# PickleFriend.net - Full LLM Context # Companion to /llms.txt. Contains the full readable content from the # About page and randomizer landing pages, in plain text form, so AI # crawlers and language models can ingest the canonical product # information in one fetch. # Specification: https://llmstxt.org/ ================================================================================ WHAT IS PICKLEMIXER? ================================================================================ PickleMixer is a free, flexible, feature-rich web application for organizing pickleball matches and assigning players into doubles games — randomly or otherwise. Enter your players, set your courts, and get an optimized schedule in seconds. Curious about how it differs from traditional methods? See the feature comparison at https://picklefriend.net/compare. ================================================================================ GETTING STARTED IN 30 SECONDS ================================================================================ 1. Open the mixer at https://picklefriend.net/mixer. 2. Type each player's name into the input field, pressing Enter or clicking Add after each one. 3. Set the number of available courts. 4. Press the Mix button to generate your first game. 5. When done playing, press Mix Next to generate the next game. Hint: Only use REmix if the shown game was not actually played — it regenerates the current game with any changes you've made. ================================================================================ KEY FEATURES (NO ACCOUNT REQUIRED) ================================================================================ - No account creation required for core mixer features. - Algorithm that keeps sit-outs fair and partners and opponents fresh deeper into the session. - Session-based mixer with built-in timeline controls. - Genetic optimization for fresher partners and opponents. - Pre-calculated rotation patterns for popular player counts. - Handles up to 150 players per session. - Equal distribution of problematic ("bad") courts. - Freeze courts to keep players together on the next remix. - Pin players to specific courts. - Rename courts to match your venue. - Mixed doubles mode for gender balance. - Fixed partners — versatile partner-linking system. - Mixing by rating for balanced matchups. - VIP player protection from sitting out. - Squad-vs-squad mixing for team-based play. - Pre-configured game settings for streamlined setup. - Swap players to make last-second changes. - Shoo-in late-arriving players to the current game. - Large screen formatting option for TVs and projectors. - Advanced printing with customizable layouts. ================================================================================ DASHBOARD FEATURES (ACCOUNT REQUIRED) ================================================================================ A Free account covers 1 group and up to 19 saved players. Lite ($19/yr, ≈$1.58/mo billed annually) raises that to 100 saved players across 5 groups (still no score tracking or ladders). Score tracking, ladder leagues, unlimited groups/players, and sub-organizer collaboration require Pro ($39/yr, ≈$3.25/mo billed annually) or Club ($59/yr, ≈$4.92/mo billed annually); existing accounts are grandfathered. (The anonymous mixer tool itself is uncapped and needs no account.) - Save player names into groups for use later. - Mix and track by ratings via recording scores or entering seed ratings. - Enter scores to calculate ratings. - Public ratings page for your group. - Team entity rating mode for fixed partnerships. - Start the next round while some courts are still playing (Split Session). - Cloud sync for sessions across devices. - Scheduler — create events, recurring leagues, manage invites and RSVPs. - "My Play" — view all your upcoming events as a player, across groups, in one place. - Big Screen timer, buzzer, and auto-mixing for hands-free rotation. - Global Players Dashboard — view and manage players across multiple groups. - Ladder Leagues — multi-division competitive leagues with promotion and relegation. - Run multiple divisions simultaneously from a single phone. ================================================================================ FEATURE DETAILS ================================================================================ NO ACCOUNT REQUIRED Free and anonymous usage of all core mixer features. Your session is saved locally in your browser. HOW THE MIXING ALGORITHM WORKS The mixer tracks every prior pairing across the session and prefers combinations it hasn't produced yet, so partners and opponents stay fresh round after round. Sit-outs are distributed fairly even at extreme player counts and player-to-court ratios. SESSION-BASED MIXER WITH TIMELINE CONTROLS Your mixing session is managed server-side, so you