What is the nuts in poker: the concept, the best combination possible, examples

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Many newcomers to poker or fans to play this game in the company of friends, for whom the theory of poker is a "dark forest", have no idea about many of the terms used in the game. One of the concepts will be discussed in our article. We will tell you what the nuts are in poker, consider the classification, how to identify them and play them correctly. We will also give examples of some combinations of the nuts and analyze how to win a lot of chips if the nuts come up.

What does the nuts mean in poker

Nuts denotes the best combination of cards at a certain stage of the distribution. Nuts in poker is a floating concept. Let's say the player has a pair of aces on the first hand. This means that at the moment his opponents a priori cannot have a better combination of cards. In the subsequent stages, the situation may change and another player may have the best combination, but you should not be upset. The presence of the nuts increases the player's chances of taking the entire pot played in the game. To become a successful player, you need to perfectly understand what the nuts are in poker and be able to play them correctly in order to get the maximum possible profit in the game.

History of the term "Nuts hand"

Even professional players are still arguing about the origin of this concept. The term "nuts" in poker is associated by many with the name of a chocolate bar, so some suggest that this concept is associated with it. The hand of the owner of the combination is strong as a nut, desirable and sweet as chocolate. Therefore, the theory of origin associated with the chocolate bar is justified. There is another, more plausible version of the appearance of the concept. "Nut" is translated from English as "nut". In the days of the Wild West, wagons were often used for bets. Before the game, nuts (nuts) were removed from the wagons and put on them. It is believed that this concept has since become part of the jargon of poker fans.

How "Nuts hand" is defined

Firstly, it is important to know all combinations of cards and their order in seniority. Secondly, you need to make sure that your opponents do not have better combinations of cards than you. The combination of the nuts in poker is a relative thing. You don't have to have a straight flush or a royal flush to have the nuts. The best combination of cards on the board may have a much lower rank. It depends on the general and available players on handcard.

Let's look at this with clear examples that will show what the nuts are in poker. So the nuts are on the flop. Let's say the player received at the first distribution of the ace of the cross and the six of the cross. The flop hit the table with a jack, a ten, and a four. In this situation, our player will have the nut cross flush regardless of what cards either of the opponents have. Royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind and full house cannot be formed in this situation for anyone.

Theoretically, one more player with a cross flush can play at the table. But our hero will have the nuts, since he is sitting with an ace, because the advantage is given to the player with the highest card.

Another example. A certain player got two kings preflop. 3 cards are laid out on the table. They were the king, seven and nine. They are all different colors. In this case, none of the players can have combinations higher than a set. That player has a set. Others may have a set, but he will have the nuts, because the king is the highest of the three cards that fell on the flop.

Nuts on turn

Let's look at some examples of the nuts on the turn:

• The player has an ace and a nine in his pocket. There are four cards on the table: two aces, a five and a nine. This player will have the nuts. Firstly, because a full house is the largest combination that is possible in such a distribution. Secondly, that player's opponents may also have a full house. But if they are with two nines in their pocket, then this is a worse position. True, here it is possiblesplitting the pot in half if the other player also sits with an ace and a nine.
• The player is holding an ace of hearts and a queen. Among the community cards was a queen of diamonds, a six of hearts, a deuce and a jack. No one will have combinations above the flush. The ace and queen of hearts give the player the nut flush because the ace is the highest card. She has an advantage over the rest of the players, even if they also have a flush.
• There are pocket two eights, and on the table are a king, a six and two more eights. Four of a kind is the most possible combination in this situation. Therefore, it is obvious that the above combination of cards will make the nuts four of a kind. Nuts on the river. Let's imagine that the player has two kings in his hands. Two more kings will lie on the table, the rest of the cards have different denominations and suits. Flush straights and royal flushes are excluded in such cases, since there cannot be five cards in a row at face value.

Therefore, the combination with four of a kind will be the nuts. And no one else will have four of a kind either: the rest of the cards are different in denominations. Let's look at another interesting example with the nuts on the river. The player is seated with the ace of diamonds and the queen of spades. Four cards of diamonds and one cross nine fall out on the table. The player has a flush. It is likely that someone else will have a flash. But our player has an ace in his pocket, so he has the nut flush. It is important to remember that the nuts on the flop or turn are not guaranteed to win the pot in the game. For example, let's say you flop a set and it was the nuts at that point in the hand. And on the river your opponent hit a straight or a flush. As a result withit was the opponent who turned out to be the profit in the game.

Nuts straight in poker

In poker, the theme of the straight nuts stands apart. It's better to understand the straight nuts with an example. For example, among the community cards, a five, a six, and a seven fall out. One player sits with a four and an eight in his hand. This means he has a straight. But the other player has an eight and a nine in his pocket. He also has a street. But the second one has the nuts, because the nine is higher.

Types of nuts

In the course of the game of poker, the nuts are found in two varieties: current and absolute. The current nuts is an unstable concept. It characterizes the nut hand at a certain point in the game. The fact is that at the next stage, the nut hand can go to another player. In turn, the absolute nuts denote the dominant combination at the end of the draw. It can only be seen on the river.

How to win a lot of chips when you hit the nuts

Having a better combination of cards than your opponents will definitely give you a profit in the game. And here we are talking about how much you can win from your opponents. You can bet everything all-in, but then you will see how your opponents deal cards. As a result, you win very little. But there is a huge chance with such and such cards to shake chips from other players in full!

What should I do to avoid this situation? Try to get your opponents to bet as much as possible. It's not that easy, because the operationrequires some experience. First you need to understand that there are two main types of players in poker: tight players and aggressors. The first ones are playing well. If they do not come across good cards in the hand, they are likely to fold them. When a tight player is sitting at the table with you and you hit the nuts, start betting small chips, gradually raising the stakes. Well, if the aggressor is playing with you, then this is a completely different case: he likes to bluff and immediately starts betting large amounts. He himself will act as the initiator of the big game. If you have the nut hand, all you have to do is support it.

Some practical tips for the nuts

1. If all common cards are different in suits, denominations and there are no more than two connectors (otherwise a straight is possible), most likely, the senior set will become the dominant combination.

2. If there are three cards of the same suit on the table and at the same time they do not go one after another at face value, then the best combination in this case may be a flush with an ace.

3. Royal flush and straight flush are unlikely. But we must keep in mind that they can also fall out. Especially if there are three connectors of the same suit on the board.

4. For beginners, programs have been created that help determine the dominant combination in the game. They make the game easier for inexperienced players who find it difficult to follow all the intricacies of the process.

Conclusion

So, we have examined in detail what the nuts are in poker. During the game, it is worth remembering that the nuts are an important componentpoker. It is necessary to be able to identify it in an opponent. If everything is conducive to the fact that the opponent has the best combination, it makes sense to fold the cards and keep a certain amount of chips. If you have the nuts, don't lose your head and think about how you can win the maximum possible number of chips from the rest.