"The nuts" in hold'em is the best possible hand when considering the cards currently on the board. How you play when you hold the nuts is not always easy. Many players routinely slow-play the nuts, hoping to win a larger pot. Other players always bet when they have the nuts. Always doing the same thing makes you too predictable. You should adjust your strategy based on some considerations that come into play. First, how likely is your holding to remain the nuts? If you flop the nut straight but there is a two-flush on the board, your hand can be overtaken if a third card of the flush suit shows up. Second, how much action do you rate to get by betting your hand vs. slow-playing? You can flop a powerhouse but still get plenty of action, depending upon what the specific flop cards are. If you don't bet your hand, you may be costing yourself money by winning a smaller pot than otherwise. Furthermore, you may "lose your market" by failing to bet because a scare card shows up and kills your action.
The following hands were taken from live play and illustrate how to approach the pleasant problem of playing the nuts. Since the hands were taken from live games, not all of the plays leading up to the problem in question are necessarily correct, but they are usually reasonable.
Hand No. 1 ($20-$40 game): You are in the small blind with the Q
9. Everyone calls except two early-position players, who fold. You call. There is $160 in the pot and eight players. The flop is Q
Q
9, giving you the nuts. What should you do?
Answer: Bet. There is both a flush draw and a straight draw on the table, and you will get callers. You may even get some fool who is drawing dead to raise you. With this large a field and this coordinated board, all kinds of wonderful things are possible, so bet your hand. Some might argue that you should check and have someone else bet. You can then decide whether or not to raise or just call. The problem with this approach is that players will call with more hands than they will bet with themselves. Some players may feel inhibited to bet into such a large field like this with a drawing hand, and it may get checked around. When this happens, you have cost yourself some money.
Hand No. 2 ($10-$20 game): You are on the button with the A 8. An early-position player, a middle-position player, and the cutoff position all limp in. You also limp in, as does the small blind. There is $60 in the pot and six players. The flop arrives with the Q 7 2, giving you the nuts. The small blind comes out betting and the big blind raises. Everyone folds to the cutoff, who three-bets. What should you do?
Answer: Call. You have the nuts, and you are a strong favorite to have your holding remain the nuts. You have the best position, so don't spill the beans by four-betting. It is obvious that one of your opponents has a flush, probably the cutoff. It is also reasonable to assume that the small blind was leading with something like top pair or better, and the big blind was raising with top pair, excellent kicker, or better, which may include a diamond. You want someone with the K to hang around. You know the turn will get bet if a blank comes, allowing you to then lower the boom if you choose.
Hand No. 3 ($15-$30 game): You are in middle position with the J J. A middle-position player opens with a raise, and you decide just to call rather than three-bet. Only the cutoff and the button call. There is $145 in the pot and four players. The flop is Q J 4, giving you middle set. The middle-position player checks and you bet. The cutoff raises, the button cold-calls, the middle-position player folds, you three-bet, the cutoff goes all in by calling, and the button calls. There is $280 in the pot and three players. The turn is the J
, giving you the nuts. What should you do?
Answer: Bet. With one opponent all in, you have only one active opponent who is quite likely drawing at something, given his cold-call of a bet and a raise on the flop. A check will probably not induce a bet, but if your opponent is drawing, he will certainly call, not realizing that he is drawing dead. There is nothing immoral about charging someone for drawing dead.
Hand No. 4 ($20-$40 game): You are in the cutoff seat with the A 10. Two early-position players and two middle-position players limp in. You also limp in. The small blind raises and everyone calls. There is $280 in the pot and seven players. The flop is 9 7 2, giving you the nuts. It is checked to the second middle-position player, who bets. You call, as does an early-position player. There is $340 in the pot and three players. The turn is the A. The early-position player now comes out betting. The middle-position player folds. What should you do?
Answer: Raise. Calling is reasonable, but the problem is that there are several cards that could arrive on the river that would kill your action, assuming your opponent is betting something other than a flush or a flush draw. Make your opponent pay to play his two pair or set.
Hand No. 5 ($15-$30 game): You open with a raise from middle position with the A 9. Only the big blind calls. There is $70 in the pot and two players. The flop is J 8 3, giving you the nut-flush draw with an ace overcard. Your opponent checks, you bet, he raises, and you three-bet. You are three-betting because you have nine flush outs plus three overcard outs with two cards to come. You are almost even money to make a flush or a top pair of aces by the river. And you may get your opponent to check the turn, resulting in your getting a free card if you wish. He calls. There is $160 in the pot. The turn is the Qu, giving you the nuts. Your opponent checks. What should you do?
Answer: Bet. With your three-bet on the flop, he will not put you on a draw that got there, but will put you on some kind of made hand like a big overpair. Therefore, he will call if he is drawing to a flush or a straight. He might even have two pair or a set and be planning to check-raise. When this happens, you can three-bet.
Hand No. 6 ($30-$60 game): You are in the big blind with the 6 5. An early-position player and the small blind limp in, with everyone else folding. You take a free play in your big blind. There is $90 in the pot and three players. The flop arrives with the 4 3 2, giving you the nuts. The small blind bets. What should you do?
Answer: Call, don't raise. This is a small pot and your hand is quite likely to remain the nuts. Give the early-position limper some rope to hang himself. Let the small blind think his hand is the best, or that he can semibluff on a later street. There are several cards that could come off on the turn that could get one of your two opponents into trouble like an ace, a 5, or the board pairing with any deuce, 3, or 4. The early-position limper might well make an overcard call, not realizing he is drawing dead.
Hand No. 7 ($20-$40 game): You are in the big blind with the K J. An early-position player and a middle-position player both limp in. The cutoff raises. You call, as do the two limpers. There is $170 in the pot and four players. The flop is A Q 10, giving you the nuts. What should you do?
Answer: Bet. This is a raised pot with all three cards in the playing zone. With that flop, you will get action and your bet has an excellent chance of being raised, especially with a preflop raiser among the field. This will allow you to three-bet. Note also that any king or jack arriving on the turn or river could easily counterfeit your hand.
Editor's note: Jim Brier has co-authored a new book with Bob Ciaffone entitled Middle Limit Holdem Poker. It is available through Card Player.