Texas Hold 'Em Starting Hand Nicknames
Want to talk like a pro or just understand other players when they speak? Learn the slang that Hold 'Em regulars use to describe their hole cards and improve your vocabulary while you improve your game with THETA Poker Pro.
Starting Hands by Nickname
- Ace Magnets {the hand loses value if an ace hits the board} - KK
- Ace with winning kicker - AJ
- Ainsworth {British poker player Ron Ainsworth, known to play this} - 62
- Ajax - AJ
- Alan Alda {"M*A*S*H" actor} - AA
- Alaska Hand - K3
- American Airlines - AA
- Anna Kournikova {"looks great but never wins" according to Vince Van Patten} - AK
- Antony & Cleopatra - AQ
- Ashtray - A3
- Barbara Feldon {Agent 99 in "Get Smart" television show} - 99
- Baskin Robbins {ice cream chain boasts 31 flavors} - A3
- Batteries {i.e., AA batteries} - AA
- Beer Hand {time for a beer} - 72
- Big Al {Wisconsin poker player "Big Al" Emerson} - KT
- Big Chick - AQ
- Big Fritz {German poker player Andreas Fritz} - K2 suited
- Big Pair - QQ
- Big Slick {"Big Slick in a Suit" if suited} - AK
- Blackjack - AJ
- Blocky {tournament director Jimmy Summerfield's nickname} - 63
- Bowling Hand {refers to the 7-10 split} - T7
- Broderick Crawford {star of the 1955-1959 TV show "Highway Patrol" who said, "10-4"} - T4
- Bullets - AA
- Bully Johnson {poker player, described as laid back and quiet by Doyle Brunson, played this hand despite preflop raise and caught a straight on the flop to win against trip aces} - 53
- Cambodian Big Slick - 74
- Can of Corn - 32
- Canadian Aces - QQ
- Canadian Presto {see Presto} - 44
- Canadian Rockets - QQ
- Canine - K9
- Cherries {shape of the fruit} - 66
- Chris Ferguson {won final hand of the 2000 WSOP Championship event with this against T.J. Cloutier's AQ} - A9
- City Park {Two Threes [Trees]} - 33
- Colt .44 - 44
- Colt .45 - 54
- Columbia River {King Seven [Salmon]: river is famous for its salmon runs} - K7
- Commander Crab - K3
- Computer Hand {roughly average hand} - Q7
- Convoy {pop song with CB slang} - T4
- Countdown {10, 9, 8, ...} - T9
- Cowboy Wolford {poker player Byron "Cowboy" Wolford, known to play this} - 62
- Cowboys - KK
- Crabs - 33
- Daisy {Daisy Duck} - Q2
- Dead Man's Hand {The actual hand Wild Bill Hickock had when Jack McCall shot him was two pairs, Aces over Eights} - A8
- Deuces - 22
- Diana Dors {English actress whose name rhymes with "All the Fours" (originally a term from Bingo, which she played and called} - 44
- Dimes - TT
- Disabled Veterans - JJ
- Divorce (if marriage doesn't hold up) - KQ
- Dolly Parton - QQ
- Dolly Parton {from her movie and song "Nine to Five"} - 95
- Donald {Donald Duck} - K2
- Doyle Brunson {won both 1976 & 1977 WSOP Championship with T2} - T2
- Doyle Brunson {ironic name as he prefers not to play it} - AQ
- Ducks {shape of the animal} - 22
- F&W Woolworth's {five and dime stores} - T5
- Fast Connection {T3 telecommunications connection} - T3
- Fido - K9
- Finky Dink - 85
- Fishhooks - JJ
- Five and Dime - T5
- Flat Tire {what a jack is for} - J4
- Flower Girls - QQ
- Fork {"4K"} - K4
- German Virgin - 99
- Gilchrist - 64
- Golden Dan - T8
- Good Buddy - T4
- Goolsby {Texas gambler} - QT
- Granny Mae {granny (queen) plus May (fifth month)} - Q5
- Grump {favorite hand of Poker Grump blogger Bob Woolley} - 42
