The origins of the phrase "poker nuts" are unsure although it’s thought to have been dirived from old jargon which means "delightful issue, practice or experience". It is really a "delightful thing" needless to say, because in Hold’em the poker nuts could be the very best achievable hands that you may have at any level in the game.
If you’ve got the nuts, you can’t be beaten…at that level in the hand. This may be the critical factor that a great deal of unskilled gamblers fail to consider, the nuts can move from one player to a different as well as your hand which was the nuts earlier on can end up being smashed!
The following example really should show the fickle nature of the cards in Hold em poker and how your nuts can quickly turn to pulp!
You’re wagering a side of Texas hold em poker and there are three players nonetheless in the game at the flop. You get dealt 7 of clubs, 8 of diamonds; Amy has five of spades, five of clubs and Mike’s side is King, nine of hearts.
The flop is dealt and the cards are nine of hearts, 6 of hearts and 5 of diamonds. This can be a good flop for you – you’ve got the poker nuts! At this point you may have a straight – 5, six, 7, 8, 9 – which can not be defeated by any other combination of cards.
Now you determine to "slow play" your hand and attempt to draw a bet from somebody using a good pair who will like this flop, so you simply check. Amy likes the look of her palm now as she’s flopped 3 five spades so she makes a bet which is referred to as by Mike as he now has a pair of 9s with a King kicker. You like the way it is going so you call the bet.
The turn card is Ace of hearts. Mike is now smiling to himself as he has just managed to generate the poker nuts with a flush, his two hearts in his side plus the three around the table with Ace King great now give him an unbeatable hand. Mike bets as he knows he has got the nuts except he wants to extract the maximum cash from the table so he keeps his wager low sufficient to acquire called. You nevertheless think you’re winning using the straight, in reality the Ace has heightened that opinion as you now think Mike most likely has an Ace in his hands and perhaps even two pairs.
He has fallen into your trap! Or so you believe.
The river is dealt and it is the 5 of hearts. This can be a blow to you as you will discover now 4 hearts on view, so anyone with a heart is defeating you which has a flush. Mike is happy with the 5 as he nevertheless feels he is winning with all the top flush, although his competitors may possibly also have made a flush and assume they are winning. Amy of course is the real winner as she has just produced the nuts with four five-s, her 4 of a variety can only be beaten by a straight flush or a far better 4 of a kind. There aren’t sufficient connected hearts displaying around the table to generate a directly flush and there isn’t one more pair showing so it can be not possible to make 4 of the kind.
Amy captures the pot even though you and Mike reflect on what should have been.
Both of you held the poker nuts at one level in the game except failed to realise that the poker nuts – as well as your fortunes – in Texas holdem can change totally with 1 turn of the card.