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Glite Dictionary
penny ante poker

penny ante poker

5.3
A casual card game played for very small amounts of money
  • noun
  • /ˈpɛni ˈænti ˈpoʊkər/
  • Informal
translation icon : póker de poca importancia
  • During the family reunion, the adults entertained themselves with a friendly game of penny ante poker in the backyard.

Examples

  • The pastime was never a group activity like Monopoly, later penny-ante poker, shell gathering, clam digging, or miniature golf when the amusement park was built on the highway.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • We gathered at the friend's house for some lighthearted fun, playing penny ante poker with snacks and laughter.

  • On rainy days, we often play penny ante poker using colorful chips and small bets to keep everything casual.

Synonyms

penny ante
vspenny ante poker
  • Informal
1 7.9

A game people play for very small bets or something people think is not important

is a specific card game played for very small stakes and mostly for fun

Surface Forms

penny ante poker singular
penny ante pokers plural

Morphology

penny + ante + poker

The meaning 'poker played for very small stakes' can be directly inferred from the constituents: 'penny' (a very small amount), 'ante' (a bet posted before play), and 'poker' (the card game). The composition follows a straightforward, compositional logic (small bet + poker) that a B1 learner who knows the words would readily understand, so the MWE is transparent.

Etymology

The noun penny ante poker comes from games where the ante, the first bet, was only a penny, so the money was very small. That's why it means poker played for 'very small stakes' or just 'for fun'.