- Hachem {Joseph Hachem won the 2005 World Series main event with 7c3s, flopping a straight with 4d5d6h} - 73
- Hard Working Man - 95
- Harry Potter {from the initials of author J.K. Rowling} - KJ
- Heckle and Jeckle {Two jays (cartoon birds)} - J2
- Heinz {57 varieties once claimed by food company} - 75
- Henry Bowen {Texas gambler} - 86
- High Five - A5
- Hilton Sisters - QQ
- Hooks - JJ
- Hooter Hand - 32
- Housework {answer to the joke, "What's a queen for?"} - Q4
- Hunting Season {bullet plus duck} - A2
- Ice {water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit} - 32
- Jack Benny {comedian joked about always being 39 years old} - 93
- Jack Daniel's {Old No. 7 whiskey} - J7
- Jackson Five - J5
- Jailhouse Rock - QQ
- Jaybirds - JJ
- Jeffrey Dahmer {cannibal ate Jack} - J8
- Jesse James {may have been killed by a Colt .45} - 54
- Jesus {Chris Ferguson's nickname; won final hand of the 2000 WSOP Championship event with this against T.J. Cloutier's AQ} - A9
- Jim Bechtel {Bechtel won the 1993 WSOP with this when his jack was high} - J6
- Jimmy Summerfield {poker tournament director} - 63
- Joe Bernstein - 96
- Joe Montana Banana {Hall of Fame quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers} - 94
- Johnny Moss {possibly because he started playing poker at age 10} - AT
- Jordan {Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls uniform number was 23} - 32
- Justin Timberlake - JT
- Kangaroos - KK
- Kate - K8
- Katie - KT
- Ken Warren {poker writer who bestowed his own nickname in a book} - 65
- Kicks - K6
- Kicks {rhymes with 66 in "Route 66" song} - 66
- King Crab - K3
- King John - KJ
- King Kong - KK
- Kojak - KJ
- Kokomo - K8
- Ktara {a beginner who got stacked with only bottom pair} - Q3
- Kuwait - Q8
- Ladies - QQ
- Lawrence Taylor {NFL Hall of Fame linebacker who wore #56} - 65
- Little Oldsmobile {car model smaller than the 98} - 88
- Lumberjack {a Tree and a Jack} - J3
- Lumberman's Hand {two by four pieces of wood} - 42
- Magnum - 44
- Marriage (Mixed Marriage if unsuited) - KQ
- Maverick {The "Maverick" TV show's theme song says, "Livin' on jacks and queens. Maverick is a legend of the west."} - QJ
- Merfs {draw poker game with tens and fives wild} - T5
- Mississippi Slick - 32
- Moneymaker {Chris Moneymaker won the 2003 WSOP Main Event with this hand} - 54
- Montana Banana {Joe Montana led the San Francisco 49ers on a 92-yard game-winning drive in the closing seconds of Super Bowl XXIII} - 92
- Most feared hand in Holdem - 83
- Motown - J5
- Mullets - 77
- Ninety-Nine - 99
- Obama {Barack Obama is the 44th U.S. President} - 44
- Oedipus (or Oedipus Rex) {Greek story of incestuous mother-son relationship} - QJ
- OJ {It's a killer} - QJ
- Oldsmobile {car model} - 98
- One-Eyed Jacks - JJ
- Orwell {George Orwell wrote the novel 1984} - 84
- Over and Out {radio communication term} - T4
- PB&J {Peanut Butter and Jelly} - Q6
- People who need people - KJ
- Phil Hellmuth {won 1989 World Series of Poker Main Event with this hand} - 99
- Piano Keys {number of keys on a standard piano} - 88
- Pinochle {specifically, the Q of spades and J of diamonds meld from the card game Pinochle} - QJ
- Pocket Rockets - AA
- Pocket Swans {shape of the animal} - 22
- Polish Big Slick - 32
- Popeye's - 99
- Presto {Hold 'Em analogy to being dealt 21 in blackjack due to stories of the hand winning in the rec.gambling.poker newsgroup} - 55
