Advance payment for poet first off (4)
I believe the answer is:
ante
'advance payment' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
I can't explain the rest of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for ante that I've seen before include "early payment" , "Initial bet" , "Initial contribution to the common pot" , "A neat sort of prefix" , "Betting stake" .)