stack the deck
Cheat before dealing
To stack the deck is to arrange circumstances unfairly in one's favor, from the cheating technique of secretly ordering cards before dealing.
The phrase implies hidden manipulation rather than open advantage: The rules were written to stack the deck against small businesses.
Someone facing a stacked deck confronts a situation rigged against them from the start.
Randomize by mixing
- dealerOne who sells goods
- cardsStiff paper rectangles
- dealAgreement or distribution
- handGrasping body part
cut · poker · blackjack · gambling · casino · ante · trump · wild card
Fraudulently arranged beforehand
- unfairUnjust or partial
- fixedRestored or immovable
- crookedBent or dishonest
- loaded diceTampered probability cubes
marked cards · underhanded · swindle · con · scam · fraud · dishonest · corrupt
Equipment arrangement or vehicle
- biasUnfair inclination or prejudice
- skewTwist from straight
- tiltAngular deviation from level
- engineerTechnical design professional
orchestrate · prejudice · sway · distort · slant · angle · fix · doctor
Boundary or sharpness
- upper handPosition of control
- leverageBorrowed capital for amplified returns
- oddsLikelihood expressed numerically
- favorKind act or preference
positioning · head start · inside track · leg up · loaded · weighted · imbalance · inequality
shuffle
Randomize by mixing
hand · cut · poker · blackjack · gambling · casino · ante · trump · wild card · palming
rigged
Fraudulently arranged beforehand
loaded dice · marked cards · underhanded · swindle · con · scam · fraud · dishonest · corrupt · tamper
rig
Equipment arrangement or vehicle
engineer · orchestrate · prejudice · sway · distort · slant · angle · fix · doctor · weight
edge
Boundary or sharpness
- upper handPosition of control
- leverageBorrowed capital for amplified returns
- oddsLikelihood expressed numerically
favor · positioning · head start · inside track · leg up · loaded · weighted · imbalance · inequality · unfair advantage
- dirty tacticsdirty trick, dirty tricks, dirty pool, foul play, cheap shot
stack the deckplay fair
Act honestly in competition
play by the rules · play it straight · keep it clean · follow the rules
stack the decklet the chips fall where they may
Accept outcomes without interference
roll the dice · wing it · go with the flow · hope for the best
deck, stack, stacks, stacked, decks, decked, stacking, decking, unstacked