Why do they call it the “nuts”?

No-one knows for certain. The most popular theory is that a player would remove the nuts from his wagon wheels (think wild west) when making an especially large wager. This would prevent him from fleeing quickly if he lost the bet. Of course, gamblers might only ever go to this extent if they legitimately held the best possible hand hence “the nuts”.

Is there a ruling where a player is obligated to raise when holding the nuts?

In tournaments, there is often a ruling where a player must always raise the stone cold nuts when acting last on the river. Since there is no reason why a player would not raise the best possible hand in this scenario, smooth calling is considered a type of “soft-playing” or “collusion” and can incur a penalty. This only applies to tournaments (not cash games) and it only applies when closing the action on the river (not any other spot).

What does it mean when a player is “drawing to the nuts”?

We are “drawing to the nuts” when we hold a draw that will make the nuts if it hits. For example, the Ace-high flush draw is typically referred to as the “nut flush draw” since it will be the best possible flush if it hits.

What is the nut straight in poker?

The “nut straight” means the best possible straight given the current arrangement of community cards. For example, on a 89T flop, a player who holds QJ will have the “nut straight”. The term is mostly used in community card games like Hold’em, since in draw games like 5-card draw, the nut straight is always TJQKA.

What does it mean to “check back the nuts”?

This simply means to check while in position and holding the nuts. This would usually imply some sort of “slowplay”, since the player with the nuts is taking a passive action (checking) rather than an aggressive action (such as betting).

What Is the Nuts in Poker and How to Play It!

Article updated on 3 February 2025

What is the nuts in poker? The nuts in poker is the best possible cards at any stage of a hand. A player with the nuts on the river cannot lose the hand unless they fold it or fall asleep.

Pocket Aces is the strongest hand before the flop, so it’s often referred to as the ‘preflop nuts’. However, this title is a little misleading because nuts are a post-flop concept since a qualifying Texas Hold’em hand requires five cards.

Which Hands Are the Nuts?

You’ll always have the poker nuts with a Royal Flush. Since it’s not always possible to make one, the nuts can be as weak as 3-of-a-kind. For example, on a board of 2♥️3♠️7♦️J♣️K♠️, you’d have the nuts if you held KK.

Three Kings (with a J and 7 kicker) is the best possible poker hand.

It’s impossible to build a full house or quads on unpaired boards. So, a straight will usually be the nuts unless a flush or straight flush is possible.

Where Is It Called ‘The Nuts’?

Like most poker lingo, the origin of the term ‘poker nuts’ is a mystery, but a quick search gives a few ideas. One of the most common theories suggests that the term originated in The Wild West. Players put their wagon’s wheel-nuts on the table to indicate they wouldn’t leave until they’d cleared their debts.

Other ideas: Someone saw a squirrel chasing a nut as they won a pot, made a joke about it, and it just stuck!

Announcing the Nuts

Good poker etiquette says that you should announce when you have the nuts at showdown. But some players chose to wait until their opponent revealed their hand first. Whether it’s to gain information or not, most people consider this slow-rolling, which won’t make you many friends.

People often use the word ‘nuts’ in poker synonymously with ‘best’.
People frequently say they have the nut straight or nut full house.

This announcement typically means they have the best possible version of that hand on a specific poker board runout.

While it makes it sound cooler, a nut straight still loses to any flush.

Poker has a habit of leaking into other parts of life. So, don’t be surprised if you hear players using the term ‘nuts’ to describe everyday things.

Losing With the Nuts in Poker

It’s a common misconception that you will always win when you have the nuts, but this isn’t always the case. Though you will never lose, players will sometimes split the pot with the nuts.

You’ll see this most often with straights. For example, if both players have JT and make a Jack-high straight, they will not need to pair any of their hole cards with the board.

Losing With the Nuts in Poker

If a player makes a full house with pocket Eights and an Eight on the flop, their opponent cannot make the same full house.

However, you can split the pot with a hand as strong as a nut full house.

For example, if you hold KQ on a board of KKQ26, your opponent can still have the last remaining king and one of the other two Queens. It’s not very common, but it does happen.

Cheating With the Poker Nuts?

In poker, you must bet with the nuts when you are last to act on the river. This rule stops players cheating or soft-playing against each other.

The logic is simple: Why wouldn’t you bet the nuts if you aren't cheating?

A player failing to bet the nuts when last to act on the river will usually get a penalty. The cardroom may ban them if things look a little dodgy.

