Baseball has always had its colorfully nicknamed players, from Enos “Country” Slaughter and Stan “The Man” Musial to Willie “The Say Hey Kid” Mays and Roger “The Rocket” Clemens.

Football has had its share of colorful nicknames, too, including William “The Refrigerator” Perry, O.J. “Juice” Simpson and Adam “Pac-Man” Jones.

Basketball? Among others, there have been Daryl “Chocolate Thunder” Dawkins, Glenn “Big Dog” Robinson and Earvin “Magic” Johnson.

And, of course, golf has Jack “The Golden Bear” Nicklaus and Eldrick “Tiger” Woods.

So it’s no surprise that a pastime as popular as poker has also spawned its share of colorfully nicknamed participants.

In anticipation of the upcoming World Series of Poker and the expected media focus on some of poker’s top characters, here are some of the best nicknames in poker and how the players got them:

PHIL “POKER BRAT” HELLMUTH JR.–If you’ve ever seen him compete on TV, you’ve seen how obnoxious, arrogant and, well, bratty he can be. It’s no act. Like many at the top of their field–he’s won more World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets than anyone in history, 11–he’s a total diva, no different than a tantrum-tossing Barbra Streisand or Whitney Houston.

MIKE “THE MOUTH” MATUSOW–Like Hellmuth, he’s a loudmouth, though not quite as annoying. So he’s just a mouth, not a brat.

HOWARD “THE PROFESSOR” LEDERER–No, he is not and never has been a professor. But his high IQ, professorial manner and analytical approach to the game of poker make him seem like one, at least to some. And his father was a teacher, although not at the college level.

ANTONIO “THE MAGICIAN” ESFANDIARI–Some think he got the nickname because he’s such a good player he seems like a magician with cards. But that’s not the case. He actually was a professional magician before becoming a professional poker player.

DOYLE “TEXAS DOLLY” BRUNSON–The story behind his nickname is probably the best known of any nicknamed poker player. Brunson is from Texas, and at a tournament once a public address announcer, intending to introduce him as “Texas Doyle,” mispoke and identified him as “Texas Dolly.” Brunson liked the erroneous nickname, and it stuck.

PHIL “UNABOMBER” LAAK–Remember Ted Kaczynski, the original “Unabomber” who terrorized the USA a few years back by sending letter bombs through the mail? His wanted poster portrayed him wearing sunglasses and a hooded sweatshirt, which just so happens to be the preferred poker-playing uniform of Laak.

JOHNNY “THE ORIENT EXPRESS” CHAN–He’s from China and, in pursuit of a poker victory, he’ll run over you like a train. A Chinese passenger train. Of which the most famous is actually called the Orient Express.

GREG “FOSSILMAN” RAYMER–As a hobby, he’s into archaeology, dinosaurs and, yes, fossils.

PHIL “POISON” IVEY–As one of the top players in the world–five WSOP bracelets–he’s deadly poison to anyone who crosses his path. So this nickname is a natural.

THOMAS “AMARILLO SLIM” PRESTON JR.–He’s from the yellow-bellied town of Amarillo, Texas.

GUS “THE GREAT DANE” HANSEN–He’s from Denmark, making him a Dane. And he’s a great player, not a dog. Thus, “The Great Dane.”

MEN “THE MASTER” NGUYEN–He’s considered a master at poker.

CARLOS “THE MATADOR” MORTENSEN–He used to live in Spain, where a matador–Spanish for bullfighter–is an iconic symbol.

MICHAEL “THE GRINDER” MIZRACHI–A poker player who plays methodically and grinds out a living at it is known as a grinder, which describes Mizrachi’s style of play.

CHRIS “JESUS FERGUSON–One look at his long black hair, moustache and long black beard, and you see that, yes, he does sort of resemble Jesus Christ. Though Christ, unlike Ferguson, wasn’t known to dress all in black or wear a cowboy hat bearing the logo of an online poker room.

(E-mail Tom Somach at tomsomach@yahoo.com.)