What's in a Screen Name?

So how much significance does the choice of online poker screen have? The simple fact that there are posts on blogs and forums all over the internet commenting on the good and worst screen names suggests that if you get the right one you can create a powerful perception and gain a real advantage over other online poke players. With the boom in popularity of Online Poker the chance of getting a real name on the big online poker rooms such as Pokerstars or PartyPoker are slim. Given this fact and the anonymity that Online Poker provides 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
Some players like to take the name of a famous professional player to hopefully intimidate their opponents. This generally has the opposite effect as lets face it if you are going to be good enough to play like a pro you would want your own identity! These player are generally small time fans of poker not serious big stakes players. Female Names Women are often perceived as inferior at the poker table. While it may be true that men win most of the big events, this is simply a case of percentages, take examples such as Annie Duke, Anette Obrestad and Liz Lieu. 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 NamesA 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 behavior.

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

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