How to Create Separate Playoffs After a Merged Round Robin Event in PT

When you need to run separate playoff brackets for skill groups that were merged into one round robin event, PT lets you create those playoff events manually after registration closes. This is most useful when you've merged events to give your teams more games but still want to award separate medals by division. Watch the video below for a walkthrough, or follow the step-by-step instructions for full detail.

Before you begin

How to create a separate playoff event

  1. From the 3-line menu, go to the Events tab and use the button to create a new event.
  2. Set Skill and Age to Any to avoid eligibility conflicts when adding teams manually.
  3. Go to Type a Custom Title and give the event a clear name (e.g., "5.0 Medal Playoff").
  4. In the Link to Parent Event field, select the name of the merged event. This is critical — it prevents PT from charging an additional service fee for the new event.
  5. Set the Event Fee to $0. Without this, every team you add to the playoff will be charged the event fee a second time even though they've already paid for the merged parent event.
  6. Save the event and lock public registration (Lock Public Registrations: Yes).
  7. Go to the Attendees tab. For each team you want to include in the playoff, use the Menu button and select Edit Registration. Add the new playoff event to their registration.
  8. Once all teams are added, verify and set up the playoff event just like any other event.
Warning

Set both the Link to Parent Event and the Event Fee to $0 before you save. These two settings together prevent teams from being charged an extra service fee or event fee for the playoff. If you forget either, you'll need to re-edit the event — and any registrations already processed in the meantime may have been charged.

Note

You are welcome to re-seed teams in the playoff bracket based on how they finished in the round robin. That seeding decision is yours as the tournament director.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will teams be charged a service fee for the new playoff event?

Only if you skip the Link to Parent Event setting. Linking the playoff to the parent round robin tells PT it's a child event, which prevents the additional service fee from being charged.

Will teams be charged an event fee for the playoff?

Only if you forget to set the event fee to $0 on the new playoff event. If you set the Event Fee to $0 when creating the event, teams added to the playoff won't be charged anything extra. Combined with Link to Parent Event (which prevents the additional service fee), this keeps the playoff cost-free for teams that already paid for the parent round robin.

What if I forget to add teams to the playoff event before the round robin starts?

This must be done before the round robin starts. Once the round robin event is started in the Live Console, the Edit Registration option is no longer available in the Attendees tab.

Can players end up with two medals for the same event?

Yes, if the playoff isn't linked to its parent event. Without the Link to Parent Event setting, the round robin portion can award a medal placement (if medals are enabled in that event's setup), and the separate playoff event will also award its own medal — so a player could show two medals for what was really one combined event. Linking the playoff to its parent event, as described above, prevents this along with the extra service and event fees.

Questions about separate playoffs? Email support@pickleball.com.