What is the difference between prodding and poking? According to the Oxford Advanced Learners' Dictionary, their senses are almost the same.
Prod- to push sb/sth finger or with a pointed object
Poke- to quickly push your fingers or another object into sb/sth
But I've found sentences where both prod and poke were used together. For example, He was looking at her closely through his half-moon spectacles, his long fingers gently prodding and poking.
Best Answer
They may have been used together, not because their meanings are different, but because their meanings are very similar, so the words either reinforce or complement each other.
You'll find these every now and then in English, with the paired-up words often beginning with the same letter. Some common examples include:
In fact, words pairs like these even have a name: Siamese twins. You can read about them in Wikipedia.
So, it could be that the words are used together by design for emphasis, even though the writer could just use one or the other.