“I flopped the nuts”. 

“Nut flush”.

“Stone cold nuts”. 

We’ve all heard these phrases at the poker table. They are all variations on the same poker slang, “the nuts,” one of the most commonly used terms in the game. But why do we say it? Where did the term come from? As not only a player but also a historian of the game, I’ve always been interested in these sorts of questions. Let us trace the origins of the nuts in poker. 

What Does the Nuts Mean in Poker?

Before delving into the history of the phrase, we must first define it. The nuts refers to the best possible hand at the moment in a hand of poker. Obviously things can change quickly with the turn of a card and the nuts are a dynamic notion. 

For example, the nuts preflop in the game of Texas Hold ‘Em would be pocket aces. However, very rarely would those pocket aces still be the nuts’ after the river. Specific modifiers are also applied to the nuts in many situations, with phrases like “nut flush” and “nut straight” meaning the best possible version of that hand class.

What Is the Origin of the Nuts in Poker?

While most of this is common knowledge to a poker aficionado, the origins of the phrase are not. There are a number of theories on where the term originated, with the leading theory being the most interesting.

During the early days of poker in the American Frontier, games were typically played “Open Stakes,” meaning players could bet more money (or property) than they had on their person or on the table. This Open Stakes style of poker is usually the one portrayed in the Hollywood representation of poker where we see James Bond throwing his car keys into the pot on a river.

Back to the Wild West

And while this form of poker is flawed and nearly never played in the modern era, it is important to understand in the context of our origin story.

While our cowboys were playing Open Stakes poker in the Wild West, players would often bet their valuables, including horses and wagons. To ensure they wouldn’t flee if they lost, they would remove the nuts from the wheels of their wagons and place them on the table as a bet. Holding the nuts meant they had the best hand and were confident enough to bet everything they owned, including the nuts from their wagons. It’s even been said that the term “stone cold nuts” came from players’ venturing out in the winter to remove their icy nuts from the wagon to wager them in a pot. 

And although Open Stakes poker fell to the wayside in favor of the more logical Table Stakes poker over the years, the term “the nuts” persisted. Players have continued to customize and modify the term over time, with creative spins like “Nut No Pair” and “The Berries,” but the source of the term has remained the same.  We have our gambling ancestors from the American Frontier to thank for their old-time rendition of betting the car keys.

So next time you hear someone say they flopped the nuts in poker, you can share this bit of trivia. What a world!

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