hold the cards

present singular third person holds the cards · participle present holding the cards · participle past held the cards · past held the cards · alternative hold all the cards

1. idiomaticTo be in a strong position, possessing significant advantages over someone else; to be in control of a situation involving multiple parties.

   Once a ticket is paid for and the airline has your money, it holds the cards.

   1986 August 17, Peter H. Lewis, “Practical Traveller: Learning the ABC's — as well as the XYZ's — of Flying”, in New York Times, retrieved 12 Jan 2012

   2 more examples

   "[B]ut if you make conditions I have no choice but to accept them, seeing that you hold the cards."

   1907, R. Austin Freeman, chapter 14, in The Red Thumb Mark

   "In the short term, from a power perspective, the current Zimbabwe elite is holding the cards," says Steven Friedman, director of the Center for the Study of Democracy.

   2008 July 10, Megan Lindow, “Why Mugabe and His Foe Are Talking”, in Time

   Synonyms: hold all the aces, hold the aces