Stake and nails trainee employs initially (4)

I believe the answer is:

ante

'stake' is the definition.
(stake in poker)

'and nails trainee employs initially' is the wordplay.
'initially' indicates taking the first letters.
The initial letters of 'and nails trainee employs' is 'ANTE'.

(Other definitions for ante that I've seen before include "Initial stake in a poker game" , "Hoofed mammal" , "Stake put up before the deal" , "early payment" , "Initial contribution to the common pot" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.

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