100+ Poker Hand Nicknames You Should Know

If you’re new to poker, you may hear a lot of different poker slang, especially when referencing specific poker hands. Poker hand nicknames are a key part of the culture, and you’ll probably encounter them used in live poker commentary, poker forums, poker books, online poker training, and in conversations with other poker players.

Learning poker hand nicknames is all about becoming more comfortable, knowledgeable, and confident in the game. You can better fit into the poker community both online and in person and even follow along and pick up tips from poker commentary and training.

That’s why we’ve put together this comprehensive list of all the poker hand nicknames that are used in the poker community and where these nicknames came from.

Nicknames for Pocket Pairs in Poker

When you’re dealt two of the same card, you’ve got yourself a pocket pair. Let’s take a look at all the different types of pocket pair nicknames.

Pocket Aces (AA)

• American Airlines: This comes from the AA initials. It also signifies that you could be “flying high” with this hand.
• Pocket Rockets: The A symbol looks a bit like a rocket. Plus, this hand can be out of this world and your rockets can take you there.
• Bullets: The A’s resemble the tapered end of a bullet. This signifies how killer this hand can be.
• Needles: The A’s resemble the similarly sharp needle, too.
• Snake eyes: In craps, rolling two ones is known as “snake eyes.” Poker has borrowed this casino slang to refer to double Aces since the cards’ number value is one.
• Batteries: This refers to the double-A battery. It could also signify how supercharged you’re probably feeling with this hand.
• Apollo 11: The Apollo 11 was the first successful mission to the moon. This historical nickname combines the A from the cardface, the two ones from the card values, and the rocket imagery.
• Teepees: The A’s resemble Native American teepees.
• Joe Louis: We reserve this nickname for pocket Aces of clubs and spades (black cards), which signify two black eyes. Joe Louis was known as the Brown Bomber for his incredible strength and skill in the boxing ring. So this nickname symbolizes the effect this hand can have on opponents who try to go up against it, like those who faced the legendary boxer.
• Red eyes: Similarly to the black eyes nickname, red eyes refers just to pocket Aces of diamonds and hearts, which are red cards.

Pocket Kings (KK)

• Cowboys: This nickname comes from the fact that cowboys and kings start with the same hard-K sound. It also draws on the Old West influence in both forms of Hold ’em.
• King Kong/Gorillas: The KK initials of the hand make people think of King Kong, the enormous, tyrannical gorilla. This nickname showcases this hand’s strength and the fear that it strikes in others.
• Ace Magnets: Pocket Kings is a strong starting hand, but many players think it’s almost fated to attract an Ace on the flop, hence the nickname.
• Elvis Presley: This royal hand is also named after the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll himself.

Pocket Queens (QQ)

• Ladies: The cardfaces feature females, making this the most obvious and common nickname for pocket queens.
• Calamity Jane: There’s also a gender-swapped play on the pocket kings nickname “cowboys,” paying homage to the famous cowgirl.

Pocket Jacks (JJ)

• Fish Hooks/Hooks: The letter J looks a lot like your standard fishhook. Reel in a win with this pocket pair.
• Brothers: Jacks are depicted with young males, so many call pocket Jacks brothers.
• John Juanda: This nickname is a  reference to the successful player’s initials. He’s won five WSOP bracelets, made six final tables in the WPT, and was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame.

Pocket Tens (TT/1010)

• Dimes: Nicknamed after the 10-cent coin, dimes are a decent starting hand but far from a perfect 10.
• Dynamite/TNT: It’s a play on pronouncing the hand’s initials — T and T. It sounds a lot like the explosive TNT dynamite.
• Train Tracks: This is both a play on the alliterative initials and a reference to the Old West.
• Binary: The other initials for pocket tens is 1010. In computer science, 1 and 0 are the two symbols used for the binary programming language.
• Tension: Another play on words, the nickname (tens)ion also refers to the feeling you may get when you’re dealt this oft deceiving hand.
• Bo Derek: The popular actress starred in the 1979 film “10.”

