Game Formats
PickLM supports every popular pickleball format — from casual quick play to competitive tournaments and multi-week leagues. Here is everything you can run on the platform.
Tournament Formats
Bracket-based competitions with seeding, auto-advancement, and champion celebrations. Available in Singles, Doubles, and Mixed Doubles.
Single Elimination
Classic knockout bracket. Lose once and you are out. Seeded draws, auto-advancement on byes, and champion celebrations. The fastest way to crown a winner.
Double Elimination
Two chances to compete. Lose once and drop to the losers bracket. Lose twice and you are eliminated. Rewards consistency and gives every player a fair shot.
Round Robin Tournament
Every team plays every other team. Final standings based on wins, point differential, and head-to-head record. Best for smaller groups where everyone wants maximum court time.
League Formats
Multi-session recurring leagues with auto-scheduling, score verification, and full standings. Perfect for weekly club play.
Round Robin League
Multi-session league where every player plays everyone across weekly sessions. Auto-scheduling, score verification, and full standings with wins, losses, and point differentials. Perfect for recurring weekly meetups.
Flight Ladder League
Skill-based tiers (flights) with automatic promotion and relegation each session. Top performers move up, bottom performers move down. Ensures competitive matches at every level as players find their true ranking over time.
Game Types
How teams are formed. These apply across tournaments, leagues, and quick play.
Singles
1v1 format. Pure individual skill test. No partner to rely on — it is all you. Available in tournaments, leagues, and quick play.
Doubles
2v2 format. Sign up individually and get paired by the organizer. Partners are assigned based on skill level or randomly. Your team stays together for the event.
Fixed Partner Doubles
2v2 format. Sign up as a pair with your chosen partner. You stick together for the entire event. Best when you already have a regular partner and want to compete as a team.
Mixed Doubles
2v2 format with mixed-gender teams. Each team has one male and one female player. Available in tournament brackets — single or double elimination.
Quick Play Formats
Drop-in sessions for casual play. No long-term commitment — just show up and play.
Singles
1v1 casual play. Show up, get matched, play. No brackets, no standings — just games.
Doubles
2v2 casual play. Partners assigned on the spot. Great for meeting new players and getting games in.
Rotating Partner Round Robin
Partners change every round so you play with and against everyone. Ranked individually — measures your true skill since your partner keeps changing. The fairest format for individual ranking.
Fixed Partner Round Robin
Sign up as a pair. Play every other team in a round robin. Ranked as a team. Best for partners who want to compete together in a casual setting.
King of the Court
Winners stay on court, losers rotate out, new challengers step in. Fast-paced and high-energy. Tests your ability to win under pressure and hold the court. Individual ranking based on consecutive wins.
Session Visibility
Quick Play sessions can be Public or Private, giving organizers control over who can join.
Public Sessions
Visible to all players in the club. Anyone can browse and join directly from the Events screen.
- ✓Appears in the public events list
- ✓Any club member can join
- ✓Great for open drop-in sessions
Private Sessions
Hidden from the public events list. Players can only join via a shared invite link or join code.
- ✓Not visible in the events list
- ✓Join only via shared link or code
- ✓Perfect for invite-only games
Payment System
One payment system for tournaments, leagues, and quick play. Entry fees, split payments, refunds, and payouts — all handled consistently regardless of event type.
Entry Fee Collection
Set an entry fee for any event. Players receive a secure payment link at enrollment. Payment status is tracked in real-time on the event card.
Split Payment
In doubles events, partners can split the entry fee 50/50. Each player gets their own payment link for half the amount. Enrollment confirms only after both pay.
Pay for Partner
Already paid your share? You can pay your partner's share too. One tap from the event card covers both halves so your team is fully confirmed.
Refunds
Full or partial refunds processed by organizers or admins. Supports refunding individual payments, partner removal refunds, and event cancellation bulk refunds.
Payouts
Prize money payouts for winners and runner-ups. Organizer share payouts for clubs. Tracked per event with full payout history visible to players.
Payment Notifications
Real-time notifications for every payment event — confirmation, waiver, refund, link resend, and payout availability. Same notifications across all event types.
Admin & Organizer Tools
| Action | Tournament | League | Quick Play |
|---|---|---|---|
| Set Entry Fee | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Waive Payment | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Resend Payment Link | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Process Refund | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Split Payment (Doubles) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Prize Money Payouts | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Payment History | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Payments Report (Admin) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
How Payment Works for Players
Enroll
Join the event. Choose split payment for doubles if you want to share the cost.
Pay
Tap "Pay Now" on the event card. Secure payment link opens in your browser.
Confirm
Payment is verified automatically. Your event card updates to show "Paid" status.
Play
You are confirmed. View your payment history anytime in the Payments screen.
Format Comparison
Quick side-by-side comparison of all game types.
| Singles | Doubles | Fixed Partner | Rotating Partner RR | King of the Court | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sign up as | Individual | Individual | Pair | Individual | Individual |
| Players per side | 1v1 | 2v2 | 2v2 | 2v2 | Varies (1v1 or 2v2) |
| Partner | None | Assigned by organizer | You choose | Changes every round | Changes every round |
| Partner stays? | N/A | Yes (once assigned) | Yes (always) | No (rotates) | No (rotates) |
| Compete against | Everyone | Other teams | Other teams | Everyone | Everyone |
| Ranked by | Individual | Team | Team | Individual | Individual |
| Format | Bracket or round robin | Bracket or round robin | Bracket or round robin | Round robin | "King" stays on court, challengers rotate in |
| Best for | Pure skill test | Meeting new players | Playing with your buddy | Fair individual ranking | High-energy fun |
Ready to run your first event?
Request an invitation and start organizing tournaments, leagues, and quick play sessions for your club.
Request Invitation