The origins of the phrase "poker nuts" are uncertain although it’s thought to have come from old jargon meaning "delightful factor, practice or experience". It is really a "delightful thing" naturally, because in Texas hold’em the poker nuts would be the finest achievable hands that you may have at any stage in the game.
If you’ve the nuts, you cannot be beaten…at that point in the hand. This could be the critical factor that plenty of inexperienced gamblers fail to consider, the nuts can move from 1 player to a different along with your side which was the nuts earlier on can end up being smashed!
The following example must illustrate the unpredictable nature of the cards in Texas hold’em poker and how your nuts can quickly turn to pulp!
You are wagering a palm of Holdem poker and there are three players even now in the casino game at the flop. You get dealt 7 of clubs, 8 of diamonds; Amy has 5 of spades, 5 of clubs and Mike’s side is King, 9 of hearts.
The flop is dealt and the cards are 9 of hearts, six of hearts and five of diamonds. It is a good flop for you – you have got the poker nuts! At this level you may have a directly – five, 6, 7, 8, nine – which can not be beaten by any other mixture of cards.
Now you choose to "slow play" your side and attempt to draw a bet from somebody with a great pair who will like this flop, so you simply check. Amy likes the look of her hands now as she has flopped three five spades so she makes a wager which is called by Mike as he now has a pair of 9s using a King kicker. You prefer the way it is going so you call the wager.
The turn card is Ace of hearts. Mike is now smiling to himself as he has just managed to produce the poker nuts that has a flush, his two hearts in his palm plus the 3 on the table with Ace King great now give him an unequalled hand. Mike wagers as he knows he has got the nuts except he wants to extract the max cash from the table so he keeps his bet low enough to obtain called. You still think you’re succeeding together with the straight, in reality the Ace has strengthened that belief as you now reckon Mike possibly has an Ace in his hands and perhaps even 2 pairs.
He’s dropped into your trap! Or so you believe.
The river is dealt and it’s the five of hearts. This can be a blow to you as you will find now four hearts on view, so anyone that has a heart is beating you which has a flush. Mike is happy using the five as he even now feels he is succeeding with all the top flush, whilst his opponents may well also have created a flush and assume they’re winning. Amy of course will be the real winner as she has just produced the nuts with four 5 spades, her 4 of the variety can only be outdone by a directly flush or a better 4 of a kind. There aren’t enough connected hearts displaying around the table to make a straight flush and there isn’t another pair displaying so it can be impossible to make four of a kind.
Amy captures the pot even though you and Mike reflect on what need to have been.
Both of you held the poker nuts at one point in the casino game but failed to realise that the poker nuts – and your fortunes – in Hold em can change totally with 1 turn of the card.