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Here’s a list of common poker hand rankings from highest to lowest, along with some popular nicknames for specific hands:
- Royal Flush: The highest hand possible, consisting of the ace, king, queen, jack, and ten all of the same suit. No nicknames are commonly associated with this hand because of its rarity and prestige.
- Straight Flush: Five consecutive cards of the same suit. For example, 9-8-7-6-5 of clubs. Sometimes called by specific names if the sequence starts with a higher card, like a “Steel Wheel” for a straight flush that runs from A-2-3-4-5.
- Four of a Kind (Quads): Four cards of the same rank and one side card or ‘kicker’. For example, four aces. Specific nicknames include “Quad Aces” or “Pocket Rockets” if all four aces are in hand.
- Full House (Boat): Three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank. For example, three 8s and two 4s, often referred to as “eights full of fours”. A common nickname for a full house with aces and kings is “Aces full”.
- Flush: Five cards of the same suit, not in sequence. For example, all hearts. A flush might be referred to by its highest card, such as a “King-high flush”.
- Straight: Five consecutive cards of different suits. For example, 5-6-7-8-9. A straight that includes an ace can be “Ace-high” or, if the ace is used as a 1, a “Five-high” straight or “Wheel”.
- Three of a Kind (Trips or Set): Three cards of the same rank and two unrelated side cards. For example, three 7s. Known as “Trips” when you have one card in your hand and two on the board, and a “Set” if you have two in your hand and one on the board.
- Two Pair: Two cards of one rank, two cards of another rank, and one side card. For example, two jacks and two 6s. Sometimes referred to by the higher pair, such as “Jacks up” if jacks are the higher pair.
- One Pair: Two cards of the same rank and three unrelated side cards. For example, two aces, known as “Pocket Rockets” or “American Airlines”.
- High Card: Any hand that does not qualify as any of the above hands. It’s referred to by the highest card in the hand, such as “King High”.
Other notable hand nicknames include:
- Two Aces: “Pocket Rockets” or “Bullets”
- Two Kings: “Cowboys” or “King Kong”
- Two Queens: “Ladies” or “Dames”
- Two Jacks: “Hooks” or “Fishhooks”
- Two Tens: “Dimes”
- Ace-King (suited): “Big Slick”
- Ace-King (off-suit): “Anna Kournikova” (looks good but rarely wins)
