Poker Hand Names – How Well Do You Know Poker Slang and Card Nicknames?

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Over the years, poker has developed a language of its own, so much so that poker players can communicate almost with no limitations and without anyone else being able to understand them.

If you’ve dabbled a bit in the poker circles, you may have heard some of the poker hand nicknames we’re going to talk about. That said, there are so many poker slang terms that even the more experienced players aren’t familiar with all of them.

Poker hand names are not only valuable to know when playing but also a fun conversation piece with other fans of the game. We’ve drafted the most comprehensive page on the Internet covering poker game nicknames, including the most popular, as well as some hilarious poker hand names we’ve heard from players over the years.

Poker Hand Names for Pocket Pairs 

A pocket pair is a hand that contains two cards of the same value. Here are the most popular poker hand nicknames, starting with the strongest pocket pair:

Ace-Ace (AA)

• American Airlines – One look at the acronym, and it’s easy to understand why the AA hand is called this.
• Apollo 11 – As the ace also serves as the one and the AA can also mean 11, this hand is called after the famous space mission.
• Batteries – As in the standard AA batteries used in electronic devices.
• Bullets – An ace resembles a bullet. Two aces equal two bullets in your hand.
• Eyes (Snake Eyes) – Most likely from snake eyes in dice, the outcome you get when you roll a one on each die.
• Joe Louis – Two black eyes (aces) are called Joe Louis, precisely what you’d get if you get in the ring with this boxer.
• Pocket Rockets – It looks like two rockets.
• Pocket Mountains – Pocket aces look like two mountains.
• Teepees – The hand resembles two teepees.
• Visine – Two red eyes (aces), dubbed after the brand of eye drops that gets the red out.

King-King (KK)

• Ace Magnets – When you have a pair of kings, the last thing you want to see is an ace.
• Cowboys – Although this poker nickname’s origin is unclear, Cowboys is one of the oldest and most popular poker hand names for pocket kings.
• Elvis Presley – Properly named after the King of Rock and Roll.
• Kangaroos – In most children’s books, kangaroos are used to illustrate the letter K.
• King Kong– Because it has the same initials as the famous movie character. Pocket kings are also sometimes referred to as Gorillas.
• Other Alliterations for Pocket Kings – Pocket kings are often referred to by other alliterations such as  Krispy Kreme, Kevin Keegan, and King Kenny (Kenny Dalglish).

Queen-Queen (QQ)

Pocket queens have a multitude of poker hands nicknames that are closely tied to them, but most of these are relatively vulgar or derogatory. However, there are a few nicknames that aren’t insulting or inappropriate. These include:

• Calamity Jane – The female equivalent of the Cowboys poker nickname for two kings. Named after the famous frontierswoman in the Wild West.
• Ladies – Because the queens are the only two female cards in poker.
• Canadian Aces – A popular poker name for queens in Canada because Canadians revere the queen. Often called Canadian Rockets as well.

Jack-Jack (JJ)

• Brothers – Their identical ranking status and same-gender earn them this well-known poker nickname.
• Fish Hooks – Probably the most famous poker nickname for a JJ hand. They are called this because the letter J is similar to a fish hook.
• Jar Jars – Dubbed Jar Jars by those who hate this hand, after the not-so-loved Star Wars character Jar Jar Binks.
• John Juanda – An alliteration of the famous five-time WSOP bracelet winner of the same name.
• One-Eyed Jacks – A poker nickname for when you have one black and one red jack.

Ten-Ten (TT)

• Audi – Named after the iconic Audi TT sports car.
• Binary – A very creative and interesting poker hand nickname, the ten-ten hand is nicknamed because in Binary code 1010 equals 10.
• Dimes – Popular poker nickname in the US. A US dime is a coin that’s worth ten cents (one-tenth of a dollar).
• Dynamite – If you say you have a T and T hand, it will sound like the famous explosive TNT, hence this poker hand name.
• McDonald’s – Named after the tasty ten-piece McNugget snack.

Nine-Nine (99)

• Hitlers – In the German language, the word no is pronounced “nein”. Hence a “nein, nein” is something a frustrated Hitler would say.
• Phil Hellmuth – The legendary poker player won the 1989  WSOP bracelet with a pair of black nines.
• Red Balloons – Two red nines are famously nicknamed Red Balloons, after the catchy 80s song 99 Red Balloons (Luftballons) by Nena.
• Popeyes – Two nines look like Popeye’s arm muscles.
• Pothooks – The number nine looks like a traditional pothook.
• Wayne Gretzky – “The Great One” wore the number 99 during his successful career.

