Poker Nicknames – A Look at the Top Legends

Poker is a colourful game with many larger-than-life players. The game sets itself apart through of its unique culture and history, and that continues into the modern game. Nicknames are a significant part of poker.

While some poker nicknames may be more or less honorary titles, other players are referred to more often by their nickname then their given name.

With so many intriguing characters and interesting personalities, here is a complete guide of poker player nicknames.

Poker Nickname Styles

Nicknames in poker tend to be pretty creative on the whole. Hours and hours at the table allow for players to banter and joke. Some unusual nicknames have come about through the decades from that chit chat and idle time catching cards.

Personal Traits and History

This format might be a prominent driver behind nickname creation. Fairly obvious physical and personal traits can quickly become a player’s nickname. From height to intellect to playing style, personality traits can be a natural inspiration for easy player nicknames.

The game’s old days offer several examples of some unique aliases for some of poker’s legendary figures. Bryan “Sailor” Roberts won the World Series of Poker Main Event in 1975. Sailor was a travelling companion to Doyle Brunson and Amarillo Slim Preston. He accompanied them to underground games throughout Texas and the Southwest U.S. He earned his nickname after serving in the Korean War in the U.S. Navy.

Another Texas poker legend has a memorable nickname and is immortalised by one of the best-known sayings in poker. Jack Straus towered over his opponents – and he was pretty good at the table as well. Straus is believed to have stood 6 feet, 6 inches tall, earning him the nickname “Treetop.”

He won the 1982 WSOP Main Event after a big raise that had believed to have been for all his chips. He lost the hand. However, a single 500 chip was discovered under a napkin at the table, and he rallied for the win – inspiring the phrase: “All you need is a chip and a chair.” He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1988 and is said to have died at the table that same year.

“He was perhaps the most aggressive player of his era,” says Mike Sexton, former World Poker Tour commentator and a member of the Poker Hall of Fame. “It seemed like he played more hands than Phil Ivey and Tom ‘Durrrr’ Dwan combined! His demeanour at the table was superb. He never moaned about beats, criticised the dealers, or chastised opponents on how they played a hand.”

Another player certainly with a unique nickname is long-time poker pro. Phil “The Unabomber” Laak. He’s been a mainstay in the poker world since the 2000s and was once a roommate of friend and fellow poker player Antonio Esfandiari. Laak earned his nickname because of his resemblance to the famous artist’s rendering of criminal bomber Ted Kaczynski. Laak’s look in a hoodie and sunglasses made him look the part.

While Laak is much more jovial and crime-free than the infamous murderer, he is known to go “bombs away” at the poker table. His former roommate Esfandiari, who has made quite a name for himself at the poker table, also has an unusual nickname. As a former practitioner of card tricks and other sleights of hand, the three-time WSOP and two-time WPT champion has been nicknamed “The Magician” for years. He certainly has some card skills at the poker table as well.

Signs of Respect

Another nickname style tends to serve as an accolade to players with stellar careers and skills. Perhaps one of the most storied is Texas poker legend Johnny Moss, a three-time WSOP Main Event winner who won the first-ever two events. He became one of the most respected players in poker.

A poker legend who was elected to the Poker Hall of Fame in 1979 (the inaugural year of the institution), Moss went on to win nine WSOP bracelets before his death in 1995 at age 88. For his contributions to the game, Moss earned the moniker of the “Grand Old Man of Poker.” His biography was released in 1981 and was titled “Champion of Champions.” Moss was remembered for his abilities in almost any game available.

“A gambler has to be able to play any game that’s available,” he notes in the book. “In an otherwise even contest, the man with the best concentration will almost always win.”

Mike Caro has been a poker player for many years but may be known best for his strategy lessons to other players. He runs the Mike Caro University of Poker (MCU) offering free tips and advice for players working on their games. Caro wrote the draw poker section for Doyle Brunson’s famous strategy book Super-System.

He was also a long-time columnist and has become known as the “Mad Genius of Poker” for his knowledge of the game. His wild hair adds a bit to that nickname as well.

Many players know Barry Greenstein not just for his success on the poker felt, but also his efforts in charitable giving. With three WSOP bracelets, two WPT titles, and almost $8.4 million in live tournament winnings, Greenstein has quite an impressive poker resumé. After growing up in the Chicago area, he earned a doctorate degree in mathematics and went on to work for the Symantec software corporation.

