Nonstop Courts
Start each court's next game the moment its last one finishes, instead of waiting for the whole round. What you gain, what it costs, and which of the three modes fits your night.
In a normal mixer night, every court waits for the slowest game before the next round starts. With Nonstop Courts, the server calls the next game onto a court as soon as that court and its players are ready. Players who opened their score link get a buzz on their phones ("Court 3 — you're up"), and the TV shows the call.
There are three ways to choose the next game. The Start dialog recommends one of them, but you can pick any mode:
| Mode | What happens | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Pods | Players are split by rating into one group per court. Each group plays its own short round robin on its own court. | Level nights: ladders and skill sessions |
| Round Ahead | Your usual mixer settings mix the next round early. Each game starts as soon as its four players are free. | Fixed partners, and social nights on fewer than 6 courts |
| Court Waves | When enough courts are free, everyone who is free is mixed onto them together. | Social nights on 6 or more courts |
What you gain, and what it costs
We simulated each mode over hundreds of nights before building it. Here are 32 players on 8 courts with a social mix, and 16 fixed-partner teams on 8 courts:
32 players, 8 courts, changing partners (social mix)
| Rounds | Round Ahead | Court Waves (wait for 4 courts) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Games per player | 4.1 | 4.5 | 4.9 |
| Courts standing empty | 28% | 24% | 16% |
| Average / longest wait between games | 7.4 / 17 min | 5.6 / 19 min | 3.5 / 11 min |
| Nights where everyone is within one game of each other | 100% | 100% | 29% |
| Players in a game who were also together in their last game (pairs out of 6) | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.29 |
16 fixed-partner teams, 8 courts
| Rounds | Round Ahead | Court Waves (wait for 4 courts) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Games per team | 4.1 | 4.9 | 4.9 |
| Average rating gap between opponents | 0.23 | 0.26 | 0.30 |
| Rematches per night | 0 | 0 | 1.8 |
| Average / longest wait between games | 7.5 / 17 min | 3.5 / 20 min | 3.5 / 11 min |
Every mode adds games because a court no longer sits empty while one slow game finishes. The cost depends on the mode: Court Waves spreads games less evenly and sometimes puts two players from the same last game together again, and Round Ahead lets a player wait longer once in a while. Pods trade variety for level: you play only the 3 or 4 people in your pod.
How we measured: 200 simulated nights per row (the fixed-partner rows: 100 to 300), 90 minutes of play, games to 11 lasting about 15 minutes (8 to 30), and 1 minute between games. Players were rated 3.0 to 4.55 (fixed teams 3.0 to 4.5). A real night will differ. Use the tables to compare the options, not as a promise.
What you need
- A paid plan, or your first month. Nonstop Courts runs on the server, so it is part of the paid plans (Lite and up) and free during your first month. The plan that counts is the group owner's.
- Players' phones (optional). Players who open their score link get the "you're up" buzz and see where to go. The TV board shows every call too, so a night works even if some players have no phone.
- At least 4 players.
Where to start
Open the 📺 menu on the Mixer and choose Start Nonstop Courts…. See Running a Nonstop night for the whole evening, from Start to Stop.
- Choosing a Nonstop mode Which Nonstop Courts mode fits your night — Pods, Round Ahead or Court Waves — with the simulated gains and costs for venues from 3 to 8 courts.
- Running a Nonstop night Start Nonstop Courts from the Mixer, follow every court on the panel and the TV, handle late arrivals and early leavers, and end the night with Last call or Stop.
- Pods Pods split players by rating into one group per court, and each group plays its own round robin. How pods form, how long they run, and how a pod night compares with rounds.
- Round Ahead Round Ahead mixes the next round early with your usual mixer settings, and starts each game as soon as its four players are free. How far ahead to plan, and what it gains for fixed partners and social nights.
- Court Waves Court Waves waits until a few courts are free, then mixes everyone who is free onto them. How many courts to wait for, what it gains over rounds, and what it costs.
- Scores on Nonstop nights How scores work when every court runs on its own clock: the first report frees the court, the other team confirms before its next game, and you settle only disputes.