Bubble factor in poker is a value that shows how your odds in chips differ from your odds in dollars. In other words, bubble factor in poker is a ratio of chips won to chips lost. This poker term is only relevant to tournament poker.

When bubble factor equals 1 (one), that means, that, by losing 10 chips, you will lose the same amount of tournament equity, that you would have gained in case of a win. If a bubble factor equals 1.2, then by losing 12 chips, you will lose the same amount of equity, that you would gained by win on 10 chips.

In a tournament, where all the money won by a winner, bubble factor equals 1 (one), and a chips is always worth the amount you have paid for it.

Bubble factor is calculated by the following way:

(% equity, that you will lose, if you have lost the all-in) / (% equity, that you will gain, if you have won the all-in)