At Sports Media Network and at PokerHost.com we often are asked, what is the Nuts? In poker the best possible hand for any combination of cards is known as the ‘nuts’, occasionally you will be fortunate enough to hold a nut hand after all cards have been dealt. In this case you be in a completely unbeatable position. However, it is possible that another player at the table could have the same hand as you do, and in that case you would split the pot.
For example in a game of Texas Hold’em if there are two aces on the board and no possibility of a straight flush, a pair of aces in your hand would be the nuts since four aces would be the best possible hand in this hand.
The experience of having the nuts can be both wonderful and terrible! Obviously, its wonderful to know that you’ve won the hand, but in poker the values of a win depends more on how much money you can siphon from the other players than the overall value of your own hand. So for instance, the fact that no other player can have an ace in their hand as in the previous example, it makes it less likely that anyone will bet heavily against you in that particular instance. The bad facet of a nut hand knows you have the best hand; therefore it can be hard to conceal that fact from the other players, and then you really need to conceal your true emotions if you want to have any chance of suckering in the opponents. Here and now a well-developed poker face becomes essential to your success.
To the Neurological system, the nuts poker stimulates a hit of dopamine just as if the player had won as holding the nuts is functionally the same as having won the hand. However, you will get more of the chemical neurological reward by playing the hand well and getting more money out of the pot. Thus the nuts combines a base level experience of the reward from winning, with the potential for winning even more, by luring more players to contribute to the pot, then it makes a very potent experience as the dopamine for the win is supplemented by yet more dopamine for the anticipation of a uncertain an additional reward, as taking even more from the pot.
Given the low probability of stronger valued hands it is not unreasonable for the player to think that they have the best hand. They hold, at this point, what they believe to be the nuts. Holding such a hand warrants specific changes in ones betting strategy. The goal is usually, though not always, to extract as much money as possible from the opponents rather than to push them out. Other players at the table must decide what they want to do. Even with a check they might be suspicious of a flush.
In Texas Hold’em it is particularly dangerous when the flop gives a player the best hand at that time. Too often this player will become blinded by their luck and fail to notice that better hands become possible with the turn and the river. Further to that they may accidentally slow play to a player with pocket pairs and made set. Said player would love any chance to see the turn and river cheaply for a chance at a full house.
Having the nut anything is certainly a good situation. It is important to cut through the jargon however and truly understand one’s holdings. It is a not a simple concept and should not be taken lightly. A mistake here can quickly turn dream hands into expensive nightmares.
And now that you know more about the “Nut” you should take a look at PokerHost.com the online poker room that understands online poker players and a place where the service is outstanding as well as the software you will experience.
