Origin of "the nuts"

In poker, “the nuts” refers to an unbeatable poker hand. According to some poker experts, the term originated in the old west, where players often bet their horse and wagon. When a player put up his horse and wagon in a game, he would be required to remove the nuts from his wagon wheels and place them in the pot, so that he could not flee if he lost the bet. Therefore, it was assumed that anyone would bet “the nuts” with only with the best possible poker hand. Cool fact: Similarly, a “nut” player is one who tends to play only strong hands. A “calling station” is someone who frequently checks and calls, but rarely raises.