PicklePal
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19 players, 5 courts

With 19 players and only 5 courts, 3 players sit out each round — and that’s exactly where most rotation charts get unfair. PicklePal rotates the sit-outs so everyone rests the same number of times, never twice in a row, while still cutting repeat partners and balancing teams. Here’s a fair 8-round example.

What this setup looks like

Players · Courts
19 · 5
Sit out / round
3
Games / player
6–7
Max repeat partner
1

Plan the night

How many rounds fit at roughly 12 minutes per game (game to 11 plus court switch).

SessionRoundsTotal gamesPer player
60 min 5 20 4.2
90 min 7 28 5.9
120 min 10 40 8.4

Sample 8-round rotation

3 sitting out each round, on a fair rotation.

1 Round 1
Court 1
16P16
14P14
vs
12P12
13P13
Court 2
10P10
8P8
vs
15P15
9P9
Court 3
11P11
5P5
vs
4P4
18P18
Court 4
19P19
17P17
vs
7P7
6P6
Resting P1 · P2 · P3
2 Round 2
Court 1
10P10
2P2
vs
19P19
18P18
Court 2
9P9
8P8
vs
12P12
1P1
Court 3
14P14
13P13
vs
17P17
11P11
Court 4
16P16
3P3
vs
15P15
7P7
Resting P4 · P5 · P6
3 Round 3
Court 1
19P19
14P14
vs
3P3
15P15
Court 2
10P10
1P1
vs
11P11
4P4
Court 3
5P5
17P17
vs
12P12
16P16
Court 4
6P6
13P13
vs
2P2
18P18
Resting P7 · P8 · P9
4 Round 4
Court 1
15P15
2P2
vs
5P5
4P4
Court 2
18P18
14P14
vs
19P19
9P9
Court 3
6P6
1P1
vs
7P7
16P16
Court 4
8P8
3P3
vs
17P17
13P13
Resting P10 · P11 · P12
5 Round 5
Court 1
4P4
8P8
vs
19P19
6P6
Court 2
5P5
3P3
vs
1P1
9P9
Court 3
10P10
18P18
vs
17P17
16P16
Court 4
2P2
11P11
vs
12P12
7P7
Resting P13 · P14 · P15
6 Round 6
Court 1
6P6
15P15
vs
11P11
12P12
Court 2
2P2
14P14
vs
1P1
8P8
Court 3
3P3
7P7
vs
10P10
4P4
Court 4
5P5
9P9
vs
19P19
13P13
Resting P16 · P17 · P18
7 Round 7
Court 1
17P17
9P9
vs
11P11
15P15
Court 2
6P6
12P12
vs
3P3
13P13
Court 3
10P10
7P7
vs
8P8
5P5
Court 4
4P4
14P14
vs
16P16
18P18
Resting P19 · P1 · P2
8 Round 8
Court 1
17P17
7P7
vs
9P9
12P12
Court 2
16P16
11P11
vs
8P8
19P19
Court 3
1P1
15P15
vs
13P13
18P18
Court 4
14P14
10P10
vs
2P2
6P6
Resting P3 · P4 · P5

Who sits out — and why it’s fair

3 players sit out each round. Over an 8-round night that's 24 sit-outs shared across 19 players — about 1–2 each. PicklePal hands them out so nobody sits twice before everyone has sat once, and never two rounds in a row.

When the roster changes

+ One more shows up

Go to 20 players and another court opens up — 5 courts running, nobody sits.

- Someone has to leave

Down to 18? Still 4 courts, 2 sitting each round. PicklePal re-balances the remaining rounds so the leaver doesn't skew anyone's rest count.

Mixed levels or matched courts?

With 4 courts live you have a choice: keep one court for stronger players and another for newer ones (Competitive groups similar levels), or mix every game so everyone plays with everyone (Balanced). Either way PicklePal evens out team strength inside each game.

Want to use your real names, set skill levels, or handle someone arriving late? Open this setup in the live builder — it rebuilds instantly and you can score the session as you play.

Open in builder →

Questions

With 19 players and 5 courts, who sits out?

3 players sit out each round. PicklePal rotates rest so everyone sits the same number of times and never two rounds in a row.

How many different partners will each player get?

In this 8-round example, no pair repeats more than 1 time, so each player partners a wide mix of the group.

Learn the system

Other setups

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