- Quarter - 52
- Quinine {sounds like the early anti-malarial drug} - Q9
- Quint {sound} - QT
- Racetracks - 88
- Railroad - 96
- Railroad Hand {a moving train sounds like a repeated "Jacks and Sixes"} - J6
- Raquel Welch {actress claims to always be 38 years old} - 83
- Robert Varkonyi {won 2002 WSOP Championship with QT, making a boat over Julian Gardner's flush} - QT
- Rockette - AJ
- Roger That {radio communication term for "yes, I understand"} - T4
- Route 66 - 66
- Royal Couple (if suited) - KQ
- RPM {original 10-inch vinyl record speed was 78 r.p.m.} - 87
- Sailboats - 44
- Santa Barbara {synonym for "Big Slick", as it was the site of a famous oil slick in 1969} - AK
- Saturn - 77
- Saw Mill - K9
- Scotty Nguyen {Scotty Nguyen won the 1998 WSOP with this hand when the board came 89988 and induced a call from Kevin McBride with the memorable line, "You call this one and it's all over, baby"} - J9
- Seattle Special {Seattle TV channel 5 based in King county, Washington} - K5
- Sizzler {King Crab specials at restaurant} - K3
- Slapshot {hockey stick 7 hitting a puck ace} - A7
- Snowmen (or Pocket Snowmen) - 88
- Spanish Inquisition {"Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition" from Monty Python} - 63
- Speed Limit - 55
- Split {7-10 split in bowling} - T7
- Sunset Strip - 77
- Sven - 83
- Sweet {Sweet Sixteen} - T6
- Tadpole {what the duck ate} - 82
- Tennessee Ernie Ford {singer of the song "Sixteen Tons"} - A6
- Tension - TT
- Tetris - T8
- Texas Dolly - T2
- The Rabbit {Australian cricketer Adam Gilchrist who hit a lot of 6's and 4's} - 64
- Transvestite {4 looks like a second ace but isn't one} - A4
- Treys - 33
- Trombones {song "76 Trombones" from the Broadway musical "Music Man"} - 76
- Tucson Monster - KJ
- Two Bits {2 bits used to equal 25 cents} - 52
- Two Fat Ladies - 88
- Union Oil {gas station Union 76} - 76
- Unit {canine unit of the police} - K9
- Walking Sticks - 77
- Walking Back to Houston - AQ
- Waltz {dance in 3/4 time (three beats of quarter notes per measure)} - 43
- Wayne Gretzky {NHL player's uniform number} - 99
- Weinberg - T3
- What a Dog - K9
- Woolworth's {five and dime stores} - T5
Starting Hands by Cards
- AA - Pocket Rockets; Bullets; American Airlines; Alan Alda {"M*A*S*H" actor}; Batteries
- AK - Big Slick {"Big Slick in a Suit" if suited}; Santa Barbara {site of a famous oil slick in 1969}; Anna Kournikova {"looks great but never wins" according to Vince Van Patten}
- AQ - Big Chick; Walking Back to Houston; Doyle Brunson {ironic name as he prefers not to play it}; Antony & Cleopatra
- AJ - Blackjack; Ace with winning kicker; Rockette; Ajax
- AT - Johnny Moss {possibly because he started playing poker at age 10}
- A9 - Chris Ferguson {won final hand of the 2000 WSOP Championship event with this against T.J. Cloutier's AQ}; Jesus {Ferguson's nickname}
- A8 - Dead Man's Hand {The actual hand Wild Bill Hickock had when Jack McCall shot him was two pairs, Aces over Eights}
- A7 - Slapshot {hockey stick 7 hitting a puck ace}
- A6 - Tennessee Ernie Ford {singer of the song "Sixteen Tons"}
- A5 - High Five
- A4 - Transvestite {4 looks like a second ace but isn't one}
- A3 - Ashtray; Baskin Robbins {ice cream chain boasts 31 flavors}
- A2 - Hunting Season {bullet plus duck}
