🔄
Americano
8, 12, 16, 20 players
Everyone plays with everyone. Partners rotate every round so no one is stuck with the same partner twice.
Requirements
| Players | Courts | Rounds |
| 8 | 2 | 5 |
| 12 | 3 | 5 or 6 |
| 16 | 4 | 5 |
| 20 | 5 | 5 |
How it works
- • Each round, players are paired into teams of 2 (4 per court).
- • The engine guarantees no one partners with the same person twice.
- • All rounds are "free" — partners shuffled for maximum variety.
- • 12-player bonus: if you have exactly 4 players at each of 3 levels, an optional 6th round groups by level.
Does level matter?
No, not for pairing. The engine optimises for variety. Levels are tracked but don't affect who plays whom (except the optional 12P final round).
Best for
Typical mixed-level social sessions. Works with any skill mix. The default for most clubs.
💑
Mix-in
8, 12, 16, 20 players
Same partner-rotation algorithm as Americano, but every pair every round is one man + one woman — no same-gender partners.
Requirements
| Players | Courts | Rounds |
| 8 | 2 | 5 |
| 12 | 3 | 5 |
| 16 | 4 | 5 |
| 20 | 5 | 5 |
How it works
- • Equal counts required — exactly half men, half women (4M+4F for 8P, 6M+6F for 12P, etc.).
- • Every player needs a gender set on their profile. The engine refuses to generate if anyone is missing one.
- • Each round, a backtracking solver builds pairs that satisfy two constraints: M+F per pair, and no repeat partners.
- • No rank-band final round (unlike standard 12P Americano) — Mix-in is 5 free rounds only.
Does level matter?
No — the engine optimises only for variety and gender balance. Levels are tracked for the leaderboard but don't influence pairings.
Best for
Mixed-gender groups that want balanced gameplay without same-gender pairs. Common at clubs running social mixed nights.
ℹ︎ If your group has unequal M/F counts, the engine refuses with a clear error. Either swap players to balance, or switch to standard Americano.
📊
Mexicano
8, 12, 16 players
Live tournament format. After each round, standings update and the engine re-pairs players based on their current ranking. Top players face top players; bottom players face bottom players.
Requirements
| Players | Courts | Rounds |
| 8 | 2 | 5 |
| 12 | 3 | 5 |
| 16 | 4 | 5 |
How it works
- • Round 1: random pairing.
- • Rounds 2+: players ranked by cumulative points; engine groups by rank and picks the best pairing using a weighted algorithm.
- • Heavily avoids repeat partners; balances by points and level; prefers 1st+4th vs 2nd+3rd ("King of the Hill" style).
- • Organiser enters scores after each round before the next generates.
Does level matter?
Slightly. Level is a tiebreaker in the pairing algorithm, but cumulative points from actual play matter much more.
Best for
Competitive sessions where people want live rankings. Best when the group is familiar with Mexicano and can enter scores quickly.
ℹ︎ Mexicano is live — the organiser must enter scores after each round before the next one generates. It cannot be pre-generated.
🤝
Fixed Pairs
8, 12, 16 players
Partners stay together for ALL rounds. Pairs play against different pairs each round in a round-robin.
Requirements
| Players | Courts | Rounds |
| 8 | 2 | 3 |
| 12 | 3 | 5 |
| 16 | 4 | 3 + finals |
How it works
- • RANDOM mode: players shuffled and paired sequentially.
- • FIXED mode: players paired by level (two players of similar level together).
- • MANUAL mode: organiser hand-picks each pair.
- • Once paired, partners stay together for all rounds.
- • 16-player splits into 2 groups of 4 pairs for a group stage, then finals.
Does level matter?
Only in FIXED mode (pairs same-level players together). In RANDOM and MANUAL modes, levels are ignored for pairing.
Best for
When people want to play with a specific partner for the whole session, or when you want a doubles round-robin tournament.
🎾
Fixed 4 Player
8 – 40 (2 – 10 courts) players
8 to 40 players across 2 to 10 courts running in parallel. Each court hosts ONE 90-minute match between 2 fixed pairs — no rotation, no cross-court mixing. The engine skill-bands players across courts so every court is naturally close-fought.
Requirements
| Players | Courts | Rounds |
| 8 | 2 | 1 |
| 12 | 3 | 1 |
| 16 | 4 | 1 |
| 20 | 5 | 1 |
| 24 | 6 | 1 |
| 28 | 7 | 1 |
| 32 | 8 | 1 |
| 36 | 9 | 1 |
| 40 | 10 | 1 |
How it works
- • Sort confirmed players by level descending. Top 4 → Court 1, next 4 → Court 2, and so on. Each court contains players of similar level.
- • Within each court of 4: pair strongest + weakest vs the middle two. Level spread within each pair is identical — match-up as even as the math allows.
- • Side preference: within each pair, the engine slots left/right by Player.sidePreference where possible.
- • RANDOM mode: skip the skill-banding. Use when you want a deliberate non-banded mix.
