The Ultimate Guide to Poker Hand Nicknames

Poker has been played for generations and involves hours and hours at the table. Through the years, players have gotten creative with the cards and the game itself. Every game has its own jargon and vocabulary, and that definitely includes poker. And much of that creativity has focused on the hands players are dealt.

Those hands can be fun and unique, and one hand may have several names. Here’s a guide on which each hand is often called what and how that name came about. Some are very creative, some are just plain silly, and some just seem strange. Poker hand nicknames references include sports, people, shapes, history, pop culture, and many more.

POCKET PAIRS

Ace-Ace (A-A)

The best starting hand in poker has generated numerous names through the years.

• Bullets – Poker was played in the Old West and references to cowboys and gun fighting are numerous – and part of the fun. The look of the two letters (A) remind players of bullets and thus the name seems a natural.
• Pocket Rockets – Again the look of the A brings to mind the look of a rocket – and can hopefully rocket the player to a nice pot.
• American Airlines – Another flight reference, this time using the American Airline as a reference. This hand is certainly first class.
• Snake Eyes – This one is a borrowed references from the game of craps, where two dice on the “1” are also referred to as snake eyes.
• Batteries – From Double-A batteries – AA. Get it? Get this hand and it could certainly charge up your night at the tables.
• Teepees – The hand earns this name for the points in the “A” that make them look similar to a type of American Indian-style tent.
• Needles – The A is pointy like a needle. Stick it to your opponents.