- KK - Cowboys; King Kong; Kangaroos; Ace Magnets {the hand loses value if an ace hits the board}
- KQ - Marriage (Mixed Marriage if unsuited; Divorce if it doesn't hold up); Royal Couple (if suited)
- KJ - Kojak; King John; Tucson Monster; Harry Potter {from the initials of author J.K. Rowling}; People who need people
- KT - Katie; Big Al {Wisconsin poker player "Big Al" Emerson}
- K9 - Fido; What a Dog; Unit; Canine; Saw Mill
- K8 - Kokomo; Kate
- K7 - Columbia River {King Seven [Salmon]: river is famous for its salmon runs}
- K6 - Kicks
- K5 - Seattle Special {Seattle TV channel 5 based in King county, Washington}
- K4 - Fork {"4K"}
- K3 - Commander Crab; King Crab; Alaska Hand; Sizzler {King Crab specials at restaurant}
- K2 - Big Fritz (if suited) {German poker player Andreas Fritz}; Donald {Donald Duck}
- QQ - Canadian Rockets; Canadian Aces; Siegfried & Roy; Ladies; Jailhouse Rock; Flower Girls; Big Pair; Dolly Parton; Hilton Sisters
- QJ - OJ {It's a killer}; Maverick {The "Maverick" TV show's theme song says, "Livin' on jacks and queens. Maverick is a legend of the west."}; Oedipus (or Oedipus Rex) {Greek story of incestuous mother-son relationship}; Pinochle {specifically, the Q of spades and J of diamonds meld from the card game Pinochle}
- QT - Robert Varkonyi {won 2002 WSOP Championship with QT, making a boat over Julian Gardner's flush}; Quint {sound}; Goolsby {Texas gambler}
- Q9 - Quinine {sounds like the early anti-malarial drug}
- Q8 - Kuwait
- Q7 - Computer Hand {roughly average hand}
- Q6 - PB&J {Peanut Butter and Jelly}
- Q5 - Granny Mae {granny (queen) plus May (fifth month)}
- Q4 - Housework {answer to the joke, "What's a queen for?"}
- Q3 - Ktara {a beginner who got stacked with only bottom pair}
- Q2 - Daisy {Daisy Duck}
- JJ - Fishhooks; Hooks; Jaybirds; One-Eyed Jacks; Disabled Veterans
- JT - Justin Timberlake
- J9 - Scotty Nguyen {Scotty Nguyen won the 1998 WSOP with this hand when the board came 89988 and induced a call from Kevin McBride with the memorable line, "You call this one and it's all over, baby"}
- J8 - Jeffrey Dahmer {cannibal ate Jack}
- J7 - Jack Daniel's {Old No. 7 whiskey}
- J6 - Jim Bechtel {Bechtel won the 1993 WSOP with this when his jack was high}; Railroad Hand {a moving train sounds like a repeated "Jacks and Sixes"}
- J5 - Motown; Jackson Five
- J4 - Flat Tire {what a jack is for}
- J3 - Lumberjack {a Tree and a Jack}
- J2 - Heckle and Jeckle {Two jays (cartoon birds)}
- TT - Dimes; Tension
- T9 - Countdown {10, 9, 8, ...}
- T8 - Tetris; Golden Dan
- T7 - Split {7-10 split in bowling}; Bowling Hand
- T6 - Sweet {Sweet Sixteen}
- T5 - F&W Woolworth's; Five and Dime; Merfs {draw poker game with tens and fives wild}
- T4 - Broderick Crawford {star of the 1955-1959 TV show "Highway Patrol" who said, "10-4"}; Convoy {pop song with CB slang}; Good Buddy; Over and Out; Roger That
- T3 - Fast Connection {T3 telecommunications connection}; Weinberg
- T2 - Texas Dolly; Doyle Brunson {won both 1976 & 1977 WSOP Championship with T2}
- 99 - Popeye's; Phil Hellmuth {won 1989 World Series of Poker Main Event with this hand}; 99; German Virgin; Barbara Feldon {Agent 99 in "Get Smart" television show; Anne Hathaway played the character in the 2008 movie}, Wayne Gretzky {NHL player's uniform number}
- 98 - Oldsmobile {car model}
