Rating-balanced fixed partners
Turn on rating balance and the mixer matches each fixed-partner team with an opponent team of equivalent strength.
Rating-balanced randomizer →
Fixed Partners
Pickleball fixed partner randomizer: fresh opponents every round.
Free fixed partner randomizer for pickleball. Pin couples, training partners, or league partners and the mixer keeps them on the same team while it rotates fresh opponents deeper into the session than typical random or basic rotation tools. Mixes generate in milliseconds, online or offline.
// 01 How it works
Three steps to locked partners.
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i.
Add players
Names, plus optional gender and rating.
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ii.
Link the fixed partners
Tap the link icon next to two players to tie them together. Repeat for as many partnerships as you want. Mix fixed partners and solo players in the same session.
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iii.
Press Mix
Fixed partners stay together, opponents rotate fresh every round, and the algorithm handles odd numbers and uneven counts automatically.
// 02 Who uses it
For couples nights, training pairs, and league teams.
In the roster, link any two players as fixed partners. From that round onward, the mixer keeps them on the same team whenever they are on court. Everything else still rotates: opponents stay fresh, sit-outs spread evenly, and other players are not affected.
The most common case is the mixed setup: a few couples want to stay together, everyone else rotates freely, and the mixer handles both at once. Many randomizers link everyone or no one. PickleMixer mixes linked pairs and solo players in the same round, on adjacent courts, without breaking the rotation.
// 03 Stacks with
Works with the other modes.
Mixed-doubles fixed partners
Link a couple and enable mixed-doubles mode. Their court stays mixed, opponents rotate, and gender balance holds on every other court.
Mixed doubles randomizer →Never-sit partners
Flag fixed partners who need guaranteed court time (paying lessons, coached partnerships) and they stay in the rotation while others sit.
Learn more →Late arrivals & drop-outs
Add new players or pairs mid-session with the shoo-in feature; the mixer slots them into the next round.
Learn more →
// 04 Compared with a shuffler
A shuffler forgets every round.
A simple shuffler picks partners at random each round with no memory of previous rounds. That's fine for a single one-off draw, but over a full session it produces couples split up against their wishes, the same partners paired three rounds in a row, sit-outs landing on the same people repeatedly, and no handling for odd numbers or rating differences.
PickleMixer keeps fixed partners together on court, keeps their opponents fresh deeper into the session, and can add rating balance or mixed doubles. It remembers the entire session, so combinations it has already produced are avoided until they become unavoidable. Mixes generate in milliseconds, online or offline.
// 05 FAQ
Fixed partner randomizer questions
Q.01 How do I lock fixed partners in the randomizer?
In the roster, link two players as fixed partners using the link icon. Whenever they are on court, the mixer keeps them on the same team while rotating opponents and sit-outs. You can set as many fixed partners as you want, mix fixed partners with solo players, and the mixer handles odd numbers for you.
Q.02 Can I lock some pairs and keep others rotating?
Yes, and it's the default, with nothing to configure. Linked players become fixed partners and play as a team; every other player floats freely in the rotation. Many randomizers force an all-or-nothing choice (either nobody locks, or everyone joins fixed teams). PickleMixer mixes locked pairs and free individuals in the same round, on adjacent courts, without breaking the rotation.
Q.03 What happens if I have an odd number of fixed partners?
No problem. The mixer fills remaining seats with rotating solo players or other fixed partners. When both partners are due to sit out, they sit together. When only one spot is open and one partner is due, that partner sits alone for the round and the pair is back together on the next mix; tick "Keep fixed partners together, even if they sit out less" in Games Settings if you would rather the pair is never split. When two or more spots are open but only one partner is due, the mixer asks whether to sit them together or break the link for that round only. Sit-outs otherwise rotate fairly across the whole roster, fixed partners included.
Q.04 Can fixed partners still get rating-balanced opponents?
Yes. Turn on rating balance and the mixer rates each pair as a team and assigns them an opponent team of equivalent strength. Pinned partners stay together; opposing teams are still chosen for fairness. See the rating-balanced randomizer.
Q.05 Does it work for league nights with team partnerships?
Yes. Turn on team rating mode — available on any group, no ladder required — and each partnership becomes its own rated entity with a combined Elo rating and game history. The randomizer mixes partnerships as units and records team-level results. Ladder Leagues build on the same mode, adding divisions and promotion cycles. See how ladder leagues work.
Q.06 Can players request fixed partners themselves?
When using the Event Scheduler, players can declare or request a partner from the event page. Both players confirm via a mutual selector — no one-sided asks or back-and-forth. Organizers can require confirmation or allow self-declared pairs.
Q.07 How is this different from a basic random partner shuffler?
Basic shufflers pick partners randomly each round, often repeating pairings within a few rounds and forgetting the session as soon as you refresh. PickleMixer combines fixed-partner pairing with fresh-opponent rotation that holds deeper into the session than typical random or basic rotation tools, plus mixed doubles, on-the-fly sit-outs, and drag-and-drop swaps. It remembers the entire session, so combinations it has already produced are avoided until they become unavoidable.
Q.08 Do fixed-partner rounds avoid repeat opponents too?
Yes. With fixed partners, opponents are the only thing that changes, so every team gets fresh opposition each round and a team-vs-team rematch is avoided until it is mathematically unavoidable for your team count.
// 06 Related
Other ways to mix.
Set your partners and mix.
It is free and needs no signup. Fixed partners stay together on court and everyone else rotates.