Poker commentator James Hartigan made a great point during a recent livestream: Things were more fun when every good poker player had a nickname.
These days, with performance coaches, dietary consultants, and endless solver drills, the standard of play at the highest stakes is better than ever.
But where are all the great nicknames?
In no particular order — and with no requirement for the players to still be alive — here are five of our all-time favorites.
Allen ‘Chainsaw’ Kessler
Kessler is certainly a unique character in the poker world today, never afraid to mix it up with either fans or critics on social media.
Legend has it that Kessler was given his nickname after ‘sawing through’ the competition in a tournament at Foxwoods, Connecticut, almost 20 years ago.
But the best part of the story is surely the revelation, shared by Kessler with 888Poker some years ago, that the ‘Chainsaw’ nickname originally belonged to someone else. California’s Steve Dempsey has a claim to the title, which is still used on his Hendon Mob profile today.
It’s a great nickname to have, but one which we wouldn’t blame anyone for stealing. After all, that’s the thing about the chainsaw: it cuts both ways.
Faraz ‘The Toilet’ Jaka
From a nickname that conjures images of danger and destruction to one that evokes slightly less intimidating thoughts. A highly skilled player, author, and coach, Faraz Jaka is a name you wouldn’t want to face in any tournament at any time. ‘The Toilet,’ on the other hand, doesn’t sound quite so tough.
And that’s because, when he first got the nickname, he wasn’t so tough. Taken with the idea that any two suited cards could make a flush, Jaka would often play — or some might say overplay — suited cards whenever he could.
When it didn’t work, he’d fold, but when it did he would hear, ‘the Toilet flushes again!’
Jaka now serves on the PokerOrg Player Advisory Board and runs his own coaching brand, JakaCoaching.com.
We can’t help but wonder: does he still advise playing any two suited cards?
Greg ‘Fossilman’ Raymer
Raymer had been playing a while before he made his big entrance on the global stage, winning the World Series of Poker Main Event in 2004 for a $5M score.
But of course, you don’t win the biggest deal in poker without attracting a whole heap of attention. And when the world’s eyes fell on Raymer, they couldn’t help but notice his fascination with fossils.
When Raymer started using a fossil as a card protector back in the 1990s, he found many players loved the idea so much they would offer him cash to buy his. And so he began selling fossil card protectors as a way to pad out his bankroll on the way up. The nickname followed naturally, before entering into poker folklore forever with his big win.
As for the famous lizard sunglasses, they were simply a souvenir from Disneyland. He bought them to make other players at the table laugh, but instead they got freaked out. That seemed like an even better outcome, so he kept them.
Dave ‘Devilfish’ Ulliott
Ulliott was a legend of poker in Britain; always a charming man at the table, yet with barely concealed links to a criminal past, Devilfish’s famous nickname came about during a heads-up match with a player who has a legendary moniker of his own: Men ‘The Master’ Nguyen.
The story goes that, having spun up a bankroll in London, Ulliott traveled to Las Vegas with his friend and backer Gary Whitaker. There he made it to the final two in an Omaha tournament, where Nguyen’s supporters were loudly cheering for ‘The Master.’ In response, his friend started cheering on ‘The Devilfish,’ and the name stuck — especially once Nguyen had been defeated.
Given its associations with imposing sea creatures (the actual devilfish is an 11-foot ray with a spined tail), Ulliott’s nickname was a perfect match for his aggressive, intimidating style of play. And certainly more exciting than his original nickname, ‘The Clock,’ which he earned by once buying into a poker game with a furniture dealer, using a grandfather clock as collateral.
Phil ‘The Unabomber’ Laak
Phil Laak is a successful poker player with a friendly, entertaining demeanor that has seen him grace televised games from High Stakes Poker to Poker After Dark and on through to the likes of No Gamble, No Future.
Laak’s watchable style is belied somewhat by his preferred attire while playing — a hat or hood and dark glasses — which directly led to his nickname.
The original ‘Unabomber’ was the sobriquet given to terrorist Ted Kaczynski before authorities were able to track him down and discover his true identity. A sketch of the then-unknown perpetrator was produced by a police sketch artist. See if you can spot which is which.
Which players out there today need a new nickname? What are some of the other great poker nicknames you’ve heard? Let us know below.
Images courtesy of World Poker Tour/Alin Ivanov/Giorgio Trovato/Michael Fenton/Nott Peera/Wes Warren.
