Nuts: The Best Possible Poker Hand
The poker term "nut hand" is likely the best hand in any given position. The second nut or the third nut can be considered as the next two strongest possible hands. Nut hand applies typically to shared-card poker games wherein the player holding the best possible combination on any given set of shared-cards owns the nut hand.
Usage in context
In Texas hold 'em poker, if the community cards are: 5 of spades, 6 of spades, ace of clubs, 9 of spades and 5 of hearts, a player holding 7of spades and 8 of spades owns the nut hand. His spades 9-high straight flush is the best nut. Using the same community cards, the cards 5 of clubs and 5 of diamonds would be the next best nut on a four of a kind 5's. The third-nut might be any particular pair of the three aces remaining making an ace full house of fives.
In high-low split stud games we often talked of "nut high" and "nut-low" hands as two different things. In Omaha hold 'em, when the community cards are 5♠ 6♠ A♣ 9♠ 5♥, any player holding 2-3 builds a nut-low combination of 6-5-3-2-A, at the same time a player with cards 2-4 builds the second best -nut-low combination of 6-5-4-2-A. In Texas holdem , the high nut hands stay the same with the cards 7♠ 8♠ be use to create a straight flush.
Terms such as "nut full house" and "nut flush" may be used when one is referring to the best possible hand in a specific category, although this combination might not be best hand overall. As an illustration, using the same community cards mentioned above, a pair of aces could be considered as the "nut full house", even if two more hands are likely higher. Poker terms just like "second-nut flush" as well as "third-nut straight" are also appropriate.
Origins
Some believed that the term started form ancient poker games played during the 18th century. If a player gambles everything he owned, he must put the nuts of his carriage wheels on top of the table to make certain that, if he loses, he could not flee. Since it was anticipated that a player would only do this if he had the strongest possible combination. The legend states that this started it all on why a best possible hand was called the nuts.
Another probable explanation states that "the nuts" came from another definition of the old English word "nuts", which means "any source of pleasure".