What is taboo about two and three?

[Kemics]

why is it that people call them duce and tres in poker, i know on HSP AJ gets berated if he refers to them as two/three. I cant find any plausabile answer, i know its a noobie question but its something that bugs me. I know i do it myself but dont know why

[Muck]

I thought they were just names like almost every other card in the deck seems to have and a few hands too.

But I guess one possible reason could be to avoid confusion when talking about pairs and 3 of a kind. Duno I'm just throwing things out there.

[Kemics]

i've heard of names for pairs of cards but never individuals (bullets, sailboats, snowmen etc) but even with aces i cant think of a time i've heard them with a nickname as an individual card. But i havnt played too many live games so its more than possible i havnt come across it.

Would make sense about not confusing them with pair/3 of kind. But then saying that 3 of a kind is nearly always called trips/set..

[Casey ATB]

fwiw, this is the way I learned the cards names, many years ago:

Ace (or witches hat) = 1
Deuce = 2
Trey (or Puppy-toe) = 3
Little Joe = 4
Fever = 5
C-I-X = 6
Natural = 7
Eighter From Decatur = 8
Nina Ross = 9
Big Dick = 10
Hook = Jack
Lady = Queen
Cowboy = King

[gumbie]

Looks like bastardized spanish to me.

Dos Tres = Two Three

[tame_deuces]

I'd guess it is because saying two threes and three twos etc. etc. can be get confusing, maybe not a silent room, but at a pokertable with some convos going on and some background noise I'd think it can.

[jeffonline]

The French invented playing cards as we know them, you will find the origin of Deuce & Trey are from the Old French language meaning 2 & 3.