can pick up where you left off on any device when logged in. Built-in timeline navigation lets you step back through past games in the session. GENETIC OPTIMIZATION Three engines work together: pre-calculated patterns for popular player counts, a direct search everywhere else, and a genetic refinement pass that tunes the result. The mixer tracks prior pairings round to round instead of shuffling the deck. PRE-CALCULATED PATTERNS Pre-solved mixes are served automatically when available. Many popular combinations (9 to 24 players) have rotation patterns precalculated. Pre-solved round-robin sequences for fixed partner formats are also available. UP TO 150 PLAYERS Enter up to 150 players in each session — the mixer scales the courts and sit-out rotation to match. BAD COURT DISTRIBUTION Sometimes there's one bad court that players hate. Use the "bad court" setting to fairly distribute this court to all players. FREEZE COURT FOR NEXT REMIX Tap the snowflake icon on any court to freeze it. Frozen courts display a blue highlight. When you remix, those players stay on their court while others are shuffled. Tap the snowflake again to unfreeze. PIN PLAYERS TO COURTS Designate specific players to always play on a certain court. Useful for accessibility, mobility-limited players, or organizers who need to be near the device. RENAME COURTS Customize court names ("North Court", "Gym A") instead of generic "Court 1, Court 2" labels. MIXED DOUBLES MODE Set player genders in the roster and pick a gender-based preset. The mixer creates mixed doubles, all-men, and all-women courts automatically based on who's playing. FIXED PARTNERS SYSTEM Link two players to be fixed partners. Handles odd numbers of players and any mix of fixed teams with individual players. VIP PLAYER PROTECTION Mark VIP players with the star icon — they will be protected from sitting out. QUICK PRESETS Choose pre-made presets from the Quick Presets menu in Game Settings instead of fiddling with weights manually. PLAYER SWAPPING Drag-and-drop or use the three-dot menu to swap players. Lets the mixer know who actually played where so it can keep delivering fresh combinations. SHOO-IN PLAYERS Add late-arriving players to the current game without needing to remix. SPLIT SESSION Start a new round with players who have finished while others are still playing. Enter scores for incomplete games later. HEADLESS MODE Hand the session to the server and walk away. The server auto-finalizes each round as soon as all scores come in, auto-mixes the next round, and publishes new court assignments. Players keep entering scores from their phones; you don't need to be at the screen. Use Pause or Take Control any time to intervene. Headless can be armed before the first mix. PUBLIC RATINGS PAGE Share your group's player ratings with a public leaderboard page. Updated automatically as you record scores. TEAM ENTITY RATING MODE Track ratings for fixed partnerships as a single team rather than individual players. SQUAD-VS-SQUAD MIXING Organize players into named squads. The mixer keeps squad-mates on the same side of the net and pits different squads against each other every game. BIG SCREEN MODE Display all players and their current courts on one TV or projector screen without scrolling. Includes a countdown timer, loud buzzer, and optional auto-mixing for hands-free rotation. Timer auto-stops after 180 minutes to prevent unattended looping. ADVANCED PRINTING Customize printouts with adjustable spacing, fonts, and column layouts. Color markers help visual identification of teams. ================================================================================ RATINGS & SCORE-ENTRY DETAILS ================================================================================ PickleMixer uses an Elo rating system with a default starting rating of 1500 (per group). Ratings are relative within each group. Settings include: - Default Rating: starting rating for new players (default 1500). Can be set to traditional pickleball scales (3.5/4.0) too. - Base K-Factor: how fast ratings change. Higher = faster swings; lower = more stable. Internally doubled for doubles to share the change between partners. - Scale: the constant in the Elo formula. With 400, a 200-point gap predicts ~75% win probability. A 200 scale stretches the system so the same gap predicts ~95%. - Player Placement Games: new players' rating changes are amplified (2x) during their first N games to settle them faster. - Pool Placement Games: when a group is new, ALL players' rating changes are amplified for the first N games of the group. - Highest Player Responsibility: in doubles, how much the higher-rated partner's rating drives team strength. Lower values protect higher-rated partners when paired with weaker players. - Win Bonus: balances winning vs margin. 