table stakes

English

Noun

table stakes pl (plural only)

1. (poker) A rule whereby players are only allowed to bet the money they have on the table.
2. (business, politics, figurative) The stake that a stakeholder must put up even just to earn a place at the table (a chance to compete), let alone ensure a win.
   • 2016, Geoffrey Colon, Disruptive Marketing: What Growth Hackers, Data Punks, and Other Hybrid Thinkers Can Teach Us About Navigating the New Normal, →ISBN, page 143:

     So what makes people want to 'listen' to a brand? Sounding like a human, ugh; that's table stakes. If that's all you can say about your social approach, you're not trying hard enough.

3. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see table,‎ stakes.

See also

• penny ante