overplays one's hand
Exceeds one's leverage
To overplay one's hand is to push an advantage too far, miscalculating one's position and losing what could have been gained with more restraint.
The phrase comes from card games, where betting aggressively on a mediocre hand invites defeat.
She overplayed her hand in salary negotiations and they withdrew the offer entirely.
- bluffingDeceiving about one's position
- all inFully committed, nothing reserved
- double downStrengthen one's stance
- high stakesSignificant potential for loss
- arroganceExcessive self-importance
miscalculation · failure · backlash · bravado · misstep · gamble · hubris · overestimation · ego trip · regret · impulsiveness · recklessness · self-deception · fatal flaw · house of cards · poker · strategic blunder · bridge too far
overplays one's handholds back
Restrains or delays
bides one's time · keeps one's powder dry · hedges one's bets · errs on the side of caution · picks one's battles
overplay, overplayed, overplaying, plays, played, playing, player, players, playful