You’ve no doubt heard the term “the nuts” used at the poker table. When a player holds “the nuts”, it means they have the best hand possible based on the community cards on the table and the hole cards in their hand. For example, if the board reads A-K-Q-7-2 with no flush possible then a player with J-10 has “the nuts” with the Broadway straight (A-K-Q-J-10).
But where did this term come from? Nobody knows with absolute certainty, however there are two primary explanations which are commonly believed to be close to the money. The first is a tale from America’s Old West when players would not only bet the cash they had on them but anything else they were willing to wager – jewelry, clothing, women … even their horse and wagon!
This was a rare situation and would usually only happen when the player in question had a very strong hand, but to ensure they didn’t flee without paying, it was said the player would place the nuts and bolts from the wagon wheels themselves on the table. This is also where the term “stone cold nuts” comes from, because it would often be freezing cold at night when the nuts were laid on the table.
The other explanation which is much simpler but far less interesting is that the poker meaning of “the nuts” comes from a 17th century Oxford English Dictionary definition of the word “nuts” as “a source of pleasure or delight to a person”. One thing for sure, however, is there is no better feeling than getting to the river with the best hand possible.
