What is The Nuts in poker?

The nuts, or 'having the nut hand,' describes the best possible five-card poker hand that can be made with the community cards currently on the board. When you hold the nuts, it is impossible for any opponent to have a better hand, guaranteeing you at least a chop of the pot, if not the entire pot. Identifying the nuts on any given street is crucial for aggressive betting, as you want to extract maximum value. Players often refer to 'nut draws' when they have the potential to make the nuts if their draw hits.

On a board of 9♠8♠7♠, the nuts would be Q♠J♠, forming a Queen-high straight flush. Any other flush or straight would lose to this hand.

The Nuts (The Nuts) belongs to the Hands side of the game and shows up in almost every hand of Texas Hold'em. If you are just starting out, read the poker rules and the hand rankings first, then come back here. To practise risk-free you can play against our AI right on the site. Ready for a real table? See how to join the club.