KEY TAKEAWAYS
Poker tournaments come with a vocabulary that cash games rarely use: entries, levels, bubbles, color-ups and pay jumps. This glossary defines 26 tournament terms in plain language, each with a short example of how a player might say it. It is written for readers who are about to enter a first event, who follow tournament coverage, or who have heard a word at the table and want a clear meaning. The terms are grouped by how a tournament unfolds: entry formats and buy-ins, structure and prize pools, stack sizes, and the money stage through the final table. Rules differ between rooms and organizers, so where a term varies the entry says so, and the Poker Tournament Directors Association (TDA) rules are cited where they set a standard. Terms already covered in the poker betting glossary, such as blinds and antes, are linked instead of repeated, and a quick-reference table closes the entries.
Entry Formats and Buy-Ins
These terms describe how a player gets into a tournament and whether they can buy back in after losing their chips.
Freezeout
Definition: A tournament format in which each player has one entry only. Once a player loses all their chips, they are out, with no rebuy or re-entry.
Example: “It’s a freezeout, so when my chips are gone I’m done.”
Contrast with rebuy and re-entry events.
Rebuy tournament
Definition: A tournament in which players can buy more chips during an early rebuy period, usually when their stack falls to or below a set amount or they lose all their chips. After the period ends, no more rebuys are allowed.
Example: “He rebought twice in the first hour, then the rebuy period closed.”
The exact stack threshold and the length of the period are set by the event.
Add-on
Definition: A single optional chip purchase offered at the end of the rebuy period. Unlike a rebuy, any player may buy it, whatever their stack size.
Example: “Everyone took the add-on at the first break for extra chips.”
Often the price per chip differs from the rebuy; check the structure sheet.
Re-entry
Definition: A tournament entry bought after a player has been eliminated, giving them a new seat and a new starting stack. Under the TDA rules, re-entries are sold full stacks and seated randomly like other new entries.
Example: “She busted and fired a re-entry before late registration closed.”
Sometimes called a bullet. Re-entry is a fresh entry; a rebuy adds chips to the same entry.
Late registration
Definition: The period after a tournament has started during which new players may still enter, and busted players may re-enter if the event allows it. It usually closes after a set number of blind levels.
Example: “Registration is open through level 8.”
Late entries get the same starting stack, so they begin at the current, higher blinds.
Satellite
Definition: A tournament whose main prizes are entries, or travel packages, into a larger event rather than only cash. Buy-ins are typically much lower than the target event’s.
Example: “He won his seat through a satellite for the main event.”
Prizes vary: some satellites pay seats to every finisher above a set place, others pay cash for any remainder.
Bounty tournament
Definition: A tournament in which part of each buy-in becomes a bounty on that player’s head. When you eliminate a player, you win their bounty in cash, in addition to any prize for finishing position.
Example: “It’s a bounty event, so knockouts pay right away.”
Also called a knockout event.
Progressive knockout
Definition: A bounty format in which part of the bounty you win from an elimination is paid out as cash, and part is added to your own bounty. Often shortened to PKO. The split varies by event.
Example: “My bounty doubled after the knockout in the PKO.”
Common splits pay half in cash and add half to the winner’s bounty, but not all events use that ratio.
Sit and go
Definition: A tournament that starts as soon as a set number of players has registered, rather than at a scheduled time. It is often abbreviated SNG and usually has a single table or a few tables.
Example: “A sit and go fires as soon as the ninth seat fills.”
Distinct from a scheduled tournament, which begins at a published start time.
Structure, Pace and Prize Pools
These terms describe how a tournament is set up, how quickly it plays and where the prize money comes from.
Starting stack
Definition: The number of chips each player receives when they enter, including at re-entry. It is measured against the blinds to judge how deep the event plays.
Example: “A 20,000 starting stack with 100-200 blinds gives a lot of play.”
Re-entering players receive a full starting stack.
Blind level
Definition: A timed step on the tournament’s schedule, with fixed blinds (and often antes). When a level ends, blinds rise for the next hand. A level is commonly 20 minutes or longer, set by the event.
Example: “We’re at level 14, blinds are 2,000 and 4,000.”
Under the TDA rules, a new level applies to the next hand.
Turbo
Definition: A tournament structure with shorter blind levels than standard, so blinds rise quickly and the event finishes sooner. Some events also use smaller starting stacks.
Example: “The turbo had 10-minute levels, so the field shrank fast.”
Faster structures leave less time for deep play; hyper-turbo is faster still.
Guaranteed prize pool
Definition: A minimum total prize pool the organizer promises in advance. If buy-ins fall short, the organizer adds money so that the posted amount is paid.
Example: “The event has a 100,000 guarantee.”
Usually written as GTD in listings.
Overlay
Definition: The shortfall when a guaranteed prize pool is larger than the money collected in entries. The organizer pays the difference; players do not.
Example: “A weak turnout left a big overlay.”
The opposite is a pool that exceeds its guarantee, which has no special name.
Color-up
Definition: A scheduled or announced exchange of small-denomination chips for larger ones, done when the smallest chips are no longer needed. Under the TDA rules, odd chips are raced off in a chip race starting from seat one.