Pocket Nines (99)

• Phil Helmuth: If you’ve got two black nines, then we’d name it after the poker pro who won the 1989 WSOP Main Event with the hand.
• Red Balloons: When you’ve got two red nines, the hand is nicknamed after the ‘80s song “99 Red Balloons” by Nena.
• Wayne Gretsky: He wore this number on the back of his hockey jersey.
• Popeyes: The nines resemble the cartoon character’s beefy arms.
• Pothooks: The nines also resemble the S-shaped hooks used to hold a pot as it cooks over a fire.

Pocket Eights (88)

• Snowmen: Double eights remind everyone of the snowmen you see in winter.
• Piano Keys: There are 88 keys on the piano.
• Pretzels: These twisty figures resemble the tasty snack.
• Lindros: NHL player Eric Lindros’ jersey bore the number 88.
• Time Travel: The DeLorean in “Back to the Future” needed to hit 88 mph to travel back in time.
• Infinity: The number 8 resembles the infinity symbol.
• Dale Jr.: NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. drove both the 8 and 88 cars.
• Racetracks: The number 8 also resembles the figure-8 race tracks traversed by stock cars.

Pocket Sevens (77)

• Hockey Sticks: A 7 resembles a hockey stick just as you’re about to shoot.
• Candy Canes: They also look a bit like candy canes.
• Axes/Scythes/Walking Sticks: Many people will use these three terms interchangeably because the 7 resembles these objects.
• Mullets: The 7 also looks a bit like the popular “business in the front, party in the back” hairstyle from the ‘80s that’s actually making a big comeback.
• Sunset Strip: This is a reference to the TV show “77 Sunset Strip” from the ‘50s and ‘60s.

Pocket Sixes (66)

• Boots: The number 6 looks a bit like a boot, so you’ve got a pair of boots in your hand.
• Cherries: A 6 also looks like a delicious cherry, meaning you could have a sweet hand.
• Route 66: This is an obvious reference to the famous interstate that runs from Chicago to L.A.
• Kicks: This nickname is another Route 66 reference, specifically to the Nat King Cole Trio song “Get Your Kicks on Route 66.”

Pocket Fives (55)

• Nickels: Similar to pocket 10s, pocket fives are known as “nickels,” a reference to the five-cent coin.
• Speed Limit: The max speed limit in the U.S. was once 55 mph, but it’s still a relatively common limit across the country.
• Sammy Hagar: This is a reference to the rock star’s ‘80s song, “I Can’t Drive 55.”
• Snakes: Fives look a bit like slithering snakes.

Pocket Fours (44)

• Sailboats: The number four resembles the sails on a sailboat.
• Darth Vader/Luke Skywalker: Depending on the community cards, pocket fours can be good or bad. Hence, you get the “dark side of the fours” or “may the fours be with you.”
• Magnum: A reference to the .44 caliber pistol.

Pocket Threes (33)

• Crabs: The number three looks like a crab with its pincers up.
• Treys: A spin on the Spanish word for three, tres.
• Lucky Dragon: In China, the number three is considered very lucky, so if you believe in casino superstitions, pocket threes may be your hand.

Pocket Twos (22)

• Deuces: One of the most famous poker hand nicknames. “Deuce” is a common name for the number two in practically any gaming setting, and it’s a spin on the French word for two, deux.
• Ducks: Twos look like ducks in the water.
• Desmond: This is a reference to South African political leader Desmond Tutu, particularly because his surname sounds like the initials of this pocket pair.
• Richard Nixon: This president infamously posed for a photo giving two peace signs.

Poker Hand Nicknames for Ace Combinations

Ace-King (AK)

• Big Slick: It’s slick in that it can be an easy hand to win with. But it’s also slick because many players lose with it too, and that win slips right outta their hand.
• Kalashnikov: This is a reference to the inventor of the AK-47 rifle.
• King Arthur: The KA initials remind everyone of the literary figure.
• Korean Airlines: The initials are also shared by the South Korean airline.
• Walking Back to Houston: It’s a poker superstition that Texans who play this hand are likely to lose and they’re sent “walking back to Houston.”
• Anna Kournikova: The famous tennis player’s initials are AK.