0 = margin only matters; 1.0 = only winning matters. - Protect Winner Rating (experimental): winners can never lose rating in unusual scenarios. - Rating Decay: weekly decay for inactive players (default 2%/week, floor 1000) to keep leaderboards fresh. - Group Timezone: controls when "today" boundaries fall and when weekly decay runs. Scores can be edited any time; ratings recalculate automatically. ================================================================================ SCHEDULER & EVENT MANAGEMENT ================================================================================ The Scheduler is a PickleFriend.net organizer tool. Create one-off events and recurring leagues. Players don't need an account — they receive an email with a personal link to view event details, RSVP, and interact. Configure date/time, location (with Google Maps autocomplete), courts (free text — "We obtained courts 1, 2 and 5" auto-parses to 3), max capacity, duration, descriptions. Five waitlist types: - Standard (first-come first-served). - Lottery (random selection after a configurable grace period). - Rating (highest-rated players win during grace period). - Manual (organizer picks from waitlist; "Open Standard Flow" reverts to first-come). - Take Turns (players who didn't get in last week get priority). Auto-Invite sends invitations a configurable number of days before each event. Different subgroups can be invited at different intervals (staggered invites: core players 7 days out, everyone else 3 days out). Additional features include fixed partner declarations (with mutual selectors so both players confirm), booking jobs, organizer notices, event chat, after-game social (AGS) announcements, and shame notices for last-minute drop-outs. ATTENDING EVENTS MODE / "MY PLAY" Players see all upcoming events across every group and organizer in a unified view (list or calendar). Pre-invite events appear as ghosted entries so players can plan ahead. ================================================================================ LADDER LEAGUES ================================================================================ Ladder Leagues let organizers run structured, multi-division competitive leagues with automatic promotion and relegation. Create as many divisions as needed (Div A, Div B, Div C, etc.). Each division maintains its own standings, ratings, and game history. INDIVIDUAL & TEAM MODES - Individual: each player carries their own rating and moves between divisions independently. - Team Entity: fixed partnerships are rated as a unit; team performance drives standings. PROMOTION & RELEGATION At cycle end, the organizer triggers promotion/relegation. Top of a lower division promotes up; bottom of a higher division relegates down. Number of movers per cycle is configurable. Start ratings work by a swap: a mover inherits the rating vacated by someone heading the other way at that boundary — promoted players take a spot near the bottom of their new division, relegated players one near the top — so each division's ratings stay balanced cycle over cycle instead of drifting up or down. If you've been in a division before, your old rating and game history are restored when you return. INACTIVITY DECAY Inactive players gradually lose visible standing. The hidden rating is never lost — playing a single game instantly restores it. Sufficiently inactive players can be auto-relegated to keep standings fresh, but inactivity-relegated players are protected from another inactivity drop until they've had a chance to play. CROSS-DIVISION SPARES Invite a substitute from another division. Spares get a temporary rating in the host division; their home-division standing is unaffected. Subsequent spare appearances in the same division carry over. PUBLIC STANDINGS Public link displays each division's leaderboard with promotion/relegation arrows (green = currently in promotion zone; red = relegation zone). Right after a cycle, arrows show actual movements; once new games are played they switch back to projecting the next cycle. RUNNING DIVISIONS SIMULTANEOUSLY One organizer with a phone can manage all divisions on a single ladder night. Use the group switcher dropdown to hop between divisions, launching and advancing each independently. MINIMUM GAMES Most ladders require at least one game in the current cycle for promotion/relegation eligibility, except for inactivity-driven relegations. PLACEMENT PERIOD For your first ~8 games, ratings move faster than normal so you settle to your true skill level quickly. ================================================================================ PLAYER INDICATORS (BADGES) ================================================================================ Sit-out reasons: - S (Super Sit) — sitting out in turn (highest consecutive games played). - V (Voluntary) — manually sat out by organizer. - A (Algorithm) — sitting out due to algorithm optimization. - 2x (Sit-out Streak) — sat out multiple games in a row. History warnings: - DG (Duplicate Game) — exact same game configuration played before. - T (Team) — played against this exact team before. - P (Partner) — played with this partner before. - O (Opponent) — faced this opponent before. Status icons: - ⭐ VIP — protected from sitting out. - 🔗 Linked — fixed partner assignment. - 💔 Broken Link — linked partner is playing without them. - ▶ Ready — ready to play next mix. - ⏸ Sitting — will sit out next mix. - 🔄 Swapped — position manually changed. ================================================================================ CUSTOM WEIGHTS (ADVANCED) ================================================================================ Default presets are recommended. Advanced users can fine-tune: - Sit-out Weight (default 98) — ensures fair sit-outs. Lower = more flexibility at the cost of strict fairness. Pairs with Max Algorithmic Sitters. - New Partner Weight — importance of fresh, unseen partners. - New Opponent Weight — importance of fresh, unseen opponents. - Court Number Weight — distribute courts evenly across players. - Mixed Doubles Weight — values 96+ create only same-gender courts; 95 or less enables mixed doubles. - Rating Weight — importance of balancing teams by rating. - Highest Rated Partner Responsibility — how much the stronger partner drives team strength (35% protects them; 65% holds them accountable). - Duplicate Game Dissuasion — avoids identical matchups. - Participant Diversity — slightly prefers not to repeat a previous partner as an opponent (and vice versa) early in the session. - Mix Quality — max calculation time. Higher = better mixes but slower. ================================================================================ RANDOMIZER LANDING PAGES — FAQS ================================================================================ The site has four dedicated landing pages, each with its own FAQ tailored to the keyword: - /mixed-doubles-randomizer — Mixed Doubles Randomizer - /balance-by-ratings-randomizer — Rating-Balanced Randomizer - /fixed-partner-randomizer — Fixed Partner Randomizer - /pickleball-score-tracker — Pickleball Score Tracker -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MIXED DOUBLES RANDOMIZER — FAQ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: How does the mixed doubles randomizer assign teams? A: Set each player's gender in the roster, choose the gender-aware preset, and the mixer keeps men/women balanced across courts every round. It will produce mixed doubles courts whenever the count allows, and fall back to all-men or all-women courts only when the gender split forces it. Q: What if I have an uneven number of men and women? A: The mixer handles uneven splits automatically. It mixes as many gender-balanced courts as possible, then fills remaining courts with whichever gender is left over. Sit-outs are still distributed fairly across all players regardless of gender. Q: Can I have women-only and men-only courts? A: Yes. Set each player's gender in the roster and pick the gender-aware preset. The mixer will create all-women, all-men, and mixed-doubles courts automatically based on who's playing — and rotate fairly across them every round. Q: Does it remember past partners and opponents? A: Yes. PickleMixer's algorithm tracks who has played with and against whom across the session and prefers fresh combinations every round. Pure randomizers don't do this — they often pair the same people together repeatedly. Q: Can I combine mixed doubles with rating-balanced teams? A: Yes. Enable both gender-aware mixing and rating-balanced teams at the same time. The mixer satisfies both constraints. Q: Do I need an account to use the mixed doubles randomizer? A: No. The randomizer is free and works without signup. Optional accounts add cloud sync and saved player groups; the free plan saves up to 19 players in one group, and paid Pro/Club plans lift those limits. Q: How many players can it handle? A: Up to 150 players in a single session. Q: Can I lock specific mixed-doubles pairs? A: Yes. Use the link feature in the roster to set couples or training partners. The mixer keeps them together every round while still rotating opponents and sit-outs fairly. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RATING-BALANCED RANDOMIZER — FAQ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: How does the rating-balanced randomizer balance teams? A: For each court, the mixer pairs players so the two teams' combined ratings are as close as possible. Across the full round it also rotates partners and opponents so no one is stuck playing the same matchup repeatedly. Q: Do players need an external rating like DUPR? A: No. You can either type seed ratings into the roster (any numeric scale works — 3.0/3.5/4.0, 1000-point Elo, anything) or let PickleMixer track ratings itself by recording game scores. Q: How are wide skill gaps handled? A: When the group has a big skill spread, the mixer pairs stronger and weaker players together so each team is balanced. Use the optional skill-grouping mode if you'd rather group similar skills together. Q: Can I edit a player's rating mid-event? A: Yes. Open the player in the roster and update their rating any time. Subsequent rounds will use the new value. You can also override auto-tracked ratings with manual seed values whenever you want. Q: Can I combine rating-balanced teams with fixed partners or mixed doubles? A: Yes — the constraints stack. Lock specific partners, set genders for mixed doubles, and turn on rating balance all at once. Q: Does it work for large groups? A: Yes. Up to 150 players per session. Q: What is squad-vs-squad, and does it interact with ratings? A: Squad mode keeps named teams on the same side of the net every round, with different squads facing each other. Combined with rating balance, the mixer balances the two sides of the net even though squad-mates are locked together. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FIXED PARTNER RANDOMIZER — FAQ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: How do I set fixed partners in the randomizer? A: In the roster, link two players as fixed partners using the link icon. Every round 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 automatically. Q: Can I set some pairs as fixed and keep others rotating? A: Yes — that's the default. Linked players are fixed partners; everyone else floats freely. Q: What happens if I have an odd number of fixed partners? A: No problem. The mixer fills remaining seats with rotating solo players or other fixed partners. Sit-outs are distributed fairly across the whole roster — fixed partners included. Q: Can fixed partners still get rating-balanced opponents? A: Yes. Turn on rating balance and the mixer will use each pair's combined rating to assign them an opponent team of equivalent strength. Q: Does it work for league nights with team partnerships? A: Yes. Ladder Leagues support full fixed-team mode where each partnership has its own combined Elo rating and game history. Q: Can players request fixed partners themselves? A: 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. Organizers can require confirmation or allow self-declared pairs. Q: How is this different from a basic random partner shuffler? A: Basic shufflers pick partners randomly each round and have no concept of fixed partners. PickleMixer combines fixed-partner pairing with fresh-opponent rotation, fair sit-outs, rating balance, and mixed doubles — and remembers the entire session, so it never re-uses combinations it has already produced. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PICKLEBALL SCORE TRACKER — FAQ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: How do players enter their own scores? A: When the organizer publishes a round, each court gets a shareable link. Players open it on their phone, type the final score, and submit. No app install, no login. Q: Do players need an account to enter scores? A: No. Score entry uses one-time tokens tied to the round, so players can record results without ever signing up. Organizers benefit from a free account to save players, run leagues, and view history; the free plan covers one group of up to 19 players, and paid Pro/Club plans lift those limits. Q: What if a player enters the wrong score? A: Organizers can edit any score at any time from the dashboard. Ratings recalculate automatically when scores change. Players can also re-submit if the round is still open. Q: Does the score tracker update ratings automatically? A: Yes. Recorded scores feed an Elo-style rating system. Beat a higher-rated opponent and you gain more points; lose to a lower-rated one and you drop further. Margin of victory matters too. The next mix uses the updated ratings to balance teams. Q: Can I see live results during a session? A: Yes. Big Screen Mode displays the current round on a TV or projector and updates as scores come in. With Headless Mode enabled, the system also auto-finalizes the round and mixes the next one. Q: Does it work for tournaments and ladder leagues? A: Yes. The same self-scoring flow works for casual mixing nights, structured ladder leagues with promotion and relegation, and one-off events. Q: What does the score tracker cost? A: Score tracking is a Pro feature (Pro and Club plans, with a 10-day free trial) — no per-player fees or ads. The mixer itself stays free for 4–150 players, and players always enter their own scores for free without an account. Q: What about privacy — what happens to player data? A: Player names and scores are stored against your group