What Did You Call This Card?

Poker players can give poets a run for their money. Not because they can probably win any poker game, but because of the creative and visionary ways of naming the cards. A deck of 52 cards is made up of aces, kings, queens, jacks, and the numbers ten down to two, in four different suits.

Aces can be the ace of hearts, ace of diamonds, ace of spades, and ace of clubs. But the last one, ace of clubs, may also go by the name “Puppy Foot” simply because the suit resembles the paw print of a puppy. In fact all clubs can be referred to as “Puppy Feet”.

Any face card, King, Queen or Jack, are referred to as a “Redskin”. Any King can be called “K-Boy”, but only the King of hearts is called the “Suicide King”. This is because this King holds his sword pointed at his own head. Perhaps his heart was broken? The name of Queens depends on the point of view of the poker player. A Queen may be indulgently called a “Girl” or “Dame” or be maledicted as “Whore”.

Jacks have several names. A Jack can be called “Hook”, probably because the shape of the hook resembles the letter “J”. Laid back players simply call a Jacks as “John”, “Jake” or “J-Boy”. But for those who see a male servant in the picture of a Jack, they call it the “Valet”. For poker players who would like to allude to the historical and literary characteristics of a Jack, they call it the “Knave”. This means that Jacks are dishonest and cannot be trusted.

Any card that is Ten or higher is called an “Honor Card”. Lower than Ten, the honor fades away. For example, the Nine of diamonds is sometimes called the “Curse of Scotland”. And all Nines are condescendingly called “Pothooks”. Perhaps the shape of the number 9 does resemble a hook used to hold pots. But other more exotic or more powerful names could have been invented. There is really no honor in holding black and dirtied pots.

The number Seven fared better. A Seven is called a “Fish Hook:”. This name is actually shared by Sevens and Jacks. The Five is called a “Fever” probably because of the similarity of sounds when Fives and Fevers are spoken. The word “Favor” could have been chosen, but whoever admitted that poker players like to do favors?

The Four of Clubs is referred to as “Devil’s Bedposts” maybe because the Club, when distorted a little will look like the devil’s fork. And finally, the Deuce of Spades is named the “Curse of Mexico”, probably because a deuce is a baby or low card, and the spade looks like a classic Mexican hat.