Eight-Eight (88)

• Infinity – Nicknamed infinity because the number eight looks like an infinity symbol when turned on its side.
• Ovechkin – Another hockey reference similar to the Gretzky, the number 8 jersey is famously worn by Alexander Ovechkin.
• Piano Keys – There are precisely 88 keys on a piano.
• Pretzels – Two eighths look like two pretzels.
• Snowmen – The number 8 closely resembles a snowman, and since there are two of them, the snowmen come in pairs.
• Time Travel – The exact driving speed used in Back to the Future to travel in time.
• The Fat Ladies – Taken from bingo, two eighths are called this because they look like silhouettes of two fat ladies.

Seven-Seven (77)

• Candy Canes – The number 7 is shaped similarly to this delicious winter snack.
• Hockey Sticks – The number 7 is shaped closely to a hockey stick, which is why this has become one of the more common poker hand names and a standard part of the poker slang.
• Mullets – Drawing a similar reference as the previous one, a number 7 is shaped like the infamous and out-of-style mullet haircut.
• Sunset Strip – Nicknamed after the famous 77 Sunset Strip show.

Six-Six (66)

• Boots – A famous poker nickname for pocket sixes because they look like a pair of boots.
• Cherries – Called cherries because the number six is closely similar to a cherry with a handle.
• Route 66 – The famous country-wide road from LA to Chicago. Also nicknamed the Kicks because of the saying “Get your kicks on Route 66”.

Five-Five (55)

• Nickels – Popular poker nickname in the US, a nickel equals five cents.
• Snakes – Two fives are shaped like two snakes, therefore this famous poker hand name.
• Speed Limit – 55 Mph was the maximum speed limit in the US when this poker nickname was created for a pair of fives.
• Sammy Hagar – Another one of the old poker hand names for pocket fives, named after his famous song “I can’t drive 55”.

Four-Four (44)

• Darth Vader – A popular poker hand nickname if you get two black fours, as you jokingly have the “Dark Side of The Fours”.
• Magnum – The iconic Magnum gun has a .44 caliber.
• Midlife Crisis – If you’ve got two fours, you’ve hit the midlife crisis, the approximate age of this life transition.
• Obama – Barack Obama is the 44th president of the United States
• Sailboats – The two fours resemble sails on a boat.

Three-Three (33)

• Crabs – This popular nickname was given because the number 3 looks like it has pincers.
• Lucky Dragon – A reference to the favorite Chinese hand. The Lucky Dragon “never loses”.
• Treys – Originating from the Old French word “treis”, it’s a name for a card or die that shows three points.

Two-Two (22)

• Deuces – Deriving from the Old French word “Deux”, meaning two.
• Desmond – A poker hand nickname coming from the name of Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
• Ducks –  Two number two cards look similar to two ducks. Another popular poker hand nickname for pocket twos is Quack Quack.
• Richard Nixon – Nicknamed from the iconic two Victory signs Nixon gave after resigning due to the Watergate Scandal.
• Swarovski – Because they resemble the recognizable Swarovski swans.

High Card Poker Hand Names

Ace-King (AK)

• Anna Kournikova – Looks pretty but never wins. Probably not a nickname the tennis player would agree with.
• Big Slick – A very slippery hand that can either earn or cost you an entire fortune. AN offsuit AK hand is also often called Big Ugly.
• Kalashnikov – A reference to the famous gun designer Mikhail Kalashnikov, who created the AK-47 and AK-74 guns.
• King Arthur – A nickname after the legendary British medieval leader.
• Korean Airlines – As the AK hand has the same initial as Korean Air, the nickname explains itself.
• Exxon Valdez – A poker hand namespecific to an all-black Big Slick hand. The reasoning behind this? A 1989 Exxon Valdez tanker oil spill, which made quite a big slick.
• Walking Back to Houston – An old-time saying warning the gamblers who play this hand too strongly that they’ll run out of money. If this happens, they’ll be walking back to Houston with no money in their pockets.

