Q:
I know that many Texas hold 'em hands have a name. For instance, almost everyone knows that a 10-2 is called the "Brunson," because he won two WSOP events with that hand. I've heard the 10-3 is called the "Weinberg." What is the origin of this name. In fact, do you have a list of poker hand names and their origins?
A:
Yikes, this is the toughest one you've thrown our way for a while, because a) there are too many slang names to mention; b) a lot of them are offensive; c) the origins of many of them remain obscure to the point of no one seemingly having a clue; and d) some of the ones we've come across we don't even understand ourselves.
So, here's the deal: We're going to pick some of the more well-known and less sexist/racist/lewd examples (with apologies to the gay community -- hope no one takes offense at a couple of the better-known terms that we felt compelled to include); the others you'll just have to search out for yourselves.
- Doyle Brunson actually has the honor of having two hands named after him. You're correct that any 10-2 is known as a "Brunson," since he won the WSOP main event two years running ('76 and '77) with that hand, on both occasions completing a full house. Less well-known (outside of Texas, so we understand) is "Doyle Brunson" being slang for A-Q, since he claims in his Super System poker bible never to play that hand, although he's been caught on camera playing it on more than one occasion.
- Big Slick is the well-known term for A-K, although for the life of us we can't find an explanation as to why. The term "Big Slick" explains another name for this hand, namely Santa Barbara, which derives from a big oil spill that occurred off that coast. And lastly, these days A-K is also sometimes referred to as "Anna Kournikova," because "it looks good, but never wins."
- A-8: Dead Man's Hand": This is probably the most famous of all the slang names, deriving from the 2 pair aces and eights that Wild Bill Hickok was holding in his hand when shot in the back in Deadwood.
- Q-10: Lady and the Tramp
- Q-3: Gay waiter (Queen with a tray – "trey" is standard usage for a 3)
- J-4: Flat tire (What's a "jack" for?)
- K-K-K: Three wise men
- A-A-A: Beatles Reunion
- 7-7-7: Slot machine (from the winning line on many slots)
- A-A: Pocket rockets; American Airlines, Bullets
- Q-Q: Siegfried and Roy (among others...)
- J-J: Fish hooks (from the shape)
- 9s-9c: Phil Hellmuth (won the '89 WSOP with this hand)
- 8-8: Snowmen
- 7-7: Hockey sticks, candy canes, walking sticks
- 5-5: Speed limit
- 2-2: Ducks (from deuces), Quack Quack
- 2-2-2: Hewey, Dewey, and Louie (see above)
- Golf Bag: Club flush
- J-5: Motown, Jackson 5
- 9-5: Dolly Parton (from the song/movie)
- 7-3: Hachem (after Joe Hachem's 2005 WSOP victorious straight that started with this hand)
We know there are a ton more out there and if you have any amusing slangs of your own, feel free to pass them on. And if anyone knows where Big Slick comes from, or "Weinberg," for that matter, please let us know.
Update 21 August 2007
Aha! Thanks to the readers who wrote in explaining the likely origins of "Big Slick," both of which seem plausible:
"Reference your poker hand names: A-K. AK is the postal abbreviation for Alaska and hence Big Slick for the
Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska. Also 10-4 is known as the Broderick Crawford from his old TV show 'Highway Patrol.'"
Or:
"Big Slick info: a 'slick' is a consecutive sequence of cards, and the highest valued 2-card sequence is Ace-King."
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