Pickleball round robin schedule for 8 players (rotating partners)
The short answer: 8 players, 2 courts, 7 rounds. Every player partners every other player exactly once and plays against every other player exactly twice, and nobody sits out. Type the names in the boxes to fill the table in, then print it.
The schedule
Letters A to H stand for your eight players. Type their names below and the table updates.
| Round | Court 1 | Court 2 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A + B vs C + DScore: ____ – ____ | E + F vs G + HScore: ____ – ____ |
| 2 | A + E vs B + FScore: ____ – ____ | C + G vs D + HScore: ____ – ____ |
| 3 | A + G vs B + HScore: ____ – ____ | C + E vs D + FScore: ____ – ____ |
| 4 | A + C vs E + GScore: ____ – ____ | B + D vs F + HScore: ____ – ____ |
| 5 | A + F vs C + HScore: ____ – ____ | B + E vs D + GScore: ____ – ____ |
| 6 | A + H vs D + EScore: ____ – ____ | B + G vs C + FScore: ____ – ____ |
| 7 | A + D vs F + GScore: ____ – ____ | B + C vs E + HScore: ____ – ____ |
How to run it
- Give each player a letter (draw from a hat, or go in order of arrival).
- Round 1: A and B play C and D on Court 1, while E and F play G and H on Court 2.
- Choose one scoring rule for every game, such as a race to 11, a fixed total, or a timed round (see scoring options).
- Each player adds up their own points across the 7 rounds. The highest total wins, and point difference breaks ties.
Allow about 15 minutes a round for games to 11, so roughly two hours for the whole event.
Why this schedule is fair
- Over 7 rounds you partner each of the other 7 players exactly once.
- You face each of the other 7 players exactly twice.
- Everybody plays all 7 rounds, so everyone plays the same number of games.
We checked this by computer before publishing, rather than by eye: every pair of players partners once and opposes twice.
Different numbers?
Five players on one court is covered in round robin for 5 players. For 6, 7, 9 or more players, or when someone arrives late, a paper schedule gets awkward. Smash! Pickleball Manager plans the whole event for any number of players and courts and keeps the leaderboard live.