21 players, 5 courts
With 21 players and only 5 courts, 1 player sits out each round — and that’s exactly where most rotation charts get unfair. PicklePal rotates the sit-outs so everyone rests the same number of times, never twice in a row, while still cutting repeat partners and balancing teams. Here’s a fair 8-round example.
What this setup looks like
Plan the night
How many rounds fit at roughly 12 minutes per game (game to 11 plus court switch).
| Session | Rounds | Total games | Per player |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 min | 5 | 25 | 4.8 |
| 90 min | 7 | 35 | 6.7 |
| 120 min | 10 | 50 | 9.5 |
Sample 8-round rotation
1 sitting out each round, on a fair rotation.
Who sits out — and why it’s fair
1 player sits out each round. Over an 8-round night that's 8 sit-outs shared across 21 players — about 0–1 each. PicklePal hands them out so nobody sits twice before everyone has sat once, and never two rounds in a row.
When the roster changes
＋ One more shows up
At 22 players you stay on 5 courts; 2 now sit each round. In the live builder PicklePal folds the newcomer in from the next round — no restart.
－ Someone has to leave
Down to 20? Still 5 courts, and now everyone plays every round. PicklePal re-balances the remaining rounds so the leaver doesn't skew anyone's rest count.
Mixed levels or matched courts?
With 5 courts live you have a choice: keep one court for stronger players and another for newer ones (Competitive groups similar levels), or mix every game so everyone plays with everyone (Balanced). Either way PicklePal evens out team strength inside each game.
Want to use your real names, set skill levels, or handle someone arriving late? Open this setup in the live builder — it rebuilds instantly and you can score the session as you play.
Open in builder →Questions
With 21 players and 5 courts, who sits out?
1 player sits out each round. PicklePal rotates rest so everyone sits the same number of times and never two rounds in a row.
How many different partners will each player get?
In this 8-round example, no pair repeats more than 1 time, so each player partners a wide mix of the group.