22 – Ducks. The lowest of the pocket pairs, the bottom dwellers. Named Ducks because the 2 resembles the outline of a duck’s body.

33 – Treys or Crabs. Trey is derived from the Spanish word for three. Crabs comes from the fact that the number 3 rotated 180 degrees looks like a crab.

44 – Midlife Crisis or Sailboats. Named in honour of all those middle-aged (44) souls embarking on a midlife crisis. Sailboats derive from the fact that the number 4 resembles the sail of a boat. 44 is a middling hand that generally needs to hit a set to hold up.

55 – Speed Limit, 55 MPH. This one explains itself.

66 – Mario Lemieux. Named in honour of the Quebec born hockey superstar. Mario Lemieux made the number 66 famous during his hall of fame career with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

72 – The Whip. An acronym for the Worst Hand In Poker.

77 – Sunset Strip or Walking Sticks. Sunset Strip is derived from “77 Sunset Strip”, the TV series from the 50’s and 60’s. Walking Sticks comes from the fact that the number 7 turned upside down resembles a walking stick.

88 – Snowmen. So named because the number 8 looks like a snowman – a big, white, fluffy snowman with coal for eyes and a carrot for a nose. Awwwwww. Ain’t it cute?

95 – Dolly Parton. In honour of the 1980’s film Nine To Five, starring the big-titted country singer.

99 – Wayne Gretzky. The jersey number of Canadian hockey legend Wayne Gretzky – hockey’s all-time leading scorer and the best player to ever lace up the skates. This hand gained immortality when Phil Hellmuth picked up two black nines and crippled Johnny Chan in the 1989 WSOP Main Event, on his way to becoming the youngest World Champion in history.

10 2 – Doyle Brunson. Named after the poker legend, who won two consecutive World Championships with this hand when he made tens full of twos.

J5 – Motown. In honour of the record label and Detroit music scene that spawned the Jackson Five.

JJ – Fish Hooks. So named because the letter J resembles a fishhook. Pocket jacks are a holding that many people hate - strong enough to play hard but extremely vulnerable to any Q, K or A that hits the board.

QQ – Hilton Sisters, Ladies or Bitches Also Siegfried and Roy. Hilton Sisters refers to the party-hopping socialite sluts, Paris and Nicky Hilton. Pocket queens are Ladies (and sometimes Lovely Ladies) if they hold up and win, and Bitches if they get cracked. Siegfried and Roy is an homage to the famously fruity Vegas performers (a couple of queens).

KJ – Kojak. Named after the famous TV detective, played by the cue-ball headed actor Telly Savalas –  “Who loves ya baby?” This is another hand that actually looks a lot better than it plays.

KK – Cowboys. KK is the second best starting hand in Hold’Em, behind only two aces in the hole. KK is a hand that 99% of all players will commit their chips with before the flop. Only the very top pros will be able to fold this hand before the community cards come out, and even then it is a very rare occurrence.

AJ – Apple Jack. Jack is a jack, and apple is slang for an ace. Apple Jack is a popular children’s cereal and Jack Daniels cocktail for the adventurous drinker.

AQ – Big Chick. A takeoff of Big Slick (AK), so named because of the queen. AQ has been a nemesis to Phil Ivey when he picks up this hand at WPT final tables, either crippling or eliminating him several times.

AK – Big Slick or (more recently) Anna Kournikova. Big Slick is a reference to the fact that AK is a slippery hand that gets many players in trouble (an ace or a king will only hit the flop one out of every three times). Anna Kournikova is a tribute to the super-hot female tennis player – she looks so pretty but never wins, much like AK. There are many ways to play AK, and this is certainly a hand that makes or breaks many players’ tournaments.

AA – American Airlines, Bullets or Rockets. American Airlines refers to the similarity between the two red aces and the famed airline’s logo. Bullets allude to the fact that when a player turns over two aces, it sends a bullet through the heart of their opponent. And Rockets simply refers to the fact that the aces resemble the outline of a rocket. Pocket aces are the very best hand in all of Hold’Em, and under no circumstance should they be folded. Ever.