How PT Ranks Teams in Round Robin Events with Pools and Playoffs
How PT ranks teams in round robin events with multiple pools and playoff rounds is a common question for tournament directors. This article explains the ranking logic PT uses both within pools and across pools when determining playoff seeding.
Table of Contents
- Within-pool ranking
- Cross-pool ranking for playoffs
- Editing Final Standings
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Related Resources
Within-pool ranking
PT ranks teams within each pool using this tiebreaker order:
| Priority | Tiebreaker |
|---|---|
| 1 | Wins (most wins ranked highest) |
| 2 | Head to Head when there is a win tie |
| 3 | Point Differential across the entire bracket if head-to-head is tied |
| 4 | Point Differential within just the head-to-head matchups if #3 is tied |
| 5 | Point Differential against the next highest team if #4 is still tied |
Cross-pool ranking for playoffs
After teams are ranked within each pool, PT ranks them across pools for playoff seeding. Teams are grouped by where they finished in their own pool, then ranked against the other teams that finished in the same position. PT uses percentages rather than raw numbers because pools may be uneven in size — percentages normalize the comparison correctly. Head-to-head is only used to rank teams within a pool, not across pools. Within each group, PT ranks teams in this order:
- Pool containing the #1 seed — the team from the pool that contains the #1 seed (Pool 1) ranks first
- Win % — teams from the other pools are compared by their win percentage across all pool play
- Point Differential % — used as the tiebreaker when win percentages are equal
How Pool Finish Sets the Seed
PT seeds the playoffs in tiers based on where each team finished in its own pool, not on how every team compares overall. All pool winners are seeded first, then all 2nd-place teams, then all 3rd-place teams, and so on. A team's overall record doesn't move it up into a higher tier. Among teams that finished in the same position, the pool that contains the #1 seed (Pool 1) gets the higher standing.
NoteIn a 16-team event with 3 pools (5, 5, and 6 teams), a team that went 2-2 and finished 2nd in Pool 1 is seeded 4th, ahead of a team that went 3-2 but finished 3rd in its pool, which is seeded 7th. The 2nd-place tier is seeded before the 3rd-place tier, so the 2-2 team ranks higher. Because Pool 1 contains the #1 seed, its 2nd-place team also gets the higher standing among the 2nd-place teams.
How Point Differential % Is Calculated
For games played to 11, PD % is a team's point differential divided by the games played multiplied by 11. For example, a team with a +4 point differential over 4 games has a PD % of 4 ÷ 44 = 9.09%.
Review Seeds Before Advancing to the Playoffs
The seeding page lists teams by pool and shows each team's overall playoff seed to the left of the team name. Review it and approve it before you advance to the playoffs. If you want a different seed order, for example one based on wins, you need to adjust the seeds manually on this page.
Example: 2 pools of 5 teams, top 2 from each advancing
Teams are grouped by their finish position within their pool first, then ranked against others who finished in the same position: The top person in each pool would each be ranked 1, and the second person in each pool would be ranked 2. The top person from Pool 1 plays Pool 2's second place, while the top person from Pool 2 plays Pool 1's second place. The winners would then move to a gold/silver match, while the losers would move to a bronze match. This is the "normal" settings when verifying your event, however, other customizations can be made, such as how many from each pool move forward etc.
Editing Final Standings
You can change the final standings PT calculates from the Final Standings tab in Live Console. This lets you swap seed numbers and change a team's final placement when you don't want the calculated order to stand.
- Open Live Console and click the Final Standings tab.
- Click Edit standings.
- Swap the seed numbers or change the final placement of the teams you want to move.
When you make a manual change, the final standings show Manually ordered by director so everyone can tell the order was changed. To go back to the order PT calculated, click Reset to calculated.
NoteBy default, PT follows USA Pickleball (USAP) rules. If a player or team forfeits or retires from a match, they are placed at the bottom of the standings and their previous results are not used. If your tournament doesn't use USAP rules, you can edit the final standings to place teams where you want them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does PT use percentages instead of raw wins or points?
PT uses percentages instead of raw win counts or point totals because pools may have different numbers of teams. A team that went 4-1 in a 6-team pool had a harder schedule than a team that went 3-0 in a 4-team pool. Win % and point differential % normalize those differences.
Does the top team from each pool always seed higher than second-place teams?
Pool finish position is the primary grouping factor. All teams who finished first in their pools are ranked against each other, all second-place finishers are ranked against each other, and so on. This means the #1 seed from Pool A doesn't automatically rank ahead of the #2 seed from Pool B — they're in separate groupings.
Why is a team with a worse record seeded higher than a team with a better record?
PT groups teams by pool finish before it compares records. A team that finished 2nd in its pool is seeded ahead of every team that finished 3rd in its pool, even if a 3rd-place team has more wins. For example, a 2-2 team that finished 2nd is seeded ahead of a 3-2 team that finished 3rd.
Can I change the playoff seeds PT assigns?
Yes. PT lays out the seeds by pool finish, and any changes to that order are made manually on the seeding page before you advance to the playoffs. Review the seeds there and approve them before moving on.
Which pool gets the higher standing when teams finish in the same position?
The pool that contains the #1 seed gets the higher standing. That is Pool 1, because PT places Seed 1 there when it deals seeds into pools. For example, the 2nd-place team from Pool 1 is ranked ahead of the 2nd-place teams from the other pools. The 2nd-place teams from the other pools are then ranked by Win %, and then by Point Differential % if their win percentages are equal.
Can I change the final standings PT calculates?
Yes. On the Final Standings tab in Live Console, click Edit standings, then swap the seed numbers or change the final placement. The final standings show "Manually ordered by director" when a manual change has been made, and you can click Reset to calculated to go back to the order PT calculated.
Why was a team that forfeited or retired placed at the bottom of the standings?
PT follows USA Pickleball (USAP) rules by default. A player or team that forfeits or retires from a match is placed at the bottom of the standings automatically, and their previous results are not used. If your tournament doesn't use USAP rules, you can change the final placement by editing the final standings.
Related Resources
- How to Verify Your Brackets in Live Console
- How to Set Up an Event in Your Tournament in PT
- How to Merge or Unmerge Events in PT
- How to Create Separate Playoffs After a Merged Round Robin Event in PT
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