The Folklore of Poker

A Survey in Modern Folklore

 

From American Folklore, ©1999 by Donald W. Gillette

 

 

          The game of poker most certainly evolved from earlier card games; however, it is believed to have been first played in the United States on Mississippi riverboats.  The memoirs of British actor Joseph Crowell touring American in 1829 describe a game being played in New Orleans in which each player received five cards and made bets; however, the first direct reference to poker is found in An Exposure of the Arts and Miseries of Gambling, a book written by Johnathan H. Green in 1843.  Green described poker games on a steamer running between New Orleans and Louisville and indicated that poker began in New Orleans about 1830.

          There are two main forms of poker; straight poker and draw poker, but the variations on these two forms are as limitless as human imagination.  Every week, millions of poker players lose more money collectively than many nations spend in a year which suggests a large majority of the population is familiar with the game.

          This paper will analyze several of the uniquely traditional aspects of the game of poker, drawing on both interviews and personal participation, emphasizing the folkloristic qualities the game has developed through its 150 year history.

          Poker lore appears to be broken down into three distinct categories:  the naming of the various cards in the standard 52 card deck, the naming of different poker sets or “hands”, and the myriad variations on the two main forms of poker.

          In an attempt to discover the extent of poker lore in modern oral culture, a questionnaire was made available to the 545 members of the 3^rd Battalion, 109^th Armor, Tennessee Army National Guard.  Of the 212 questionnaires taken, 114 were returned.  Of these 114 responses, 90 were culled for inclusion in this paper.  The others were discarded for various (mostly pornographic) reasons.  Of the 90 responses, the mean age was 29.5, the average military rank was E-5 (Sergeant), and there was no direct correlation in either regional context or civilian occupational context.

          Listed below are the cards in a poker deck along with the various names given them by respondents:

 

TRADITIONAL NAMES OF CARDS IN A POKER DECK

 

 

          *The “Suicide King” (King of Hearts) is so named because the character is holding a sword above his shoulder giving the appearance of stabbing himself in the head.

          **The depiction of the Queen as a woman with a morally casual attitude suggests a certain exclusiveness in the masculinity of the game.

          ***The “One-eyed Jack” is so named because his character is in profile, exhibiting only one eye.  Other characters exhibited in profile are known as “one-eyes”.

****The four of clubs.

 

There are several similarities in the naming of the cards; the implied familiarity with “face cards” suggesting anthropomorphism (Bull, Stud, Lady, Jackson, etc.), the reference to places (Decatur and Carolina), the addition of the “-er” to lengthen a one syllable word to two and enhance verbalization, and the rhyming of cards (Eighter from Decatur and Fours, whores, and moustache growers).

The origins of the naming of cards in a poker deck are unclear; however, the reasons for the names are usually inherent in the card of the card’s characterization.

The Ace of Spades is shaped somewhat like a bullet and is the highest card in a poker deck, thus, “Bull”, “Bullet”, and “Big Boy” are appropriate.  It would appear that terms referring to the Ace of Spades lent themselves to all cards of the same value, obliterating the differences in suits.  An exception to this rule is the name of the Ace of Clubs, which may also be referred to as a “Puppy Foot” owing to its configuration.

The King, a decidedly masculine character, has decidedly masculine names.  “Cowboy”, “K-Boy”, “Stud”, and “The Man” all infer the King’s place as the patriarch of the poker deck.  The King is also representative of the highest male office possible--he rules the deck as the supreme characterization and while he can be beaten by an Ace, an Ace is not characterized by human form.

The Queen is often referred to in terms which would be unsavory in mixed company.  “Bitch”, “Slut”, “Whore”, and “Baby” have negative connotations that suggest the masculine dominance perceived in the game of poker.  The Queen is a welcome card in the game to be sure, and the names given her suggest she is “right at home” in a game for men in much the same way a woman of questionable morals would be welcome in a locker room.

The Jack is another masculine figure in the deck; however he is given names to indicate his youth such as “J-Boy” or “Jake”.  These names, while still indicating familiarity, are not as regal as the names given the King, the Jack’s only male counterpart in the deck.

The names of the lesser cards decline in both familiarity and number to the point of merely adding a syllable (-er) to some and excluding some from the naming process altogether.  The physical appears of a card leads to imaginative naming as in the case of the Jack (fishhook), the nine (pothook), the seven (hockey stick) and the eight (racetrack).

Notable exceptions to this lack of differentiation in names are the rhyming names given to the eight (Eighter from Decatur or Eight, Skate, and Donate) and the nine (Niner from Caroliner).  The origin of these two rhymes can be traced to the game of dice or “craps").  The most probably theory of their usage in naming poker cards is in the cross-over of gamblers from one game of chance to another, bringing with them terms common to both games.

