Bet the farm/house/ranch

If one felt so confident of a wager that one would bet one’s farm or ranch on it, it would surely constitute a very sure bet. The expression is American dating from the late 19th century, perhaps originating from some poker game in the Wild West where someone did actually bet the farm or the ranch on a poker hand. Perhaps an urban dweller might bet one’s house in a similar situation. These expressions are often encountered in the negative form such as, “I wouldn’t bet the farm (or house) on it” meaning that the bet in question is somewhere short of certain.