This theory has been further reinforced by the popular American crime drama Elementary, which used the secret exit onto 86th street during Prohibition as the source of the term.

It is believed that patrons who were overserved and were acting violently, or who were disturbing other customers with their words or actions, were often the ones marked for 86ing.ĭoyle Brunson, a renowned professional poker player, even suggested that the term could have originated from an old Vegas motto of “8 miles out, 6 feet under”. Another theory is that the term may have been rhyming slang for the word “nix”, which is an 18th-century English word originating from the German “nichts” or nothing.Ĭhumley’s, a Prohibition-era speakeasy and now bar in New York’s Greenwich Village, also claims the term 86 as its own. If someone was given table 86, it meant they weren’t getting in. One popular story suggests that the term originated at a fashionable New York restaurant, which had a total of 85 tables.

While there are many theories surrounding the term, it is generally believed to have originated in the restaurant and bar scene. Eighty-Sixed (86’d) is a casino term that has been around for centuries, but its exact origins remain unclear.