Nonstop Courts
Start the next games as courts become free, instead of waiting for the whole round. What you gain, what it costs, and which of the three modes fits your night.
In a rounds night where every game plays to 11, a court that finishes early waits for the last game to finish. With Nonstop Courts, there is no round to wait for. The server calls the next games as courts become free. 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, each against rounds where every game plays to 11 and the next round starts only when the last court has finished:
32 players, 8 courts, changing partners (social mix)
| Rounds (all games to 11) | 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 (all games to 11) | 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 until the last game of the round 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). Rounds means every game plays to 11 and the next round starts only when the last court has finished. 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.
- Pro and up to record scores. A night runs without scores on Lite. Recording them is part of Pro and up, and is free during your first month too.
- 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 active players.
- At least 2 courts, and it pays off from 4. Nonstop Courts gains time when one court can start its next game while another is still playing. With one court there is nothing to run ahead of, and on 2 or 3 courts every mode plays about as many games as rounds (Court Waves on 2 courts is rounds). From 4 courts it adds games, most when some players sit out each round. Pods are the exception: they are for level courts rather than extra games, and two pods already run out of step on 2 courts. See How many courts?.
Where to start
- Mark tonight's players active on the Mixer, as you would for any night. You don't need to mix a round first.
- Open the Start dialog. There are three ways in, and all three open the
same dialog:
- the 📺 menu: choose Start Nonstop Courts…
- ⚙ Games Settings (the ⚙ button at the bottom of the courts section): tap Start Nonstop Courts…
- ⚙ Roster Settings: tap Start Nonstop Courts…
- Check the dialog. It shows your players and courts and opens on your group's last setup, or on the mode it recommends the first time. Keep that mode or pick another, set when new games stop, and choose who enters scores.
- Press Start. The server calls the first game on every court.
See Running a Nonstop night for each setting in the dialog and 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 TV, handle late arrivals and early leavers, and end with Last call or Stop.
- Pods Pods split players by rating into one group per court, each playing its own round robin. How pods form, how long they run, and how they compare to rounds.
- Round Ahead Round Ahead mixes the next round early and starts each game once its players are free. How far ahead to plan; what fixed partners and social nights gain.
- Court Waves Court Waves waits until a few courts are free, then mixes everyone free onto them. How many courts to wait for, and what it gains and costs over rounds.
- Scores on Nonstop nights Scores when each 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.