Stand pat
In draw poker, keeping all your cards and drawing none.
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- What it means
- To stand pat is to take no new cards on a draw. A hand already complete in the first five cards dealt, such as a straight or a flush, is called a pat hand.
- How it is calculated
- Players stand pat with a made hand, or as a bluff to look strong. Outside card games the phrase means sticking with what you have instead of changing it.
- Worked example
- In five-card draw you are dealt 4♠ 5♦ 6♣ 7♥ 8♠, a straight. You stand pat and draw 0 cards, while an opponent who keeps a pair and draws 3 is unlikely to beat a straight.
- Why it matters
- Hold'em has no draw, but the phrase turns up in poker writing and in the games people deal at home. Standing pat as a bluff is also a plain example of representing a strong hand you do not hold.
See also: Hand rankings, Bluff, Draw