# Card game related phrases **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 19, 2006, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-game-related-phrases/340590 "2006-01-19T01:57:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Carnick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carnick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carnick)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-game-related-phrases/340590/1 "2006-01-19T01:57:28Z")
“Don’t reveal your hand” “When the chips are down” “Don’t put all your cards on the table” “Put on your poker face” “I’ve got an ace up my sleeve” “Ace in the hole” Any others? ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-game-related-phrases/340590/2 "2006-01-19T02:25:08Z")
‘Penny ante.’ ‘Play your cards close to your chest.’ ‘Not playing with a full deck.’ ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-game-related-phrases/340590/3 "2006-01-19T02:33:10Z")
“If I play my cards right…” “Black as the ace of spades” ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-game-related-phrases/340590/4 "2006-01-19T02:39:51Z")
'You gotta know when to hold ‘em…’ ‘Too rich for my blood.’ ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-game-related-phrases/340590/5 "2006-01-19T02:45:30Z")
“It’s all come up trumps” ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-game-related-phrases/340590/6 "2006-01-19T03:05:36Z")
“He holds the trump card.” “Dead man’s hand” ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-game-related-phrases/340590/7 "2006-01-19T04:21:55Z")
Most likely from bridge: “has it in spades” (spades being the highest ranking suit at bridge) “Y is not his strong suit” “X trumps Y” (meaning that X beats out or takes precedence over Y) Then there’s also the phrase “go fish” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-game-related-phrases/340590/8 "2006-01-19T04:42:28Z")
About a year ago 2002 World Series of Poker champion Robert Varkonyi [wasted a page in Cardplayer Magazine](http://www.cardplayer.com/poker_magazine/archives/?a_id=14562&m_id=65556) listing off some poker terms that have entered common parlance. ---
**Author:** ![GrizzRich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ba0ec/32.png) [@GrizzRich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrizzRich)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-game-related-phrases/340590/9 "2006-01-19T06:32:51Z")
“It’s a push” “Winner take all” ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-game-related-phrases/340590/10 "2006-01-19T09:22:50Z")
“pass the buck” “peg out” ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-game-related-phrases/340590/11 "2006-01-19T09:27:28Z")
“Holding all the cards” ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-game-related-phrases/340590/12 "2006-01-19T12:22:37Z")
“Snap!” ---
**Author:** ![TommyTutone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c4cdca/32.png) [@TommyTutone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TommyTutone)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-game-related-phrases/340590/13 "2006-01-19T14:37:01Z")
I call Tichu ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-game-related-phrases/340590/14 "2006-01-19T15:41:54Z")
“Deal me in”; “Deal me out” ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-game-related-phrases/340590/15 "2006-01-19T15:47:06Z")
“Uno!” I hear all the kids in Mexico use that to signify one now. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-game-related-phrases/340590/16 "2006-01-19T16:24:31Z")
“The cards are (deck is) stacked against you.” ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-game-related-phrases/340590/17 "2006-01-19T16:25:57Z")
Just thought of another one: “He was dealt a bad hand in life.” ---
**Author:** ![Theodore\_Striker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Theodore\_Striker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Theodore_Striker)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-game-related-phrases/340590/18 "2006-01-19T16:43:38Z")
He’s holding the nuts.