In addition to those cards shown above, there are names given individual cards in the deck which depend entirely on their suit.  For example, the two of spades is known as the “Curse of Mexico” for unknown reasons.  The nine of diamonds is known as the “Curse of Scotland”, according to one source, because of an implied connection between the card and Mary, Queen of Scots.  When jokers are used in the game of poker they are called “Freaks” or “Bugs”.

Poker sets or “hands” share the phenomenon of naming with the individual cards themselves, often surpassing card naming in their originality and implied history.  The following list is a ranking of poker sets from the highest to the lowest with the commonly used name for the hand:

 

 POKER SETS BY ORDER OF PRIORITY

 

 

The unique characteristics of naming hands in a poker game are not necessarily visible when used for winning hands; rather the uniqueness comes in naming hands that consist of specific cards in the deck or in naming those hands that are not winning sets, in other words, the sets that “don’t quite make it.”

If the player hoped to have a flush, but failed by one card, he might refer to his hand as a “Toilet Flush” or a “Monkey Flush”.  The so-called “Arkansas Flush” is an incomplete flush with only four of the five cards in the same suit, giving vent to the player’s feelings concerning the State of Arkansas or possibly alluding to Arkansas’s early alliance with New Orleans as a French trade center.

Certain hands have their own names such as the “Bicycle”, a straight with an Ace, one, two, three, four, and five.  A “Blaze Full” is a full house using only picture or “face cards”.  Four queens are often referred to as “Stenographers”, again exhibiting the chauvinism inherent in the game.  A high value hand, usually consisting of Aces and “face cards” is referred to as a “Holy City” and the appearance of three Kings in a hand might tempt the player to name his hand “Ku Klux Klan” for obvious reasons.

One of the most unusual names for a hand supposedly traces its origin to Deadwood, South Dakota.  According to the survey, six respondents named a poker set consisting of Aces and eights (two pair) or Aces and eights (full house) the “Dead man’s hand.”  The reasons given were the same:  In 1876, when Wild Bill Hickock was shot and killed during a poker game, he was holding the “Dead man’s hand”.  An interesting note is the name given to cards already played in a deck—those cards are referred to as “Deadwood”.

The two basic forms of poker, straight poker and stud poker, are governed by strict rules but players often depart from these rules in inventing games that do not fit the mold of the accepted games.  The addition of a “wild card” or joker (which can be adapted to any value or suit desired by its holder) is recognized as a viable deviant in poker, but there are a significant number of variants to the game which use a “wild card” or cards in their rules.  It is interesting to note the variation being played is left to the discretion of the dealer and the dealer changes after each hand.  It is not uncommon to have the deck pass to a dealer who will announce "Double Mac!" and proceed to deal.  After that hand is played, the next dealer may announce, "Low Hole, Roll Your Own!", and an entirely different variation is played.  Seldom does a player require instruction in the specific rules of any certain variation.

Straight poker or “draw poker” is played by dealing each participant five cards, face down.  The player looks at his cards and then places a bet on his chance of winning the hand.  After bets are made, the player may choose up to three cards in his hand for which he wishes replacements from the deck.  He then relinquishes the cards and receives a like number from the dealer.  Upon examining his new hand, bets are placed again and each player has the option to either match the bet of a previous player, withdraw from the round ("fold"), or “raise” the bet.  Once this procedure is finished, the remaining players match hands to determine the winner.

Stud poker is played by dealing each player two cards face down and an additional card face up.  The player examines his “hole” cards (those that are face down) and the player with the highest card showing places a bet.  The betting procedure continues around the table, again giving each player the option of matching the bet, folding his hand, or raising the bet.  This procedure is followed for the next three cards dealt face up.  The last card in the seven card hand is dealt face down and betting is done in a like fashion.  At the end of the round, players form their highest poker hand from five of the seven cards in the set, matching hands to determine the winner.  Stud poker can also be played with five cards, following much the same rules except that the last card of the five is dealt face up.

Of the variants in straight poker, the survey named twenty, including “wild card” games.  The rules listed in five of the twenty games were extremely complex (perhaps invented by respondents solely for inclusion in the survey) but corroboration existed in fifteen of the twenty.  Those fifteen variants are listed below along with a brief description of their exclusive rules:

 

VARIATIONS ON STRAIGHT (DRAW) POKER

 

 

          The names for the variations listed above, for the most part, are self-explanatory.  “Woolworth” is a game wherein fives and tens are wild and Woolworth's was originally a 5¢ and 10¢ store; “Rembrandt” is a game wherein all “face” cards are wild and Rembrandt is most renowned for his portraits.  There is nothing too difficult in deciphering the origins of the names from some of these variations, but games such as “Mexican Sweat”, with its wildly original rules, defy classification.  One can only guess at their origins.

          Of course, players are free to choose from the 52 cards in the poker deck to call “wild card” games such as “Deuces Wild” or “Suicide Kings Wild”, but rarely do players call games that do not fit into the pattern above.  For example, a player calling for a game in which sixes were the wild card would most likely be laughed from the table.

