The origins of the phrase "poker nuts" are unclear although it’s thought to have been dirived from old slang which means "delightful issue, practice or experience". It is really a "delightful thing" of course, because in Texas hold em the poker nuts is the finest feasible side that you can have at any stage in the game.
If you’ve got the nuts, you can not be outdone…at that stage in the hand. This will be the crucial factor that a lot of inexperienced gamblers fail to consider, the nuts can move from one player to yet another as well as your side which was the nuts earlier on can end up being crushed!
The subsequent example should show the fickle nature of the cards in Texas holdem poker and how your nuts can quickly turn to pulp!
You might be playing a palm of Texas hold em poker and there are 3 gamblers still in the game at the flop. You get dealt five of clubs, 8 of diamonds; Amy has five of spades, five of clubs and Mike’s palm is King, nine of hearts.
The flop is dealt and the cards are nine of hearts, 6 of hearts and five of diamonds. It is a good flop for you – you have got the poker nuts! At this level you’ve got a directly – 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 – which can not be defeated by any other mixture of cards.
Now you determine to "slow play" your hands and try to draw a bet from somebody having a great pair who will like this flop, so you simply check. Amy likes the look of her palm now as she’s flopped 3 5 spades so she makes a wager which is named by Mike as he now has a pair of 9s using a King kicker. You prefer the way it’s going so you call the bet.
The turn card is Ace of hearts. Mike is now grinning to himself as he has just been able to make the poker nuts that has a flush, his two hearts in his palm plus the three around the table with Ace King superior now give him an unequalled hand. Mike wagers as he knows he has got the nuts except he wants to draw out the maximum cash from the table so he maintains his wager low enough to acquire called. You still consider you’re winning with all the directly, in fact the Ace has increased that opinion as you now reckon Mike probably has an Ace in his side and perhaps even 2 pairs.
He’s fallen into your trap! Or so you think.
The river is dealt and it’s the 5 of hearts. It is a blow to you as there are now four hearts on view, so anyone that has a heart is defeating you using a flush. Mike is happy with the five as he even now feels he is succeeding with the top flush, although his opponents may perhaps also have produced a flush and feel they are winning. Amy obviously would be the real winner as she has just produced the nuts with 4 5 spades, her four of the sort can only be defeated by a straight flush or a better four of a kind. There are not enough connected hearts showing around the table to produce a straight flush and there isn’t an additional pair displaying so it really is not possible to make four of a kind.
Amy captures the pot though you and Mike reflect on what must have been.
Both of you held the poker nuts at one level in the game but failed to realise that the poker nuts – along with your fortunes – in Texas hold em can change totally with 1 turn of a card.