Ace-Queen (AQ)

• Antony and Cleopatra – Named after Shakespeare’s tragedy of the same name. A in the Ace for Antony and Cleopatra is his Queen.
• Big Chick – A poker hand name that imitates the big slick one for an AK hand. Another popular nickname is Mrs. Slick. There are also a few derogatory nicknames for this hand, with the most common one being Big Slut.
• Rocket Queen – Aces, like the rockets, make up the popular Guns N Roses song title when paired with a Queen.

Ace-Jack (AJ)

• Ajax – Named after this common foam cleaner, an Ace-Jack hand, or “A-Jacks” sounds like Ajax. Another nickname based on the same similarity is Foamy Cleanser.
• Apple Jacks – Acronym of AJ. Another popular AJ acronym is Arman Jeans.
• Hijack – The ace is the highest card in poker. Add a Jack to it, you got yourself a hijack.
• Blackjack – Named after the game of the same name in which an AJ hand (or an Ace with any ten or picture hand) is the best hand you can get.
• Jackass – A funny imitative nickname made up from the Jack-Ace hand.

Ace-Ten (AT)

• Bookends – A creative nickname for an AT hand because these two cards are the two ends of the highest straight in poker.
• Johnny Moss – Named after the poker legend Johnny Moss because it’s presumed that he started playing the game at age 10.

Ace-Nine (A9)

• Jesus – Nicknamed after the poker player Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, who won the 2000 WSOP Championship Event by beating T.J. Cloutier with this hand.
• Gimp Hand – Called this because it’s significantly weaker than an AT card, and you can get crippled by it if you play it.
• Rounders – Named after the hand in the showdown of the poker movie Rounders. Another nickname includes McDerment, a corruption from the name of the movie’s main character, Mike McDermott.

Ace-Eight (A8)

• Asterix and Obelix – Inspired by the two famous comic characters, Asterix has the same matching initial as the Ace card, while Obelix is similarly-shaped to the number 8.
• Dead Man’s Hand – A popular name for a hand made up from black aces and black eights. This is a direct reference to an Old West gunfighter Wild Bill Hickok who reportedly held these two cards when he was murdered during a poker game.

Ace-Seven (A7)

• Slapshot – A hockey reference comprising two different poker card nicknames. Aces are bullets, and sevens are hockey sticks, making it a Slapshot.
• The Sonnert – Named after the player Bengt Sonnert who saw success with this hand at the 2008 WSOP Europe tournament.

Ace-Six (A6)

• Mile High Club – As you can guess, the Ace is the plane, and six sounds similar to the word sex. Airplanes and sex are what mark the Mile High Club.
• Tennessee Ernie Ford – An Ace and 6 make up a total of sixteen. Tennessee Ernie Ford is an old-time singer with a well-known song, Sixteen Tons.

Ace-Five (A5)

• High Five – An Ace is a high card. Combined with a 5, you get a sweet high five.

Ace-Four (A4)

• Fake Aces – Since 4 looks very similar to an ace, at first sight, this poker hand nickname perfectly depicts the disappointment players go through when they realize they haven’t got two aces.
• Plane Crash – Aces have many flying-related nicknames. A four is similar to an ace but is missing one win, hence this nickname.
• Stu Ungar – Stu Ungar won his last WSOP Main Event with this hand, which helped him make a straight.
• Transvestite – An inappropriate poker hand name referencing how the 4 card resembles an ace at its top part but has a different bottom part.

Ace-Three (A3)

• Ashtray – Because it sounds like this object when you say it “Ace-trey”.
• Baskin-Robbins – A reference to the famous ice cream company, which has 31 different flavors of ice cream.
• Thrace – A combination of the two cards that make up this hand. Additionally, a direct reference of the geographic and historic area of the same name.

Ace-Two (A2)

• Acey-Deucey – Coming from the card game of the same name.
• Hunting Season – Nicknamed this because Aces are known as bullets, while the 2s are ducks.
• Little Slick – A cutesy imitation of the “Big Slick”, an AK hand.

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King-Queen (KQ)

• King of Queens – A poker hand nickname based on the popular US sitcom of the same name, starring Kevin James and Leah Remini.
• Lucy and Ricky – Another TV-based poker hand nickname, referring to the King and Queen of television, Lucille Ball and Ricky.
• Marriage – A nickname for a winning KQ hand. For a losing KQ hand, the unfortunate nickname is divorce. Also, if the cards are offsuit, a KQ hand is called a Mixed Marriage.
• Othello – A direct reference to the couple Othello and Desdemona from William Shakespeare’s play Othello.
• Throne – A nickname befitting of the royal couple.
• Valentine’s Day – A nickname for a King and Queen of hearts because they are a matching couple, both showing their hearts.

