What does it mean to have a Nut in Texas Holdem (Ex: Nut Flush)?

Hello again everyone,

I've started to play poker much more often now and have gotten somewhat better, but again playing with many different people, I'm confused.

When i originally started playing, i was taught that a 'Nut', as in a Nut Flush or a Nut Straight, is the highest possible Flush or highest possible Straight available, based on the cards on the board.

Recently though, someone have told me that a 'Nut' is when you flop a Flush or Straight. For example even if you don't have a King Ace Flush but you did flop the flush or straight before the turn and river card.

Which one is it?

Thanks to anyone and everyone in advanced for helping me.

The NUTS (generally plural) are the absolutely best possible hand given any particular community cards.

However, consulting my 'The Official Dictionary of Poker' by Michael Wiesenberg, in association with the Mike Caro University of Poker, the 'nut' (singular) has several meanings;

1. Daily requirement, meaning how much a player needs to make to break even.
2. Overhead that an establishment must cover before profits begin.
3 Difficult situation, as in tough nut to crack.
4 Best possible hand at any given point. Subject to change till the river card.

It is the highest possible of that hand you can get. Having the A in the flush is the nut flush.

not so BBB. a straight flush will crack that A hi flush every time cept one.

DimaNYC said:

the highest possible Flush or highest possible Straight available

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Not "highest" but _best_

"Having the Nuts" - the best possible hand to be made from the available cars(your hole, and the community). Subject, of course to change everytime a card is added to the board.

The NUTS is when you have the best possible hand according to the 5 community cards. For example if you holdKh Kd and the board is

CoolHandLuke said:

The NUTS is when you have the best possible hand according to the 5 community cards. For example if you holdKh Kd and the board is

2c 3c Ks 7h 10d​

you then have the best possible 5 card hand out of the seven cards available to you which is a set of Kings. This hand is the nuts as no other hand can beat it.​

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And if I had a K 10? Or 2 3 even? Then I'd have a better hand.....

no you wouldnt your saying you have 2 pair in my book a set beats 2 pair

dj11 said:

Best possible hand at any given point. Subject to change till the river card.

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When you're talking about poker hands, the "Nuts" is the best possible hand AT THAT MOMENT. And "at that moment" is the key to remember. The nuts can change a few times during a hand. The "absolute nuts" is most often not determined until the river is played (though the flopped top straight flush or other such rarity is the occassional exception).

So PF, AA is always the nuts. There is no possible better hand PF than having AA. But that is only in that moment in time.

Say you have A♦A♣ and the flop comes out 9♦K♥J♥. Holding AA is still strong, but it is not the nuts anymore. Someone holding QT would currently have the nuts.

Then the turn comes out with the 10♦. The nuts now would be AQ (aka the nut straight).

Finally on the river the 9♠ comes out. Now the nuts is quad nines.

So four different points in time and four different "nuts".

CoolHandLuke said:

no you wouldnt your saying you have 2 pair in my book a set beats 2 pair

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I thought you meant just a pair of kings, woops

Thanks everyone, this definitely cleared everything up for me. Appreciate everyone's help and hopefully i won't have anymore questions to bother you guys with.

Again, thanks for your time to reply everyone!