Poker Songs

Great Poker Songs are Real

In the search for poker songs or songs that say something about gambling at the poker table, it would be far too easy to settle for the “best” tunes as determined by current popular opinion. Too many lists include The Gambler by Kenny Rogers, Ace in the Hole by George Strait or Poker Face by Lady Gaga. We are even reluctant to mention these because they aren’t on the list of good poker songs as compiled by knowledgeable and serious poker players.

The Best Poker Songs

In fact, the best poker songs might be unknown to the vast majority of people around the globe. The three mentioned earlier may be “most popular” or may bring in the most revenue for the entertainment corporations, but do they really tell the story the poker lifestyle? One writer uses level of “fun” for rating poker songs. One recent list showed a dozen songs that had words in the titles such as “straight” and “river.” The songs had nothing to do with poker.

Grateful, Dead

The truth about poker is much different. Here are a few examples of great poker songs:

•  Loser – Jerry Garcia. Here’s one verse as an example –

Everybody breakin’ (prayin’ ?) and drinkin’ that wine
I can tell the queen of diamonds by the way she shines
Come to papa on the inside straight,
Well I got no chance of losin’ this time

Deal is another Garcia/Dead song that should be considered.

• That Was a Crazy Game of Poker – O.A.R.

And the man to my left has folded down
Well Johnny doubled up with a royal flush
I had three jacks and a pair of nines
My mind is turning – just two shots more
There's not much left to play
Well then dude walks in, black hat on top
What am I, if I'm lucky
Wasn't a county cop
Cause I'm just runnin’ out of my time
Who's up for game two
What to do
My wallet's gettin’ thin
And I just lost my watch last night
Well I gotta problem
Just one answer
Gotta throw it all down
And kiss it goodbye

There are dozens upon dozens of poker songs, written by men and women who understood what it means to gamble at the table and gamble in life. If you know poker, you’ll know a great poker song when you hear one.