King-Jack (KJ)

• Bachelor’s Hand – A vulgar but hilarious nickname for an offsuit KJ hand. It makes up “Jack-King-Off”.
• Harry Potter – Based on the initials of J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter book series.
• Kojak – Sounds like K-Jack, a poker hand name based on the cult 70s show starring Telly Savalas.
• Jackie Kennedy – JK are the initials of the wife of John F.  Kennedy.
• Jamiroquai – A reference to the popular British band front-manned by Jay Kay.
• Just Kidding – Popular jargon used when texting, JK means “just kidding” or “joking”.
• Starsky and Hutch – Named after the awesome duo from the show of the same name.
• The Rookie – A nicknamed Daniel Negreanu gave to the KJ hand.

King-Ten (KT)

• Katie – A KT hand sounds precisely like this popular female name.
• Ken – A poker hand name came about from combining the cards’ names that make up this hand.
• Ike Turner – A reference to Ike Turner’s violence over his wife, singer Tina Turner. A KT beats a QT (Tina Turner).

King-Nine (K9)

• Canine – The hand K9 sounds exactly like the word canine. Aside from this nickname, poker players used many other derivatives. The most popular ones include dogs, Fido, mongrel, mutt, bow-wow, and Pedigree.
• Michael Vick – Based on the previous reference, this poker hand nickname points to the former quarterback’s public dogfighting conviction.
• The Doctor Who – In the long-running British TV show Doctor Who, a robotic dog named K-9 appears.
• Rin Tin Tin – Another dog reference from the famous German Shepherd K9 cop of the same name.

King-Eight (K8)

• Feast – The answer to the question: “What the King ate (8)?”.
• Kate – A popular female poker hand nickname came about from joining these two cards into one word.

King-Seven (K7)

• Columbia River – The massive Columbia River is famous for being rich in salmon. The hand King-seven sounds closely like “King Salmon”.
• Kevin – King plus seven equals Kevin. Yes, this poker hand nickname is that simple.

King-Six (K6)

• Kicks – In pig Latin, the phonetic combination of these two poker cards would sound like this.

King-Five (K5)

• Knives –  A phonetic combination of the words King and five.

King-Four (K4)

• Core – A simple blend of the two words that make up this poker hand.
• Fork – The 4K hand sounds like the word “Fork”.
• Oppression of the Masses – A fairly complex nickname, the answer to the question: “What is  King for (4)?”.

King-Three (K3)

• Alaska Hand – A nickname relating to the Alaskan King Crab.
• King Crab – The number 3 looks like a crab with pincers. A similar nickname that’s used is Commander Crab.
• The Sizzler – An extended reference based on the King Crab poker name. The Sizzler is the home of all-you-can-eat King Crab.

King-Two (K2)

• Donald – A poker hand reference to Donald Duck, the King of the ducks (2s).

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Queen-Jack (QJ)

• Hawaii – A funny saying among poker pros, if you don’t play a QJ hand for one year, you’ll save up enough money to visit Hawaii.
• Maverick – Taken from the theme song of the old tv show Maverick. The lyrics go: “Livin’ on jacks and queens, Maverick is a legend of the west”.
• Oedipus – A poker hand nickname referring to the ancient Greek tragedy in which Oedipus (Jack) marries his mother (the Queen in this pairing).
• Pinochle – A Queen of spades and a Jack of diamonds make up the big hand in the trick-taking card game Pinochle.
• Quack – A combination of the words Queen and Jack.

Queen-Ten (QT)

• Cutie – when you pronounce the letters “QT”, it sounds very close to the word cutie.
• Robert Varkonyi – A hand the poker player Robert Varkonyi had when he knocked out Phil Hellmuth on his way to win the 2002 WSOP final.
• Tarantino – QT are the initials of one of the best movie makers in Hollywood.
• Tina Turner – Because it always gets beat. If you understand this reference, you probably realize why it’s not politically correct.
• Q-Tip – A simple but one of the more widespread poker hand names referencing the q-tip cotton swab.

