Can anyone tell me what this word means?

by Mackin 4 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Mackin

  I have a colleague who is working with a large corporate client who has taken to using the word "tablestake" in his reports. One word, no hyphen. Neither of us has ever heard of this word, nor has anyone else I've asked, and the meaning is not clear from the context of his reports.
  
  I've consulted online dictionaries to no avail. I've even Googled the word, and found a handful of uses of it, but the meaning remains elusive.
  
  Three Questions:
  1. Have you ever heard of it?
  2. If yes, what does it mean?
  3. Can you please give a sentence which uses it in context?
  
  Note, the client is not using the word in a gambling context, i.e. "To join this blackjack game the tablestake is $200."
  
  Thanks,
  
  
  Mackin_NZ
• 

  Clam

  You sure it isn't torturestake?

  Seriously, I've only heard it used a couple of times and just made the assumption it meant the same as -benchmark.

  I may very well be wrong!
• 

  funkyderek

  According to Wikipedia:

  In poker, table stakes refers to the maximum a player can bet and possibly lose during the course of a single hand. It is the money he or she has on the table at the beginning of that hand.

  ...

  In Business Table Stakes also refers to the minimum entry requirement for a market or business arrangement. It can refer to pricing, cost models, technology, or other capability that represents a minimum requirement to have a credible competitive starting position in a market or other business arrangement. For example, if you want to be a Wireless service provider the table stakes are the basic features you need to have in order to be in that business to achieve foundation capability - Network, Handsets, a data service, a mail server etc. Beyond that real competitive advantage comes from additional nimbleness and cost or product differentiation. Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_stakes" It's rarely used as a single word, but the above seems to be the meaning when it is.
• 

  Mackin

  Ahh, Wikipedia, why didn't I think of that.
  
  Thanks FunkyDerek
• 

  Wolfgirl

  I was going to ask if they typed it correctly. :)