Why do people go with this phrase in poker?

I would think people would compliment the way you played a hand, as a hand is your best combination of cards. So I would expect nice play, but nice hand to me seems like complimenting someone on the date they were born.

I think that a good hand - a hand that wins the pot.

Similarly to the expression "****", 'nice hand' can be used in many ways and mean many things..

It doesn't exclusively mean 'nice-five-card-hand-created-using-the-best-five-card-combination-of-your-two-hole-cards-and-the-five-community-cards'.

It can also mean simply 'well played' or 'Seriously?! You called with that?! Well I guess you caught your three outer on the river so...' and also quite a few things in-between.

People say 'nh' for a whole variety of reasons, a lot of the fun is working out which one, haha.

That being said, don't look too deeply into it & just focus on the next hand instead...

I had some people complementing each other for nice hands all the time and they really meant only the hand because their play was poor and they only won when they had monsters or pots without any value

its a good gesture to a good play. its better that the annoying people that insult on tables.

I personally hate the phrase, I thought I was the only one

If someone gets quads or a royal flush then saying nice hand is just something I do. If you do not like doing it don't but don't criticise someone just because they do say it.

The phrase is mostly used passive aggressively ... the exception is when someone has a truly extraordinary hard (four of a kind plus)

I believe most of the people that play poker use it to say something between the lines such as f you haha.

it would be like wanting to see you well but not better than me ...

Just a phrase of congratulating the player on winning the hand/pot.

wow read that many see it differently, for me it has always been a congratulation a courtesy and nothing more:ico n_stud

Nice post.

Some people use "np", which I understand to mean "nicely played". To me that's a lot more meaningful than simply commenting on a couple of Aces that held up. I generally use "nh" to mean "np", but obviously "nh" is by far mostly used simply as a kind of polite courtesy.

Pretty nice hand in a way yesterday in sng HU phase. Limped with KsTh 13bb deep, BB check.
Flop comes 4d6d8c, goes checked. Turn is Ac, villain pot and I call. River was Js, villain bets like 80% pot and decided to hero. He had Q7o. Feels nice when these go well .
Thinking process was he won't have much if any Ax, likely won't value bet 8x like that and there was bunch of draws I don't block.
Suits might not have been exactly like that but anyway.

I 100% agree. I would rather you acknowledge that I played the hand well with NP or WP well played than to tell me NH. I have nothing to do with the hand I was dealt but everything to do with how I played it.

This phrase does not cause me any resistance.
It just means that you have a good hand to play and whether you win or not depends on you and your luck.

Sounds like mixed options about the term, but I have mainly heard it used in a sarcastic way. Undermining the player for playing "that hand".

Great post! I've often wondered about this. It's nothing to do with the skill of the player so it's not really a compliment, but maybe that's part of the point. It allows players to say something nice, while thinking " I'm a much better player, they're just lucky, I'll get them next time".

Heh...saw a player at the table a few days ago with a username NHmeansFU. Made me chuckle. I suppose it probably does sometimes but other times it's probably just a friendly gesture during play. The times it's kind of aggravating is when a player not in the hand says it to the winner of the hand in play. That seems like kind of dis to the player on the losing end even if not intentional.

I think it respect to the other players, especially when you think you have won then they play over you push then show you they had the hole time,

This term is mostly used when you use a hand well and get the maximum value possible using cunning

If people use the phrase "good evening", it does not mean that the evening will be "good" absolutely for everyone. "nice hand" is a commonly used phrase traditionally used by players.

Both nice hand or nice play are synonymous with an acknowledgement of winning or what ever other positive connotation you want to associate it with. Nice post!

It's just turned into a cliche, so it's what everybody says. It's similar to cliche small talk greetings like, "How you doing?" or "Good Morning, How are you?" People are saying these things because they feel like they are necessary, when in fact they are cliche and repetitive (and also meaningless).

That's a good point, I say this all the time tho. I think the term well played makes more sense

it is but there are times that this phrase "good hand" can be ironic but most of the times I believe that the phrase is not linked to the cards you have but the form you played. it would only be linked to the cards you have if you for example are a novice and ask someone who has more knowledge "AK of the same hand is a good hand" then the person answers you ...

When I get beat by a well played hand I always write in chat nh. It means you outplayed me.

Nice hand, GG, GL are the more use at the game, In my daily gaming I only use them for Cardschat tournaments and when I am really impressed with a hand I use the phrase VNH very nice hand, I think that's my best compliment for another poker player. "Manners maketh man"

These expressions are used by players who want to praise your good game with a strong winning combination. And many novice players, especially those who do not speak English and have learned about this expression recently, use it to just write something in the chat.

