Stack the Deck
My friend is an excellent father. He is going to drive his daughters and friends over two hours to see a show in Seoul. The tickets for this show are really expensive, but he is not going to watch. He is going to sleep in the car until they have finished watching the show. So, he is either a really good father, or a sucker.
I think most people would say that he is being a good dad, but I wanted to stack the deck against him. I asked a coworker what she would do if her friend asked her to drive them to a really expensive concert and not invite her. Obviously, I was being dishonest but that is what stacking the deck is all about.
Meaning
Stacking the deck is arranging things so that the results are unfair. If you stack the deck in favor of something, you are giving it an advantage. If you stack the deck against something, you are giving it an advantage. In my example, I was stacking the deck against my friend by manipulating the facts. I tried to get my coworker to agree with me that he is a sucker.
Example: Sure, I explained the benefits of the product, but I omitted the negative side effects. I have to stack the deck to get people to buy it.
Stacking the deck is an allusion to a deck (set) of cards. Stacking the deck means arranging the cards in a certain order to benefit one player. It is a way of cheating and dates to the mid-1800s.
The Cards Are Stacked Against Me
The phrase can also be turned around to talk about an unfavorable situation. If the cards are stacked against you, you were given an unfair situation. It is most often used when talking about unfortunate life situations. It is not the person’s fault, and it seems like the universe is out to get them.
Example: I wanted to go hiking on Wednesday, but I have too much work to do, it is going to rain, and my shoes need to be fixed. The cards are stacked against me going hiking.
See Also: In spades, The short end of a stick, Adding insult to injury
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Reference:
https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/stack+the+deck