We consider permutations sortable by $k$ passes through a deterministic pop stack. We show that for any $k\in\mathbb N$ the set is characterised by finitely many patterns, answering a question of Claesson and Guðmundsson. Our characterisation demands a more precise definition than in previous literature of what it means for a permutation to avoid a set of barred and unbarred patterns. We propose a new notion called \emph{$2$-avoidance}.