A Filly who Farkles

I am a piker. I’ve been playing Farkle on Facebook against unknown “hotdice” fanatics. Some are pikers like me (cautious gamblers) and others outrageously throw the last die and farkle out even when they are behind by thousands. Further research into the word piker, though, brings me the unwanted synonym of cheapskate. I do not think of myself as a cheapskate. I don’t see how these words ever got related. The very idea of gambling seems to imply that one is easy with one’s money. Hold on, I don’t gamble with money. Farkle is just fun and I’m betting imaginary chips that cost me nothing but idle minutes (which do add up). But then if I won’t use real dinero then maybe cheapskate does apply to me after all. Okay, now I want to know where this word came from. Here’s what I found: cheapskate - "miserly person," 1896, from cheap (q.v.), second element perhaps from American English slang skate "worn-out horse" (1894). Hmmm, I like horses.