I've long been interested in the nicknames that have been given to the starting hands in Hold 'em poker.
A lot of these nicknames are well established an go way back into poker history, such as A8 "Dead Man's Hand" - Wild Bill Hickok was shot from behind while holding this hand.
Given poker's recent meteoric rise in popularity and it's extensive television coverage new nicknames have been given to both well established hands as well as some more obscure ones. One that will probably come and go relatively quickly is AK; normally referred to as Big Slick, this has also been coined "Anna Kournikova" - looks great, but rarely wins.
There are 91 possible combinations of starting hands (not taking into account suited/unsuited) and, apart from the 'wired' or paired hands, quite a few of them have interesting nicknames. Some are regional and will only make sense if you are from the States (or are familiar with their culture); below are some of my favourites.
AA: Pocket Rockets; Bullets; American Airlines.
AK: Big Slick; Anna Kournikova (Looks great, but rarely wins).
AQ: Little Slick; Big Chick.
AJ: Black Jack; Jackass; Ajax.
AT: A-Team.
A8: Dead Man's Hand.
A3: Friday 13th.
A2: AC-DC (as in Acey-Ducey).
KK: Cowboys; King Kong; Ace Magnets (always an Ace on the flop).
KQ: Marriage; Royalty.
KJ: Kojak; Bachelor (Jack-King off).
K9: Canine; Fido; Mongrel (offsuit).
K3: King Crab.
QQ: Ladies; Cowgirls.
QJ: Maverick.
QT: Hot Babe; Q-Tip.
Q9: Quinine.
Q7: Computer Hand (calculated to be the average starting hand).
Q3: Gay Waiter (Queen with a tray).
JJ: Hooks; Jokers.
JT: Cloutier (as in T.J. Cloutier)
J8: Dahmer (Jeffrey Dahmer, serial killer, who "Ate Jack").
J7: Jack Daniels (old No. 7).
J5: Jackson Five; Motown.
J4: Flat Tyre (What's a Jack for?).
TT: Dimes; TNT; Binary (1010).
T9: Countdown
T5: Five and Dime.
T7: Split (as in 10-pin bowling)
T4: Good Buddy; Roger, Over and Out.
T2: Texas Dolly (Doyle Brunson won two consecutive WSOP main events with this hand).
99: German Virgin; Hellmuth (winning hand in WSOP main event 1989); Wayne Gretsky.
96: Bick Lick; Prom Night (Sixty-Nine Suited).
95: Dolly Parton (after the song); Day Job.
94: Gold Rush; San Fransisco (as in 49'ers).
88: Snowmen; Double Infinity.
86: Maxwell Smart (Agent 86).
84: Big Brother.
83: Raquel Welch.
77: Walking Sticks; Hockey Sticks.
76: Trombones; Philadelphia.
75: Heinz (57 varieties).
74: Double Down (blackjack).
73: Hachem (Joe Hachem flopped a straight with this hand to win the WSOP 2005).
72: The Hammer; Velvet Hammer (suited); WHIP (Worst Hand In Poker)
66: Route 66.
55: Nickels; Speed Limit; ;
54: Colt 45; Moneymaker (Chris Moneymaker won 2003 WSOP main event with this hand).
52: Bomber (B-52); Pickup (as in 52 card pickup).
44: Sailboats; Magnum; Skywalker (May the 4's be with you);
44: Vader (Club & Spade - the dark side of the 4's).
42: Jack Bauer (as in 24)
33: Crabs.
22: Ducks.
It's by no means a comprehensive list and there's probably some more that I am unaware of. Feel free to comment with any new or alternatives.
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