Poker Hand Nicknames

 You may be wondering in Texas hold em what beats what, and even though you understand poker hand ranking and the poker hand names (like flush and straight) you may be completely confused when playing Texas holdem because of the Texas holdem poker hand nicknames - things like Dead Man’s Hand, and Gay Waiter. The good news is that Texas holdem starting hands and the poker hand names all carry the same value of the poker hand ranking you are used to.

So when it comes to in Texas hold em what beats what, it’s the same in most poker games. It just comes down to you getting comfortable with the poker hand nicknames so that you know what you are playing with - or more realistically, what other people are playing with.

Texas holdem starting hands

Poker hand ranking does not come into play here, and you don’t have to worry in Texas hold em what beats what when it comes to starting hands, because the showdown between hands comes later. Most of the poker hand nicknames come from Texas holdem starting hands, by the way. Pocket Rockets are two aces, Fishooks are two jacks, Ducks are two Dueces and so on. Sometimes the names seem a bit contrived, like “A Royal Wedding” for a king and queen, but names like “Sailboats” for a pair of fours makes sense, because the angle of the number 4 on the card looks a bit like a sail.Texas holdem starting hands aside there are other poker hand nicknames.

For example, Dead Man’s Hand comes from holding a pair of eights with a pair of aces, because that was the hand that a famous cowboy was holding when he was shot dead during a game of poker.

Poker hand names

The hand names that are based on poker hand ranking are High Card, Pair, Two Pair, Three of a Kind, Straight, Flush, Full House, Four of a Kind and Straight Flush.

Variants on Poker hand names

Three of a Kind can be called “trips” or a set. A low straight from 2 to 6 is called a baby straight or a wheel.A Full House is sometimes called a boat or full boat, Four of a Kind is often called Quads and if a Straight Flush is made up of Ten through Ace it is called a Royal Flush.

So the next time you ask yourself in Texas hold em what beats what, just keep in mind that the value of the poker hands are just what you would expect them to be, even if the names may sound a little strange. And don’t worry, people who play poker love the game and all the nicknames that are a part of it, and they love to share their expertise (as long as it wont cost them chips!) So if you get a little flustered when someone’s set gets cracked by a pair of ladies that turned into a full boat, just ask.