The Nuts

The nuts is the best possible hand available at a given moment, given the community cards on the board. If you hold the nuts, no other hand can beat you right now, although the nuts can change as new cards are dealt.

What are the nuts in poker?

To find the nuts, look at the board and ask which two hole cards would make the strongest possible five-card hand. Whoever holds those cards has the nuts. For example, on a board of A-K-Q-J-2 with three of those cards the same suit, the nut flush would be the best possible hand if you hold the two matching high suited cards, while a T of any suit would make a straight but not necessarily beat the flush.

• Nut flush: the highest possible flush, made with the ace of the flush suit.
• Nut straight: the highest straight the board allows.
• Second nuts: the next best hand behind the nuts, strong but beatable by exactly one holding.

How do the nuts change street by street?

The nuts is defined only for the cards currently on the board, so it shifts as each new card lands. A hand that is the nuts on the flop can be overtaken on the turn or river.

Say the flop is 8-9-T. The nut hand is a jack-queen for the highest straight. Now the turn brings a second heart and the river brings a third heart. Once three cards of one suit are out, a flush becomes possible, and the old straight is no longer the nuts. This is why players say the nuts "moves" as the board runs out.

Why do the nuts matter?

Knowing whether the nuts is possible tells you how safe your strong hand really is. Even a very good hand is not the nuts if a flush or straight is available on the board, so you should size your bets and calls with that in mind. Having the nuts or hands close to it also gives you a nut advantage, meaning your range contains more of the strongest hands than your opponent's does.

To see how the best hands and ranges interact on any board, the Solver+ app shows solver-backed strategies so you learn when the nuts is in play and how to bet around it.

FAQ

Can the nuts change during a hand?

Yes. The nuts is defined by the current board, so a new turn or river card can create a stronger possible hand and move the nuts to a different holding.

What does second nuts mean?

The second nuts is the second best possible hand on the board. It loses only to the single hand that makes the nuts.

Is the highest flush always the nuts?

Not always. A flush is only the nuts if the board does not allow a straight flush or a full house on a paired board, so always check what the board makes possible.