Ace-Queen (AQ)

• Antony and Cleopatra: This is a reference to the famous historical couple — A for (Marc) Antony, and Q for Queen Cleopatra.
• Big Chick/Mrs. Slick: These are a rip-off of Big Slick, the Ace-King combo.
• Rocket Queen: Aces are known as rockets, so it makes sense to nickname this hand after the Guns & Roses song.

Ace-Jack (AJ)

• Armani Jeans: The luxury clothing item’s initials are the same.
• Apple Jacks: This well-loved brand of cereal also shares the initials AJ.
• Ajax: It’s a combination of “A” and “Jacks,” which refers to both the cleaning solution and the Greek god of war.
• Blackjack: The Ace-Jack is an automatic win at the blackjack table and is the hand for which the game gets its name.
• Hijack: An Ace is the highest card, and when combined with a jack, you get hijack. Beware, though, as too much confidence with this hand could hijack your whole strategy.
• Jackass: This is crude wordplay on Jack-Ace.

Ace-10 (AT/A10)

• Bookends: The Ace and the 10 bookend a Broadway straight, which is Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and 10.
• Johnny Moss: The legendary poker player started playing the game at age 10.

Ace-Nine (A9)

• Gimp: The word has been used to describe someone who is injured or disadvantaged, often as an insult. Some call the A9 hand “gimp” because it’s inferior to all the other Ace hands.
• Jesus/Chris Ferguson: Chris “Jesus” Ferguson won the 2000 WSOP with the Ace-Nine hand.
• Rounders/McDermott: The character Mike McDermott from the gambling movie “Rounders” loses his whole bankroll on this hand.

Ace-Eight (A8)

• Deadman’s Hand: The story goes that Wild Bill Hickock had this hand at the poker table when he was shot by foe Jack McCall. Thus, this hand was nicknamed the Deadman’s Hand.

Ace-Seven (A7)

• Slapshot: The Ace is also known as a bullet, and the seven looks like a hockey stick. Together, these images give us the phrase “slapshot,” when a hockey player strikes the puck super hard into the goal.

Ace-Six (A6)

• Mile-High Club: Six sounds like the word sex. The Ace is always associated with flying and airlines. Put the two together and you get the frisky nickname.

Ace-Five (A-5)

• High Five: The Ace is the highest card in poker. Paired with five, you get this handy nickname.

Ace-Four (A4)

• Fake Aces: Seeing these two similar figures might make you double take, thinking you’ve been dealt the best starting hand.
• Plane Crash: The four is missing its second wing, which can result in a plane crash if you don’t land this hand strategically.
• Stu Ungar: Ungar used this hand to win his last championship in 1997; a movie was even made about his life.

Ace-Three (A3)

• Ashtray: This nickname is wordplay on Ace-Trey, where the trey refers to the three.
• Baskin Robbins: The 3-Ace combination, which numerically is 31, calls back to the 31 flavors of ice cream available at a Baskin Robbins near you.
• Thrace: More wordplay on the word “thrice” + “ace.”

Ace-Two (A2)

• Hunting Season: Aces are bullets and twos are ducks, so it’s time to go shootin’.
• Little Slick: This is a rip-off of Big Slick at the other end of the spectrum, the Ace-King.

Poker Hand Nicknames for King Combinations

King-Queen (KQ)

• Royal Couple/Throne: Kings and Queens had regal marriages, and they sat on thrones.
• Marriage: Again, kings and queens are married couples.
• Mixed Marriage: This is for when the hand is off suit.
• Divorce: Alternatively, this hand is called a “divorce” when it loses.
• King of Queens: This is a reference to the early ‘00s sitcom “King of Queens.”
• Valentine’s Day: When the combo is in the suit of hearts, there’s romance in the air.
• Othello: It’s a reference to the namesake Shakespeare play featuring the couple Othello and Desdemona.
• Lucy and Ricky: An old-school reference to Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz from the classic sitcom “I Love Lucy.”

