Poker Post

Poker terminology can range from the obvious (calling a pair of Queens "ladies") to the punny (calling a Jack-Four a "spare tire," as in "what's a jack for?") One of the most interesting phrases is the term "nuts" or "nut X," where X is the kind of hand (example: nut flush). I wondered where this term originated. Wikipedia had the answer:

The phrase originates from the historical poker games in the colonial west of America. If one bet to the sum of everything he possessed, he would place the "nuts" of his wagon wheels on the table. Most likely, this was to ensure that, should the wagerer lose the hand, he would be unable to flee and would have to make good on the bet. Obviously, to make such a bet one would need to be sure that he has the best possible hand.

Interesting indeed.