means A share, interest, or amount of money risked on an outcome, or the pointed piece of wood you drive into the ground (or, historically, into someone).

from Two threads twist together here. The 'pointed stick' sense comes from Old English staca, a pole or post, related to 'stick' and 'stake out' a claim. The gambling sense — money placed at risk — is murkier; one popular guess is that wagers were once laid on a literal post or stake before a contest, though this is more folklore than fact. Either way, both senses share the flavor of something planted, fixed, and consequential — whether a fence post or a fortune.