ace in the hole

noun

1. Poker. an ace dealt and held face down, especially in stud poker.
2. an advantage or a resource kept back until the proper opportunity presents itself:

   His ace in the hole is his political influence.

ace in the hole

1. A hidden advantage or resource kept in reserve until needed: “The coach was certain that his new trick play would turn out to be his ace in the hole.” This term comes from the game of stud poker, in which one or more cards are turned face down, or “in the hole,” as bets are placed. The ace is the card with the highest value.

Word History and Origins

Origin of ace in the hole¹

An Americanism dating back to 1920–25

Idioms and Phrases

A hidden advantage or resource kept in reserve until needed, as in The prosecutor had an ace in the hole: an eyewitness . The term comes from stud poker, where each player is dealt one card face down—the so-called hole card—and the rest face up. Should the hole card be an ace, the player has a hidden advantage. Hole here simply means “a hiding place.” In the 19th-century American West, the expression was used to refer to a hidden weapon, such as a gun concealed in a shoulder holster. By the 1920s it had become a metaphor for any surprise advantage or leverage.

Example Sentences

But Toranaga has an ace in the hole.

From Los Angeles Times

Trump's favorite campaign strategy is immigrant bashing and they hoped it would be their ace in the hole.

From Salon

“We also looked at Wilder’s “Ace in the Hole” for when the carnival comes to town and “It Happened One Night” for the way it stages a motor court.…

From Los Angeles Times

Stockhausen and Anderson diligently studied both location and stage-bound American desert films such as “Ace in the Hole,” “Kiss Me, Stupid” and “Bad Day at Black Rock” but wanted the control and heightened look that creating their own wasteland enabled.

From Los Angeles Times

This is our ace in the hole — the real power we have as consumers over the oil cartel.

From Seattle Times