Queen-Nine (Q9)

• Quinine – When joined together as one word, the Queen-nine hand sounds like Quinine (an anti-malarial drug).

Queen-Eight (Q8)

• Bitch Called Hope – A very tempting hand to aim for a straight, but one that mostly ends up on false hope.
• Kuwait – Another phonetic nickname, the Q8, simply sounds like the Arabian country.
• Snow and a Ho – A nickname that certainly won’t make you popular with the ladies if you use it. An eight resembles a snowman, the Queen is – you get it. A similar poker nickname is Frigid Bitch.

Queen-Seven (Q7)

• Dike – An offensive nickname, but a popular one at that. Refers to a lady with a mullet.
• Computer Hand – A unique nickname came about from an anecdotal story that a computer proved that a Queen and seven are the most commonly occurring cards on the flop.

Queen-Six (Q6)

• Arnold Palmer’s Ex-wife – The famous golfer was nicknamed the Kind. A Queen-six hand sounds similar to a “queen ex”.
• Quix – They sound very close phonetically. Another similar poker hand nickname is Nesquik.

Queen-Five (Q5)

• Granny Mae – If both the Queen and five are spades, they refer to an old-time player, Granny (Queen), Mae (May, the fifth month of the year).

Queen-Four (Q4)

• Housework – A not-so politically correct answer to the question of “what is a Queen for?”. There’s a similar joke with an answer “Prince Maker”.

Queen-Three (Q3)

• Gay Waiter – Another old poker nickname, it’s called this because it’s “A Queen with a tray”. Similar nicknames include the San Francisco Busboy and the Windsor Waiter.

Queen-Two (Q2)

• Daisy – Similar to the Donald reference for a K2 hand, this refers to Daisy Duck, the Queen of the ducks (2s).
• Queen Liz – A poker hand nickname directly referencing Queen Elizabeth II.

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Jack-Ten (JT)

• Justin Timberlake – A simple poker hand name stemming from the singer’s initials, JT.
• John Terry – A popular poker nickname for this hand in the UK, even among the best poker players, named after the Chelsea legend.
• J. Hooker – Another poker hand nickname based on initials, this time after the iconic tv show starring William Shatner.

Jack-Nine (J9)

• Braggars – Nicknamed after the game of the same title, in this card game, Jacks and nines are wild cards.
• J. Cloutier – The poker hall of famer T.J. Cloutier flopped three straight clubs flushes with this hand in just one year.

Jack-Eight (J8)

• Jeffrey Dahmer – An eerie nickname after the notorious serial killer who ate his victims.
• Jacket – When pronounced as one word, it’ll sound like you’re saying “jacket”.

Jack-Seven (J7)

• Jack Daniels – The only known but very popular nickname for a J7 hand. It’s named after the famous Jack Daniels No. 7 Tennessee whiskey.

Jack-Six (J6)

• Coop Deville – A relatively local nickname, named after the  Texas legend.
• Railroad – Another very creative and one of more unique poker hand names. When you say Jacks and sixes quickly, it will sound like a train rushing down the railroad. But, it also has another, not so fun meaning. Play a Jack-six hand, and your poker chips stack could go off the rails.

Jack-Five (J5)

• Jackson Five – The famous music group composed of the Jackson family.
• Motown – A poker name directly referencing Jackson Five’s record label.

Jack-Four (J4)

• Flat Tire – A clever wordplay answering the question “what is a Jack for?”
• The New Motown – Named for the Jackson Five, this Motown version only has four.

Jack-Three (J3)

• J-LO – A reference to Jennifer Lopez, a J and a low card make up this hand.
• Lumberjack – A creative poker nickname for a hand that comprises one Tree and one Jack. Put them together, and you’ve got a lumberjack.

Jack-Two (J2)

• Heckle and Jeckle – Nicknamed after the famous cartoon jaybirds (two Jays).
• Jack S**t – The famous and explicit saying that you don’t have anything. In this context, it refers to how a Jack with a two is widely regarded as a “nothing” hand.
• The Prince and the Pauper – Named after Mark Twain’s acclaimed novel of the same name. It points out how these two cards are on very opposite sides of the scale.

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Ten-Nine (T9)

• Countdown – A reference that reminds us that most countdowns start at ten, nine…
• The Mobile Hand – Nicknamed after the T9 (Text on nine keys) mode on mobile phones.

