Royal flush, straight flush, full house – every poker player knows these poker hands. They don’t know that these hands have alternative names that are as significant as they are funny.
Read on if you’re interested in alternative hand names that will give you a chuckle. Once you’re done, head on to GG Poker, an excellent place for online poker, and maybe you can start calling hands with these sorts of monikers.
1. Big Slick
This is a nickname for the Ace-King hand in poker. It is considered a powerful hand but very dangerous because it is susceptible to Ace-high and King-high flushes.
2. The Hammer
The nickname for the Seven-Deuce hand, is considered the worst possible hand in poker. It is improbable that this hand will win, so players usually fold when they are dealt it.
3. The Boat
It is another name for a Full House is when you have three of a kind and a pair in your hand. It works as a nickname, as some people live on a boat.
If you got the boat, that means you’re in a pretty good position, as it is one of the winning poker hands many players have used to win big pots. After all, it’s not easy to get hands that are stronger than this.
4. Pocket Rockets
This nickname is given to the Aces when they are dealt as a player’s starting poker card hands. It is considered a very strong hand and usually results in a significant win for the player. Hopefully, you get pocket rockets in online poker.
5. The Nuts
This is a term used to describe the best possible hand in a given situation. For example, if you have a flush draw and the flop comes down with three cards of your suit, then you have the “nuts” for that hand. It cannot be beaten by any other hand, so players who have it have increased chances of winning the pot. The problem, however, is that unless they can have a good read on other players’ cards, those with the nuts don’t know they have it.
6. The Curse of the Pharaoh
This is a nickname for the Ace-King hand when it is dealt as a player’s starting hand. It is considered a very strong hand but also very dangerous because it is susceptible to Ace-high and King-high flushes. Much like how the Pharaoh is a powerful person.
7. The Gorilla
Another nickname for the Ace-King hand when it is dealt as a player’s starting hand, the gorilla is a large, powerful animal that can be very dangerous but quickly taken down if he’s not being careful, much like the Ace-King hand.
8. The Devil’s Hand
This is a nickname for the Seven-Deuce hand, considered the worst possible hand in poker. The poker hands odds of this winning are low, so players usually fold when they are dealt it.
Unlike in video games, where any item with the name Devil is guaranteed to be strong, the opposite is true for poker. Considering that the game was invented when Christianity was the order of the day, it should be no surprise that anything associated with the devil is regarded as the worst of luck.
10. Blackjack
This is a nickname for the Ace-King-Queen hand, which is considered to be a very strong hand. It is often called “AKQ” or “Ace-High”. Blackjack is a popular casino game that shares many similarities with poker, so the name is quite fitting.
11. The Monster/Dragon/Tiger/Atom Bomb/Titanic
The nickname for the Ace-King-Queen hand, it is considered as one of the best poker hands. It is often called “AKQ” or “Ace-High”. Alternatively, it is also known as the dragon and the tiger. Regardless of your preference, both are fitting, as it is a beastly hand that can crush most opposition.
On the other hand (pun intended), the Ace-King-Queen hand has nicknames that are not beast-themed and instead named after historical An example is the Atom Bomb, a powerful weapon that has caused much destruction during the second world war.
Another is the Titanic. In case you haven’t watched the very famous James Cameron movie about it, the Titanic is a giant early 20th-century steamship that was considered unsinkable, but unfortunately, ironically, and predictably did after hitting an iceberg. Like the Titanic, the AKQ hand is powerful, but it can be brought down by bad luck.
12. The Wheel
This is a nickname for the Ace-Five hand, considered one of the best hands in poker, especially as a starting hand. It is often called “A5” or “Ace-High”. The Wheel is a hand that can often hit a Straight, so it is considered to be a fairly strong hand.
The Name of the Game Stays the Same
Now that you know these unorthodox nicknames for frequently played hands, how about using them when you’re in a game? Or better yet, why not come up with your own? Poker hands may be timeless, but the world is forever changing, so it shouldn’t be a surprise if they’ll have new nicknames.
