Question:    What is Holding Out?

Answer:    Holding out is a tactic to cheat in a poker game. This involves keeping a card in your sleeve, on your lap, or anywhere, so that it isn't visible to other poker players. The card is acquired from a previous poker game by throwing one card directly into the muck and keeping the other one. This gives the cheating player an extra card to swap with either of his existing pocket cards. The best defense is to watch a player who keeps his pocket cards under the table, and count the deck in between poker games.