Poker Screen Names

How much meaning does the choice of online poker screen have?
It is thought that if you get the right one you can create a powerful perception and gain a real advantage over other online poke players. But could this really be true and that simple?
With so many people playing poker everyday and the number growing on a daily bases, the chances of getting a real name on the big online poker rooms such as Pokerstars or Ladbrokes are slim. The anonymity that Online Poker provides is part of its allure. Many players use alpha numerical or cultural references when choosing a screen name. Of course chose a name you are comfortable because you may end up wining the World Series of Online Poker and have it written in the history book forever!
The Most Popular names break down into a few categories.
Pro Names

Having a pro name is probably as near as they will ever get to being a pro or playing like a pro. They hope to intimidate their opponents but  this generally has the opposite effect . These players are generally small time fans of poker not serious big stakes players.
Female Names

Unfairly women are often perceived as inferior at the poker table. This is only based on numbers and percentage as other wise the greats such as Annie Duke, Anette Obrestad and Liz Lieu would be a minority and not at the top of their game.  Male players who take on a feminine handle are likely to be banking on these perceptions; many players are less aggressive or get distracted against a woman.

Fish and Shark Names
The most famous example is probably Dave “DevilFish” Ulliot. Players advertising themselves as fish are employing similar tactics as those who take women’s names. Likewise Shark related names are most often from the same School as the “Pro Name” Players.

If you are a shark you do not advertise the fact!

Pop Culture and Counter Culture References
It is a good rule of thumb to avoid political, sexual or potentially offensive references. It may seem funny at the time but if you are to go on and play regular poker you do not want to me perceived as a trashy and put off the sensitive fish.
Fictional Characters and celebrity names are becoming more popular. The validity of this depends on the character. A James Bond ref, is probably a new player who will play “Movie Poker” hands, probably easy to draw into a few All ins. However comedy or classic refs are generally names that have some meaning to the player stemming from their real life such as nicknames or profession.

Jumbled Names
A mixture of words and numbers that seemingly have no reference are the smart choice for players who do not wish to present and perceived “Poker Personality” playing behaviour.

Poker References
Poker Terminology: Some players use cool poker phrases as their screen name: RiverBeat, FloppedQuads, and JacksUp. Although a few of them are cheesy, the majority of them are some of the more creative names out there. The word “Stud” doesn’t always signify a stud player, but Omaha references are almost always on target. Mousing over an “Omaha” player’s icon to make sure they’re not actually from Omaha, Nebraska is a good idea. If they’re not, chances are they know their game. Clever people tend to be more intelligent. Watch out for these players. An opponent who intentionally misspells suited as “Sooted” might be someone to watch out for. These players are making fun of the fish that like to play a pot with any two suited cards regardless of rank. “But it was soooooooted” is a common way to poke fun at this tendency

Personal References
Online Poker Players are no more imaginative than your average Internet user so you will see a number of players with personal references in the Screen names. Years – often indicate their age or graduation year. Players may use a year that is older or younger than they really are to give a perceptual advantage. If you think a player is only 18 or 80yrs old you may play against them differently than if they are 30 years old. Essentially an 18/ 8o yr old has more time and so could be playing recreationally. A 30yr old in the middle of the day is more likely to be a professional player.
Locations also feature quite often. Could be residence, college campus or country of origin. If you see the same location a few times, do a bit of research on the average population -is it mainly retired people; does it have a large university population?
So what name should you use? It’s probably best to keep it generic. Online, nobody cares that you’re a doctor, beautiful, or like the number 69 (or 963217, for that matter). However none of this is an exact science and for every typical player you will get a tactical player who wants to give a different perception.

So what do the pro’s call themselves online? Well here are a few but bare in mind that their online names can be changed and they probably do change them to keep their anonymity and to keep one step ahead.

Over at Poker Stars Gus Hansen is known to use Brokski , Isabelle Mercier uses NoMercy, Howard Lederer goes by the shrike . Vanessa Rousso is known as LadyMaverick and Phil Ivey is Joe Buttons just to name a few.

Over at Full Tilt the stars are less secretive and as the brand is built on having famous names playing the pros use their own names.

Next time your online playing poker, pay some attention to the names. Does the name fit the playing style? Do you feel intimidated by some of the names ?

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