If you're running a tournament, Pool Play is the format most organizers reach for. Teams play every other team in their pool, then move into a bracket to crown a winner. It's a common tournament format for pickleball, which means stakes are usually higher: players paid a registration fee, they're competing for real standings, and they expect the event to run cleanly.
That's why this guide matters. Read the whole thing before your session — if you're running a tournament, this isn't the one to skim. A few minutes of prep up front makes everything run well on the court.
This guide is the written companion to the Pool Play Game Day Guide PDF, with more detail on each quick fix and a full walkthrough of how the championship bracket works. For quick reference on the courts, print out or save the shortened PDF version to your phone.
Before Round One
Before you start your session, take a few minutes to run through these checks — they're important steps in running a smooth game day.
Check your timing
If you're running behind before you even start, consider switching to Shuffle and using timed rounds. It moves faster and you can still finish with a championship bracket at the end.
⚠️ Important: If time is tight, skip the consolation bracket. It gives every team a second set of bracket games, which is great for players but adds a good bit of time.
Double-check your court numbers
The court numbers in the app need to match the courts you're actually on. Teams see their court assignment in the app — a mismatch sends them to the wrong court. Thirty seconds to verify now prevents a round of confusion at game time.
Plan how you'll keep courts moving
Pool Play uses Court Optimizer, which dynamically assigns new matchups as soon as a court finishes. That's great for pace, but it means the next team has to know when to walk over. If no one's watching, you'll end up with idle courts between games.
Two ways to prevent that:
- Players logged in and getting notifications — they see their next court assignment on their phone as soon as it's assigned.
- You're watching the app and calling teams to their courts — works well for smaller sessions or when plenty of players don't have the app.
For tournament play, aim for both. Players with notifications cuts your load dramatically, and you can focus on the teams who need a nudge.
Remind players to get the app and log in
Teams don't need the app to play, but having it on their phones means they can see court assignments and enter scores without tracking you down. What matters: they need to be logged into the same account they used to join the session, not a different one.
For help getting your players set up: Getting Your Players on Pickleheads
At the courts
Step 1: Check teams in
Everyone starts checked in by default. Uncheck any team you're sure isn't coming.
⚠️ Important: Once a team is unchecked and you tap Start Pool Play, they're locked out permanently. Be absolutely certain a team won't show before tapping Start Pool Play.
Step 2: Verify team pairings
Scan the team list and fix any wrong pairings before you do anything else. Missing a player or an incorrect pairing? See the Quick Fixes section below.
Step 3: Balance your pools
Tap Balance Pools to distribute teams evenly across pools. Drag teams between pools to adjust if needed. Even pool sizes mean every team plays the same number of games.
Step 4: Create matchups and start Pool Play
Create and confirm your matchups, then tap Start Pool Play to begin. Once you start, the event is live.
Step 5: Enter scores
You or your players can do this. After each game, have one player per court enter the score in the app.
Step 6: At the end of pool play
When pool play finishes, you have three options:
- Play another round — run another full rotation through the pools.
- Start a championship bracket — launch the knockout stage from pool standings. See the Championship Bracket section below.
- End the event — close out with pool standings as the final results.
Quick fixes
Here's how to handle possible mid-session scenarios. Before game day, try following along with a test round robin to practice these fixes — that way you're ready for anything that comes up.
Full team no-show
What happened: The whole team isn't coming.
How to fix it: Uncheck them from the team list so they don't get pool play matchups, then tap Balance Pools again after unchecking to redistribute teams evenly.
⚠️ Important: Once you tap Start Pool Play, unchecked teams are locked out permanently. You cannot add them back mid-event. Restarting pool play is the only option, which will wipe existing scores.
Team is running late
What happened: The team is on their way but hasn't arrived yet.
How to fix it: Do not uncheck them! Start the event with them checked in. If they're assigned a matchup before arriving, either wait for them or mark that game as DNP (did not play). They'll play their remaining matchups when they arrive.
A sub needs to be added before the event
What happened: One player on a team can't make it, but you have a replacement ready.
How to fix it: Go to the team list, tap Edit Lineup on that team, remove the absent player, and tap Add a Sub to This Team. This needs to be done before the event starts.
Two players need to be merged into a team
What happened: Players signed up individually or a pairing didn't carry over correctly.
How to fix it: Tap Add Partner on one player's entry, search for the other player's name, and tap Add. Do this before tapping Start Pool Play.
Wrong score entered
What happened: A score was entered incorrectly — teams got flipped, or someone entered the wrong numbers.
How to fix it: Open the Matchups tab and scroll to the bottom to find completed games. Tap the game with the wrong score, enter the correct score, and tap Save Score.
Standings look wrong
What happened: Pool standings are based on win percentage. One incorrect score can shift the order.
How to fix it: Check scores on all courts. Completed games are at the bottom of the Matchups list — scroll down to find them and correct any wrong entries.
A player leaves or gets injured mid-event
What happened: One player on a team needs to leave mid-session.
How to fix it: Have a sub play under the absent player's name for the rest of the event. Don't change the team name or roster in the app — the sub plays as part of the existing team.
If no sub is available, mark the team's remaining games as DNP (did not play). They'll drop out of the running and the rest of the pool plays on.
A team leaves mid-event
What happened: Both players on a team need to leave before the session ends.
How to fix it: Mark their remaining games as DNP (did not play). When you get to the championship bracket, make sure that team is not included as eligible.
Player list not syncing
What happened: The app isn't updating or a player's status isn't sticking.
How to fix it: Pull down on the player list to refresh. If it's still not updating, temporarily add a player to force a sync, then remove them right after.
Championship bracket
When pool play wraps up, tap Start Championship Bracket to launch the seeded knockout stage. Before it starts, choose how many teams advance — top 4, top 8, or all teams — and whether to add a consolation bracket so every team gets at least two bracket games.
Teams are seeded automatically from pool standings, with higher-performing teams getting the top seeds. You can drag teams to adjust the seeding order before the bracket locks in.
⚠️ Important: We don't currently support a true double elimination bracket. The consolation bracket gives teams who lost early a second run, but the furthest a consolation team can finish is 3rd place.
Download the On-Court Game Day Guide
The PDF is the courts version of this guide — built to print out or save to your phone for quick reference during a session.
Print it out or save it to your phone for quick reference at the courts.
Running a different format?
This guide is for Pool Play. Looking for a different format?
You're good to go.
