What Is a Stake in Poker?

In poker, a stake is the amount of money or chips that a player has invested in a particular pot. A player may also be said to be “in for a stake” when they have put money into the pot.

For example, if there are three players in a hand and each has put $10 in, the pot contains $30 and each player is said to be “in for $10”.

The size of the stake usually determines how much can be won or lost in a single hand. For example, in a game with a $2/$4 limit, the most that can be won or lost in any one hand is $4.

In no-limit games, there is no maximum amount that can be won or lost, although there may be limits on how much can be bet in a single round.

PRO TIP:In poker, a stake is the amount of money players contribute to the pot. It can also refer to the amount of money each player has in chips at the start of a game.

Poker stakes can be either cash or tournament chips. In cash games, players buy-in for a certain amount of cash and then exchange chips with that value at the table.

In tournament play, players pay an entry fee to receive a set number of tournament chips. The value of tournament chips is not directly related to their cash value, but rather increases or decreases based on how many chips are in play and how far along the tournament is.

A player’s stake may also refer to the amount of money they have invested in a poker game over time. For example, if a player has bought-in for $100 and lost $50 of it, they still have a $50 stake in the game.

This usage is most common in tournaments where players cannot rebuy.