Round robin pickleball for 9 players
With 9 players, you play 9 rounds on two courts. Each round 8 players are on court and one has a bye, so everyone partners with every other player once and sits out once. The top players then play seeded semifinals and a final.
Why 9 is a good number
Two courts hold 8 players at a time. With 9 players, one person sits out each round, and the bye moves around so it is fair.
Over the night, each player partners with each of the 8 others exactly once. You also play against most of the group. Nobody needs to bring a partner.
This is a pod of 9. If you have more people, 18 players run as two pods of 9 on four courts. See our guide to round robin formats for the other options.
How the 9 rounds work
Each round has two courts, and each court has two teams of two. That is 8 players, and the ninth has a bye.
Over 9 rounds, every player sits out one time. In the 8 rounds they play, they partner with each of the other 8 players once. The schedule is set up for you, so you do not plan it by hand.
- 9 players, 2 courts.
- 9 rounds, 4 players per court each round.
- 1 bye per round, one for each player over the night.
- 8 partners, each one time.
The semis and the final
When round 9 is done, the standings rank every player. Standings use wins, losses and point difference, and tiebreakers are handled for you.
The top players are seeded into semifinals and a final, and a champion is named. The seeds give the best round robin players the best spot in the playoff.
Run your round robin free
Set it up on your phone in about a minute. Matchups, scores and standings take care of themselves.
Start a Round RobinHow long it takes on 2 courts
Plan on about two hours for the whole night, playoff included. That is our own estimate for a group of 9 on two courts. Most games take 10 to 15 minutes.
Most pickleball games are played to 11 and won by 2, per USA Pickleball. You can use a shorter score, like 11, 15 or 21 in the score picker, to fit your time. Pick one score and tell everyone before you start.
To check how many courts fit your time and game length, use the court calculator.
Run it in Court Crowd
You run the event from your phone. A co-host can sign in to help.
- Open Court Crowd and start a session with Run a Round Robin.
- Add your 9 players by name and pick the pod of 9 format.
- Share the join link so players can see the event.
- Start the event. Round 1 shows each court, the teams and who has the bye.
- Enter the scores after each round. The next round appears and the standings update.
- After round 9, play the seeded semifinals and final. The champion shows on the leaderboard.
Common questions
Can 9 players play a round robin on two courts?
Yes. Two courts take 8 players, and the ninth has a bye. The bye moves each round, so everyone sits out once.
How many rounds are in a round robin for 9 players?
Nine rounds. Each player has one bye and plays 8 rounds, partnering with every other player once.
How long does it take?
About two hours on two courts, with the semifinals and final included. Shorter games make it faster.
What if I have 8 or 18 players instead?
With 8 players you play 7 rounds on two courts and nobody sits out. With 18 you run two pods of 9 on four courts.
Run your round robin free
Set up a session in about a minute. Matchups, scoring and standings handle themselves.
Start a Round Robin Free