Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to common questions about PickleMixer, the free pickleball court rotation and team balancing tool.
- What is PickleMixer?
- PickleMixer is a free, flexible, feature-rich application for organizing pickleball matches and assigning players into doubles games. It uses advanced algorithms to ensure fresh partners, fresh opponents, and fair sit-outs every game.
- Do I need an account to use PickleMixer?
- No account is required for core mixer features. You can start entering player names immediately. Your session is saved locally in your browser. Create a free account only if you want to save players, track ratings, or sync across devices.
- How do I get started?
- Open the mixer, enter player names one at a time, set the number of courts, and press Mix. When done playing, press Mix Next for the next game. Use REmix only if the shown game was not actually played.
- How many players can PickleMixer handle?
- PickleMixer supports up to 150 players and 99 courts per session, handling even extreme player-to-court ratios with fair sit-out distribution.
- Is PickleMixer really free?
- Yes, PickleMixer is completely free to use. All core mixing features work without an account. Creating an optional free account unlocks extra features like saving players and tracking ratings.
- Can I link players as fixed partners?
- Yes, use the link feature in the player roster to assign fixed partners. The system handles any mix of fixed teams with individual players, including odd numbers.
- Does PickleMixer support mixed doubles?
- Yes, set player genders in the roster and use a gender-based preset to maintain mixed doubles courts, all-men courts, or all-women courts automatically.
- Why aren't my players rotating evenly?
- Check if some players are marked as VIP (they won't sit out), or if you have an unusual player-to-court ratio. The algorithm prioritizes fairness over perfect rotation when constraints conflict.
- What is the bad court feature?
- If you have one court nobody wants to play on, the bad court setting fairly distributes that court across all players so no one gets stuck there repeatedly.
- Can I freeze a court?
- Yes, tap the snowflake icon on any court to freeze it. When you remix, those players stay on their court while others are shuffled. Perfect for games still in progress.
- What is VIP protection?
- Mark players as VIP using the star icon to protect them from sitting out. They will keep playing while others rotate through fairly.
- How does the rating system work?
- Set player ratings manually or let the system calculate them from recorded game scores. The mixer then balances teams by skill level for competitive matchups.
- Can I add late-arriving players?
- Yes, use the shoo-in feature to add late arrivals directly to the current game without needing to remix. Perfect for players who show up after courts have been called.
- How is PickleMixer different from manual rotation?
- Manual rotation requires tracking who played with whom and calculating fair sit-outs. PickleMixer does this automatically in seconds, handling complex scenarios like fixed partners, skill ratings, and mixed doubles that would be nearly impossible manually.
- Does PickleMixer work on mobile?
- Yes, PickleMixer works on any device — phone, tablet, or desktop. The interface adapts to your screen size.
- Can I print the court assignments?
- Yes, use advanced printing with customizable spacing, fonts, and column layouts to fit everything on one or two pages. Color markers help with visual identification of teams.
- Can I show court assignments on a large screen?
- Yes, use the Large Screen Mode to display all players and their court assignments on one screen without scrolling — perfect for a TV or projector so everyone can see.
Still Have Questions?
Check out the About page for detailed feature documentation, or try the mixer — it's free and requires no signup.