- Nickels 5 cents = 1 nickel
- Speed Limit Nickname because 55 is the US speed limit for highways.
- Sammy Hagar From his pop song, “I Can’t Drive 55”.
- Snakes To see the resemblance between a pair of snakes.
five-four (5-4)
- Colt 45 For the famous gun.
- Jesse James Because the gunslinger was allegedly killed by an a45.
- Moneymaker This is the hand that Moneymaker Chris, a famous poker player, held to win the 2003 WSOP.
five-three (5-3)
- Juggernaut: from ‘Magic: The Gathering. This artifact card has the power and toughness of five and three respectively.
five-two (5-2)
- Bomber: A big B-52 bomber plane.
- Pick up: After 52 card pick-up.
- Two Bits The archaic refers to a 25-cent item.
- Quarter: 25 cents.
Nicknames for hands with fours
four-four (4-4)
- Darth Vader (2 black cards): The Dark Side of Fours.
- Magnum The famous Magnum pistol is a 44 caliber.
- Sailboats Nicknamed for their appearance resembling two sails, the double fours are called
- Luke Skywalker/Princess Leia – May all the Fours be with You.
four-three (4-3)
- Waltz Because musical dances are always in 3/4 time
- Books: For what purpose is a tree?
four-two (4-2)
- Jack Bauer For the character 24.
- Lumberman’s Hand: Nicknamed after the common lumber stock two-by-four (2×4).
- The Answer: This refers to the ultimate answer to all questions about life, the universe, and everything in the novel/movie “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.”
Nicknames for hands with threes
three-three (3-3)
- Crabs Nicknamed because of its resemblance with a crab on its side.
- Treys Adapted from the Old French word “tres”
three-two (3-2)
- The Nut Low The lowest possible hand of poker.
- Michael Jordan: The great basketball player wore jersey number 23.
Nicknames for hands with twos
two-two (2-2)
- Ducks Twos are often referred to as ducks in poker because of their similar appearance.
- Desmond: Named after Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
- Quack Quack This is the sound that two ducks make.
- Richard Nixon: Nicknamed in Richard Nixon’s famous double-peace sign.
- Swarovskis Recall the Swarovski Crystal Swans.
Conclusion
Thanks for reading our guide on poker hand names! We hope you found it helpful. Good luck at the tables!