All Poker Nicknames at a Glance
| Player | Nickname | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Doyle Brunson | Texas Dolly | TV mispronunciation of “Texas Doyle” |
| Daniel Negreanu | Kid Poker | Won first WSOP bracelet at age 23 |
| Dave Ulliott | Devilfish | From his pool-playing days in Hull, England |
| Michael Mizrachi | The Grinder | Relentless work ethic at the table |
| Antonio Esfandiari | The Magician | Former professional magician |
| Barry Greenstein | Robin Hood of Poker | Donates tournament winnings to charity |
| Chris Ferguson | Jesus | Long hair, beard, thin stature |
| Humberto Brenes | The Shark | Carries a toy shark card protector |
| Phil Laak | Unabomber | Hoodie cinched so tight only eyes visible |
| Mike Matusow | The Mouth | Non-stop table talk and blowups |
| Steve Zolotow | The Bald Eagle | Self-explanatory appearance |
| Tom Dwan | durrrr | Online screen name — origin unknown |
| Viktor Blom | Isildur1 | Lord of the Rings character |
| Bertrand Grospellier | ElkY | From his StarCraft gaming career |
| Dan Cates | Jungleman12 | Online screen name — became his identity |
Why Poker Players Have Nicknames
One reason for the incredible number of poker nicknames may be the extremely individual nature of the game as opposed to team activities.
Perhaps it’s simply the creative byproduct of long hours and late nights with the same characters at the table.
Besides, doesn’t “Amarillo Slim” sound much more like a hustlin’ rounder than Thomas?
Here’s the kicker: Poker names don’t need to be nicknames to be recognized as great.
Notable no-nickname poker pros include Phil Ivey, Chip Reese, and T.J. Cloutier. Those are some cool poker names that don’t need alteration.
To accompany my list of famous , the following list contains most of the well-known poker player nicknames. Keep reading after the list for the stories behind the nicknames.
Poker nicknames predate the TV era. In the underground games of Texas and New York, players earned names from their peers — based on their style, their appearance, their hometown, or something they did at the table. The best nicknames stuck for decades.
The Most Famous Poker Nicknames
There are a number of well known poker nicknames both from the old days and from the more recent history.
Doyle “Texas Dolly” Brunson
To begin with the obvious one, there is Doyle Brunson, also called ‘The Godfather of Poker’. The first one is just a combination of his first name and place of birth, while the second one was ascribed to Brunson because of his contributions to the game of poker.
His Super System revolutionized the game forever, uncovering many well-kept secrets of the game to the general public, so his ‘Godfather’ title is well-deserved.
Daniel “Kid Poker” Negreanu
A famous nickname of somewhat newer date belongs to none other than Daniel Negreanu. In poker circles and among the fans, he is known as ‘Kid Poker.’ Negreanu got involved with the game very early and was often the youngest player at the table.
In 1998, the Canadian made his debut at the and managed to win a $2,000 Pot Limit Omaha event. Only 23 at the time, he became the youngest WSOP bracelet winner and was named ‘Kid Poker’ by his peers. The nickname stuck to this very day and Daniel clearly loved it as he has been using it as his online alias for a very long time.
Dave “Devilfish” Ulliott
Dave “Devilfish” Ulliott is one of the poker legends who are sadly no longer with us. As for how he got his nickname, according to the man himself, it happened by accident. Just like in other walks in life, sometimes people will call one another a certain name at the table and it will stick.
One night, Ulliott was playing in his regular game, applying his usual and unpredictable style, when all of a sudden another regular told him he was a real devilfish.
Dave was confused for a moment, as this was the very first time he heard the expression. His friend explained that it was a particular species of Japanese blow-fish which had to be prepared just right before serving, otherwise its poison could kill you. Ulliott took liking to his newly found nickname and became one and only ‘Devilfish.’
Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi
If you are a poker fan, you must have heard about “The Grinder”. Although this is also a common poker term, as a nickname it belongs to none other than Michael Mizrachi. Mizrachi has been playing poker professionally since early 2000’s and has had impressive results, amassing close to $15,000,000 in live tournament earnings.
There is no particular mystery behind his nickname – it came mostly because the other players took notice of his ability to grind long hours at the tables day in and day out.
Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari
Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari got his nickname thanks to his profession prior to taking on poker as a full-time gig. Yup, you guessed it right, Antonio was a professional magician, performing tricks in California and, apparently, earning decent money doing it.
It was only later that he discovered poker and fell in love with it. In a number of interviews he has given, Antonio has often emphasized how the skills he has developed doing magic have helped him a lot at the tables.
On occasion, you will see “The Magician” pulling the old rabbit out of the hat and performing a trick or two between hands, to the delight of his fellow players and spectators.
Barry Greenstein – “The Robin Hood of Poker”
One of the best known faces on the circuit, Barry Greenstein is known as the “Robin Hood of Poker”. Barry earned his nickname for selflessly giving away a large portion of his significant tournament earnings to various charities.
Since cash games have always been Greenstein’s bread and butter and, according to numerous reports, he’s done very well for himself over the years, he decided that giving up a part of his tournament winnings to those less fortunate was the right move.
If you are wondering why “Robin Hood” and not some other historical figure, it’s probably because Barry has been “robbing” his rich opponents for years, but instead of using the bow and arrow, he uses his intellect and superior skills.
Daniel Negreanu’s “Kid Poker” stuck because he won his first bracelet at 23. Doyle Brunson’s “Texas Dolly” was actually a TV commentator’s mispronunciation of “Texas Doyle” that became permanent. The best nicknames are never planned.
