Crossword Genius

Dodgy, being at the mercy of cards one’s dealt (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

underhand

'dodgy' is the definition.

'at the mercy of cards one's dealt' is the wordplay.
'at the mercy of' becomes 'under'.
'cards one's dealt' becomes 'hand'.
'under'+'hand'='UNDERHAND'

'being' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for underhand that I've seen before include "In a secret or dishonest way" , "Displaying craft" , "Done dishonestly" , "Deceptively" , "Sneaky" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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