- 97 - Persian Carpet Ride {Iranian poker pro Antonio Esfandiari's favorite hand}
- 96 - Railroad; Joe Bernstein
- 95 - Dolly Parton {from her movie and song "Nine to Five"}; Hard Working Man
- 94 - Joe Montana Banana {Hall of Fame quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers}
- 93 - Jack Benny {comedian joked about always being 39 years old}
- 92 - Montana Banana {Joe Montana led the San Francisco 49ers on a 92-yard game-winning drive in the closing seconds of Super Bowl XXIII}
- 88 - Snowmen (or Pocket Snowmen); Two Fat Ladies; Racetracks; Piano Keys {number of keys on a standard piano}; Little Oldsmobile {car model smaller than the 98}
- 87 - RPM {original 10-inch vinyl record speed was 78 r.p.m.}
- 86 - Henry Bowen {Texas gambler}
- 85 - Finky Dink
- 84 - Orwell {George Orwell wrote the novel "1984"}
- 83 - Most feared hand in Holdem; Sven; Raquel Welch {actress claims to always be 38 years old}
- 82 - Tadpole {what the duck ate}
- 77 - Sunset Strip; Saturn; Mullets; Walking Sticks
- 76 - Union Oil {gas station Union 76}; Trombones {song "76 Trombones" from the Broadway musical "Music Man"}
- 75 - Heinz {57 varieties once claimed by food company}
- 74 - Cambodian Big Slick
- 73 - Hachem {Joseph Hachem won the 2005 World Series main event with 7c3s, flopping a straight with 4d5d6h}
- 72 - Beer Hand {time for a beer}
- 66 - Cherries {shape of the fruit}; Route 66; Kicks {rhymes with 66 in "Route 66" song}
- 65 - Ken Warren {poker writer who bestowed his own nickname in a book}; Lawrence Taylor {NFL Hall of Fame linebacker who wore #56}
- 64 - The Rabbit {Australian cricketer Adam Gilchrist who hit a lot of 6's and 4's}; Gilchrist
- 63 - Jimmy Summerfield {poker tournament director}; Blocky {his nickname}; Spanish Inquisition {"Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition" from Monty Python}
- 62 - Ainsworth {British poker player Ron Ainsworth, known to play this}; Cowboy Wolford {poker player Byron "Cowboy" Wolford, known to play this}
- 55 - Presto {Hold 'Em analogy to being dealt 21 in blackjack due to stories of the hand winning in the rec.gambling.poker newsgroup}; Speed Limit
- 54 - Colt .45; Jesse James {may have been killed by a Colt .45}; Moneymaker {Chris Moneymaker won the 2003 WSOP Main Event with this hand}
- 53 - Bully Johnson {poker player, described as laid back and quiet by Doyle Brunson, played this hand despite preflop raise and caught a straight on the flop to win against trip aces}
- 52 - Quarter; Two Bits
- 44 - Canadian Presto {see Presto}; Diana Dors {English actress whose name rhymes with "All the Fours" (originally a term from Bingo, which she played and called}; Magnum; Colt .44; Sailboats; Obama {Barack Obama is the 44th U.S. President}
- 43 - Waltz {dance in 3/4 time (three beats of quarter notes per measure)}
- 42 - Lumberman's Hand {two by four pieces of wood}; Grump {favorite hand of Poker Grump blogger Bob Woolley}
- 33 - Crabs; City Park {Two Threes [Trees]}; Treys
- 32 - Hooter Hand; Mississippi Slick; Polish Big Slick; Can of Corn; Ice {water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit}; Jordan {Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls uniform number was 23}
- 22 - Ducks {shape of the animal}; Pocket Swans {ditto}; Deuces
Note: some common but inappropriate nicknames were intentionally omitted from this list.