King-Jack (KJ)

• Kojak: Some wordplay to refer to the ‘70s police drama TV show, “Kojak.”
• Joking/Just Kidding: We use “JK” to say we’re just kidding or joking when we’re texting.
• Jackie Kennedy: A nickname referring to the former first lady’s initials.
• Harry Potter: This is a nod to J.K. Rowling, the author of the famous children’s books.

King-Ten (KT/K10)

• Katie: You pronounce the initials as kay-tee.
• Ken: Put “king” and “ten” together to get the name of Barbie’s boyfriend.

King-Nine (K9)

• Canine: The shorthand K9 is an exact match to the scientific name for dogs. This hand also shares the same name of the police dog unit.
• Dog: Again, the hand’s initials sound like the scientific name for this animal.
• Fido/Mutt/Pedigree/Rin Tin Tin: People will also use a variety of famous dog names for this hand.

King-Eight (K8)

• Kate: This is a phonetic play on “king” and “eight” put together.
• Feast: That’s what kings ate.

King-Seven (K7)

• Columbia River: King-Seven has a similar sound to king salmon, and this river is known for its salmon haul.
• Kevin: This is a phonetic play on “king” and “seven” put together.

King-Six (K6)

• Kicks: This is a phonetic play on “king” and “six” put together.

King-Five (K5)

• Seattle Special: This hand shares a name with the local Seattle TV station, KING5.
• Knives: This is a sort-of phonetic play on “king” and “fives” put together.

King-Four (K4)

• Fork: It’s a homonym of four — for — plus the letter “k.” You might “Fork Off” when the cards are off-suit.
• Core: This is a phonetic play on “king” and “four” put together.
• Oppression of the Masses: This answers the question, “What is a king for?”

King-Three (K3)

• King Crab: Threes are known as crabs, so the K3 hand is named after this delicious seafood dish (or just the sea animal).

King-Two (K2)

• King Fritz/Big Fritz: This hand is nicknamed after German poker player Andreas Fritz.
• Donald: This is a reference to the King of Ducks, the cartoon Donald Duck.

Poker Hand Nicknames for Queen Combinations

Queen-Jack (QJ)

• Maverick: The theme song of this Western show calls out “Jacks and Queens.”
• Hawaii: Superstition has it that if you don’t play this hand for a whole year, you’ll have saved enough for a vacation to the Aloha state.
• Quack: It’s the sound you get when you put “queen” and “jack” together.
• Oedipus: This is a reference to the very dark Greek tragedy “Oedipus Rex,” where he kills his father and marries his mother. In this case, the Jack is the prince child of the King and Queen couple.

Queen-Ten (QT/Q10)

• Cutie: Q and T together sound like cutie.
• Q-Tip: A play on the QT initials.
• Tarantino: Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino’s initials are QT.
• Robert Varkonyi: With this hand, Varkonyi knocked Phil Helmuth out of the 2002 WSOP competition and went on to win.
• Quint: A sort-of wordplay combining “queen” and a reverse pronunciation of “ten.”

Queen-Nine (Q9)

• Quinine: “Queen” and “nine” put together sounds a lot like the name of this malaria medication.

Queen-Eight (Q8)

• Kuwait: Sounding out the initials of this hand is an awful lot like saying the name of the Middle Eastern country.

Queen-Seven (Q7)

• Computer Hand: Statistically, the strength of this hand is right in the middle of all hands likely to win. So, you have roughly a 50/50 chance of winning (or losing) with this hand.

Queen-Six (Q6)

• Quix: This is a wordplay combining “queen” and “six.”
• Nesquik: Playing off of “quix,” we get a nickname referring to the kid-friendly, mom-approved chocolate milk powder.

Queen-Five (Q5)

• Granny Mae/May: This nickname suggests the queen is an older woman. Mae is a derivative of May, the fifth month of the year. Spiderman fans may call this hand “Aunt May.”

