{"Status":true,"Message":"","Response":{"post":{"postuid":"72000649976","tenantuid":"45a0010e-ec76-43e9-9914-4376bfa80903","projectuid":"4025e8c9-71ea-4557-850d-662c78598919","title":"How PT Ranks Teams in Round Robin Events with Pools and Playoffs","slug":"72000649976-final-rankings-for-round-robin-events-with-pools-and-playoffs","html":"\u003Cp\u003EHow 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.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ch2 id=\u0022table_of_contents\u0022\u003ETable of Contents\u003C/h2\u003E\u003Col\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https://pickleball.com/docs/en/72000649976-final-rankings-for-round-robin-events-with-pools-and-playoffs#within_pool_ranking\u0022\u003EWithin-pool ranking\u003C/a\u003E\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https://pickleball.com/docs/en/72000649976-final-rankings-for-round-robin-events-with-pools-and-playoffs#cross_pool_ranking_for_playoffs\u0022\u003ECross-pool ranking for playoffs\u003C/a\u003E\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https://pickleball.com/docs/en/72000649976-final-rankings-for-round-robin-events-with-pools-and-playoffs#editing_final_standings\u0022\u003EEditing Final Standings\u003C/a\u003E\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https://pickleball.com/docs/en/72000649976-final-rankings-for-round-robin-events-with-pools-and-playoffs#frequently_asked_questions\u0022\u003EFrequently Asked Questions\u003C/a\u003E\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https://pickleball.com/docs/en/72000649976-final-rankings-for-round-robin-events-with-pools-and-playoffs#related_resources\u0022\u003ERelated Resources\u003C/a\u003E\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ol\u003E\u003Chr\u003E\u003Ch2 id=\u0022withinpool_ranking\u0022\u003EWithin-pool ranking\u003C/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPT ranks teams within each pool using this tiebreaker order:\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ctable border=\u00221\u0022 style=\u0022border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;\u0022\u003E\u003Cthead\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Cth\u003EPriority\u003C/th\u003E\u003Cth\u003ETiebreaker\u003C/th\u003E\u003C/tr\u003E\u003C/thead\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E1\u003C/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003EWins (most wins ranked highest)\u003C/td\u003E\u003C/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E2\u003C/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003EHead to Head when there is a win tie\u003C/td\u003E\u003C/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E3\u003C/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003EPoint Differential across the entire bracket if head-to-head is tied\u003C/td\u003E\u003C/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E4\u003C/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003EPoint Differential within just the head-to-head matchups if #3 is tied\u003C/td\u003E\u003C/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E5\u003C/td\u003E\u003Ctd\u003EPoint Differential against the next highest team if #4 is still tied\u003C/td\u003E\u003C/tr\u003E\u003C/table\u003E\u003Chr\u003E\u003Ch2 id=\u0022crosspool_ranking_for_playoffs\u0022\u003ECross-pool ranking for playoffs\u003C/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAfter 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 \u003Cb\u003Epercentages\u003C/b\u003E rather than raw numbers because pools may be uneven in size \u2014 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:\u003C/p\u003E\u003Col\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPool containing the #1 seed\u003C/b\u003E \u2014 the team from the pool that contains the #1 seed (Pool 1) ranks first\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWin %\u003C/b\u003E \u2014 teams from the other pools are compared by their win percentage across all pool play\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPoint Differential %\u003C/b\u003E \u2014 used as the tiebreaker when win percentages are equal\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ol\u003E\u003Ch3 id=\u0022how_pool_finish_sets_the_seed\u0022\u003EHow Pool Finish Sets the Seed\u003C/h3\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPT seeds the playoffs in tiers based on where each team finished \u003Cb\u003Ein its own pool\u003C/b\u003E, 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\u0027s overall record doesn\u0027t 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.