The beginnings of the phrase "poker nuts" are unsure although it really is thought to have come from old slang meaning "delightful thing, practice or experience". It is a "delightful thing" of course, because in Texas holdem the poker nuts may be the very best achievable hand that you can have at any stage in the game.
If you’ve the nuts, you can’t be outdone…at that point in the hand. This will be the critical factor that lots of inexperienced gamblers fail to consider, the nuts can move from 1 gambler to another and your side which was the nuts earlier on can end up being smashed!
The following example need to illustrate the fickle nature of the cards in Texas holdem poker and how your nuts can rapidly turn to pulp!
You’re wagering a palm of Texas holdem poker and there are three gamblers still in the game at the flop. You receive dealt 5 of clubs, eight of diamonds; Amy has 5 of spades, 5 of clubs and Mike’s palm is King, nine of hearts.
The flop is dealt and the cards are nine of hearts, six of hearts and 5 of diamonds. It is a good flop for you – you’ve got the poker nuts! At this level you’ve got a straight – 5, 6, seven, eight, 9 – which can’t be beaten by any other mixture of cards.
Now you decide to "slow play" your side and try to draw a wager from somebody that has a great pair who will like this flop, so you basically check. Amy likes the look of her hands now as she’s flopped three five-s so she makes a wager which is called by Mike as he now has a pair of 9s that has a King kicker. You like the way it’s going so you call the wager.
The turn card is Ace of hearts. Mike is now grinning to himself as he has just managed to produce the poker nuts with a flush, his two hearts in his palm plus the three on the table with Ace King high now give him an unequalled hand. Mike wagers as he knows he has got the nuts but he wants to extract the maximum cash from the table so he keeps his bet low enough to have called. You even now feel you’re succeeding with all the directly, in fact the Ace has strengthened that opinion as you now reckon Mike probably has an Ace in his palm and perhaps even 2 pairs.
He has dropped into your trap! Or so you think.
The river is dealt and it is the 5 of hearts. It is a blow to you as you will find now four hearts on view, so anyone using a heart is defeating you which has a flush. Mike is happy with all the 5 as he nonetheless feels he is winning using the top flush, whilst his opponents might also have created a flush and feel they are winning. Amy naturally would be the real winner as she has just produced the nuts with 4 5 spades, her 4 of a kind can only be defeated by a straight flush or a greater 4 of a kind. There are not sufficient connected hearts showing around the table to generate a directly flush and there is not a different pair displaying so it can be impossible to generate 4 of a kind.
Amy captures the pot whilst you and Mike reflect on what need to have been.
Both of you held the poker nuts at 1 point in the casino game but failed to realise that the poker nuts – and your fortunes – in Holdem can change entirely with one turn of the card.