Poker analogy: the nut is the one card that forms the best possible hand out of the shared cards on the table. Having the nut card in the hole means you have it

Poker analogy: the nut is the one card that forms the best possible hand out of the shared cards on the table. Having the nut card in the hole means you have it in your hidden cards. When you're in this position, you know you're going to win the hand but the other players do not and your goal is to get them to bid as much as possible on the hand without tipping them off that you know you will win it.