Top-10 poker hand nicknames named after people
10.) Dolly Parton
The pocket cards 9-5, either suited or offsuit. This hand name originates from the fact that celebrity songwriter Dolly Parton wrote the song "Nine to Five" and starred in a movie sharing the same name.
9.) Raquel Welch
The pocket cards 8-3, either suited or offsuit. The origin of this hand is open to debate. Some say it refers to 38, the age Welch always claimed she was. Others suggest the 38 refers to a certain measurement.
8.) Wayne Gretzky
A pair of nines in the hole; the hand 9-9. The name originates from the hockey player Wayne Gretzky, whose jersey number was 99.
7.) Darth Vader
The pocket cards 4s-4c. The name originates from the phonetic similarity between "dark fours" and "dark force." The villian Darth Vader was aligned with the dark force in the classic Star Wars movies.
6.) Rembrandt
Any game in which all face cards are wild. The name of this rules variation originates from the fact that face cards are often referred to as paint.
5.) Kojak
The pocket cards K-J, either suited or offsuit. The name originates from the television series Kojak, which ran on CBS from 1973 until 1978.
4.) Jackson Five
The pocket cards J-5 suited or offsuit. The name originates from the phonetic similarity of "Jacks and Fives" to the name of the musical group the Jackson Five.
3.) Doyle Brunson
The card combination 10-2 either suited or offsuit, used exclusively when these are held as pocket cards. This hand is named after the legendary poker personality Doyle Brunson. Mr. Brunson is widely understood to be one of the greatest poker players of all time. He won two consecutive World Series of Poker championships - in 1976 and 1977 - each with the starting hand 10-2. In both cases, he won the showdown with a full house, 10s full of 2s.
The pocket cards 10-4, either suited or offsuit. The nickname refers to actor Broderick Crawford's role as Chief Dan Mathews in the television series Highway Patrol, which aired from 1955 until 1959. The series was later rerun under the new name Ten-Four, referring to the radio code for "message received."
1.) Anna Kournikova
The pocket cards A-K, either suited or offsuit. The nickname originates partly from the former tennis pro's initials, A.K. In addition to playing on Kournikova's initials, the hand nickname also has roots in an analogy between the pro and the hand: They are both said to "look better than they play."