          Although the rules for stud poker appear to be somewhat more complex than those in straight poker, twenty-two variations on stud poker were reported in the survey, including three five-card stud variations.  The vast majority included “wild cards” in the rules as is shown in the following list of sixteen games reported:

 

 

VARIATIONS ON STUD POKER

 

 

Of the variations listed, sources indicate a variety of origins for the names used; “Heinz 57” has fives and sevens wild, named, or course, for the company with 57 varieties.  “Boo-Rah” is named as it is because is a player loses, he expresses dissatisfaction (Boo!) and if he wins, satisfaction (Rah!)  The game of “Chicago” appears to have racially prejudicial origins:  Chicago has a disproportionate number of blacks in the population.

          While some of the names of variations are easily traced, others have ambiguous origins.  For example, “Pa and Ma Ferguson” appears to have an ethnic origin, but the exact reason for the name is unclear.  “Tennessee Hold Me” points to origins in the Volunteer State and yet the game, with a slight deviation, is also known as “Omaha” or “Texas Hold ‘Em”.

          One respondent to the survey listed a variation called “V8 Ford Special”, wherein five cards are dealt to each player and eight cards are placed on the table in a “V” formation.  One side of the V is played for high and one side for low.  Originally, this variation was considered an invention, provided for the personal amusement of the respondent in answering the survey, but further research and interview proved that this variation does indeed exist and is played in Detroit, Michigan with regularity.

          While the majority of folklore surrounding the game of poker concerns the naming of cards, sets, and games, poker players have also devised a system of code words for actions normally occurring in the course of a game.  The survey results indicated upwards of 100 code words and some of the more colorful are provided in the following list:

 

FOLK SPEECH (CODE WORDS) COMMON IN POKER

 

 

 

          As is evident from the vast number of code words, the folk speech of poker, coupled with the frequent profanity, could possible convince the uninitiated they were in a foreign country.

          Once again, there is nothing too complicated about recognizing the origins of most of these code words; in fact, some have found their way into common usage exclusive of the game of poker.  To be “burned” is to lose or be swindled; a “natural” is usually a person adept at some specific task just as a “natural” hand is usually a winner.  “Penny-ante”, in ordinary usage, means cheap or inexpensive and a “pigeon” is an easy mark, playing poker or not.

          The oral folklore associated with the game of poker encompasses a large number of specific sub-types.  The game includes examples of naming, rhymes, folk poetry, legends, and folktales.  In addition, there are a number of instances of customary folklore in the game of poker, but the most prevalent is superstition.

          Some players, to change their luck, will rise and walk around their chair three times.  Some will leave the game for a period of time and then return.  Some have specific positions at the table and will not play if the position is occupied by another player, and most players feel that placing winnings in one’s pocket (“rat-holing”) before the end of the game will cause them to begin to lose.

          The superstitions associated with the game of poker appear to defy pinpoint classification in Wayland Hand’s system; rather, they classify in a number of categories.  The fourth category (economic and social relations) applies since the game of poker is actually a business operated for the main purpose of earning money and yet category nine, cosmic phenomenon (times, numbers, and seasons) would also seem to be applicable since there is a specific number of times the player must walk around his chair and a specific seat he must have to win.

          Overall, the game of poker is riddled with folklore, both oral and customary.  The limited survey presented herein provided a vast amount of folklore concerning the game but has only scratched the surface of the subculture or context of poker players.  In closing, I offer a comment included by one respondent to the request for poker legends:

          “I don’t know any.  I just like to run 'em.” 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

 

BELL, L. Michael.  “Cokelore,” Readings in American Folklore, ed. Jan Harold Brunvand.  New York:  W.W. North and Co., 1979.

 

BRUNVAND, Jan Harold.  The Study of American Folklore.  2^nd ed.  New York:  W.W. North and Co., 1978, 1968.

 

COFFIN, George Sturgis.  The Official Laws of Poker.  Baltimore:  Ottenhemer, 1978.

 

COTTON, John W., DUNCAN, Carl P., SPENCE, Janet T., and UNDERWOOD, Benton J.  Elementary Statistics.  NewYork:    

    The Meredith Corporation 1968.

 

DOWLING, Allen Nicholas.  Confessions of a Poker Player.  New York:  I. Washburn, Inc., 1940.

 

DUNDES, Alan.  Analytic Essays in Folklore.  The Hague and Paris:  Mouton, 1975.

 

DUNNINGER, Joseph.  Dunninger’s Book of Magic.  New York:  Bonanza Books, 1974.

 

JACOBY, O., et al.  The Fireside Book of Cards.  New York:  Simon and Schuster, 1957.

 

JACOBY, Oswald.  Winning Poker.  New York:  Perma-Books, 1940.

 

WILSON, William A.  “Folklore and History:  Fact Amid the Legends,” Readings in American Folklore, ed. Jan Harold

    Brunvand.  New York:  W.W. North and Co., 1979.