Best-of-3 with rotating partners

Four players, three games, every possible partnership once: that's the whole format, and it's the best 75 minutes in pickleball. Each player partners each other player exactly once, so the ranking is truly individual — win with a weak partner and beat them with a strong one, and you've earned the top spot.

The rotation (per court of 4)

Game	Teams
1	1 & 2 v 3 & 4
2	1 & 3 v 2 & 4
3	1 & 4 v 2 & 3

🖨 Print this chart

Scoring and tiebreakers

Rank by total points won over the three games (max 33 at games to 11).

Tie? Head-to-head partner game first, then point differential.

8 players, 2 courts: run the same rotation per court, then swap courts by rank for a second cycle — winners court and challengers court.

Or let Get4th run it

Get4th's "mix" format is exactly this: it texts each player their partner each game, collects scores, and keeps the individual table — including an Elo-style rating over the season if your group likes stakes. $15/month covers 30 court reservations. That's 50¢ a game — about 6¢ per player, per hour.

Questions

How long does best-of-3 rotating partners take?

Three games to 11 with short breaks: 45–60 minutes per court of four.

Is it fair if partners differ in level?

That's the feature: everyone plays with and against the same people, so total points is an honest individual measure.

Can 5 players rotate through?

Yes — one sits each game (sit order 5,4,3,2,1 by arrival). Games stay 2v2; ranking still by points won per games played.

Try it on your real group

30 days and 5 full courts free. No card, and your players never install anything.

$15/month covers 30 court reservations. That's 50¢ a game — about 6¢ per player, per hour.

Start free