PicklePairings › Guides › Americano format
Updated 22 September 2026
An Americano is a pickleball round robin where partners change every round and each player's score is their own: you keep every point you win, whoever you were paired with. Four players are on each court, games go to a fixed point total or a fixed time, and the player with the most points (or most wins) at the end takes it. It runs with any number of players from 4 up, and 5 to 7 rounds fills 75 to 105 minutes.
Because you are scored on your own line, a weak partner one round is balanced by a strong one the next. That is why Americanos suit mixed-ability groups better than fixed-team round robins.
The format came from padel, where games are played to a fixed rally-scoring total. Pickleball groups use one of these:
| Scoring | Minutes a round | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Rally scoring to 16, 21 or 24, serve changes every 4 points | 10 to 14 | The original Americano. Every point counts, so total-points standings are fair. |
| Standard game to 11, win by 2 | 12 to 15 | Familiar. Total points still works: the winning side banks its score and the losing side keeps every point it won. |
| Timed, 10 to 12 minutes, rally scoring | Fixed | Best with 3 or more courts: every game ends together and the next round starts on time. |
Whichever you use, announce it once, before round 1, and do not change it mid-session.
With P players, partnering everyone exactly once takes P minus 1 rounds when P is a multiple of 4. That is 3 rounds for 4 players, 7 for 8, 11 for 12 and 15 for 16, so only the 4-player and 8-player versions are ever "complete". Everyone else sets a round count that fits the booking and lets the standings decide.
| Players | Courts | Playing / sitting per round | Rounds to partner everyone | Practical plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 1 | 4 / 0 | 3 | 3 rounds, 40 min. The perfect small session. |
| 5 | 1 | 4 / 1 | 5 | 5 rounds, everyone sits once. |
| 6 | 1 | 4 / 2 | n/a | 6 rounds, everyone sits twice. Slow; find a second court. |
| 8 | 2 | 8 / 0 | 7 | 5 to 7 rounds, 75 to 105 min. |
| 10 | 2 | 8 / 2 | n/a | 5 rounds, everyone sits once. |
| 12 | 3 | 12 / 0 | 11 | 6 rounds, 90 min. |
| 16 | 4 | 16 / 0 | 15 | 6 rounds, 90 min. |
| 20 | 5 | 20 / 0 | 19 | 6 rounds. Consider two groups of 10 by skill. |
| 24 | 6 | 24 / 0 | 23 | 6 rounds. Split into two groups of 12. |
Above about 16 players, mixing becomes theoretical: in 6 rounds you meet at most 18 of 23 other players, and the standings compare people who played completely different opponents. Two groups by skill level, each on its own courts, give better games and a fairer table.
When the player count is not a multiple of 4, some players sit each round. The rule that keeps it fair: nobody sits a second time until everyone has sat once, and the players sitting should not be the same pair twice. The standard way to score a sit-out is to give the player that round's average score: add up the points every player on court banked that round and divide by the number of players. Resting then neither helps nor hurts, and it is not counted as a win, because no game was played. PicklePairings spreads sit-outs evenly and credits each one with the round's average automatically.
A Mexicano is an Americano where the pairings are not pre-scheduled. After each round, players are sorted by standing, and the next round pairs 1st with 3rd against 2nd with 4th, 5th with 7th against 6th with 8th, and so on. Games get closer as the session goes on, and the top court becomes the final. Use an Americano when the goal is mixing and everyone meeting everyone; use a Mexicano when the group is competitive and the skill range is wide. A king of the court session gets a similar sorting effect with even less admin.
In PicklePairings, choose the Americano format, set the number of rounds and the game length, and paste the player list. Each round shows court numbers and pairs, has a Print sheet button, and the standings rank every player on total points, then games won, then best single game, alongside their win-loss record and point differential. Players who leave early are withdrawn and simply drop out of later rounds.
In a standard round robin the doubles teams are fixed and the team is ranked. In an Americano the partners change every round and each player is ranked individually on their own points or wins. An Americano is a round robin for individuals.
Enough to fill the court booking at 12 to 15 minutes a round: usually 5 to 7. Partnering everyone once takes players minus 1 rounds (7 rounds for 8 players, 11 for 12), which is rarely practical above 8 players.
Traditionally rally scoring to 16, 21 or 24 points with the serve changing every 4 points, and standings on total points. Pickleball groups often play a normal game to 11, win by 2; total-points standings still work, because the losing side keeps every point it won.
Yes. With 5, 6, 9 or 10 players the extras sit out in rotation, and nobody sits twice until everyone has sat once. Give a sit-out that round's average score, so resting neither helps nor hurts a player's place.
Better than fixed teams, because each player's result averages over several partners. If the range is very wide, use a Mexicano, which re-pairs players by standing each round so games tighten up, or split into two groups by level.
Choose the Americano format, paste your player list, set the number of rounds, and every round gets new partners, fair sit-outs, court numbers and an individual standings table. Free, no account, works offline.
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