The roots of the phrase "poker nuts" are unsure although it truly is thought to have come from old slang which means "delightful issue, practice or experience". It is often a "delightful thing" of course, because in Holdem the poker nuts will be the greatest possible side that you may have at any point in the game.
If you might have the nuts, you cannot be defeated…at that stage in the hand. This will be the crucial factor that plenty of inexperienced gamblers fail to consider, the nuts can move from 1 gambler to a different as well as your hand which was the nuts previous on can end up being smashed!
The following example should illustrate the fickle nature of the cards in Texas holdem poker and how your nuts can rapidly turn to pulp!
You are betting a hand of Texas hold’em poker and there are three gamblers even now in the game at the flop. You receive dealt 7 of clubs, eight of diamonds; Amy has five of spades, five of clubs and Mike’s side is King, 9 of hearts.
The flop is dealt and the cards are nine of hearts, 6 of hearts and 5 of diamonds. This is a great flop for you – you’ve got the poker nuts! At this stage you’ve got a directly – 5, six, seven, eight, nine – which can not be beaten by any other mixture of cards.
Now you determine to "slow play" your side and attempt to draw a bet from somebody which has a good pair who will like this flop, so you simply check. Amy likes the look of her hand now as she’s flopped three five spades so she makes a bet which is called by Mike as he now has a pair of 9s which has 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 grinning to himself as he has just managed to produce the poker nuts using a flush, his 2 hearts in his hands plus the three around the table with Ace King high now give him an unbeatable hand. Mike bets as he knows he has got the nuts but he wants to draw out the max cash from the table so he maintains his wager low adequate to have called. You even now assume you are succeeding with all the straight, in fact the Ace has increased that opinion as you now think Mike most likely has an Ace in his side and maybe even 2 pairs.
He’s fallen into your trap! Or so you think.
The river is dealt and it is the 5 of hearts. This really is a blow to you as you will find now 4 hearts on view, so anyone which has a heart is beating you which has a flush. Mike is happy together with the 5 as he nevertheless feels he’s winning with all the top flush, even though his competitors may also have made a flush and believe they’re winning. Amy needless to say would be the real winner as she has just manufactured the nuts with four five-s, her 4 of the type can only be beaten by a straight flush or a better 4 of the kind. There are not enough connected hearts displaying on the table to make a directly flush and there is not one more pair showing so it’s not possible to make 4 of a kind.
Amy wins the pot though you and Mike reflect on what ought to have been.
Both of you held the poker nuts at 1 level in the game but failed to realise that the poker nuts – as well as your fortunes – in Holdem can change entirely with 1 turn of the card.