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ccite class=\u0022recommended\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022title\u0022\u003ENote\u003C/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn 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.\u003C/p\u003E\u003C/cite\u003E\u003Ch3 id=\u0022how_point_differential__is_calculated\u0022\u003EHow Point Differential % Is Calculated\u003C/h3\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor games played to 11, \u003Cb\u003EPD %\u003C/b\u003E is a team\u0027s point differential divided by the games played multiplied by 11. For example, a team with a \u002B4 point differential over 4 games has a PD % of 4 \u00F7 44 = 9.09%.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ch3 id=\u0022review_seeds_before_advancing_to_the_playoffs\u0022\u003EReview Seeds Before Advancing to the Playoffs\u003C/h3\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe seeding page lists teams by pool and shows each team\u0027s 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.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ch3 id=\u0022example_2_pools_of_5_teams_top_2_from_each_advancing\u0022\u003EExample: 2 pools of 5 teams, top 2 from each advancing\u003C/h3\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETeams are grouped by their finish position within their pool first, then ranked against others who finished in the same position: \u0026nbsp;The top person in each pool would each be ranked 1, and the second person in each pool would be ranked 2. \u0026nbsp;The top person from Pool 1 plays Pool 2\u0027s second place, while the top person from Pool 2 plays Pool 1\u0027s second place. \u0026nbsp; The winners would then move to a gold/silver match, while the losers would move to a bronze match. \u0026nbsp;This is the \u0022normal\u0022 settings when verifying your event, however, other customizations can be made, such as how many from each pool move forward etc.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Chr\u003E\u003Ch2 id=\u0022editing_final_standings\u0022\u003EEditing Final Standings\u003C/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EYou can change the final standings PT calculates from the \u003Cb\u003EFinal Standings\u003C/b\u003E tab in Live Console. This lets you swap seed numbers and change a team\u0027s final placement when you don\u0027t want the calculated order to stand.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Col\u003E\u003Cli\u003EOpen Live Console and click the \u003Cb\u003EFinal Standings\u003C/b\u003E tab.\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EClick \u003Cb\u003EEdit standings\u003C/b\u003E.\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ESwap the seed numbers or change the final placement of the teams you want to move.\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ol\u003E\u003Cimg class=\u0022lazy-load\u0022 data-width=\u0022700\u0022 data-height=\u002279\u0022 data-src=\u0022https://graffiti-auf7e6dwhxhcbwek.z03.azurefd.net/45a0010e-ec76-43e9-9914-4376bfa80903/4025e8c9-71ea-4557-850d-662c78598919/images/21bfa2b80fd04ad59fd2daff744658e4.png?v=657118821\u0022 style=\u0022max-width: 700px;\u0022 alt=\u0022Live Console with the Final Standings tab and the Edit standings button highlighted\u0022/\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen you make a manual change, the final standings show \u003Cb\u003EManually ordered by director\u003C/b\u003E so everyone can tell the order was changed. To go back to the order PT calculated, click \u003Cb\u003EReset to calculated\u003C/b\u003E.