Hand Nicknames
We as humans name everything. Different regions have different meaning for the same word. The USA alone has several different meanings for the same thing. In the north a can of soda is called a pop and in the south it is called a can of soda. For example: two aces in the hole have several nicknames. Pocket rockets, they look like two rockets. Bullets; yeah they look like two bullets. What do we put in most of our electronics? Answer: double AA batteries, see how it works? All of the nicknames have some kind of story for the name. Shoot you could call the AA’s Saw horses, or side ladders. It goes on, you intemperate what you see.
Those are the obvious names others are not so obvious. Take for example 55’s one of the nick names is “No Pants Day” what’s up with that? Other nicknames which DO make sense are the suited KQ nicknamed “Marriage”, “Royal Marriage” where as an unsuited KQ is called a “Mixed Marriage”, “The Royal Separation”.
A few of my personal favorites are 99 nicknamed “Bottles of Beer” for the song, also “Red Balloons” they look like balloons with a string to me. Of course there is the 77 known as “The Mullets”, “Hockey Sticks”, and “Walking Sticks”. Some of these names are just confusing and others are hilarious.
So you turn to a channel and they are playing a poker game called Texas Hold’em. Can you follow along or is it a foreign language to you. In each game there are different names for the card combinations. How did they get these names anyway? Some names are self explanatory. Others not so much, they refer to people, jersey numbers, clothes, money, years, animals, guns, etc… These are not things you would normally associate with a card game. Unless it was for your 6 year old child you were playing with.
Some of the names might even make you think you are being asked for something. Take for example one of the nicknames for AA, batteries. Might make you think someone needs a set of batteries.
Listed below are some of the card combo nicknames. Read below and see if you can figure out how they earned these names. At the end I will tell you a few of the harder ones.
AA: Pocket Rockets, Bullets, American Airlines, Drinking Problem, Alcoholics Anonyms, Batteries
KK: Cowboys, King Kong, Ace Magnets
QQ: Ladies, Whores, Siegfried and Roy, Divas, Dames, the Hilton Sisters
JJ: Fishhooks, Hooks, John Jacobs, Jokers, Dy-no-mite, Tusks, Saxophones
TT: Dimes, 20 Cents, Audi
99: German Virgin, Barbara Feldon (Agent 99), Meat Hooks, Get Smart, Red Balloons, Bottles of Beer
88: Snowmen, Doggie Balls, Piano Keys, Crazy’s, Octopuses, Two fat ladies, 1.2 Jigawatts, Back to the Future
77: Sunset Strip, Canes, Walking Sticks, Hockey Sticks, Mullets, a New Hope
66: Route 66, Glasses, Mostly Evil, Cherries, Phillips
55: Speed Limit, Presto, Nickels, No Pants Day
44: Magnum, Sailboats, Flags, Eastwood
33: Crabs, Boobs, Trips
22: Ducks, Barely legal, Caliber, Derringer
AK: Big Slick; Santa Barbara, Machine gun, Good day, Camelot, Anna Kournikova
AQ: Big Chick; Walking Back to Houston
AJ: Ajax, Black Jack, Jack Ass, Alan Jackson
AT: Warthog, Thunderbolt, Tankbuster
A8: Dead Man’s hand
A6: Sneakers
A5: High Five
A4: Tony’s Ride, Double Take
A3: Baskin Robbins’
A2: Hunting Season, Gesundheit
KQ Suited Marriage, Royal Marriage
KQ Off suit Mixed Marriage, Royal Separation
KJ: Kojak
K9: Canine, Police Dog, Four legged Cop, Fido, Dog
K4: Fork
K3: Commander Crab; King Crab
K2: Millennium, Steep Climb
QJ: Maverick, Mamma’s Boy, Oedipus Rex, Quack
QT: Quint; Varkony, Quantity
Q8: Desert Storm
Q7: Computer hand
Q3: Gay Waiter; San Francisco Busboy
J9: T.J. Cloutier
J8: Full Metal
J5: Motown; Jackson Five, Johnny Five, Jack Nicholson
J4: Flat tire
J3: Triplejack
T7: Split
T5: Woolworth’s; Five and Dime
T4: Broderick Crawford; Convoy; Good Buddy, Policeman’s Hand, Trucker’s Special
T2: Texas Dolly, Doyle Brunson, the Brunson
98: Oldsmobile
96: Big Lick; Dinner for Two, Armstrong, Woodstock
95: Dolly Parton
94: San Francisco
92: Montana Banana
87: RPM
76: Union Oil, gas, Bicentennial
72: The Hammer, Worst Hand in Poker
57: Heinz
56: Retirement
48: Orwell
47: Independence Day
46: Chessboard, Impala
45: Jessie James; Jane Russell, Colt 45, Colt
42: The Answer, Lumberman’s Hand, 2 by 4
39: Jack Benny
38: Raquel Welch
36: Grassy Knoll
34: Waltz
29: Twiggy
25: Corndog, Buck Rogers, Pick up, A Bit, Gum
23: Air Jordan
Ok, so now you have a translation guide to Texas Hold’em’s lingo. The next time you flip to that channel it will not be so foreign. In fact now YOU can confuse your poker buddies. The history to these nicknames varies from person to person. The 23 combo also known as Air Jordan is his jersey number. 47; Independence Day the 4th of July. I know that one was obvious, but sometimes the obvious is hard to see. Hey how about the 76 nickname. The year of our bicentennial, a popular gas station, there are others I am sure you yourself could make a few.
With so many more card nicknames that have stories and meanings. I am sure there are more than what is listed above. Just as I am sure more will be made in the near future. See how many you can find. Happy betting!