Green’s Dictionary of Slang

poker n.¹

1. a sword.

c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Poker [...] a Sword.
1701		N. Ward ‘Battel without Bloodshed’ in Writings (1704) 112: Then hey for Long-Lane, among Salesmen and Brokers, / To Hire buff Doublets, and Plate-Handled Pokers.
1725		New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1809		G. Andrewes Dict. Sl. and Cant.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1835		G. Kent Modern Flash Dict.
1848		Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open.
c.1850		Duncombe New and Improved Flash Dict.
1871–82		B.M. Carew Life and Adventures.

2. the penis.

1793		Bacchanalian Mag. 74: Original and selected Toasts and Sentiments [...] A bob-wig with a poker in it.
1816		W.T. Moncrieff All at Coventry I i: gab.: Tell me, what was it you said to the young lady, eh, Tommy? tom.: A great deal – Vir sapit qui pauca loquitur. gab.: A great deal in a saw-pit! – that you’d requite her with a poker!
1835		‘The Man That’s No Use At All’ in Secret Songster 39: For they swore there was none had a more useful poker, / But now, deary me, he is no use at all.
1842		Exquisite 62 16/2: ‘Sir, I would not touch your wife even with a pair of tongs.’ ‘You took good care to stir her with the poker,’ was the answer .
c.1850		Peeping Tom (London) 5 19/1: For if young girls delight in kissing, / No wonder that the Poker’s missing.
c.1864		‘Is It Anybody’s Business?’ in Rakish Rhymer (1917) 142: When he opens wide her c—t and puts his p—ker in’t?
1888–94		‘Walter’ My Secret Life (1966) V 1051: ‘You’ve not spent,’ said I still up her. ‘Sure and I haven’t, and I ought wid such a poker.’.
c.1950		Nunnery versus Fuckery 19: His heavy, aching tool srood straight out from between his thighs like a threatening, red-hot poker.
1902		D. St John Memoirs of Madge Buford 33: Taking his melting poker out of Meg’s furnace.
c.1935		‘Robert Mitchum in “Goof Butts”’ in http://tijuanabibles.org 🌐 My prick feels like a poker just pulled out of the furnace.
1959		J.E. Schmidt Narcotics Lingo and Lore 62: Flatten the poker – To lose sexual potency because of chronic drug addiction.
1960		in E. Cray Erotic Muse (1992) 303: If all the young girls were like coals in a stoker / I’d be a fireman and shove in my poker.
1978		L. Kramer Faggots 321: Peter, piccolo, piston, poker.

3. a womanizer, a ‘sexual athlete’ [poke v. (1)].

1880		‘Julien’s Concert’ in Pearl 13 July 11: I’ve been told by jokers / That the ladies they do all agree that he’s the prince of pokers.
1959		W. Brown Teen-Age Mafia 20: Telling himself what a hot poker he was, how the chicks fell all over him.

4. (US Und.) a single-barrelled shotgun.

1983

R. Klein Jailhouse Jargon and Street Sl. [unpub. ms.].

5. (US) a knife.

1999		J. Ridley Everybody Smokes in Hell 220: You’ll probably snap that little poker off on my ribs.
2022		Digga D. ‘What You Reckon’ 🎵 Put on my poker / Done him up, done him up, done him up bad.

In compounds

poker-breaker (n.)

one’s wife.

1890–1904

Farmer & Henley Sl. and Its Analogues.

SE in slang uses

In compounds

poker talk (n.)

a fireside chat.

1885		Mrs. Edwards Girton Girl ii: Gaston rattled forth this specimen of poker-talk lightly [F&H].
1911		Yorks. Post 9 June 11/4: They indulge in poker talk.

In phrases

go the whole poker (v.)

to committ oneself unreservedly.

1849

Bell’s Life in Sydney 5 May 2/6: He proceeded to go the whole poker in corroboration.

In exclamations

by the powers of the poker of Pharoah!

a non-specific intensifing excl.

1839

Odd Fellow 4 May 4/1: By the powers av the poker av Pharoah if he didn’t off wid his hat.