hole card

noun

1. Stud Poker.,  the card dealt face down in the first round of a deal.

2. something held in reserve until it can be used to advantage.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hole card¹

An Americanism dating back to 1905–10

Example Sentences

Jan. 6-7 at Arizona: For much of the year this game has seemed like a winning hole card for the Seahawks to end the year.

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The Seahawks also have the hole card of a win over the Giants, giving them the edge in any ties with New York.

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In it, dozens of poker players alleged that Postle, while playing on the casino’s streamed games, was fed information about opponents’ hole cards in real time by an accomplice.

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“Essentially she played a very bad hand in a way that suggested she could see her opponent’s hole cards,” said poker pro Matt Berkey, who runs a well-known poker coaching website.

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And long-term, Seattle does have something of a hole card here if it really wanted to force the issue in the franchise tag after the 2022 season.

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