Having the wherewithal to gamble away a thousand dollars and come third (4)
I believe the answer is:
able
'having the wherewithal' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
I can't explain the remainder of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for able that I've seen before include "Fully competent" , "Gifted" , "Competent as, say, sailor" , "Competent as seaman may be" , "As capable as a mariner" .)