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cimg class=\u0022lazy-load\u0022 data-width=\u0022700\u0022 data-height=\u002252\u0022 data-src=\u0022https://graffiti-auf7e6dwhxhcbwek.z03.azurefd.net/45a0010e-ec76-43e9-9914-4376bfa80903/4025e8c9-71ea-4557-850d-662c78598919/images/9048ad03dc23411ca330b22c88f0cb67.png?v=946950627\u0022 style=\u0022max-width: 700px;\u0022 alt=\u0022Final standings showing the Reset to calculated button and the label Manually ordered by director\u0022/\u003E\u003Ccite class=\u0022recommended\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022title\u0022\u003ENote\u003C/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBy 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\u0027t use USAP rules, you can edit the final standings to place teams where you want them.\u003C/p\u003E\u003C/cite\u003E\u003Chr\u003E\u003Ch2 id=\u0022frequently_asked_questions\u0022\u003EFrequently Asked Questions\u003C/h2\u003E\u003Csection class=\u0022faq\u0022\u003E\u003Ch3\u003EWhy does PT use percentages instead of raw wins or points?\u003C/h3\u003E\u003Carticle\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPT 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.\u003C/p\u003E\u003C/article\u003E\u003C/section\u003E\u003Csection class=\u0022faq\u0022\u003E\u003Ch3\u003EDoes the top team from each pool always seed higher than second-place teams?\u003C/h3\u003E\u003Carticle\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPool 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\u0027t automatically rank ahead of the #2 seed from Pool B \u2014 they\u0027re in separate groupings.\u003C/p\u003E\u003C/article\u003E\u003C/section\u003E\u003Csection class=\u0022faq\u0022\u003E\u003Ch3\u003EWhy is a team with a worse record seeded higher than a team with a better record?\u003C/h3\u003E\u003Carticle\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPT 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.\u003C/p\u003E\u003C/article\u003E\u003C/section\u003E\u003Csection class=\u0022faq\u0022\u003E\u003Ch3\u003ECan I change the playoff seeds PT assigns?\u003C/h3\u003E\u003Carticle\u003E\u003Cp\u003EYes. 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.\u003C/p\u003E\u003C/article\u003E\u003C/section\u003E\u003Csection class=\u0022faq\u0022\u003E\u003Ch3\u003EWhich pool gets the higher standing when teams finish in the same position?\u003C/h3\u003E\u003Carticle\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe 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.\u003C/p\u003E\u003C/article\u003E\u003C/section\u003E\u003Csection class=\u0022faq\u0022\u003E\u003Ch3\u003ECan I change the final standings PT calculates?\u003C/h3\u003E\u003Carticle\u003E\u003Cp\u003EYes. 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 \u0022Manually ordered by director\u0022 when a manual change has been made, and you can click Reset to calculated to go back to the order PT calculated.\u003C/p\u003E\u003C/article\u003E\u003C/section\u003E\u003Csection class=\u0022faq\u0022\u003E\u003Ch3\u003EWhy was a team that forfeited or retired placed at the bottom of the standings?\u003C/h3\u003E\u003Carticle\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPT 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\u0027t use USAP rules, you can change the final placement by editing the final standings.\u003C/p\u003E\u003C/article\u003E\u003C/section\u003E\u003Chr\u003E\u003Ch2 id=\u0022related_resources\u0022\u003ERelated Resources\u003C/h2\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https://pickleball.com/docs/en/72000617752-how-to-verify-my-brackets-in-live-console\u0022\u003EHow to Verify Your Brackets in Live Console\u003C/a\u003E\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https://pickleball.com/docs/en/72000633417-how-to-set-up-my-event-in-a-tournament\u0022\u003EHow to Set Up an Event in Your Tournament in PT\u003C/a\u003E\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https://pickleball.com/docs/en/72000615514-how-to-merge-or-unmerge-events-in-pt\u0022\u003EHow to Merge or Unmerge Events in PT\u003C/a\u003E\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https://pickleball.com/docs/en/72000644027-creating-separate-playoffs-after-a-merged-round-robin-event\u0022\u003EHow to Create Separate Playoffs After a Merged Round Robin Event in PT\u003C/a\u003E\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Chr\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENeed more help? Email us at \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:support@pickleball.com\u0022\u003Esupport@pickleball.com\u003C/a\u003E.