Where Does the Term "Full Boat" Come from for Full House?

I recently moved into a senior community and every Wednesday, I find myself playing poker with a group of fellow residents who have strange terms for some of the hands. One of the statements I hear often during the game is, “I have a boat,” which tells everyone they have a full house. Where did this term come from?

We've seen various explanations in differing degrees of possible authenticity and some whimsicality, but the fact is that no one really knows and probably never will.

Here are some of the possible connections.

When you're holding a "full boat," you can sail away with a fish's money.

A poker player with a nut flush lost his riverboat to a full house, so the term "boat" became synonymous with that hand.

It has to do with what the 3-of-a-kind and two pair look like. The three are the passenger section at the stern of the boat and two are the "captain" and "first mate" at the bow. Together, they're supposed to resemble a boat floating on the poker table.

Perhaps the most reasonable explanation is that the hand, 3-of-a-kind and a pair, was originally called a "full hand" and for reasons equally unknown, became a "full house." (One idea we like about "full house" concerns giving birth to triplets: “Three-of-a-kind gives a pair a full house.”) Since poker was played in the early days on riverboats, "house" made less sense to the players than "boat."

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Comments

O2bnVegas Apr-08-2024

cute!

Another gem from QoD.  Triplets...3OK and a pair makes a "full house."    

Love it.

Candy

Cal Apr-08-2024

Full House

Would it be a "Full Castle" if you had 3 kings and 2 queens?

Stewart Ethier Apr-08-2024

full to full house

As you noted, a full house was originally called a full, and according to James McManus' "Cowboys Full, the Story of Poker" (2009), the term full hand was used until the middle of the 20th century.  It should be possible to pin down more precisely the date when full house came into vogue by searching old editions of Hoyle, as well as mid-century poker books.

Thomas Dikens Apr-08-2024

FULL HOUSE / BOAT

I read somewhere that before about 1860 there were no straights or flushes in poker. While four of a kind was the best hand, its kicker was irrelevant. Thus the only hand that used all five cards was a trips and a pair. A full house / full boat somehow came out of that.  It is called a Tight where I come from (Maritimes of Canada).  When you draw to two pair, you are trying to "tighten up".

Thomas Dikens Apr-08-2024

Full Castle

Love the "Full Castle" name.  Whether it is the official name or not.  I will not employ it!  *** I read in some home games that have a hand that consists they have a hand of five face cards that beats trips. It is called "A Blaze".  Perhaps a type of full caster as well.

Thomas Dikens Apr-08-2024

Hand Order

I had read that American G. I."s in Britain where surprised that there a Straight beat a Flush.  I have asked some Brits at the table about it and they said it only applies to draw poker as when you draw one card to make a straight it is harder to get than a Flush as there are only 8 cards for the Straight and 9 for the Flush.  But it does not apply to Texas Hold'em where the flush wins.

Question of the Day - 08 April 2024

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