American poker
players in the late nineteenth century invented this expression to indicate that
a player was satisfied with the original hand dealt and would draw no more
cards. Where did the pat come from" One theory is that because the word
meant "in a manner that fits or agrees with the purpose or occasion" or
"incapable of being improved" it was a natural for the poker expression.
Another holds that stand pat is a corruption of stand pad, an
older English expression meaning "to sell from a stationary position" which
originally referred to peddlers who remained in a fixed location. To stand
pad was to remain fixed or firm, like a poker player who doesn"t move to
take any more cards. From poker, in any case, the expression passed into
general use as a term for taking a firm, fixed position on something.