Blinds (blind structure)
Forced bets paid by the two players to the dealer's left before cards are dealt. The blind structure defines how these bets evolve over the tournament (e.g. 25/50 → 50/100 → 100/200), with a duration per level.
Glossary
Poker terms and software jargon, plain and simple.
If a term in our copy or in the app feels opaque, this is where you look it up. No formalism, just the essentials per word.
Poker terms
Vocabulary you'll see in any poker tournament, anywhere in the world.
Bounty
A cash reward attached to a player. When you eliminate that player, you collect their bounty. Common formats: freezeout with a fixed bounty on everyone, or Progressive KO where the bounty grows as the player knocks out others.
Bubble
The moment in a tournament just before remaining players enter the money. The bubble is the most painful elimination: you played 4 hours to finish at $0.
Final table
The last players of the tournament (typically 8 or 9 depending on the format), gathered at a single table. Often associated with ICM deals.
Freezeout
A tournament format with no rebuy and no re-entry. Lose your chips, you're out. The most classic format.
Hand-for-Hand (main par main)
Also called « main par main » in French regulations. A synchronization mode activated near the bubble or the final table: all tables wait for the end of each hand before starting a new one, to prevent a player from stalling to wait for someone else to bust.
ICM (Independent Chip Model)
An algorithm that calculates the monetary value of chips based on the prize structure and each player's stack. Used for final-table deals. Industry standard: Malmuth-Harville.
KO (Knockout)
A player elimination. In KO or Bounty formats, every knockout rewards the eliminator with cash.
Mystery KO
A Bounty variant where the amount won per KO is unknown (revealed after elimination), sometimes with large random jackpots.
PKO (Progressive Knockout)
A Bounty variant where part of an eliminated player's bounty is added to the eliminator's own bounty. 50/50 standard: 50% cash, 50% snowball.
Rebuy
The ability to buy additional chips during a window defined at the start of the tournament (often the first 2 hours), either after elimination or when your stack drops below the starting stack.
Re-entry
Like a rebuy, but with a full new buy-in and often returning to a different table. Lets you re-enter the tournament after busting.
Satellite
A tournament whose prizes are entry tickets to a bigger tournament (typically a Sunday Million or equivalent) instead of direct cash.
Shot clock
A time limit on each player's decision (e.g. 30 seconds per action), with a cumulative time bank for the toughest calls.
Sit & Go (S&G)
A tournament that starts as soon as a minimum number of players are registered, with no fixed start time. Typically 9 players, single table.
Space KO (PokClock mechanic)
A unique PokClock mechanic: on every elimination, a fullscreen animation reveals a random gift to the eliminator (Common / Rare / Epic / Legend) from a configurable catalog.
Stack
The number of chips a player has at any given moment. Critical to estimate bubble pressure, chip leaders, and short stacks.
Technical terms
Acronyms and technical concepts used on the site and in the software.
PWA (Progressive Web App)
A web app that installs on a smartphone or tablet via the browser, without going through the App Store or Google Play. PokClock provides 2 PWAs: one for players, one for dealers.
SHA-256
A standard cryptographic signature algorithm used to guarantee a file hasn't been altered. PokClock signs every backup with SHA-256 to detect any corruption or tampering.
TTS (Text-to-Speech)
Voice synthesis that converts text into audio. PokClock uses Windows native voices to announce level changes, hand-for-hand, bounty KOs, etc.
Sources & references
For further reading, two useful references to cross-check:
Encyclopedia
Glossary of poker terms on English Wikipedia, comprehensive and community-maintained.
Official French regulation
Ligue Française de Poker tournament rulebook (ROPTA, French).