x

Folder Sign In:

Incorrect Username / Password

Email Address:

 

Password:

 

Create New Account      Password Reminder

x

Folder Sign In:

You've Successfully Logged In!

x

Create New Account:

You do not need to sign in to use this database. However, signing in gains you access to a personal folder that you can use to save items. These items will be archived and made available to you during future database sessions.

Email Address:

 

Password:

 

Already Have Account      Password Reminder

x

Folder Sign In:

You've Successfully Created a New Account!

x

Password Reminder:

Enter your email address and we will send you your password for your Saved Items Folder Account Sign In.

E-mail Address:

 

x

Password Reminder:

Reminder Email sent!

x

E-mail Article:

Send this article to the following E-mail address. Use commas to separate multiple addresses.

E-mail Address:

 

x

E-mail Article:

Article sent!

x
Citation Information
How to Cite
Ammer, Christine. "ace in the hole." Writer's Reference Center. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 15 Apr. 2025. <http://fofweb.infobase.com/wrc/Detail.aspx?iPin=DOC00005>.
x
Record URL
To refer to this page or share this page with others, copy and paste this link:
http://fofweb.infobase.com/wrc/Detail.aspx?iPin=DOC00005

ace in the hole

Definition 
A hidden advantage. In stud poker the dealer gives each player a card facedown, called a "hole card"; from that point on all other cards are dealt faceup. Should the hole card be an ace, a high card, the player has an advantage unknown to his opponents. Stud poker was first introduced shortly after the Civil War and played mostly in what is now the Midwest but then was the West. In time "ace in the hole" became western slang for a hidden weapon, such as a gun carried in a shoulder holster, and by the early 1920s it was used figuratively for any hidden leverage. The related ace up one's sleeve comes from the practice of dishonest gamblers who would hide a winning card in just this way. See also up one's sleeve.

Return to Top Return to Top