Pickleball round robin generator that runs live
Updated
DinkPro is a free pickleball round robin generator that runs live instead of on paper. In open play it picks each game as a court opens, keeping games played level and partners varied, so late arrivals and odd numbers never break the schedule. For a true round robin, Tournament Mode runs groups where every team meets every other team once.
What does DinkPro do for round robin play?
| Question | DinkPro |
|---|---|
| Open play schedule | Live. Each time a court opens, DinkPro picks the next game from the players checked in, keeping games played level and avoiding repeat partners and opponents |
| Late arrivals | Join at the back of the queue, credited with the room's median games played, so they join the current rotation and nothing is regenerated |
| Odd numbers | Players sit out in turn. Anyone who has waited 25 minutes gets the next open court |
| Set partners | Fixed Pair mode keeps partners together all session. With an odd roster, the one spare player is a floating sub |
| True round robin | Tournament Mode group stage: 1 to 8 groups of 3 to 8 entries, singles or doubles, and every pair in a group meets once |
| Match order | Circle method. Nobody plays twice in a round, an odd group rests one entry each round, and every group plays round 1 before round 2 |
| Group scoring | One game to 11, win by two, by default. The host can change it |
| Tables and ties | Live group tables. Teams level on wins are separated in USA Pickleball's tiebreak order |
| After the groups | The top finishers, plus optional wildcards, go on to a single or double elimination playoff |
| Printable schedule | The tournament planner exports the schedule to Excel, CSV, or Print or PDF, and can publish it to players' phones |
| Price | Free. No login for hosts, and the host device works offline |
When does a live rotation beat a printed round robin?
A printed round robin works for a closed group who all arrive on time and play games of about the same length. Drop-in open play rarely looks like that. One late arrival, one early leaver or an odd headcount breaks a fixed table, and one long game holds up the whole round. DinkPro picks each game as a court opens, from whoever is checked in right then, so nothing has to be rebuilt.
How does DinkPro keep open play fair without a fixed table?
Every time a court opens, the engine scores the waiting groups on games played, time waited and how often players have already partnered or faced each other, then seats the best group. A new arrival goes to the back of the queue and is credited with the room's median games, so they neither jump the line nor fall behind. Anyone who has waited 25 minutes is guaranteed the next open court.
Can I run a round robin with set partners?
Yes. Fixed Pair mode keeps every pair together for the whole session and rotates the pairs, and its standings rank teams, not players. With an odd roster, the one unpaired player becomes a floating sub who stands in for a seated player when it is their turn.
How do I run a true round robin where every team plays every other team?
Use the group stage in Tournament Mode. Split 2 to 32 entries into 1 to 8 groups of 3 to 8, snake-seeded so no group is stacked. DinkPro builds each group's schedule with the circle method, calls matches to free courts, keeps live tables and then seeds the top finishers into a playoff bracket.
How many rounds and matches does a round robin group need?
These are the numbers DinkPro's group scheduler produces for one group.
| Teams in the group | Rounds | Matches | Matches per round |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 4 | 3 | 6 | 2 |
| 5 | 5 | 10 | 2 |
| 6 | 5 | 15 | 3 |
| 7 | 7 | 21 | 3 |
| 8 | 7 | 28 | 4 |
Example: a four-team round robin
Seeded in order, the top two seeds meet in the last round, a natural decider.
| Round | Matches |
|---|---|
| Round 1 | Team 1 v Team 4, Team 2 v Team 3 |
| Round 2 | Team 1 v Team 3, Team 4 v Team 2 |
| Round 3 | Team 1 v Team 2, Team 3 v Team 4 |
Round robin questions
What is a pickleball round robin?
A round robin is a format where every player or team plays every other one once. In social open play the term is also used loosely for any rotation that mixes partners and opponents. DinkPro does both: a live rotation for open play and true round-robin groups in Tournament Mode.
How many games is a round robin of 6 teams?
Six teams play 15 matches over 5 rounds, with 3 matches in each round, so three courts let every round play at once. The general rule is n x (n - 1) / 2 matches. With an odd number of teams there are as many rounds as teams, and one team rests in each round.
Can DinkPro print a round robin schedule?
Yes, for tournaments. The Tournament Mode planner exports the match schedule to Excel, CSV, or Print or PDF, and can publish it to players' phones once you Go Live. Open play has no printed table because each game is picked live as a court opens.
What happens when someone arrives late or leaves early?
In open play nothing breaks. A late arrival checks in, goes to the back of the queue and joins the current rotation. A player who leaves is checked out and simply stops being picked. The rest of the rotation carries on without being regenerated.
Does it work without internet?
Yes. The rotation, scores and standings run on the host's tablet or phone with no login and no internet. Internet is only needed for the optional extras, such as players following along on their own phones.
See how the rotation works, compare open play formats, run a tournament with round robin groups, or read the FAQ.