Cool Poker Terms
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- The term derives from the term ' cold deck,' a reference to a deck that has been stacked by a cheater to produce certain hands when dealt resulting in a big loss to cheater’s intended victim (e.g.
13 Mar
This is a discussion on Seen any Funny nicknames lately within the online poker forums, in the General Poker section; Hello everybody! Spread here funny nicknames, which met in tournaments. A little clever, and perfect on that 2-3-4 flop. Play it cool, though, no real-life high-fives during the hand. Ace-Four (A-4) Stu Ungar – Named after the poker legend and Hall of Famer. Stuey won three WSOP Main Event titles and used A-4 to win his final championship in 1997 after making a straight.
When it comes to nicknames, everybody hopes that they’ll get one that sounds cool, or dangerous, or – at the very least – one that's not offensive, negative, or just plain crap! Because nicknames stick with you, and become part of your life whether you like them or not!
Just ask basketball legend Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson (as cool a name as any) or heavyweight boxer Audley ‘Fraudley’ Harrison (hardly how a fighter wants to be seen) or soccer player Nicolas ‘The Incredible Sulk’ Anelka (yet another reason for the Frenchman to be unhappy!).
When it comes to poker nicknames, there are very few players who don’t sport at least one. It kind of goes with the territory, harking back to the days when smoky back-rooms and small-time hoods were part and parcel of the game.
Jimmy ‘The Greek’ is a name just as likely to be found in a gangster movie as it is in a poker tournament, and it has an ‘edgy’ ring to it – much more so than James George Snyder Senior as he was known formally (not to mention his original Greek name of Dimetrios Georgios Synodinos!).
Where are you from?
There are plenty of poker pros who have nicknames taken from their country of birth, and generally it’s a safe bet with few negative connotations, but although ‘The Flying Dutchman’ (Marcel Luske) and ‘The Great Dane’ (Gus Hansen) can be satisfied, Patrick Antonius’ nom de plume of ‘the Finn’ is about as dull as it gets! Johnny Chan gets a good one though – ‘The Orient Express’, although most of the Far East nicknames have a certain attractive mystique to them, such as David ‘The Dragon’ Pham, whose rail are prone to shout ‘You on fire!’ whenever he wins a big hand.
Of course, towns and cities can give names a certain little boost, and even though ‘Grand Rapids Tom’ (Tom McEvoy) isn’t too great, nor is John ‘Miami’ Cernuto, where would we be without ‘Amarillo Slim’ (the poker equivalent of ‘Minnesota Fats') or ‘Texas Dolly’ (Doyle Brunson, whose famous pseudonym was given by Jimmy The Greek nonetheless, who struggled to pronounce the ‘Grandfather of Poker’s’ name back in the day).
Looks can kill
This is always a dubious area for nicknames, unless you’re born from good genetic stock! Still, being named ‘the Bald Eagle’(Steve Zolotow) has a decent ring to it, even though resembling the actual bird itself is a mixed blessing at best.
Jack ‘Treetop’ Straus gained his name from his towering 6’ 6” frame, which had allegedly seen him play college basketball, although no records can be found to confirm this. What we do know, though, is that the famous poker saying ‘a chip and a chair’ probably came about as a result of his 1982 WSOP Main Event win. Down to one chip (a $25 or a $500 chip, depending on whose account you believe) Straus fought his way back to take the title and $520,000.
Poker Hall of Famer Crandell Addington, one of the founding fathers of the WSOP, was always referred to as ‘Dandy’ on account of his impeccable dress-sense: a suit and tie at the table reflecting the millionaire businessman’s sense of propriety.
Another nickname based on looks is Chris ‘Jesus’ Ferguson, although kicking the money-lenders out probably isn’t top of the legendary poker pro’s to-do list! And as the original Jesus likely wasn’t a cowboy, it’s really just the long hair, long face combo which christened him for poker eternity.
Youth has always had a big influence on nicknames, with the most famous from the old-school being Stu ‘The Kid’ Ungar, although 2009 WSOP Main Event champion Joe Cada also sports this name. Unless, however, Cada is Ungar’s kid, then I suggest he change his nickname – there is definitely only one Ungar in the poker world! Daniel ‘Kid Poker’ Negreanu has found a way around this copycat-naming, however.
Actions speak louder than words
Or at least, they reflect them in the poker community. Speaking of actions, Dan ‘Action Dan’ Harrington only deserves his nickname in the ironic sense, his very safe and responsible approach to the game being a source of mirth for those who named him.