\u003C/p\u003E\r\n\u003Cscript type=\u0022application/ld\u002Bjson\u0022\u003E\r\n{\r\n  \u0022@context\u0022: \u0022https://schema.org\u0022,\r\n  \u0022@type\u0022: \u0022FAQPage\u0022,\r\n  \u0022mainEntity\u0022: [\r\n{\r\n    \u0022@type\u0022: \u0022Question\u0022,\r\n    \u0022name\u0022: \u0022Why does PT use percentages instead of raw wins or points?\u0022,\r\n    \u0022acceptedAnswer\u0022: {\r\n    \u0022@type\u0022: \u0022Answer\u0022,\r\n    \u0022text\u0022: \u0022PT 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.\u0022\r\n    }\r\n},\r\n{\r\n    \u0022@type\u0022: \u0022Question\u0022,\r\n    \u0022name\u0022: \u0022Does the top team from each pool always seed higher than second-place teams?\u0022,\r\n    \u0022acceptedAnswer\u0022: {\r\n    \u0022@type\u0022: \u0022Answer\u0022,\r\n    \u0022text\u0022: \u0022Pool 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\u0027t automatically rank ahead of the #2 seed from Pool B \u2014 they\u0027re in separate groupings.\u0022\r\n    }\r\n},\r\n{\r\n    \u0022@type\u0022: \u0022Question\u0022,\r\n    \u0022name\u0022: \u0022Why is a team with a worse record seeded higher than a team with a better record?\u0022,\r\n    \u0022acceptedAnswer\u0022: {\r\n    \u0022@type\u0022: \u0022Answer\u0022,\r\n    \u0022text\u0022: \u0022PT 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.\u0022\r\n    }\r\n},\r\n{\r\n    \u0022@type\u0022: \u0022Question\u0022,\r\n    \u0022name\u0022: \u0022Can I change the playoff seeds PT assigns?\u0022,\r\n    \u0022acceptedAnswer\u0022: {\r\n    \u0022@type\u0022: \u0022Answer\u0022,\r\n    \u0022text\u0022: \u0022Yes. 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.\u0022\r\n    }\r\n},\r\n{\r\n    \u0022@type\u0022: \u0022Question\u0022,\r\n    \u0022name\u0022: \u0022Which pool gets the higher standing when teams finish in the same position?\u0022,\r\n    \u0022acceptedAnswer\u0022: {\r\n    \u0022@type\u0022: \u0022Answer\u0022,\r\n    \u0022text\u0022: \u0022The 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.\u0022\r\n    }\r\n},\r\n{\r\n    \u0022@type\u0022: \u0022Question\u0022,\r\n    \u0022name\u0022: \u0022Can I change the final standings PT calculates?\u0022,\r\n    \u0022acceptedAnswer\u0022: {\r\n    \u0022@type\u0022: \u0022Answer\u0022,\r\n    \u0022text\u0022: \u0022Yes. 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 \\\u0022Manually ordered by director\\\u0022 when a manual change has been made, and you can click Reset to calculated to go back to the order PT calculated.\u0022\r\n    }\r\n},\r\n{\r\n    \u0022@type\u0022: \u0022Question\u0022,\r\n    \u0022name\u0022: \u0022Why was a team that forfeited or retired placed at the bottom of the standings?\u0022,\r\n    \u0022acceptedAnswer\u0022: {\r\n    \u0022@type\u0022: \u0022Answer\u0022,\r\n    \u0022text\u0022: \u0022PT 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\u0027t use USAP rules, you can change the final placement by editing the final standings.\u0022\r\n    }\r\n}\r\n    ]\r\n}\r\n\u003C/script\u003E","publish_status":0,"post_type":"Article","authoruid":"42b786ed-5ff2-467c-9593-d828908ee6d2","author":{"authoruid":"42b786ed-5ff2-467c-9593-d828908ee6d2","name":"Christy Cook","url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/christy-cook-texas/","photo_url":"https://graffiti-auf7e6dwhxhcbwek.z03.azurefd.net/45a0010e-ec76-43e9-9914-4376bfa80903/4025e8c9-71ea-4557-850d-662c78598919/4fd2cf59-047a-4a00-8a6d-2d9c6c9f91fe.jpg?v=1114665229","linkedin_url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/christy-cook-texas/"},"featured_image_updating":false,"meta_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.","keywords":"round robin; multiple pools; playoff medal round; team ranking; wins; head to head; point differential; win percentage; tournament directors; final rankings","display_toc":true,"has_workingcopy":false,"allow_indexing":true,"sort_order":9,"total_views":558,"date_stale":"2027-06-30T00:00:00","date_published":"2025-12-23T11:53:00","date_updated":"2026-10-27T19:07:09.203","date_created":"2026-02-28T20:39:21.22"}}}