The Nine of Cups signifies victory with a slight tinge of smugness, and celebration slightly tainted by gloating. It echoes similar ideas of sensory pleasure found in the ace of cups, though with slightly less purity. This card predicts a singular success and the promise of celebration after but warns the querent to stay grounded, reminding them that haughtiness is an ugly quality, and being a sore winner is just as bad, if not worse, than being a sore loser.