The origins of the phrase "poker nuts" are unclear although it truly is thought to have been dirived from old slang meaning "delightful issue, practice or experience". It is actually a "delightful thing" obviously, because in Hold em the poker nuts could be the very best possible palm that it is possible to have at any stage in the game.
If you’ve got the nuts, you cannot be beaten…at that level in the hand. This may be the critical factor that a lot of unskilled players fail to take account of, the nuts can move from one player to a different and your palm which was the nuts previous on can end up being smashed!
The subsequent example should show the fickle nature of the cards in Hold em poker and how your nuts can quickly turn to pulp!
You’re playing a palm of Hold em poker and there are three gamblers nonetheless in the game at the flop. You acquire dealt seven of clubs, eight of diamonds; Amy has five of spades, five of clubs and Mike’s palm is King, 9 of hearts.
The flop is dealt and the cards are nine of hearts, 6 of hearts and five of diamonds. It is a fantastic flop for you – you’ve got the poker nuts! At this stage you have a directly – 5, 6, seven, eight, nine – which cannot 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 great pair who will like this flop, so you merely check. Amy likes the look of her hand now as she has flopped 3 five-s so she makes a wager which is referred to as by Mike as he now has a pair of nines which has 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 grinning to himself as he has just been able to generate the poker nuts with a flush, his 2 hearts in his hand plus the 3 on the table with Ace King high now give him an unequalled hand. Mike wagers 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 receive called. You still consider you’re winning with all the directly, in reality the Ace has strengthened that belief as you now think Mike possibly has an Ace in his side and maybe even two pairs.
He has fallen into your trap! Or so you believe.
The river is dealt and it’s the 5 of hearts. This can be a blow to you as you will find now four hearts on view, so anyone with a heart is beating you having a flush. Mike is happy together with the five as he nonetheless feels he is winning using the top flush, even though his opponents may well also have manufactured a flush and feel they’re winning. Amy naturally could be the real winner as she has just created the nuts with 4 5 spades, her four of the form can only be beaten by a straight flush or a much better 4 of a kind. There aren’t sufficient connected hearts showing on the table to generate a directly flush and there isn’t another pair displaying so it can be impossible to generate four of a kind.
Amy captures the pot although you and Mike reflect on what ought to have been.
Both of you held the poker nuts at 1 stage in the game but failed to realise that the poker nuts – along with your fortunes – in Holdem can change totally with one turn of the card.