From Ducks to Rockets

by Luckbox

Aside from chip-shuffling, nothing makes you appear like a poker pro in a room full of amatuers like the use of solid poker lingo. Since mentioning pocket 9's and it's lack of a good nickname, I've had a few searches for "poker hand names" funnel people to Up For Poker.

With that in mind, let's see how much we can help people out:

Pocket 2's: Ducks
Not sure exactly how it got this nickname, but Paul Magriel loved saying "Quack, Quack" during his appearance on the World Poker Tour. I think that had more to do with his betting then with pocket two's, but maybe there's a connection.

Pocket 3's: Crabs
I'm assuming this nickname comes from the shape of a 3. I suppose you could say it looks like a crab. I thought you might use sports to jazz up this nickname. The number 33 is pretty famous in NBA history thanks to Larry Bird and others.

Pocket 4's: ???
I'm not sure this one has a nickname yet. I'd like to call it Syracuse. "44" is the most storied jersey number in Syracuse University sports history. It was first made famous by Jim Brown (the greatest pro running back and greatest college lacrosse player in history), and later worn by college basketball standouts Derrick Coleman and John Wallace.

Pocket 5's: Speed Limit and Presto
It's named speed limit for obvious reasons, but I prefer Presto. Here's the explanation I found for the nickname Presto: "Comes from what one says when revealing a pair of fives as one's holecards. The term was coined at the Big August Rec.Gambling Excursion and evolved from what a blackjack player says when turning over a blackjack."

Pocket 6's: ???
Any suggestions. When thinking of 6-6, Route 66 comes to mind. It's known as the Mother Road, but I'm not sure that makes a great nickname. There's also Phillips 66, so maybe the nickname "Phillips"? I need some inspiration here...

Pocket 7's: Hockey Sticks
That's the only nickname I could find, and I don't think I like it. Dave Foley on "Celebrity Poker Showdown" wanted to call them "walking sticks," but I think we can all agree that anything related to CPS is a bad idea. I think I'll start pushing "Sunset Strip" for the short-lived but hugely popular "77 Sunset Strip" TV series from the late 50's to early 60's.

Pocket 8's: Snowmen
I think Vince Van Patten once called this hand "octopus," but I'm not sure that ever caught on (and two of them would be octopi, right?). I've also seen it called "Little Oldsmobile," but I'm not a fan of that (Oldsmobile would be 8-9, both based on Oldsmoble car models).

Pocket 9's: Get Smart
This hand was named by fellow poker blogger Lord Geznikor after I asked for some suggestions. Get Smart comes from show-stopper Agent 99. It's one of my favorite hands, and I was concerned no one had given it a nickname yet. If anyone has anyother suggestions, feel free to leave them in the comments.

Pocket 10's: ???
I was shocked to discover there were no accepted nicknames for pocket 10's. I suppose you could call them "Dimes" for obvious reasons. I think I might go with "Long Distance" after all of those 10-10-### commercials.

Pocket Jacks: Hooks or Fishooks
Again, it's the shape of the "J" that gave this hand its nickname. Poker players aren't always the most creative bunch of people. I prefer to call this hand "Hookers." It's just more fun.

Pocket Queens: The Hilton Sisters
As far as I can tell, this is a poker bloggers creation. Pauly has made this nickname more popular through his little contest. This hand has also been more traditionally called "Ladies." And until the recent tiger mauling, it was known as "Sigfried and Roy." I think Paris and Niki will hold this title for at least a little while.

Pocket Kings: Cowboys
I've actually seen this hand have the alternate nickname of "Kong," "King Kong" or "Gorillas." I don't think any of those have the charm of "Cowboys" especially considering the game we're playing is Texas Hold 'Em.

Pocket Aces: Rockets or American Airlines
The latter is my personal favorite, but the former is certainly more well-known and very appropriate. I've also seen this hand called "Bullets" and "Eyes of Texas." I'm not too sure of that last one.

And, of course, the last hand lingo that any good poker player must know is "THE HAMMER." That's the best hand in poker: 72 offsuit.

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