After leaving his job in 1991 at age 36, Greenstein went on to an illustrious poker career but gives much of his winnings away to charitable causes, many benefitting children. After winning $770,000 in a Seven-Card Stud event in 2003, he donated $440,000 of that to charity and for years has been known as the “Robin Hood of Poker.” He became a member of the Poker Hall of Fame in 2011 and offered a glimpse into the philanthropic side of the game.

Geographic Locations, Nationality, and Heritage

While these may be natural nickname creations, those implying or reflecting on a player’s country, hometown, state, or region are some of the monikers that stick. Doyle “Texas Dolly” Brunson is a fitting nickname. He grew up in the Lone Star State and earned the nickname from Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder, who referred to him as Texas Doyle in his column in the Las Vegas Sun during the early 1970s.

“At the time I was trying to avoid publicity because of the stigma attached to gambling back in Texas,” Brunson wrote in his autobiography The Godfather of Poker. “Jimmy and I became pretty good friends, and I asked him not to use my last name. He agreed, saying Texas Doyle would work fine.”

Snyder often referred to his friend as “Doylee,” which was overheard by another reporter at the time – who misheard it as “Dolly.” The name Texas Dolly stuck and was even used in a report by the Associated Press shortly after.

Numerous geography and location related names for poker players exist. Thomas Preston won the 1972 WSOP Main Event and was forever known as “Amarillo Slim” for his thin build and hometown.  Danish poker star Gus Hansen is known as the “Great Dane.” The name seems fitting after he scored millions of dollars in cash game winnings, three WPT titles, and one WSOP bracelet. Hansen was one of the biggest names in the game during the poker boom.

“Cowboy” is a nickname given to a couple southerners who donned Cowboys hats at the table: Byron Wolford and Hoyt Corkins. The name fit both players for their attire but also where they grew up: Alabama (Corkins) and Texas (Wolford). Two-time Main Event champion Johnny Chan won back-to-back Main Event titles in 1987 and 1988. He fled China as a young man before going on to poker glory and became known as “The Orient Express.”

Phil Ivey was once known as “No Home Jerome,” a nickname Ivey earned as a youngster on the Atlantic City poker scene. He regularly mixed it up in games at the Taj Mahal and Tropicana with a fake ID showing his name as Jerome. The nickname came together because he was always at the poker room and never seemed to leave.

Online Poker Aliases and Other Unique Names 

While historically poker nicknames have followed the trends already listed above, the poker boom brought about another type of nickname – the online poker alias. Several players dominating the scene online became more recognised for their online usernames than their real name.

One of those is Canadian Mike “Timex “ McDonald. A dominating online player since age 18, Timex has $13.3 million in live tournament winnings but has much more with online winnings considered. He grew up in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, and excelled at maths from an early age.

After discovering poker as a teenager, that analytical mind paid big dividends. On his 22nd birthday, McDonald won the now-defunct Epic Poker League’s second event in Las Vegas at the Palms Casino for $782,410. But what about that online poker alias? How did that unique nickname come about? It has a bit less of an interesting story than some others here, but stuck, nonetheless.

“I just chose the first thing that came to mind,” he says, “and looked down at my Timex watch – and it wasn't taken yet.”

Like McDonald, another big online crusher, Tom Dwan, is also stuck with a unique poker nickname that became synonymous with the player. “Durrrr” may be well-known now for high-stakes cash games in Asia but was also one of the online poker savants depicted in the excellent book Ship It Holla Ballas! by Jonathan Grotenstein and Storms Reback.

Dwan has $3.4 million in live tournament winnings but much more in cash games, both live and online, where he’s won millions of dollars. According to an interview with Dwan, he chose the nickname because “durrrr” seemed like a name that could annoy opponents. He wanted the name to leave a bad taste in their mouths after a loss.

Viktor Blom is another player with a unique online alias that stuck. Blom has made millions of dollars playing online, and his moniker “Isildur1” has become well-known in the poker world. This Swedish poker sensation played at the highest stakes in the world beginning in the late 2000s. He’s played in some of the biggest online pots in the history of the game.

This high-stakes player battled the biggest names in the game online including Dwan, Phil Ivey, Patrik Antonius, Brian Hastings, and others. Fans of author J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings may recognise the inspiration behind Blom’s alias. It was quite a bit more inventive than his original online nickname of “Blom90.”

Poker Players Nickname Chart

* age of player at death

NA – age not available