The 4 session formats

BehindCourt runs four live session formats. Everything on this page matches the Start Session dialog, matchmaking engine, Courts page, and queue UI. Sessions start from Home → Start session.

Shared rules (all formats)

Court color legend (Courts page)

1. Open Play

The default drop-in / open-play format. The AI matchmaking engine picks fair 4-player games from the waiting queue and assigns them to open courts.

How matching works

• Uses 7 scoring dimensions: skill balance, fairness, competition, wait time, rotation, partner diversity, opponent diversity.
• Default AI weights (Settings → AI Settings can tune these): Skill 30%, Fairness 25%, Competition 15%, Waiting 20%, Rotation 10%.
• Players are matched by skill rating (1–6 star scale on registration).
• Prefers adjacent skill levels in a foursome (for example 3★ with 4★); can widen if needed.
• Respects consecutive-game limits (default max 3 in a row).
• FIFO queue order matters, but the engine can skip an unmatchable front group so courts keep filling.

Fixed pairs (Open Play)

• Supported. Staff can pair two players as fixed teammates for the whole session.
• Fixed partners always play on the same team when both are waiting.
• A partner who is Not Ready (paused) blocks the other from solo matching.
• If the partner leaves the queue, the remaining player can match solo.

Manual tools (Open Play)

• Manual match: staff manually picks 4 players for a game.
• Staff rematch: when the same four who just finished are all waiting again, staff can offer a rematch (same group plays again).

Courts and queue

• Staff opens courts as Open play (violet).
• Matchmaking only uses courts opened for the live session with a matching schedule.
• Queue UI: single Waiting list (searchable), with fixed-partner labels on queue rows.

Open Play does not use winners/losers brackets, club colors, or a tournament bracket.

2. Win-Lose

A rotation-first format where players move into Winners or Losers pools after each scored game. Matching prioritizes fair rotation and wait time, not skill ratings.

How matching works

• AI weights for Win-Lose (skill and competition are zero): Skill 0%, Fairness 20%, Competition 0%, Waiting 40%, Rotation 40%.
• Needs at least 4 waiting players in the target pool to create a match.
• Matchmaking picks which bracket pool to fill based on open courts and who is waiting.

Bracket pools (3 types)

After staff finishes a match with a score: winners on the winning team go to the Winners queue; losers on the losing team go to the Losers queue. Bracket assignment is stored on the player and preserved when they return to waiting.

Courts (Win-Lose)

Two operating modes:

• Dedicated bracket courts: separate Winners and Losers courts; matchmaking fills the matching pool.
• Unified Win-Lose courts: when multiple courts are all opened as generic Win-Lose (no separate Winners/Losers courts), the system alternates between filling Winners-side and Losers-side games.

Board labels adapt (for example “Winner”, “Loser”, “Win-Lose 2”) depending on how many courts of each type are open.

Queue UI

• Split into Winners and Losers waiting sections (not one flat list).
• Staff rematch text references Win-Lose courts when rematch is queued.

Win-Lose does not use skill-based matching, fixed pairs, manual pair picking, club colors, or a tournament bracket.

3. Club’s Cup

Club vs club doubles. Players belong to a color club (Blue, Red, Green, Yellow, Purple, Orange). Matchmaking builds 2v2 games where one club plays another: two players from Club A vs two from Club B.

Session setup

• When starting Club’s Cup, staff picks how many clubs (2–6).
• Colors are assigned in a fixed order: Blue → Red → Green → Yellow → Purple → Orange.
• Players get a club color when imported or added (for example import under “Blue Team”, “Red Team” headers).
• Club list grows as new colors appear in the queue (up to the chosen club count).

How matching works

• Same AI weights as Open Play (skill 30%, fairness 25%, competition 15%, waiting 20%, rotation 10%).
• Uses a club-vs-club pairing schedule (fair rotation of which clubs play each other — for example 2 clubs: A vs B repeat; 3 clubs: AB, AC, BC).
• Teams must be 2 players from the same club on each side.
• Matchmaking balances skill within the foursome where possible.

