The beginnings of the phrase "poker nuts" are unclear although it is thought to have come from old slang which means "delightful issue, practice or experience". It can be a "delightful thing" of course, because in Texas hold’em the poker nuts would be the best possible hand that you can have at any stage in the game.
If you may have the nuts, you can not be outdone…at that stage in the hand. This will be the crucial factor that loads of unskilled gamblers fail to take account of, the nuts can move from one player to one more as well as your hand which was the nuts earlier on can end up being smashed!
The following example ought to show the unpredictable nature of the cards in Holdem poker and how your nuts can quickly turn to pulp!
You are betting a palm of Texas hold’em poker and there are three players still in the game at the flop. You receive dealt five of clubs, eight of diamonds; Amy has 5 of spades, five of clubs and Mike’s hands is King, 9 of hearts.
The flop is dealt and the cards are nine of hearts, six of hearts and five of diamonds. This really is a great flop for you – you have got the poker nuts! At this stage you’ve a directly – five, 6, 7, 8, 9 – which cannot be beaten by any other mixture of cards.
Now you determine to "slow play" your side and attempt to draw a wager from somebody which has a great pair who will like this flop, so you merely check. Amy likes the look of her palm now as she has flopped 3 five spades so she makes a wager which is named by Mike as he now has a pair of 9s with a King kicker. You prefer 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 generate the poker nuts that has a flush, his two hearts in his hands plus the three around the table with Ace King high now give him an unequalled hand. Mike bets as he knows he’s got the nuts except he wants to draw out the max cash from the table so he keeps his bet low adequate to obtain called. You still assume you are winning with all the directly, in reality the Ace has increased that perception as you now think Mike probably has an Ace in his side and perhaps even 2 pairs.
He has fallen into your trap! Or so you believe.
The river is dealt and it is the five of hearts. This can be a blow to you as you will find now four hearts on view, so anyone using a heart is defeating you that has a flush. Mike is happy with all the five as he even now feels he is succeeding with the top flush, while his opponents may possibly also have manufactured a flush and assume they are winning. Amy obviously will be the real winner as she has just produced the nuts with 4 5s, her 4 of a kind can only be beaten by a straight flush or a much better four of the kind. There are not adequate connected hearts showing around the table to generate a straight flush and there is not an additional pair showing so it can be not possible to generate 4 of the kind.
Amy captures the pot although you and Mike reflect on what must have been.
Both of you held the poker nuts at 1 point in the casino game but failed to realise that the poker nuts – along with your fortunes – in Hold em can change totally with 1 turn of a card.