Bubble
泡沫期
The bubble is the point in a tournament where the next player eliminated receives no prize money. Being on the bubble creates immense ICM pressure — short stacks are incentivized to play very tight to survive into the money, while big stacks can exploit this by aggressively stealing blinds. Bubble play requires a deep understanding of ICM and opponent stack sizes.
Example
With 10 players left and 9 getting paid, the short stacks tighten up while the chip leader raises every hand.
Related Terms
More Tournament Terms
ICM (Independent Chip Model)
A model that converts tournament chip stacks into real-money equity.
Rebuy
Buying more chips during a tournament if you lose your initial stack.
Add-On
Purchasing additional chips at the end of the rebuy period.
Satellite
A tournament that awards entry to larger, higher buy-in events as prizes.
High Roller
Tournament with a high buy-in typically $10,000 or more.
Bounty
A prize awarded for eliminating a specific player from a tournament.