Fixed pairs (Club’s Cup)

• Only players from the same club can be a fixed pair.
• If you try to pair different club colors, BehindCourt shows a warning and will not create the pair.
• If a partner leaves the queue, the pair is cleared so the remaining player can match alone.
• Any leftover cross-club pairs are ignored when matches are made.

Manual tools, courts, and queue

• Fixed pairs are available for Club’s Cup.
• Manual match is available.
• Staff opens courts as Club’s Cup (teal).
• One-click Club’s Cup on the Courts page only works while a Club’s Cup session is live.
• Queue layout: waiting by club — separate columns per club color (plus “Unassigned” if no color). Fixed-partner names show on rows.

Club’s Cup does not use Win-Lose winners/losers brackets or a tournament bracket (unless you start a Tournament session instead).

4. Tournament

Bracket-driven play. Staff sets fixed pairs (2-player teams), builds a bracket, and BehindCourt puts ready bracket matches onto open courts. There is no AI queue matching. Pairings come only from the bracket.

Session setup (two steps)

1. Start session → Tournament.
2. Choose format on the Bracket tab (can change before the bracket is created).

Round Robin extras

• Minimum 8 pairs per bracket.
• Example: 2 brackets need at least 16 pairs (32 players).
• Regular scoring: play to 11, 15, or 21, win by 2 (choose on the Bracket tab).
• Custom time-limited scoring: first to a set number (no deuce), plus a countdown timer per match (default: first to 11, 15-minute limit). If time runs out first, staff enters the current score and the higher score wins.

Fixed pairs (Tournament) — required

Before creating the bracket:

• Every queued player must be in exactly one fixed pair (even player count).
• Minimum pairs for Double / Single Elim: at least 2 pairs (4 players).
• Minimum pairs for Round Robin: at least bracketCount × 8 pairs (for example 2 brackets → 16 pairs).
• Round Robin: pair count must divide evenly across the number of brackets.

Workflow

1. 1

   Start Tournament session

   Home → Start session → Tournament.

2. 2

   Check in players

   Queue players for the session.

3. 3

   Fixed pairs

   Open Fixed pairs and pair everyone. This is required.

4. 4

   Create bracket

   Open Bracket tab → choose format/scoring → Create bracket.

5. 5

   Open courts and play

   System promotes ready bracket matches to courts when courts are open as Tournament (rose). Staff scores games and the bracket advances automatically.

6. 6

   Leaderboard

   Shows fixed-pair standings / bracket results.

Manual tools and courts

• Fixed pairs are required and available before the bracket is locked.
• Manual match is not available in Tournament.
• There is no AI pairing. Matches come from the bracket only.
• Staff opens courts as Tournament (rose).
• Round Robin: courts are shared across bracket groups.
• The queue follows the bracket (not a simple AI waiting list). After you create the bracket, the Bracket panel shows the tree or round-robin groups.

Quick comparison

When should I use which format?

• Open Play: everyday drop-in, skill-balanced AI, optional fixed pairs and rematch.
• Win-Lose: rotation-first winners/losers pools when you do not want skill matching or fixed pairs.
• Club’s Cup: color-team club vs club events with same-club fixed pairs.
• Tournament: seeded brackets (Double Elim, Single Elim, or Round Robin) with required fixed pairs and no AI matching.

Formats FAQ

Can I use fixed pairs in Win-Lose?

No. Fixed pairs are not available in Win-Lose.

Can I run Tournament without pairing everyone?

No. Every queued player must be in exactly one fixed pair before you create the bracket.

Do rentals cancel on End Session?

No. Court rentals are independent and stay until their scheduled end time.

Does Open Play use brackets?

No. Open Play uses AI queue matching, not winners/losers or tournament brackets.

Can Club’s Cup fixed-pair players from different clubs?

No. Fixed pairs must be two players from the same club.

What is the Round Robin minimum?

At least 8 pairs per bracket. Example: 2 brackets need 16 pairs (32 players).