Pay to play, in a way (4)
I believe the answer is:
ante
'pay to play in a way' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
This is the entire clue.
(Other definitions for ante that I've seen before include "Stake (that may be upped?)" , "Advance stake" , "Money put at risk" , "Preposition meaning before" , "Initial stake in a poker game" .)