Ace in the Hole

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ace in the Hole is a slang expression meaning a secret or extra asset to assure success, referring to the ace playing card a player has as a hole card (or face down card) in a game of stud poker.

References to this expression include:

• Ace in the Hole (film), a 1951 film starring Kirk Douglas
• "Ace in the Hole", a 1909 popular Tin Pan Alley song by James Dempsey and George Mitchell; later recorded by such artists as Bunk Johnson, Lu Watters, Bob Scobey, and the Dukes of Dixieland
• "Ace in the Hole" (Cole Porter song)
• President John F. Kennedy called the 341 SMW at Malmstrom AFB, Montana his "First Ace in the Hole" during the Cuban Missile Crisis due to its revolutionary and unmatched capability in nuclear war at the time.
• "Ace in the Hole", 1979 song by Paul Simon
• "Ace in the Hole", song written by Dennis Adkins and sung by George Strait
• "Ace in the Hole", song by Dave Van Ronk