Best Poker Players Nicknames
8 years ago13 Mar
When it comes to nicknames, everybody hopes that theyâll get one that sounds cool, or dangerous, or â at the very least â one that's not offensive, negative, or just plain crap! Because nicknames stick with you, and become part of your life whether you like them or not!
Just ask basketball legend Earvin âMagicâ Johnson (as cool a name as any) or heavyweight boxer Audley âFraudleyâ Harrison (hardly how a fighter wants to be seen) or soccer player Nicolas âThe Incredible Sulkâ Anelka (yet another reason for the Frenchman to be unhappy!).
When it comes to poker nicknames, there are very few players who donât sport at least one. It kind of goes with the territory, harking back to the days when smoky back-rooms and small-time hoods were part and parcel of the game.
Jimmy âThe Greekâ is a name just as likely to be found in a gangster movie as it is in a poker tournament, and it has an âedgyâ ring to it â much more so than James George Snyder Senior as he was known formally (not to mention his original Greek name of Dimetrios Georgios Synodinos!).
Where are you from?
There are plenty of poker pros who have nicknames taken from their country of birth, and generally itâs a safe bet with few negative connotations, but although âThe Flying Dutchmanâ (Marcel Luske) and âThe Great Daneâ (Gus Hansen) can be satisfied, Patrick Antoniusâ nom de plume of âthe Finnâ is about as dull as it gets! Johnny Chan gets a good one though â âThe Orient Expressâ, although most of the Far East nicknames have a certain attractive mystique to them, such as David âThe Dragonâ Pham, whose rail are prone to shout âYou on fire!â whenever he wins a big hand.
Of course, towns and cities can give names a certain little boost, and even though âGrand Rapids Tomâ (Tom McEvoy) isnât too great, nor is John âMiamiâ Cernuto, where would we be without âAmarillo Slimâ (the poker equivalent of âMinnesota Fats') or âTexas Dollyâ (Doyle Brunson, whose famous pseudonym was given by Jimmy The Greek nonetheless, who struggled to pronounce the âGrandfather of Pokerâsâ name back in the day).
Looks can kill
This is always a dubious area for nicknames, unless youâre born from good genetic stock! Still, being named âthe Bald Eagleâ(Steve Zolotow) has a decent ring to it, even though resembling the actual bird itself is a mixed blessing at best.
Jack âTreetopâ Straus gained his name from his towering 6â 6â frame, which had allegedly seen him play college basketball, although no records can be found to confirm this. What we do know, though, is that the famous poker saying âa chip and a chairâ probably came about as a result of his 1982 WSOP Main Event win. Down to one chip (a $25 or a $500 chip, depending on whose account you believe) Straus fought his way back to take the title and $520,000.
Poker Hall of Famer Crandell Addington, one of the founding fathers of the WSOP, was always referred to as âDandyâ on account of his impeccable dress-sense: a suit and tie at the table reflecting the millionaire businessmanâs sense of propriety.
Another nickname based on looks is Chris âJesusâ Ferguson, although kicking the money-lenders out probably isnât top of the legendary poker proâs to-do list! And as the original Jesus likely wasnât a cowboy, itâs really just the long hair, long face combo which christened him for poker eternity.
Youth has always had a big influence on nicknames, with the most famous from the old-school being Stu âThe Kidâ Ungar, although 2009 WSOP Main Event champion Joe Cada also sports this name. Unless, however, Cada is Ungarâs kid, then I suggest he change his nickname â there is definitely only one Ungar in the poker world! Daniel âKid Pokerâ Negreanu has found a way around this copycat-naming, however.
Actions speak louder than words
Or at least, they reflect them in the poker community. Speaking of actions, Dan âAction Danâ Harrington only deserves his nickname in the ironic sense, his very safe and responsible approach to the game being a source of mirth for those who named him.
âMister Coolâ, aka Ihsan âSammyâ Farha, fully deserves his title â always dressing well and sitting unperturbed at the table. The unlit cigarette he has perpetually hanging from his lips, however, is now only cool in the retro world of 60âs film stars â but itâs as much a part of him as his âcoolâ demeanor.
Being known as the âRobin Hood of Pokerâ must be a great feeling â itâs hard for people to dislike you if, as Barry Greenstein has done for years, you donate your tournament winnings to charity. Although perhaps this Robin has had to tighten his belt as the last 10 years has seen only his net earnings given to good causes. Or perhaps itâs the Sheriff of Nottinghamâs taxes to blame for this newer approach?).
Never lose it
Although nicknames tend to stay with a player throughout their career, some have come from a time before they made it to the green felt.
ElkY, for example, is the well-known moniker for Bertrand Grospelier, but if you have no idea (like me) where this nickname came from, you might be surprised to learn that itâs from his younger days when he was a top WarCraft and StarCraft player. ElkY in fact being the short version of his RPG character âElkantarâ. So now you know.
Jennifer Leigh is another to have carried her old nickname over into poker, âJennicideâ being her online alias from the bulletin boards of her youth. 1973 Main Event winner Walter âPuggyâ Pearson had a childhood accident to blame for his canine nickname, although Puggy is somewhat better than the âPuggy-Wuggyâ some used for him.
Todd Brunsonâs âDarkHorseâ name, from when he won an early event as an outside be,t has stuck with him all through his career, as has Rafe âFurstOutâ Furstâs after his memorable (though he probably hates being reminded of it) early bust out back in the 2003 WSOP Main Event.
Whatâs in a Name?
Some fortunate poker players have ended up with nicknames which would make most jealous, such as the recently-departed Dave âDevilfishâ Ulliott, fellow Englishman Ram âCrazyHorseâ Vaswami or Carlos âEl Matadorâ Mortensen - names which convey an aggression and fearless attitude, both very positive poker characteristics.
Somewhat less intimidating are the likes of Allen âClever Piggyâ Cunninham, Greg âFossilmanâ Raymer or Bobby âThe Owlâ Baldwin â they just donât compare to the likes of Erik âSeiborgâ Seidel or Jerry âThe Shadowâ Yang in the scary-named opponents stakes!
Names which could or should have beenâŚ
As mentioned previously, poker players donât often get to choose their nicknames â Mike âThe Mouthâ Matusow might be happy with his on occasion, but itâs come back to bite him more often than not, even if it has helped pay his way through sponsorship.
If we could re-name players, Matusow would likely become âPottyMouth Mikeâ, Phil âThe Tiger Woods of Pokerâ Ivey might fancy Phil âEdgeSorterâ Ivey and Howard âThe Professorâ Lederer would sound just fine as Howard âUnforgivenâ Lederer to most fans of the game.
The Unabomber? The Shark? The Monk? Have a guess at who these guys really are - the first at least ought to be simple for any poker buff worth his salt!
The Magician, The Master and The Mad Genius? Lookâem up if you donât know, and give them alternative nicknames if you can.
My own nickname? Well, Andy âwinninghorseâ Burnett works for me, but perhaps Andy âraisefoldloseâ Burnett is more appropriate!
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