Queen-Four (Q4)

• Prince Maker/Housework: Both nicknames refer to the question, “what are queens for (4)?” The answers might be “making princes” and “doing housework.” Both are outdated and sexist, but may still be used.

Queen-Three (Q3)

• Windsor Waiter: A queen and a tray (derivative of trey) make the clever nickname of a waiter at Windsor, one of the surnames of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Queen-Two (Q2)

• Daisy: If the King of the Ducks is Donald, his queen must be Daisy.
• Queen Liz/Queen Elizabeth: Nicknamed for the late Queen Elizabeth II, or QE2.

Poker Hand Nicknames for Jack Combinations

Jack-Ten (JT/J10)

• Justin Timberlake: This hand shares initials with the former boyband member/solo singer/actor.
• T.J. Hooker: Yet another poker hand named after a police drama TV show.
• Greek Passport: An old story tells us that a Greek immigrant won with this hand and earned money to buy Australian residency.

Jack-Nine (J9)

• T.J. Cloutier: These cards, when matching in suit, get this nickname after the player who — as the story goes — flopped three straight flushes in one year on this starting hand.
• Braggars: In this game, jacks and nines are played as wilds.

Jack-Eight (J8)

• Jeffrey Dahmer: This nickname refers to the cannibalistic serial killer Jeffrey (J) who ate (8) his victims.
• Jacket: Sounding out “jack-eight” is a bit like saying “jacket.”

Jack-Seven (J7)

• Jack Daniel’s: This is a reference to Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Tennessee whiskey.

Jack-Six (J6)

• Railroads/Railroad Tracks: When you say “jacks and sixes” over and over again, it sounds like a train chugging along the tracks.

Jack-Five (J5)

• Jackson Five: Jack-Five … Jackson Five. An easy leap to nickname this hand after the famously talented family band.
• Motown: Since the Jackson Five started at Motown Records, this hand is also known as Motown.

Jack-Four (J4)

• Flat Tire: This nickname answers the hand’s question: What’s a jack for (4)?
• The New Motown: This is a reference to when Michael Jackson left the Jackson Five.

Jack-Three (J3)

• Lumberjack: A jack with a tree (wordplay for three).
• Minus Michael and Jermaine: This is a reference to when both Michael and Jermaine were no longer members of the Jackson Five.

Jack-Two (J2)

• J-Lo: The nickname for the singer/actress Jennifer Lopez is also the nickname for this J with a low card hand.
• Jack Sh*t: Two is the lowest card, so you’ve got a jack and not much else. Good luck.
• The Prince and the Pauper: When you have a Jack and two of the same suit, the hand gets this nickname. It’s based on the Mark Twain story of two boys who switch places, and one lives a high life and the other a low life.

Poker Hand Nicknames for 10 Combinations

Ten-Nine (T9/10-9)

• Countdown: Saying it out loud sounds just like counting down.

Ten-Eight (T8/10-8)

• Tetris: Supposedly, it’s a bit of wordplay when combining “ten” and “eight,” like “tayt.” Not very clever.

Ten-Seven (T7/10-7)

• Daniel Negreanu: It’s the poker pro’s favorite hand when it’s suited, and he plays it often.
• Bowling Hand/Split: A 10-7 split is one of the most common hurdles in bowling.

Ten-Six (T6/10-6)

• Sweet/Sweet 16: When you add 10 and six, you get 16. And many American kids celebrate their 16th birthday as their “sweet 16.”

Ten-Five (T5/10-5)

• Five and Dime/Dime Store/Woolworths: As you’ll recall, 10s are known as dimes. And back in the day, there used to be such a thing called the five-and-dime store (or dime store, for short) where you could go and buy stuff on the cheap. One such store in the U.S. was called Woolworths.

Ten-Four (T4/10-4)

• Trucker/CB Hand/Convoy/Over and Out/Good Buddy/Roger That: Truckers and other CB radio users use the code 10-4 as an affirmation.
• Broderick Crawford: The actor’s catchphrase in the police show “Highway Patrol” was “10-4.”

