Definition of "In the money
When you are in a tournament or a sit'n'go, when the bubble is burst and you reach the payouts, you are said to be "in the money". Before the payouts of a tournament, you will find that the tournament will slow down and there will be what is known as a bubble, a time when players are extremely conservative in order to get to the payouts. Almost always, the paid spots will give you at least a little more than your entry fee into the tournament.
In the money and hand by hand
Prior to each pay-per-view stage, it is possible that the tournament (especially online) will be in hand-by-hand mode, which is a time when all tables will have to play at the same pace. Usually in tournaments, tables run at their own pace. One table may play 12 hands per hour, another may play 22 hands per hour, all are free to go at their own pace, but prior to the payouts of a tournament, all tables may be warned that once a hand is finished, that table may not start a new hand until all tables have finished playing the current hand.