‘Mister Cool’, aka Ihsan ‘Sammy’ Farha, fully deserves his title – always dressing well and sitting unperturbed at the table. The unlit cigarette he has perpetually hanging from his lips, however, is now only cool in the retro world of 60’s film stars – but it’s as much a part of him as his ‘cool’ demeanor.
Being known as the ‘Robin Hood of Poker’ must be a great feeling – it’s hard for people to dislike you if, as Barry Greenstein has done for years, you donate your tournament winnings to charity. Although perhaps this Robin has had to tighten his belt as the last 10 years has seen only his net earnings given to good causes. Or perhaps it’s the Sheriff of Nottingham’s taxes to blame for this newer approach?).
Never lose it
Although nicknames tend to stay with a player throughout their career, some have come from a time before they made it to the green felt.
ElkY, for example, is the well-known moniker for Bertrand Grospelier, but if you have no idea (like me) where this nickname came from, you might be surprised to learn that it’s from his younger days when he was a top WarCraft and StarCraft player. ElkY in fact being the short version of his RPG character ‘Elkantar’. So now you know.
Jennifer Leigh is another to have carried her old nickname over into poker, ‘Jennicide’ being her online alias from the bulletin boards of her youth. 1973 Main Event winner Walter ‘Puggy’ Pearson had a childhood accident to blame for his canine nickname, although Puggy is somewhat better than the ‘Puggy-Wuggy’ some used for him.
Todd Brunson’s ‘DarkHorse’ name, from when he won an early event as an outside be,t has stuck with him all through his career, as has Rafe ‘FurstOut’ Furst’s after his memorable (though he probably hates being reminded of it) early bust out back in the 2003 WSOP Main Event.
What’s in a Name?
Some fortunate poker players have ended up with nicknames which would make most jealous, such as the recently-departed Dave ‘Devilfish’ Ulliott, fellow Englishman Ram ‘CrazyHorse’ Vaswami or Carlos ‘El Matador’ Mortensen - names which convey an aggression and fearless attitude, both very positive poker characteristics.
Somewhat less intimidating are the likes of Allen ‘Clever Piggy’ Cunninham, Greg ‘Fossilman’ Raymer or Bobby ‘The Owl’ Baldwin – they just don’t compare to the likes of Erik ‘Seiborg’ Seidel or Jerry ‘The Shadow’ Yang in the scary-named opponents stakes!
Names which could or should have been…
As mentioned previously, poker players don’t often get to choose their nicknames – Mike ‘The Mouth’ Matusow might be happy with his on occasion, but it’s come back to bite him more often than not, even if it has helped pay his way through sponsorship.
If we could re-name players, Matusow would likely become ‘PottyMouth Mike’, Phil ‘The Tiger Woods of Poker’ Ivey might fancy Phil ’EdgeSorter’ Ivey and Howard ‘The Professor’ Lederer would sound just fine as Howard ‘Unforgiven’ Lederer to most fans of the game.
The Unabomber? The Shark? The Monk? Have a guess at who these guys really are - the first at least ought to be simple for any poker buff worth his salt!
The Magician, The Master and The Mad Genius? Look’em up if you don’t know, and give them alternative nicknames if you can.
My own nickname? Well, Andy ‘winninghorse’ Burnett works for me, but perhaps Andy ‘raisefoldlose’ Burnett is more appropriate!
Poker slang lingo, part 4 continues this gamerisms glossary dedicated to all passionate poker players.
This section includes poker slang lingo and terms that are unique to this popular casino strategy game. For example, Overpair, Play on Your Belly, Rock, Rush and Scoot.Understanding poker terms is critical to your game play, and this applies whether playing poker offline or online. Many of the terms below also apply to video poker, one of the most popular games at online casinos sites.
Poker Slang Lingo: N - O
- No-limit: poker lingo for wide open betting based on each players chips in hand.
- Nuts: the best of hands in the game thus far.
- Odds: calculated probability of winning a specific hand.
- Off-suit: cards that are not of the same suit.
- On the Finger: monies received on credit.
- On Tilt: going into wild play mode after a bad hand.
- Open: player who makes the first bet in a round.
- Outdraw: refers to receiving a better hand by drawing more cards.
- Outs: refers to unseen cards left in the deck that could result in a better hand.
- Overpair: refers to a higher pair than the best card on the board in flop games. Example: You hold KK and the flop is J94.
- Paint: poker slang lingo for a picture card--Jack, King or Queen.
