The meaning of "I didn't play my cards right" Hi everyone! I am in the middle of a translation from English to French and I am having a hard time with this expression "I didn't play my cards right". I think it means that you didn't use the right strategy to achieve what you wanted, that you didn't use your full potential. Somehow it expresses a kind of regret. Is that it? Here is a little bit of context. The text is about a character who talks about the choices she made in her life. Here is the complete sentence: "Perhaps I didn't play my cards right but most likely those things just are not meant to happen for most people". I would really appreciate your help on that :) Thank you