Holdem Poker has a rich tapestry of character. From old days on the Mississippi to modern day internet whiz kids, poker has been played all types of people in all manners of locations. Subsequently almost every hand in poker has a name and can tell you a story.

The most powerful hand before the flop in Texas Holdem Poker is two Aces. Subsquently they generate the most excitement and colourful names. The most common names for two Aces are Rockets, Pocket Rockets, and Bullets (for obvious reasons). They are named after several famous people and organisations with initials starting with the letter “A” including Alan Alda, Albert Anastasia, and American Airlines. They are also known as numerous pointy and sharp objects including Rocky Mountains, Sticks, Teepees and Two Pips. A few obscure references include Squirrel (the nuts) and Batteries (Double A). Individual names for a single Ace include Bull, Bullet, Death Card (spades), Mastercard, One Spot, Puppy Foot (clubs), Seed, Sharp Top, Spike and Tax Card (spades).

Two kings are the second best hand preflop in holdem and are commonly known as Cowboys. Variations on this include Butchers of Baghdad (so named in reference to Saddam Hussein on the infamous Iraqi most wanted playing cards). Combinations of alliterations of KK include Krispy Kreme and King Kong (and by extension Gorillas, Gorillas in the Mist). They are referred to as Ace Magnets because an Ace always comes on the flop. A single King is also known as K-Boy, Monarch, Sergeant, Alexander (clubs), Charlemagne or Charles (hearts), David (spades), Julius Caesar or One eyed king (diamonds).

Queens often have nasty nicknames, partly because of the number of times they are beaten by Aces and Kings, but also through reference to homosexuality. Some nicer terms include Lovely Ladies, Ladies, Calamity Jane (likely extensive of Cowboys for KK) and Snowshoes (resemblance to the original shape of snowshoes). Crude nicknames include Siegfried and Roy and B***hes.

Middle and small pairs such as Jacks through to Twos all have a nickname or two. Jacks are called either Hooks or Fish-hooks. Less known names include Rent boys, Kid Dyne-o-mite (TV show reference), Brothers, Jay Birds, John Juanda (Poker Player) and Colostomy Bag (as Jack is slang for toilet in some countries). Two Tens are commonly referred to as Two Dimes, TNT and Binary (In Binary 1010 is the equivalent of 10). Nines are known as Barbara Feldon (named after the actress from Get Smart- Agent 99), German Virgins (Nein, Nein), Phil Helmuth (Won WSOP in 1989), Popeye, Pot hooks and Wayne Gretzky. Two eights are Snowmen, Little Oldsmobile, Racetracks, Snowmen, Two Fat Ladies, Lacey, Pretzels, and Wurlitzer. A apir of Sevens are axes, mullets, hockey sticks or walking sticks. A pair of sixes is known as Boots, Cherries, or Kicks (On Route 66). Two Fives are known as Presto, Snakes or Speed Limit. Two Fours are Canadian Presto, Dark Force, Darth Vader, Magnum and Sail boats. Threes are known as either crabs (shaped like the number 3) or treys and a pair of Twos is Deuces, Ducks, or Quack Quack (reference to shaped like a duck).

Hands that aren’t a pair often have nicknames too. Ace-King is commnoly known as Big Slick. Names include backronyms such as Korean Airlines and King Arthur as well as normally acronyms such as Anna Kournikova. The Kalashnikov is another nickname, aptly named after the designer of the AK-47. An Ace and a Queen is known as Big Chick or Mrs Slick. Notable hands include Jack-Four (Flat Tire – what’s a Jack for?), J6 (Rail Road – phonetics of Jacks n Sixes sounds like a train). Probably the least appealing and most famous hand is the Ten-Deuce also known as the Doyle Brunson after he successful made two full houses in World Series of Poker final tables.

The complete list of starting hand nicknames is by far more extensive than this article. Additionly there are alot of names not appropriate for everyday reading. If you have an interest in other poker starting hand nicknames I recommended search Wikipedia for an extensive list of common names and some of the stories about how they came about.

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