- Pair: refers to two cards that have the same rank with a Pair of Aces topping the list.
- Pass: refers to no betting or folding.
- Passive Play: player who is not likely to bet and raise.
- Pat: this hand is it, no further cards required.
- Pineapple: poker version, known as Crazy Pineapple online, is similar to Holdem in that players are dealt 3 cards each and must toss 1 card after the flop is dealt.
- Playback: action whereby a player raises an opening bet.
- Playing the Rush: refers to a player who 'is on a roll' of good cards and pots won.
- Play on your Belly: refers to legal play, no cheating.
- Pocket Cards: refers to cards dealt face down.
- Position: poker term for a player's position at the table in reference to betting. Example: early position means that player is the first to bet.
- Post: to bet or wager chips in the pot or a position directly in front of you at the table.
- Pot: winning hand(s) take the spoils, either all the money in the middle of the table or a share of the pot in certain games.
- Pot-limit: refers to the maximum bet/raise that is of no greater value than the total pot.
- Pot Odds: refers to amount of money in the pot versus the amount of money required to call a bet.
- Proposition Player/Shill: refers to the casino/card room hired help whose duties include filling up tables or jump-starting games.
- Protect: poker lingo for increased betting or otherwise attempting to eliminate players who could outdraw your hand.
- Quads: four of a kind—a very sweet hand. Example: 4 queens.
- Qualifier: refers to the minimum standard a hand must meet to qualify for all or part of the pot. Example: with Caribbean stud poker, the dealer must have a minimum hand of ace/king to qualify and continue the round.
- Rabbit Hunting: jargon for looking into the future as to what cards would have been if the round had continued. Do you want to see if you would have received that Full House? Some poker rooms forbid this hunting.
- Rabbits: poker jargon used for weak or amateur players.
- Rack: poker slang lingo for tray that holds poker chips.
- Rags: term for cards coming your way that do not help your hand.
- Raise: poker term for wagering more than the last bet thereby increasing the bet for other players in the game.
- Railbirds: spectators or lookie-lous watching the action.
- Rake: a percentage and/or flat fee deducted from the pot after each betting round for the casino services. These services include a dealer and equipment
- Rank: value of a set of cards.
- River: poker term for the last cards dealt in a game of Holdem, Omaha or 7-card Stud.
- Read: skillful players use this method to predict cards held by other players.
- Re-buy: purchasing additional chips after initial buy, if tournament rules allow.
- Represent: term for wagering in a specific way that tells you have a specific hand.
- Riffling or Zipping: method used to shuffle cards before dealing.
- Road Gang: poker jargon for a gang of cheating players.
- Rock: player who raises or folds and rarely calls, thus playing few hands.
- Rock Garden: poker lingo for a game consisting of tight players.
- Round: can mean either a betting round or round of poker hands.
- Rounder: skillful player who makes a comfortable living playing poker—a dream job for many poker players.
- Round of Play: a segment of game play that includes dealing, betting and a declared winner.
- Royal Flush: the best of the best, sequence of AKQJ10, all in the same suit.
- Running: you receive the cards you need from the last two cards dealt.
- Rush: poker lingo for a big win quickly—truly a rush.
- Sailboats: poker jargon for a pair of fours starting hand.
- Sandbag: strategy used to check and then raise the opener to increase the pot.
- Scare Card: jargon for a dealt card that may produce a better hand. For example, a third card in an outside straight sequence (Jack, 10 and 9).
- Scarne Cut: refers to cutting the cards by taking a bunch of cards from the center of the deck and putting them on top of the deck.
- Schoolboy Draw: amateur draw, not using sound judgment.
- Scoot: poker lingo for sending some pot winning chips to another player.
- Seat Position: refers to the position of a poker player in accordance to other players. When it comes to betting in poker, position can be an advantage if you are the last to bet in a poker round.
- Seconds: lingo about the cheater who deals the second card instead of the top card.
- Semi-bluff: the difference from a bluff is that a semi-bluff has a higher certainty of a win.
- Sequence: refers to cards of consecutive value, example: 56789 straight.
- Session: term for time span for poker games played.
- Set: refers to 3-of-a-kind to include two in the hole or a method of play for paigow poker whereby cards are set into two hands of low-hand=2 cards and high hand=5-card.
- Shiner: cheaters use these mirror-like devices to view unexposed cards.
- Shorthanded: refers to a game where there are only a few players.
- Short Pair: refers to a pair that is lower than the openers.