Ten-Eight (T8)

• Tetris – Most likely the only known poker nickname for a ten-eight hand, it’s called Tetris because it has a similar phonetic tone when pronounced out loud.

Ten-Seven (T7)

• Bowling Hand – A poker nickname that references the very challenging seven-ten split in bowling. Sometimes as referenced as a “The Split”.
• Daniel Negreanu – Name after the super-successful and entertaining Canadian poker pro, Negreanu’s favorite poker hand.

Ten-Six (T6)

• Sweet Sixteen – Ten and six total sixteen, best used with a sarcastic tone when folding or losing.

Ten-Five (T5)

• Five and Dime – A poke hand nickname based on an old variety store in the US, where you could get everything for five or ten cents.

Ten-Four (T4)

• Roger That – The expression ten-four is commonly used to say “OK” when communicating over the radio. Other common nicknames that draw the same reference are Over and Out, The Trucker, CB Hand, and Good Buddy.

Ten-Three (T3)

• Fast Connection – The digital signal telecommunications connection that provides fast connections is a level 3T-carrier.
• Hot Waitress – A play on words, this poker hand is a ten with a trey.

Ten-Two (T2)

• Doyle Brunson – A poker hand named to honor the “Texas Dolly”, one of the pioneer players of the professional poker scene. Doyle Brunson won the 1976 and 1977 WSOP by turning a ten-two hand into a full house.
• Terminator 2 – The abbreviation for the Terminator 2 movie is T2.

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Nine-Eight (98)

• The Oldsmobile – Named by the iconic Oldsmobile 98 flagship car.

Nine-Seven (97)

• Persian Carpet Ride – A poker hand nickname coined by “The Magician”, Antonio Esfandiari, for his favorite hand. Although he didn’t explain the reference in-depth, it’s a joking play on his Persian heritage.

Nine-Six (96)

• The Dirty – One of the best-known poker hand names for the six-nine hand, this reference has a sexual connotation. As you can expect from most nicknames for this hand, all of them are from the same angle. Other nine-six hand names include the Big Lick, Dinner for Two, Breakfast for Champions, and Happy Meal.

Nine-Five (95)

• Hard Working Man – In the US, everyone knows that a hard-working man works every workday from nine to five.
• Dolly Parton – A poker hand referencing Dolly Parton’s movie 9 to 5.

Nine-Four (94)

• Joe Montana – One of the biggest football legends to play the game, Joe Montana was a quarterback for the 49ers for the best part of his career.
• The Lost World Series – A poker hand nickname that references the canceled 1994 baseball World Series.
• San Francisco – A reversal of the numbers that mark the famous San Francisco football team, the 49ers.

Nine-Three (93)

• Jack Benny – The American entertainer Jack Benny often jokingly claimed to be 39 years old, well into his 70s.
• The Sandy – A poker hand nickname referencing Sandy Dunlop, who won the 2013 Black Cat Poker tournament with this hand.

Nine-Two (92)

• Montana Banana – The origin of this poker hand nickname is unclear. It refers to how bananas are more likely to grow in Montana’s cold climate than you are going to make money playing a nine-two hand.
• Twiggy – A reference to the acclaimed 70s model Twiggy, who had a top measurement of only 29 inches.

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Eight-Seven (87)

• Crosby – Nicknamed after “The Next One”, hockey player Sidney Crosby and his 87 jersey number.
• RPM – The very first record format was a 10-inch disk that spun at 78 RPM.

Eight-Six (86)

• Jagr – Named after one of the best hockey players of all time, Jaromir Jagr, who wore the number 68 for the entirety of his career.
• Eubie – If you play an eight-six hand, you be broke.
• Maxwell Smart – Agent Markus Smart, also known as Agent 86, from the famous TV show and the movie Get Smart.
• Rick James – A poker hand nicknamed after the singer-songwriter Rick James, who died on 8/6.

Eight-Five (85)

• Chad – The great wide receiver Chad Ochocinco wears the number 85. More so, his name means eight-five in Spanish.
• The Hamilton – Named after the well-known Scottish poker player.

Eight-Four (84)

• Big Brother – A poker hand nickname deriving from George Orwell’s book “1984”. In line with that, this hand is also sometimes called Orwell.

