Pairing rules

Each round has its own strategy. You pick it on Create Round — Random, Ladder, Skill level, or Social mix — and it’s shown as a badge on the round afterwards.

The four pairing strategies: Random, Ladder, Skill level, and Social mix

Strategy	What it does
Random	Shuffle everyone. Prefers mixed (male + female) partners when gender is set, and keeps recent partners and opponents apart where it can. Default for round 1.
Ladder	Similar standings meet (Swiss-style). Partners still rotate. Default from round 2.
Skill level	Seeded by the skill you set on the roster. Partners rotate. Useful before the ladder has settled.
Social mix	Strong + weaker as partners so doubles teams stay even.

Sit-out fairness and avoiding the same partner twice take priority when they conflict with matching.

On doubles events, staff can lock two players as a preferred pair from the ladder (Pair with…). Those two are partners every round they both play. If sit-outs are needed, they sit together unless only one person has to sit — then the partner still plays.

Players can set an optional gender on their profile. Staff can set it for guests on the ladder. Random pairing uses it to mix male and female partners when possible, without repeating recent partners.

Skill on the roster only seeds pairing. After games exist, Ladder is usually the right call.

You pick the strategy every time you create a round. It does not have to stay the same all night.