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 nuts are in poker, consider the classification, how to determine them and play them correctly. We will also give examples of some nut combinations and figure out how to win a lot of chips if the nut fell.
What does nuts mean in poker?
The nuts indicate the best combination of cards at a particular point in the deal. Nuts in poker is a floating concept. Let's say the player on the first hand got a pair of aces. This means that at the moment his rivals cannot have a better combination of cards a priori. In subsequent stages, the situation may change and the best combination may turn out to be another player, but do not get upset. Having a nut increases the player’s chances of picking up the entire pot played in the game. To become a successful player, you need to understand perfectly what nuts are in poker, and be able to competently play them in order to get the maximum possible profit in the game.
History of the term "Nuts hand"
Even professional players to this day argue about the emergence of this concept. The term "nuts" in poker is associated by many with the name of the 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, desired and sweet as chocolate. Therefore, the theory of origin associated with the chocolate bar has a foundation. There is another, more believable version 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 party they removed nuts (nuts) from the carts and put them. It is believed that since then this concept has entered the jargon of poker fans.
How is Nuts Hand defined?
Firstly, it is important to know all the combinations of cards and their order of seniority. Secondly, you need to make sure that your opponents have better combinations of cards than yours. The combination of nuts in poker is a relative thing. To have the nut combination, it is not necessary to have straight-flash or royal-flash in your pocket. The best combination of cards on the board can have a much lower rank. It depends on the common and available cards in the hands of the players.
Consider this with illustrative examples that show what nuts are like in poker. So nuts on the flop. Suppose a player received the Ace of the Cross and the Six on the first hand. On the flop, a cross jack, ten and four fell onto the table. In such a situation, our player will have a nut cross flash regardless of which cards any of the opponents will have. Royal flash, street flash, four of a kind and full house cannot be formed in this situation at anybody.
Theoretically, another cross flash player can play at the table. But our hero will have the nuts, since he sits with an ace, because the player with the highest card is given priority.
Another example. A certain player in preflop got two kings. 3 cards were placed on the table. They were the king, seven and nine. They are all of different colors. In this case, none of the players can have higher combinations. That player has a set. Others may have the set, but the nuts will be with him, because the king is the eldest of the three cards that fell on the flop.
Nuts on the turn
Let's look at a few examples of nuts on the turn:
- The player on his pocket has an ace and a nine. On the table are four cards: two aces, five and nine. This player will have the nuts. Firstly, because a full house is the biggest combination that is possible with such a distribution. Secondly, the rivals of that player can also be with a full house. But if they are with two nines in their pockets, then this is a worse situation. True, it is possible to split the pot in half if the other player also sits with an ace and a nine.
- The player has the hearts of hearts ace and a lady. Among the common cards were a diamond of spades, hearts of six, a deuce and a jack. Nobody will have combinations above flash. Ace of Hearts and Queen of Spades just give the player the nut flush, because the ace is the highest card. It has an advantage over other players, even if they also have flash.
- There are pocket two eights, and on the table there is a king, 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 nut square. Nuts on the river. Imagine that a player has two kings in his arms. Two more kings will lie on the table, the rest of the cards have different denominations and suits. Flash Streets and Royal Flash are excluded in such cases, since there cannot be five cards in a row at face values.
Therefore, the combination with a square will be nut. And no one else will have a square either: the rest of the cards are different in nominal values. Consider another interesting example with the nut on the river. The player sits with an ace of diamonds and a queen of spades. Four tambourine cards and one cross nine fall onto the table. The player has a flash. It is likely that someone else will have flash. But our player has an ace in his pocket, so he gets a nut flash. It is important to remember that the nut on the flop or turn is not a guarantee of winning the pot in the game. For example, you had a set on the flop, and at that point in the hand, he was nuts. And on the river, your opponent has a straight or a flash. As a result, the rival turned out to be profitable in the game.
Nuts straight poker
In poker, the topic of street nuts is special. It’s better to take a straight nuts out with an example. Let's say that among the common cards there are five, six and seven. One player sits with a four and eight in his arms. This means that he has a straight. But the other player has an eight and a nine on his pocket. He also has a straight. But the nuts are in the second, because the nine is older.
Types of Nut
During the game of poker, nuts are found in two varieties: current and absolute. Current nuts are an unstable concept. It characterizes the nut hand at a certain point in the game. The fact is that in the next step, the nut hand can move to another player. In turn, the absolute nut indicates the dominant combination of the outcome of the rally. It can only be seen on the river.
How to win a lot of chips if you have nuts
Having a better combination of cards than your opponents will certainly give you a profit in the game. And here we are talking about how much you can win against your rivals. You can put everything all-in, but then you will see how the opponents are dealt cards. As a result, you will win very little. But there is a huge chance with such and such cards to shake chips from other players in full!
What should be done in order not to be in this situation? Try to make your opponents bet as much as possible. This is not so simple, because the operation requires some experience. First you need to understand that in poker there are two main types of players: tight players and aggressors. The first ones play neatly. If they do not come across successful cards in the hand, they will most likely fold them. When a tight player sits at your table and you get nuts, start betting a few chips, gradually raising your bets. Well, if the aggressor plays with you, then this is a completely different case: he likes to bluff and immediately starts to bet large sums. He himself will act as the initiator of the game in a big way. If you are the owner of the nut hand, all that remains for you is to support him.
Some practical tips on nuts
1. If all community 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 follow each other in succession at face value, then the best combination in this case may be flash with an ace.
3. Royal flash and straight flash are unlikely. But you need to 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 facilitate the game for inexperienced players who find it difficult to follow all the intricacies of the process.
Conclusion
So, we examined in detail what nuts poker is. During the game, it is worth remembering that nuts are an important component of poker. You must be able to identify it with an opponent. If everything means that the opponent has the best combination, it makes sense to discard cards and save a certain amount of chips. If the nut combination looms with you, do not lose your head and think about how you can win the maximum possible number of chips from the rest.