The Funniest Poker Nicknames
Yes, there are quite a few funny poker nicknames. Some of them are self-evident, some of them not so much unless you know the story behind them.
Chris “Jesus” Ferguson
For example, Chris Ferguson’s nickname is not hard to guess. His long hair, coupled with his calm, composed, and almost unnoticeable presence at the tables have inspired poker fans to dub him “Jesus”.
He was also one of the founding fathers of the doomed Full Tilt Poker, which previously defrauded players. Ferguson returned to the WSOP in 2016 and controversially won WSOP Player of the Year in 2017.
Humberto “The Shark” Brenes
On the other hand, Humberto “The Shark” Brenes didn’t get his nickname so much for his superior skills at the tables but more because of his shark-shaped card protector, which has become his trademark.
If you’ve never seen Brenes in action, I suggest you check some of YouTube clips and everything will become clear. Humberto and his shark have been known for putting up quite a performance at the tables.
Phil “Unabomber” Laak
Phil Laak, also known as “Unabomber” has earned his nickname because of his peculiar dressing style. Always wearing dark hoodies while playing and covering his head almost entirely with a hood and sunglasses, Laak was likened to the police sketch of Ted Kaczynski, the notorious terrorist (dubbed Unabomber by the media) who was involved in a number of bombings that took place between 1978 and 1995. Not so flattering, but nicknames often aren’t.
Mike “The Mouth” Matusow
One we all know and love (or hate, depending on your take on poker) is Mike Matusow. While there is no mystery whatsoever as why his fellow players would dub Matusow “The Mouth” it is still funny because we all know that Mike just can’t help himself.
He is one of a few players who will always share what’s on their heart at the moment, regardless of consequences. Although his mouth has gotten him in trouble on occasion, we all know he’s never going to change.
Steve “The Bald Eagle” Zolotow
Two-time WSOP bracelet winner Steve Zolotow is known as “The Bald Eagle” in the poker world because, well, his peers think he looks like a bald eagle. It’s up there as one of my favorite nicknames just because it’s sort of obscure but also kind of perfect.
Laak earned his nickname by wearing a hoodie cinched so tight only his eyes were visible — resembling the famous FBI sketch. It’s arguably the most politically incorrect nickname in poker, which is exactly why it stuck.
Online Poker Nicknames
As online poker has started to gain prominence, so have the nicknames of players connected to it. Those who achieved significant success at the virtual felt, although often anonymous, would become stars over night. Since these online aliases were frequently the only thing the railbirds knew about their new heroes, their importance was thus augmented.
Tom “durrrr” Dwan
The notorious Tom “durrrr” Dwan, one of poker’s most famous online screen names, stole the attention of the poker public a few years ago. There were numerous theories about the origin of his strange-sounding “durrrr” nickname until he finally explained it in an interview.
The only reasoning behind it was that he believed it would annoy and tilt his poker opponents online. If his results are anything to go by, he at least partially succeeded in his plan.
Viktor “Isildur1” Blom
Viktor “Isildur1” Blom was an online enigma for a long time as no one knew the identity of the man (or woman) clicking buttons behind the screen. While his nickname has some resemblance to that of Dwan’s, it is completely accidental. Those familiar with the Lord of the Rings lore will recognize the name Isildur as that of the noble who cut the One Ring from Sauron’s hand.
Featuring his ninja avatar on Full Tilt Poker and taking on the best players in the game, “Isildur1” was certainly a mystery and the only thing his opponents could guess with a relative dose of certainty was that he was a J. R. R. Tolkien fan.
Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier
When talking about online poker nicknames, it is almost impossible not to mention Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier. The Frenchman started his online gaming career playing StarCraft and had more than his fair share of success. His massive wins and public exposure eventually earned him a place on Team PokerStars.
Upon discovering poker, he switched the games but kept his handle. Since he spent a lot of time in South Korea during his StarCraft days, he had to come up with an alias because the Koreans had troubles pronouncing his real name and so “ElkY” was born. Today, this is his nickname in both, the real and the virtual world at PokerStars.
Dan Jungleman12 Cates
Dan “jungleman12” Cates has been one of the biggest winners in the online high-stakes arena. His “jungleman” moniker has become synonymous with winning poker. As for the origins of the nickname, Cates claims he got it from his friends with whom he played live low-stakes poker – and sucked badly at it.
Of course, there are many other online poker nicknames worth a mention, like Phil Galfond, Patrik “FinddaGrind” Antonius, Ben “Sauce123” Sulsky, etc. If you are interested in finding out more about some of them, definitely check our poker players article.
Online poker created a new kind of nickname — the screen name. Players like “durrrr” (Tom Dwan) and “Isildur1” (Viktor Blom) became famous before anyone knew their real names. In a game built on reads and tells, playing anonymously behind a username was the ultimate power move.
Are Poker Nicknames Going Out of Style?
There was once a time when poker players were given a nickname by their peers shortly after they gained a bit of recognition among their peers – even if it was just their online screen name (like Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo). But, that trend seems to be slowing down.
When you look at some of the best new names in poker, they simply go by their given names. Bryn Kenney and Jason Koon are just Bryn and Jason. Danny Tang, Adrian Mateos, and Chris Brewer are others who aren’t known as anything other than themselves.
It would be a shame if poker nicknames became a thing of the past; it’s just a fun tradition that I’m a big fan of. Let’s hope the next generation of up-and-coming poker pros start using them again.
Nicknames may be less common in the solver era, but they’ll never disappear entirely. As long as poker is played by characters — not algorithms — the game will keep producing names worth remembering.