Whether you are getting baffled watching Poker World Series or you just want to make an impression on your friends, knowing the common slang of Poker can make you feel like a Poker specialist. Most of the slang words are incredibly interesting and have a funny backstory that goes with them.
There’s an endless list of slang or nicknames present in Poker. The list is becoming bigger and better with each day’s passing, as players are often coming up with new nicknames. Today, let’s discuss some of the commonplace slangs which you will hear in every Poker table.
Common Slangs
These are some of the most common slang which you will often hear. You may already know most of them.
A pair of aces is called Bullets, Pocket Rockets, American Airlines, or nuts. Similarly, a combination of Ace and Jack is called Jackass, Ajax, or Blackjack.
A pair of King and Queen of Hearts is often called Valentine’s day, which is pretty obvious. While the other king queen pairs of the same suits are called Royal Marriage.
A brace of fives is known as Nikels. Similarly, a 5-2 combination is often being called Bomber after the famous B-52 bomber plane. When you get 9-5 cards, it is known as a Full Time Job.
Classic Slangs
Some of the slang has been around for so long that the backstories are lost in time. For example, the hand of A-8 is known as Dead Man’s Hand. It is based on a tale of a man being shot at a Poker table when he had this hand.
A 10 & 2 hand is sometimes referred to as Doyle Brunson, as the legend of Poker won two World Series titles with these cards.
A Jack and Queen is called Maverick due to the fact that the 50s’ tv show Maverick’s theme song says the lead character is “living on Jacks and Queens”. The show itself is so old that most of today’s Poker players may not have heard of it; thus will be unable to get the reference.
Funny Slangs
A-K hands are usually referred to as AK-47. However, some of the witty players call it Anna Kournikova. That’s not just due to the matching initial but also because it looks excellent without winning much.
A queen with three is known as Gay Waiter, while a pair of queens is called Siegfried and Roy. One of the wittiest puns intended names is given to J-4 hand. It is called Flat Tire because “What’s a Jack for”?
And of course the king of all jokes, a 6-9 hand has plenty of names like Big Lick, Dinner for Two, and Prom Night.
Visual Slangs
This type of nicknames took cues from the visual appearance of the hand. Like an 8-8 hand is called The Snowman because the number 8 looks like a snowman.
Similarly, the pair of 4s is nicknamed The Sailor Boat. Guess what, the 4s look like two sails in a boat. Some players also call them Darth Vader because “May the fours be with you.” The 4s club and spade would be more worthy of this nickname due to their natural colour.
Another popular visual slang is a pair of Jacks being called Hooks. After all, they sort of look like real hooks. Also, a pair of Kings is known as Cowboys in Texas Hold ’em.
Some Other Famous Terms
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Bee Stinger: Getting Owned or losing badly in a Poker game
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Ante Off: When a player is absent in the table
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Angle: Its an ethically questionable move that is legal yet ‘Angle Shooters’ are frowned upon
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6max: When maximum permittable players in a table are Six.
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3bet: It is when someone raises against the initial raiser
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Blowup: When a player goes through a tactical meltdown
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Dime: A thousand dollars is metaphorically called a dime
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Four of a Kind: When someone holds four cards of the same rank
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Hollywooding: When a player is acting or pretending to deceive the opponents
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Poker Face: It’s a well-known term used to describe an expressionless face
Conclusion
Just like the game of Poker, the terms associated are not easy to decipher. Especially for those who are hearing it for the very first time. But all of the slang have interesting explanations and stories. You can’t just create a nickname and make it popular without a feasible explanation.
To be a decent poker player, you need to know most of the basic slangs to understand the game from a player’s perspective. I hope this article helps your understanding of Poker slangs.