diff --git a/lib/cartodb/template_maps.js b/lib/cartodb/template_maps.js
index c809b63f..d026fa7e 100644
--- a/lib/cartodb/template_maps.js
+++ b/lib/cartodb/template_maps.js
@@ -88,7 +88,8 @@ o._redisCmd = function(redisFunc, redisArgs, callback) {
   );
 };
 
-var _reValidIdentifier = /^[a-z0-9][0-9a-z_\-]*$/i;
+var _reValidNameIdentifier = /^[a-z0-9][0-9a-z_\-]*$/i;
+var _reValidPlaceholderIdentifier = /^[a-z][0-9a-z_]*$/i;
 // jshint maxcomplexity:15
 o._checkInvalidTemplate = function(template) {
   if ( template.version != '0.0.1' ) {
@@ -98,7 +99,7 @@ o._checkInvalidTemplate = function(template) {
   if ( ! tplname ) {
     return new Error("Missing template name");
   }
-  if ( ! tplname.match(_reValidIdentifier) ) {
+  if ( ! tplname.match(_reValidNameIdentifier) ) {
     return new Error("Invalid characters in template name '" + tplname + "'");
   }
 
@@ -113,7 +114,7 @@ o._checkInvalidTemplate = function(template) {
   for (var i = 0, len = placeholderKeys.length; i < len; i++) {
       var placeholderKey = placeholderKeys[i];
 
-      if (!placeholderKey.match(_reValidIdentifier)) {
+      if (!placeholderKey.match(_reValidPlaceholderIdentifier)) {
           return new Error("Invalid characters in placeholder name '" + placeholderKey + "'");
       }
       if ( ! placeholders[placeholderKey].hasOwnProperty('default') ) {