Changing Poker Nuts

Since the dealer reveals new cards on the turn and river, the nuts can change as a hand progresses. This fact can be frustrating, but it’s crucial not to fall in love with a hand that made the nuts on the flop but became a lot weaker as the board developed.

However, falling in love is mandatory if you’re playing strip poker!

For example. imagine you hold T♦️8♦️ on a board of 6♠️7♠️9♦️. While you’ll usually still hold the nuts by the river, consider what happens to your hand if the 9♥️ falls on the turn.

Now your straight is much weaker. You no longer have the nuts and are losing to hands like 66, 79, and 99.

If we take things further and say the 9♠️ falls on the river, your flopped nuts become flimsier than those paper straws everyone’s using these days.

You're behind to any flush, pair (now a house), and 9x.

RIP T♦️8♦️!

Blocking the Nuts in Poker

Take a second to consider the nuts on 4♥️5♥️8♥️J♣️Q♦️. It’s 6♥️7♥️, right? Well, that makes a straight flush, but a straight flush isn’t always the poker nuts here.

You might be scratching your head at that statement. It’s not that you wouldn’t have the nuts with a straight flush (because you would). However, sometimes your hole cards prevent the possibility of the absolute nuts.

For instance, if you hold a hand like 7♥️7♠️ or 6♥️6♣️, nobody can make a straight flush since you’d have one of the necessary cards in your own hand.

Strategically, cards like this are known as ‘blockers’, and they’re good to hold if you are thinking of getting a little fruity and firing a bluff.

If you’re trying to pretend you have a diamond flush, the ace of diamonds is a great blocker to hold.
It prevents your opponent from having the nut flush, making them more likely to fold.

With blockers in mind, there are three hands that can be the nuts on a board of 4♥️5♥️8♥️J♣️Q♦️:

6♥️7♥️, for a straight flush
A♥️6♥️ for an ace-high or ‘nut flush’
A♥️7♥️ for an ace-high or ‘nut flush’

A nut-flush is much weaker than a straight flush in absolute terms, but here both are unbeatable and can be the nuts.

Relative Poker Nuts

Try not to worry about running into the nuts if they require a hand that your opponent is unlikely to play. If there was a lot of action preflop or a player is in early position, they are very unlikely to have the nuts on A34K9 since they would probably fold 2-5 preflop.

Here, you can confidently ignore poker variance and treat a hand like AA as the nuts, even though they technically aren’t.

Playing the Poker Nuts

Since they are very strong, many players think they should always slow play the nuts to give their opponents a chance to catch up.

This strategy is usually a bad idea. Hands can change a lot as boards develop for the following reasons:

Your opponents can outdraw you.
They may see a scare card that makes them play tighter when you slow play.

Although giving an overly aggressive opponent a little rope can be smart, slow playing usually leads to a smaller pot overall. This outcome is pretty bad for you since you’ll probably win, given you have the nuts and all!

Unless there’s a bad beat jackpot in play, you should do your best to build the pot when you have the nuts, and that means betting as much and as often as you can.

Good luck, and happy nutting!

The Nuts Poker Quiz

Now you know all about the nuts, here are ten questions to test your newfound knowledge:

Player A has KK, and Player B has AA. Who has the nuts on a 9♠️9♦️9♥️9♣️A♠️?
How can you lose with the nuts?
What is the nuts in poker?
When must you bet the nuts?
What is the nuts on 6♥️9♥️T♠️T♥️9♠️?
True or false: Losing the hand is impossible if you flop the nuts.
What are ‘blockers’?
Where do most theories think the term ‘nuts’ originates?
What is the nuts on A♠️Q♦️4♥️5♣️9♠️?
Can a full house be the nuts, even if quads are possible?

SCROLL DOWN FOR ANSWERS

The Nuts Poker Quiz Answers

1: Both payers (the board is the nuts)

2: You fold/misread your hand

3: The best possible hand

4: When you are last to act on the river

5: 7♥️8♥️

6: False: You can be outdrawn or bluffed later.

7: Useful cards that block your opponent from having certain hands.

8: From Wild West tales of people putting their wheel nuts on the table.

9: 23s, 23o

10: Yes when you make trips, you will block quads. e.g., JT on JJT27.

Originally published on 24 November

About the Author See all Dan O’Callaghan Articles

Dan O’Callaghan

Dan O’Callaghan is a professional poker player who got his start in the online poker world as danshreddies. He has racked up over $290K in online earnings.