The beginnings of the phrase "poker nuts" are unsure even though it truly is thought to have come from old slang meaning "delightful thing, practice or experience". It is actually a "delightful thing" of course, because in Texas hold em the poker nuts would be the very best possible palm that you may have at any point in the game.
If you might have the nuts, you can’t be outdone…at that point in the hand. This will be the critical factor that lots of inexperienced players fail to take account of, the nuts can move from 1 gambler to a different and your hands which was the nuts previous on can end up being crushed!
The following example must demonstrate the unpredictable nature of the cards in Hold’em poker and how your nuts can quickly turn to pulp!
You’re betting a palm of Hold em poker and there are three players still in the casino game at the flop. You receive dealt 7 of clubs, eight of diamonds; Amy has five of spades, 5 of clubs and Mike’s hand is King, nine of hearts.
The flop is dealt and the cards are nine of hearts, 6 of hearts and five of diamonds. This is a excellent flop for you – you have got the poker nuts! At this level you may have a directly – 5, 6, seven, 8, nine – which can’t be beaten by any other mixture of cards.
Now you choose to "slow play" your hands and try to draw a bet from somebody that has a good pair who will like this flop, so you basically check. Amy likes the look of her palm now as she has flopped three 5 spades so she makes a bet which is named by Mike as he now has a pair of nines with a King kicker. You like the way it’s going so you call the bet.
The turn card is Ace of hearts. Mike is now smiling to himself as he has just been able to produce the poker nuts with a flush, his two hearts in his hand plus the three around the table with Ace King good now give him an unbeatable hand. Mike bets as he knows he’s got the nuts but he wants to extract the max cash from the table so he maintains his bet low adequate to get called. You still consider you are succeeding using the straight, in reality the Ace has heightened that opinion as you now think Mike probably has an Ace in his hand and perhaps even 2 pairs.
He has dropped into your trap! Or so you think.
The river is dealt and it’s the five of hearts. It is a blow to you as you can find now four hearts on view, so anyone using a heart is defeating you having a flush. Mike is happy with the five as he even now feels he is winning together with the top flush, even though his competitors might also have made a flush and believe they are winning. Amy obviously may be the real winner as she has just produced the nuts with four five spades, her four of a type can only be beaten by a directly flush or a greater 4 of a kind. There aren’t adequate connected hearts showing on the table to make a straight flush and there isn’t another pair showing so it’s impossible to produce four of the kind.
Amy wins the pot even though you and Mike reflect on what must have been.
Both of you held the poker nuts at 1 level in the casino game except failed to realise that the poker nuts – as well as your fortunes – in Hold em can change totally with 1 turn of the card.