Example: “They’re coloring up the 25s at the next break.”
Also called a chip race. A player cannot be raced out of the tournament; a leftover chip is replaced by one of the lowest denomination in play.
Table break
Definition: The closing of a table as players are eliminated, with its players reseated at open seats elsewhere. Under the TDA rules, players from a broken table are reseated by a random two-step process.
Example: “Table 7 is breaking; take your chips to your new seat.”
Related to balancing, which moves players between tables to keep their numbers even.
Blinds — see Poker Betting Terms: 24 Definitions With Examples.
Ante — see Poker Betting Terms: 24 Definitions With Examples.
Stack Sizes and Pressure
Stack size relative to the blinds shapes nearly every decision in a tournament, so players have names for each situation.
Chip leader
Definition: The player with the most chips in the whole tournament, or at a given table. Coverage often tracks the overall chip leader through the late stages.
Example: “He’s the chip leader going into day two.”
Often used for the table’s biggest stack as well; say which if it matters.
Short stack
Definition: A stack that is small relative to the blinds, so a player has only a few big blinds left. It can also describe a player with that stack.
Example: “She’s the short stack at the table with six big blinds.”
How short counts as short depends on the blind level, not on the raw chip count.
Chip and a chair
Definition: A phrase for a player who is nearly out of chips but still alive and able to win, since a tournament is decided by who holds all the chips at the end.
Example: “He’s down to a chip and a chair, but he’s still in.”
Used as encouragement or description; it is a figure of speech, not a rule.
The Money Stage and Final Table
The late stage of a tournament has its own vocabulary, centered on when prizes begin and who is left.
Bubble
Definition: The stage of a tournament just before the paid places begin. If 100 players are paid, the event is on the bubble when 101 remain, and the next elimination leaves every remaining player in the money.
Example: “We’re on the bubble, so nobody is calling off their chips.”
Also used as a verb: to bubble means to finish just outside the money.
Bubble boy
Definition: The player who is eliminated on the bubble, finishing one place short of the first prize. Also called the bubble finisher, or sometimes the bubble girl.
Example: “The bubble boy got the 100th-place hand and went home with nothing.”
Informal; often said with sympathy.
In the money
Definition: Having finished, or being guaranteed to finish, in a paid place in the tournament. It is often abbreviated ITM.
Example: “He’s in the money after the bubble burst.”
The number of paid places is set by the event’s payout structure.
Min-cash
Definition: The smallest prize paid in a tournament, won by the players who finish in the lowest paid places. It is often little more than the buy-in or less.
Example: “She min-cashed the event.”
Can be used as a verb: to min-cash means to win the smallest payout.
Pay jump
Definition: The increase in prize money between two adjacent finishing places. Pay jumps grow toward the top of the payout structure.
Example: “There’s a huge pay jump between fourth and third.”
Players often weigh pay jumps when deciding whether to take a risk.
Final table
Definition: The last table of a tournament, where the remaining players, often nine or fewer depending on the table size, play down to a winner. Prizes at this stage are the largest.
Example: “Seven players made the final table.”
Broadcast tournaments often hold the final table on a separate day.
Heads-up
Definition: The final stage of a tournament, when only two players are left and they play against each other until one has all the chips. Also used for any two-player pot or match.
Example: “They’ve gone heads-up for the title.”
Blind and button rules change when only two players remain.
Quick-Reference Table of Poker Tournament Terms
Scan every term defined above in the table below, then jump to the full entry for the example and notes.
| Term | Short definition |
|---|---|
| Freezeout | One entry only; bust and you are out |
| Rebuy tournament | Buy more chips early when low or busted |
| Add-on | One-time chip purchase at end of rebuy period |
| Re-entry | New entry and full stack after busting |
| Late registration | Window to enter after the start |
| Satellite | Tournament that awards seats to a bigger event |
| Bounty tournament | Win cash for each player you eliminate |
| Progressive knockout | Bounty grows as you knock others out |
| Sit and go | Tournament that starts when seats fill |
| Starting stack | Chips every player receives at entry |
| Blind level | One step on the rising blind schedule |
| Turbo | Fast structure with short blind levels |
| Guaranteed prize pool | Posted minimum prize pool the host covers |
| Overlay | Gap between guarantee and entries collected |
| Color-up | Swap small chips for larger ones |
| Table break | Closing a table and reseating its players |
| Chip leader | Player holding the most chips |
| Short stack | Stack small relative to the blinds |
| Chip and a chair | Almost out of chips but still in the game |
| Bubble | Stage just before prizes start |
| Bubble boy | Player who finishes first out of the money |
| In the money | Finishing in a paid place |
| Min-cash | Smallest payout in the event |
| Pay jump | Prize increase between neighboring places |
| Final table | Last table before a winner is decided |
| Heads-up | Two players left, playing for the win |
Related Glossaries
For betting actions, blinds and antes, read Poker Betting Terms: 24 Definitions With Examples. Fun names for starting hands are collected in Poker Hand Nicknames: 26 Starting Hands and Their Names, and shorthand such as ITM appears in Gambling Acronyms and Abbreviations: 24 Definitions.
Frequently Asked Questions