Ten-Three (T3/10-3)

• Fast Connection: T3 used to be the fastest connection back in the day.
• Hot Waitress: Similar to Q3 — queen’s tray — this nickname refers to a 10 with a tray (trey/3).

Ten-Two (T2/10-2)

• Doyle Brunson: This poker legend won the WSOP twice with this starting hand.
• Terminator 2: Movie buffs know that the nickname for Schwarzenegger’s android character was “T2.” That was also the shorthand name for the sequel itself.

Poker Hand Nicknames for 9 Combinations

Nine-Eight (98)

• Olds/Oldsmobile: Nicknamed after the Olds 98 make of car, which was considered high class back in the day.

Nine-Seven (97)

• Persian Carpet Ride: Poker pro Antonio Esfandiari loves this hand and even gave it its nickname in homage to his Persian heritage.

Nine-Six (96)

• The Dirty/Big Love/Good Lover/Breakfast of Champions/Happy Meal/Prom Night: Flip the 9 and the 6 and the list goes on and on for the nicknames you might hear people use to refer to this hand.
• Big Lick: Another reference to flipping the 9 and the 6 but as a rip-off of the Big Slick poker hand nickname.

Nine-Five (95)

• Dolly Parton: This is a reference to the country legend’s song and film, both named “9 to 5.”
• Hard Working Man: A men’s-only reference to someone who works a full day of work.

Nine-Four (94)

• San Francisco/49er: This is a reference to the San Francisco football team, the 49ers. It’s also a reference to the 19th-century gold rush era near San Francisco.
• Joe Montana: He was a legendary player for the 49ers.
• Lost World Series: This is a reference to the 1994 World Series of Baseball that was canceled due to a player strike.

Nine-Three (93)

• Jack Benny: This vaudeville and comic entertainer always said that he was 39 years old.
• The Sandy: Some have started naming this hand after Sandy Dunlop, a poker player who won the 2013 Black Cat Poker tournament with this starting hand.

Nine-Two (92)

• Twiggy: The famous British model was said to have had a tiny, 29-inch waist.

Poker Hand Nicknames for 8 Combinations

Eight-Seven (87)

• RPM: Records played at 78 revolutions per minute (rpm).
• Crosby: This is a reference to hockey player Sidney Crosby whose jersey number was 87.

Eight-Six (86)

• Maxwell Smart/Smart: This nickname refers to the secret agent character Maxwell Smart, also known as Agent 86, from the TV show (and film) “Get Smart.”
• Jagr: NHL player Jaromir Jagr wore the number 68 jersey.
• Rick James: Some call this hand the Rick James in honor of the singer’s passing on August 6th, or 8/6.

Eight-Five (85)

• Chad: This nickname comes from NFL wide receiver Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, who wore the 85 jersey. He even temporarily changed his legal last name to Ochocinco, which is not the grammatically correct way to say 85 in Spanish.

Eight-Four (84)

• Big Brother: The George Orwell book “1984” is where we get the idea of “Big Brother is always watching.”

Eight-Three (83)

• Raquel Welch: This nickname possibly derives from the late actress always claiming that she was 38 years old or from her bodacious body measurements.

Eight-Two (82)

• Tadpole: This nickname answers the question, “What did the duck (2) eat (present tense of ate/8)?”

Poker Hand Nicknames for 7 Combinations

Seven-Six (76)

• Trombones: This is a reference to the song “76 Trombones.”
• Union Oil: Before the 76 gas station company was just called 76, it was called Union Oil.

Seven-Five (75)

• 007: In the 2006 gambling film “Casino Royale,” James Bond wins with this hand.
• Heinz: A reference to Heinz 57, the infamous steak sauce with a secret blend of spices and other ingredients.
• Vietnamese Slick: A rip-off of Big Slick and a reference to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975.

Seven-Four (74)

• Kalashnikov: Another hand that’s nicknamed after the inventor of the AK-47.
• Double Down: A 7-4 in blackjack is usually a great opportunity to double down.