- • MANUAL mode: organiser hand-picks all pairs via the Pair picker. Pairs are assigned to courts sequentially.
Does level matter?
Yes — the entire format is built around level. FIXED mode produces the most balanced experience. RANDOM ignores level (casual mixed fun); MANUAL puts the choice in the organiser's hands.
Best for
Larger social sessions where you want multiple courts running balanced parallel games. Especially good for mixed-level nights — the strongest players battle on Court 1, the developing players have a fair fight on the last court, no one is out of their depth.
⚔️
2-Team
8, 12 players
Players split into 2 teams of 6 (or 4). Teams compete across 4 rounds.
Requirements
| Players | Courts | Rounds |
| 8 | 2 | 4 |
| 12 | 3 | 4 |
How it works
- • Step 1: split players into Team A and Team B (RANDOM = balanced by rank; FIXED = organiser assigns).
- • Step 2: round 4 is computed first — same-rank pairs face each other (the "derby round").
- • Step 3: rounds 1-3 are optimised so no one partners the same teammate twice and opponent variety is maximised.
Does level matter?
Yes — for the balanced split and the derby round. Engine uses relative ranking (Playtomic 1.0-7.0 decimal levels work fine).
Best for
Organised team competitions with balanced matchups — great for "Group A vs Group B" social rivalries.
🔺
3-Team
12 players
12 players split into 3 teams of 4. Every team plays every other team, plus a rank-based final round.
Requirements
| Players | Courts | Rounds |
| 12 | 3 | 4 |
How it works
- • 3 teams of 4 players (A, B, C). RANDOM uses balanced rank bands; FIXED = organiser assigns.
- • Round 1: A vs B (Court 1), B vs C (Court 2), A vs C (Court 3) — all simultaneously.
- • Rounds 2-3: same matchup structure, different pair assignments within teams.
- • Round 4: rank-based — top 4 by level on Court 1, middle 4 on Court 2, bottom 4 on Court 3.
Does level matter?
Yes — for balanced teams and the rank-based final round.
Best for
Inter-team competition with exactly 12 players.
🏆
4-Team
16 players
16 players split into 4 teams of 4 (A, B, C, D). Three group rounds where partners rotate within each team and teams meet across courts, then a final rank-based round.
Requirements
| Players | Courts | Rounds |
| 16 | 4 | 4 |
How it works
- • Split into Teams A/B/C/D. RANDOM gives each team one player from each level quartile; FIXED = organiser assigns.
- • Rounds 1-3: within each team, partners rotate so every player partners every teammate exactly once.
- • Cross-team court matchups are pre-defined so each team plays each other team across the three rounds.
- • Round 4: 16 players sorted by level and split into 4 quartiles. Top quartile plays on Court 1 (the "elite final"), down to the bottom on Court 4.
Does level matter?
Yes — engine sorts by level and uses quartiles. Balanced teams plus rank-based final round.
Best for
Larger Friday/Sunday sessions. Good when 16 players show up and you want a structured 4-team format with a rank-based finale.
👑
King of the Court
12, 16, 20, 24 players
Live, competitive ladder format. Winners climb up the courts toward "Heaven", losers drop down toward "Hell". Court 1 is the throne — keep winning to defend it.
Requirements
| Players | Courts | Rounds |
| 12 | 3 | 6 |
| 16 | 4 | 6 |
| 20 | 5 | 6 |
| 24 | 6 | 6 |
How it works
- • Round 1: players sorted by level. Top 4 start on Heaven (Court 1), bottom 4 in Hell (last court).
- • Heaven (Court 1): winners STAY (defending kings); losers drop one court.
- • Hell (last court): losers STAY; winners climb one court.
- • Middle courts: winners climb one court; losers drop one court.
- • Within each court, pairs are re-drawn each round (top + bottom vs middle two by current standings).
Does level matter?
For round 1 seeding (top players to Heaven). After that, performance drives placement — winning gets you to Heaven regardless of starting level.
Best for
Highly competitive sessions where players want a live ladder. Great with mixed levels — everyone settles to a court that matches their actual play.
ℹ︎ Like Mexicano, King of the Court is live. The organiser must confirm a winner per court after each round before the next one generates.
🥇
Knockout
8 or 16 players
Classic single-elimination padel tournament. 4 pairs play semi-finals then a final; 8 pairs play QF → SF → Final. Lose once and you're out.
Requirements
| Players | Courts | Rounds |
| 8 | 2 | SF + Final |
| 16 | 4 | QF + SF + Final |
How it works
- • Players are randomly paired (2 per team).
- • Pairs placed in the bracket in random order — no seeding yet.
- • Round 1 matches are real; later rounds show "Winner of QF1" until scores are entered.
- • When a round is scored, winners auto-advance into the next round.
- • Pairs stay together for the whole bracket.
Does level matter?
No — pairing and bracket placement are both random in v1. Seeded mode is planned.
Best for
A short, decisive tournament. Great for "best player of the day" sessions or small invitational events.