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 best hand to hold before the flop in Texas Holdem Poker is two Aces. This hand creates the most excitement and has the most colourful names. The most common names for two Aces are Rockets, Pocket Rockets, and Bullets (for obvious reasons). They are named after alliteration with several famous entities including Alan Alda, Albert Anastasia, and American Airlines. They are also known as numerous pointy objects including Sticks, Teepees, Rocky Mountains, and Two Pips. A few comical references include Batteries (Double A) and Squirrel (the nuts). Common names for a single Ace include Puppy Foot (clubs), SEed, Sharp Top, Spike and Tax Card (spades), Bull, Bullet, Death Card (spades), Moastercard, One Spot.

Two kings are another strong hand preflop in holdem and are commonly known as Cowboys. Another name is Butchers of Baghdad (so named in reference to Saddam Hussein on the Iraqi most wanted playing cards). Alliterations of KK include Krispy Kreme and King Kong (and also Gorillas, Gorillas in the Mist). Ace Magnets is common because an Ace always comes on the flop. A King is also known as David (spades), Julius Caesar or One eyed king (diamonds), K-Boy, Monarch, Sergeant, Alexander (clubs), Charlemagne or Charles (hearts). Another fitting term for this hand is The Elvis Presley (The King of Rock n Roll).

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.

Smaller pairs such as Jacks to Twos all have a few nicknames. Jacks are known as Hooks or Fish-hooks. Less known names include Kid Dyne-o-mite (TV show reference), Brothers, Jay Birds, John Juanda (Poker Player) and finally Colostomy Bag (Jack is slang for toilet). Two Tens are Two Dimes, TNT, Dynamite and Binary (In Binary 1010 is the equivalent of 10). Nines are known as Barbara Feldon (Get Smart- Agent 99), Phil Helmuth, Popeye and Wayne Gretzky (Hockey Player). Eights are snowmen, Piano Keys, Little Oldsmobile, Racetracks, Two Fat Ladies, Lacey, Pretzels, and Wurlitzer. A couple of Sevens are known as axes, mullets, hockey sticks or walking sticks. Two sixes are known as Boots, Cherries, or Kicks (On Route 66). A pair of Fives are Presto, Snakes or Speed Limit, while a pair of Fours are Canadian Presto, Dark Force, Darth Vader, Magnum and Sail boats. A Pair of three is either known as crabs (claw shaped like the number 3) or treys and a pair of Twos is usually Deuces, Ducks, or Quack Quack (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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