Seven-Three (73)

• Joe Hachem: This poker pro got a straight on the flop of 4,5, and 6, winning him the 2005 WSOP main event.
• Swedish Busboy/Dutch Waiter: Both are a reference to a Sven (a play on seven) with a tray (a play on trey/3).

Seven-Two (72)

• Beer Hand: This nickname has a few origins — either you need to drink a lot of beer to have the courage/stupidity to play this hand, or you should have to buy beer for everyone at the table if you win.
• WHIP: When the 7-2 is off-suit, it gets the acronym for the Worst Hand in Poker.

Poker Hand Nicknames for 6 Combinations

Six-Five (65)

• Ken Warren: Poker player Ken Warren won the WSOP with this starting hand.
• Bus Pass: In the UK, you might hear this hand called a “bus pass” because everyone 65 and older gets a free bus pass.

Six-Four (64)

• Billion Dollar Hand: This is a reference to the old game show “The $64,000 Question.”
• Gilchrist: Australian cricket player Adam Gilchrist is known to hit 6s and 4s on the pitch.

Six-Three (63)

• Blocky: In Doyle Brunson’s poker book “Super/System,” he mentions a player nicknamed Blocky who would obliterate the table with a 6-3 hand.
• Spanish Inquisition: When this hand wins, nobody expects it. The nickname comes from a line from Monty Python, “Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!”

Six-Two (62)

• Aimsworth: This nickname comes from a quite lucky run from Byron “Cowboy” Wolford. He was playing against Jack “Treetop” Straus, who ended up having pocket rockets. Wolford called with his 6-2, “aiming for another deuce” each time, as he put it. He called himself “Aimsworth.”

Poker Hand Nicknames for 5 Combinations

Five-Four (54)

• Moneymaker: Chris Moneymaker won the 2003 WSOP main event with this hand.
• Colt 45: Another Old West reference, the Colt .45 caliber pistol was a sought-after weapon back then.
• Jesse James: It’s believed the Western outlaw was shot by a Colt 45 pistol.

Five-Three (53)

• Juggernaut: In the card game “Magic: The Gathering,” the Juggernaut character has a power rating of 5 and a toughness rating of 3. But don’t rely on the powerful nickname to carry you on this low-ball hand.

Five-Two (52)

• Bomber: Nicknamed after the B-52 bomber plane.
• Pickup: It’s everyone’s least favorite card game, 52-Card Pickup.
• Quarter: The 2-5 hand has a coin-themed nickname.

Poker Hand Nicknames for 4 Combinations

Four-Three (43)

• Waltz: A waltz is played in 3/4 time.
• Books: This nickname answers the question, “What is a tree (3) for (4)?”

Four-Two (42)

• Jack Bauer: Nicknamed after the main character in the TV show “24.” 
• Lumberman’s Hand: One of the most common lumber sizes is a two-by-four (2×4).
• The Answer: Sci-fi lovers will also recognize the 4-2 hand as “the answer to life, the universe, and everything” from the novel (and subsequent film) “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.”

Poker Hand Nicknames for 3 Combinations

Three-Two (32)

• The Nut Low: Nicknamed after the lowest possible hand in the game.
• Michael Jordan: The famous basketball player for the Chicago Bulls wore the No. 23 jersey. Contemporary basketball fans and Cleveland Cavaliers super-fans might also call this hand the Lebron, Lebron James, or King James, though that’s yet to be made official.

Nicknames for Other Poker Hands

Names for some of the best poker hands:

• Four Horsemen: Four of a kind with kings.
• Golf Bag: This is a flush of clubs, referring to the clubs used in golf.
• Broadway Straight: When you get the high-end, A-10 straight.
• The Wheel: When you get a low-end, A-5 straight.
• Three Wisemen: Three kings.
• Thirty Miles of Bad Road: Three 10s.
• Jackpot: Three of a kind of sevens, a reference to old-school slots.
• Huey, Dewey, and Louie: Three deuces (ducks); named for the three little ducks of Disney.

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