Crossword Clue: Poker stake
Here's the answer to the Poker stake crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: ANTE
The answer to "Poker stake" is ANTE. Ante runs 4 letters — 2 vowels and 2 consonants — opening with A and closing on E. In a grid it fills a 4-square slot whose letters are each shared with a crossing word, so the intersections do a lot of the heavy lifting when the clue itself is tough.
Origin & meaning
The ante is a forced bet each player posts before a hand begins. From Latin for 'before,' its balanced A-N-T-E is a constructor staple.
Common usage
You'll see ANTE in grids regularly — its 4-letter, 2 vowels shape is exactly what setters need to bridge trickier entries. When one intersecting letter is already in place, especially the A or E, ANTE tends to fall fast.
Crossword trivia
Short answers like ANTE are the connective tissue of a crossword. You'll meet ANTE again and again, and recognizing it instantly is one of the quiet skills that separates fast solvers from slow ones.
Stuck on this clue?
The fastest way past a stubborn clue like this one is the grid itself: pencil in the easy crossing answers first, and ANTE will often be the only word that fits the letters you already have.
This clue in different puzzles
The clue "Poker stake" is just one way to arrive at ANTE. Across different puzzles and editors you may see the same answer clued as "Raise, as stakes". Recognizing that a single answer can wear many clues is one of the fastest ways to level up as a solver.
Example sentences
- "Once the A was confirmed by the crossing word, ANTE was the only entry that fit."
- "A 4-letter slot and a clue like 'Poker stake'? That's ANTE nine times out of ten."
- "I second-guessed it, but the crossing answers confirmed ANTE was right."