What is the Bubble?

The bubble is referring to players who get paid in a poker tournament.  

The target for all players is to be in the bubble, and anyone who is outside the bubble will in fact lose money.  

So if you are playing then your goal is get into the bubble.

A tournament with 100 players might end up paying out to the top 15 players who make it. This is the tournament bubble, and you need to be one of the last remaining players to be paid.  

If you get knocked out at position 16 or more, then you will get no prize money at all. You will not only not win, but your buy in will be lost.There are particular effects on the game can make a difference.  

You will notice that the games will become a lot tighter as the bubble approaches.

The bubble boy

There is always the chance that you will end up as the bubble boy. That is the person that ends up on the outside of the prize money.  In a tournament where 15 people get the prizes, it is the 16th person who is the bubble boy and ends up coming close but not winning anything.  

This can be the most frustrating position to be in, and is a humiliating term for a humiliating position.