- Short Stack: situation where a player does not have sufficient chips to cover the betting at the table.
- Short Stud: poker slang lingo for 5 rather than 7-card stud poker.
- Shotgun: game where betting begins once the third card is dealt.
- Shove them Along: version of 5-card stud poker where every player can either play the first upcard or pass to the next player.
- Showdown: poker term to describe the end of betting where a winner is declared by a show of hands by the remaining players.
- Shuffle/Shuffling: mix up those cards before starting another game.
- Side Pot: occurs when a player is unable to match the bet made, but continues play of the game. This pot is for players who have the funds and want to bet more. Winner of the side pot goes to the best hand from the players who participated.
- Slowplay: strategy to under bet an excellent hand.
- Slowroll: don't you just hate those players who ever so slowly, roll out their hand while the other participating players await the result?
- Smooth Call: method of holding back a raise in order to call additional bets with a very good hand.
- Snap Off: you call the bluffer and beat him/her with a not-so-hot-hand—'tis a sweet deal.
- Snarker: player who wins and taunts the loser—bad manners and strategy rolled into one.
- Soft Play: poker lingo for intentionally going easy on a player.
- South: poker slang lingo for player folding as in Going South.
- Spikes: here comes that stunning pair of Aces again.
- Splash the Pot: player who tosses chips in rather than putting them in front.
- Spread Limit: poker term for fixed minimum-maximum bets allowed per round.
- Squeeze Bet or Squeeze Raise: poker term for a third player with a weak hand who is in the middle of the squeeze and it's costing him/her because of the larger bets made by other players with better hands.
- Stack: poker term for total of all your chips.
- Steal: winning the pot by bluffing—a card sharp's specialty.
- Stenographers: Four Queens, also know as Administrative Assistants in the pc world.
- Still Pack: term for the deck set aside two card decks are used.
- Stonewall: player who remains to the bitter end holding a weak hand.
- Straddle: refers to doubling the blind wherein the player betting becomes the bigger blind. He/she who bets the straddle then bets last in the pre-flop round.
As a straddle is designated as a blind, not a bet, the player can then raise if everybody calls his/her straddle. - Straight: refers to 5-card sequence, example: 78910J.
- Straight Draw: refers to the game of draw poker that does not require openers.
- Straight Flush: beauty of a hand that has 5-cards of consecutive rank and are the same suit, example=78910J of clubs.
- Streak: run of either winning or losing hands—what streak do you prefer :-)
- Stringer: poker slang lingo for a straight.
- Stripping: refers to a method of shuffling/changing the order of the cards in a deck.
- Suicide King: poker lingo for the King of Hearts as the card displays a sword poised to the head.
- Suit: refers to the 4 suits in a deck of cards—clubs, spades, hearts and diamonds.
- Super Stud Poker: another name for Caribbean Stud Poker and Casino Stud Poker, however, with a Progressive Jackpot
Cool Poker Terms Cheat
- Table Stakes: we are talking money here in reference to the amount a player places on the table that cannot be changed during the hand.
- Talon: poker slang lingo for the rest of the deck after the deal.
- Tap or Tap Out: you have bet all your money and if you lose, you are tapped out.
- Tell or Tell play: refers to a player giving out signals or 'telling' about his/her hand.
- Thirty days or Thirty miles: poker jargon for 3 tens.
- Three of a kind: 3 cards of the same rank, AAA.
- Tierce: refers to a three-card straight flush.
- Tiger: poker lingo for a low hand to include 23456 or 7.
- Tight Player: poker term for a cautious player who rarely bets on weak hands.
- Trap: poker lingo for a situation where a player may have to call a big raise to stay in the game.
- Trey: refers to the 3-card with 3 pips.
- Two-card Poker: version where the best 2 cards are winners.
- Two Pair: refers to a 5-card hand that includes two different pairs, QQ773.
- Underdog: card contest wherein the underdog is usually the loser.
- Under the Gun: refers to the first player's action once the blind bets are completed.
- Unlimited Poker: no bet or raise limits in this game.
- Washing the Cards: the dealer blends the deck of cards in a circular motion with both hands before a shuffle is performed.
- White Meat: poker slang lingo for profit or money made with the game of poker.
- Wild Card: card(s) that can sub for any other card to improve your hand.
- World Series of Poker WSOP: the granddaddy of all poker tournaments played at Binion's Horseshoe Casino in Vegas yearly. A gold bracelet awaits the winner.
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