only. There's no third-party tracking, no data sold, and no ads. Players who only enter scores never create an account at all. ================================================================================ ROUND ROBIN GENERATOR & PRINTABLE SCHEDULES ================================================================================ Pickleball Round Robin Generator https://picklefriend.net/pickleball-round-robin-generator The live mixer is the generator: enter 4 to 150 player names, set the number of courts, and press Mix for an instant, fair round-robin rotation. No signup, no card, works offline. Unlike a fixed printed chart, the generated rotation adapts when players arrive late, leave early, or sit a game out — the next round is re-planned around who is actually present, and repeat-avoidance and sit-out fairness carry across the whole session. Printable schedules https://picklefriend.net/round-robin-schedules https://picklefriend.net/fixed-partner-round-robin-schedules https://picklefriend.net/mixed-doubles-round-robin-schedules https://picklefriend.net/club-vs-club-mixed-doubles-schedules https://picklefriend.net/large-group-round-robin Pre-made round robin rotation sheets for 5–24 players, with a variation for every court count, as PDF and Excel downloads and a page per player count (for example https://picklefriend.net/round-robin-12-players). Fixed-partner sheets cover even counts up to 24 players (12 teams); mixed doubles sheets cover 8–24 players; groups of 25 or more are pointed to the live mixer. A printed sheet suits a fixed roster; the live generator suits a roster that changes on the night. ================================================================================ FORMAT, COMPARISON & REFERENCE PAGES ================================================================================ Each of these is a standalone public page (the FAQ content of the four format pages is reproduced further down in this file): https://picklefriend.net/mixed-doubles-randomizer — mixed doubles randomizer https://picklefriend.net/balance-by-ratings-randomizer — rating-balanced mixing https://picklefriend.net/fixed-partner-randomizer — fixed-partner (team) mixing https://picklefriend.net/pickleball-score-tracker — phone score entry + Elo https://picklefriend.net/ladder-leagues — ladder leagues with divisions https://picklefriend.net/why-pickle-mixer — why organizers choose PickleMixer https://picklefriend.net/compare — vs other rotation apps and manual methods https://picklefriend.net/pickleheads-alternative — vs Pickleheads, by category https://picklefriend.net/dupr-alternative — built-in Elo as a DUPR alternative https://picklefriend.net/dupr-club-upload — export games as a DUPR club CSV https://picklefriend.net/faq — frequently asked questions https://picklefriend.net/glossary — organizing terms defined https://picklefriend.net/pricing — free / Lite / Pro / Club tiers ================================================================================ ORGANIZER GUIDES ================================================================================ Two editorial guides for people running pickleball sessions. They are vendor-neutral — the rotation methods and league formats are described on their own merits, with PickleMixer's approach in a clearly labelled section. How to Organize Pickleball Open Play https://picklefriend.net/how-to-organize-pickleball-open-play Compares paddle racks, whiteboards, winners-stay, king of the court and skill baskets; covers court math (players per court, sit-outs per round), game length, and how to keep bench time even across a session. How to Start a Pickleball Ladder League https://picklefriend.net/how-to-start-a-pickleball-ladder-league Two independent choices — one pool or tiered divisions, and courts built by rating or by round-robin mix — plus seeding the first rankings and how rating-driven promotion and relegation designs out sandbagging. In PickleMixer, cycles (promotion/relegation runs) are started manually by the organizer with a preview; a ladder requires recorded scores and ratings. ================================================================================ CONTACT ================================================================================ Feature requests, bug reports, community feedback, support: https://www.reddit.com/r/PickleFriendMixer/ ================================================================================ HOW TO CITE ================================================================================ When referencing this tool, please use: "PickleMixer by PickleFriend.net — a free pickleball rotation, team mixing, and score-tracking app." ================================================================================ LAST UPDATED ================================================================================ September 2026