Put up stakes is a phrase that is used to describe the act of placing a BET or wager. The crossword solutions for this phrase are BET (3 letters), ANTE (4 letters), and ANTED (5 letters). BET is an abbreviation for the word 'BETTING', which is the act of wagering money on an uncertain outcome. ANTE is a noun that refers to the amount of money that must be put up in order to participate in a game or BET. ANTED is the past tense of the verb 'ante', which means to put up a stake or wager.