Ratings

PickleFriend tracks skill with an Elo rating that updates from your actual game scores. You can set seed ratings by hand, or just record results and let ratings build themselves over time.

How it works at a glance

• Score-based, not just win/loss. Margin of victory matters — a close win moves ratings less than a blowout.
• Placement period. Your first several games move your rating faster, so new players settle near their true level quickly instead of grinding up from a flat start.
• Doubles-aware. In doubles, rating changes are split between partners based on their relative levels.
• Configurable. Organizers can tune the rating scale, how aggressively ratings move, and optional win bonuses.
• Decay for inactivity — in ladders, time away lowers your visible rating while preserving your real one. See Inactivity decay.

A note on unrated players

A player with no rating yet isn't treated as a zero — "no rating" is its own state until they've played enough to establish one. Ratings only start moving once games are recorded.

Where to look right now

Detailed ratings guides are being written. For now, the Rating-Balanced Randomizer page explains mixing by skill, and ladder organizers should read the Ladder Leagues section, where ratings drive standings and movement.

More guides coming: how Elo is calculated, placement games, reading the public ratings page, and manual rating adjustments.