Originally Posted by JRTHEKING

Heh...saw a player at the table a few days ago with a username NHmeansFU. Made me chuckle. I suppose it probably does sometimes but other times it's probably just a friendly gesture during play. The times it's kind of aggravating is when a player not in the hand says it to the winner of the hand in play. That seems like kind of dis to the player on the losing end even if not intentional.

yes I do not really like being congratulated in the face of the loser

Originally Posted by moosepaw

Why do people go with this phrase in poker?

I would think people would compliment the way you played a hand, as a hand is your best combination of cards. So I would expect nice play, but nice hand to me seems like complimenting someone on the date they were born.

NH just means nice hand as in best hand, it does not mean well played and often isn't.

I have never complimented anyone on the date they were born nor have I ever heard anyone else do it how would that be phrased?

Now I try to remember as many as I can comments with "nice hand" and all I remeber that nice hand was called just good cards or very bad cards witch beat a lot of good cards, but not good play. When it was good play or interesting startegy I saw coments like "well done" "good bluff" nice play"

I agree, it means nothing. Well played would be a better thing to say. AA played wrong could net you very little, played smartly could net you all of someone's chips. "Well Played"

I think online people mostly praise nice hand, not nice play. I often get nice hand if i get all in pre flop with aces and i didnt do anything good in a hand. Or in other case nice hand means nice play and it probably got stuck since the early days but we all know it means nice play so thats that

I agree with you but I think it is a matter of the most common abbreviation etc.
Personally I write NH whenever I mean ''well played'' , apparently if someone makes quads doesn't mean that the player made something special in order to get the quads , he just got lucky.

Plus I only say GG whenever the player lost from a standard situation - most likely a flip - or after a final table - HU in order to show my respect to the game of my opponent no matter the result.

Hi.
This phrase can be used in different situations and at the same time with a completely different meaning. The phrase "nice hand" - can be a compliment from a polite opponent, and also can be a sneer from a sarcastic opponent.
Good luck.

I write this phrase only as sarcasm, for example if I take the badbeat

I often use this phrase in the case when a player reached 1 or 2 out (that is, when he played a very ploho-- is sarcasm)!

Just a friendly gesture unless being used sarcastically.

I use it as sarcasm when my opponent get away a lucky win.

Originally Posted by jaymfc

yes I do not really like being congratulated in the face of the loser

NH just means nice hand as in best hand, it does not mean well played and often isn't.

I have never complimented anyone on the date they were born nor have I ever heard anyone else do it how would that be phrased?

Happy birthday?

Nh = Nice catch and keep playing like that please

Not every combination in poker can be called the phrase "nice hand". The expression "nh" should be used when a player opens an unexpectedly strong combination or when a player collects a strong combination - four of a kind or higher. If sarcasm is meant, this expression is used after an unsuccessful attempt to bluff.
In general, the phrase "nice hand" is just a statement of the fact of a good combination, which comes quite rarely.

"Nice Hand" is, most often, a derisive, sarcastic comment, which means that the player receiving the comment has a won a hand that they didn't deserve to win.

Originally Posted by Tracid

Happy birthday?

smoke another one of course I thought of that but that's not a compliment on the DATE you were born.
maybe that is what he meant and it's me that misunderstood
so you're going with "nice hand " is like saying "happy birthday"?
I guess I'll smoke another one so I can follow this thought process

Originally Posted by Tracid

Similarly to the expression "****", 'nice hand' can be used in many ways and mean many things..

It doesn't exclusively mean 'nice-five-card-hand-created-using-the-best-five-card-combination-of-your-two-hole-cards-and-the-five-community-cards'.

It can also mean simply 'well played' or 'Seriously?! You called with that?! Well I guess you caught your three outer on the river so...' and also quite a few things in-between.

People say 'nh' for a whole variety of reasons, a lot of the fun is working out which one, haha.

That being said, don't look too deeply into it & just focus on the next hand instead...

hi
I see a lot of people reading a lot into the 2 alphabets n & h
its a matter of perspective
how one sees or for that matter reads into it.
end of the play it really doesn't matter how it was meant, just take it as a compliment say your thanks and next hand..

Originally Posted by jaymfc

smoke another one of course I thought of that but that's not a compliment on the DATE you were born.
maybe that is what he meant and it's me that misunderstood
so you're going with "nice hand " is like saying "happy birthday"?
I guess I'll smoke another one so I can follow this thought process

Just meant that wishing someone a happy birthday is kinda complimenting them on the date they were born...

420 semantics is an accurate diagnosis, very astute.

Don't tell anyone!

It's normal, it's part of the game jargon, you better get used to it

Hi mate.To tell you the truth I have no problem when an opponent says that phrase to me..I prefer to use well done or well played instead, I think those words sound better.