Pot money is a term used to describe money that is put into a pot BEFORE a game or activity begins. It is usually an amount of money that all players must contribute in order to participate. The term 'ante' is a four-letter word that is often used to refer to this type of money. Ante is derived from the Latin word for 'BEFORE, ' and it is used to describe the money that is put into the pot BEFORE the game begins.