--- title: How PT Ranks Teams in Round Robin Events with Pools and Playoffs last_updated: 2026-06-29 description: Learn how our software ranks teams in round robin events with multiple pools and playoffs using wins, head-to-head, and point differential criteria. url: https://pickleball.com/docs/en/72000649976-final-rankings-for-round-robin-events-with-pools-and-playoffs --- # 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 1. [Within-pool ranking](https://pickleball.com/docs/en/72000649976-final-rankings-for-round-robin-events-with-pools-and-playoffs#within_pool_ranking) 2. [Cross-pool ranking for playoffs](https://pickleball.com/docs/en/72000649976-final-rankings-for-round-robin-events-with-pools-and-playoffs#cross_pool_ranking_for_playoffs) 3. [Frequently Asked Questions](https://pickleball.com/docs/en/72000649976-final-rankings-for-round-robin-events-with-pools-and-playoffs#frequently_asked_questions) 4. [Related Resources](https://pickleball.com/docs/en/72000649976-final-rankings-for-round-robin-events-with-pools-and-playoffs#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. PT uses **percentages** rather than raw numbers because pools may be uneven in size — percentages normalize the comparison correctly. - **Win %** is the primary factor — teams are compared by their win percentage across all pool play - **Point Differential %** is used as the tiebreaker when win percentages are equal ### 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. *** ## 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. *** ## Related Resources - [How to Verify Your Brackets in Live Console](https://pickleball.com/docs/en/72000617752-how-to-verify-my-brackets-in-live-console) - [How to Set Up an Event in Your Tournament in PT](https://pickleball.com/docs/en/72000633417-how-to-set-up-my-event-in-a-tournament) - [How to Merge or Unmerge Events in PT](https://pickleball.com/docs/en/72000615514-how-to-merge-or-unmerge-events-in-pt) - [How to Create Separate Playoffs After a Merged Round Robin Event in PT](https://pickleball.com/docs/en/72000644027-creating-separate-playoffs-after-a-merged-round-robin-event) *** Questions about rankings or bracket logic? Email [support@pickleball.com](mailto:support@pickleball.com).