Eight-Three (83)

• Most Feared Hand in Hold’em – A very common poker hand nickname for a 3-8 hand, which is actually the third-worst hand in poker.
• Raquel Welch – A famous claim by this singer and actress, says she’s not a day older than 38.

Eight-Two (82)

• Tadpole – Yet another play on words, the Tadpole poker hand nickname is the answer to a question of “What the duck (2) ate(8)?”

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Seven-Six (76)

• Trombones – A poker hand nickname that credits its origin to the song 76 Trombones from the musical and movie The Music Man.
• Union Oil – An old-school poker hand nickname referring to the Union 76 gas station chain.

Seven-Five (75)

• 007 – A poker hand James Bond wins with in the 2006 action movie Casino Royale.
• Heinz – The Heinz food processing company famously has 57 varieties of condiments, hence this poker hand nickname. Another similar poker name is Pickle Man.
• Vietnamese Slick – A reference to the Vietnam War, which ended in ‘75.

Seven-Four (74)

• Double Down – A somewhat complicated nickname referring to Blackjack. In this game, when you have an 11 (7+4), you’ll get the most out of your bet when doubling down.
• Kalashnikov – One of the numerous Kalashnikov poker nicknames, as both AK-47 and AK-74 are designed by this famous Soviet inventor.

Seven-Three (73)

• Dutch Waiter – One of our personal favorites, it’s nicknamed because it’s “A Sven with a Trey”.
• Joe Hachem – The poker player Joe Hachem won the 2005 WSOP Main Event with a 7-3 hand when the flop came 4-5-6.

Seven-Two (72)

• Beer Hand – Jokingly nicknamed the Beer Hand because only a person full of beers would play this hand. Alternatively, it’s called this because when you get this hand, all you can do is drink a beer to make it easier.
• H.I.P. – Another joking poker hand nickname, this acronym stands for Worst Hand in Poker.

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Six-Five (65)

• The Bus Pass – In the United Kingdom, bus passes are available to citizens who are 65 years of age or older.
• Ken Warren – A poker player who won a WSOP bracelet with a six-five hand.

Six-Four (64)

• Arlo – Popular in online poker circles, named after Arlo Payne.
• Billion Dollar Hand – A direct reference to the US game show The $64,000 Question.
• Gilchrist – A poker hand named after Adam Gilchrist, a legendary cricket batsman who had the uncanny ability always to hit sixes and fours.

Six-Three (63)

• Blocky – A reference to one of Doyle Brunson’s opponents who used a 6-3 hand as his go-to ambush hand.
• Spanish Inquisition – A hand that wins when no-one expects it to. A reference to the funny Monty Python Sketch “Nobody Expects the Spanish Inquisition”.

Six-Two (62)

• Aimsworth – The only popular poker nickname for a six-two hand. In short, the Aimsworth nickname came about during a game between Byron Wolford and Jack Straus.

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Five-Four (54)

• Colt 45 – A reference to both the gun and the beer of the same name.
• Jesse James – In close ties with the previous poker nickname, it’s believed that Jesse James got shot with a Colt 45 gun.
• Moneymaker – Chris Moneymaker won the 2003 WSOP Main Event with a five-four hand.

Five-Three (53)

• Bully Johnson – A poker hand nicknamed after the famous poker player who played his 5-3 hand after getting raised preflop, only to get a straight to beat the opponent’s triple aces.
• Juggernaut – A nickname that references a Magic: The Gathering card with a power of five and toughness of three.

Five-Two (52)

• Bomber – This poker hand nickname draws its name from the famous B-52 bomber.
• Pick-up – Referring to the 52 card pick-up game.
• Quarter – One quarter is 25 cents. Also called Two Bits by some poker players.

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Four-Three (43)

• Books – This poker hand nickname came about from a bit of wordplay – what’s a tree (3) for (4)?
• The Waltz – All waltzes are always in ¾ meter.

Four-Two (42)

• Jack Bauer – The main character in the fictional action-drama show “24”.
• Lumberman’s Hand – The most common piece of timber is a two by four.
• The Principle – The well-known Canadian politician Steven Hicks said he always played this hand “on principle”, because it’s his favorite hand.
• The Answer – In Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the number 42 is the answer to everything in the Universe.

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Three-Two (32)

• Michael Jordan – A reversal of Michael Jordan’s Bulls number (23).
• The Nut Low – A poker hand nickname describing the worst possible starting hand in Texas Hold’em.