Complete guide to managing pool play tournaments with championship playoffs
Pool play with playoffs is a two-stage tournament format that combines round-robin pool play with single-elimination playoff brackets. Teams compete in small pools during the initial phase, then top teams from each pool advance to championship playoffs.
Start by configuring your pool settings including pool size, number of courts, and teams advancing to playoffs. Click the "Update Settings" link on the Pool Settings card or use the "Division Settings" button to open the configuration dialog. This step is automatically marked complete when settings are configured.
💡 Tip: Set pool size (3-6 teams) and courts available to help with scheduling and time estimates. The settings dialog can be opened from multiple places on the bracket page for your convenience.
Click Create Pools to assign teams into pool groups and automatically generate round-robin matches for each pool. This step completes when pools are created.
✅ Creates balanced pools and round-robin schedules where every team plays every other team in their pool once.
Click Update Pool Match Scores to enter results as matches are completed. This step shows as complete when all pool matches have scores entered.
📊 Pool Standings: Automatically calculated based on wins, losses, and point differential.
🏆 Advancing Teams: Top teams from each pool will advance to playoffs based on your settings.
Click Preview Playoff Bracket to see how teams will be seeded and matched in the playoff bracket. This is a preview only - teams are seeded based on pool results.
🎯 Seeding: 1st place teams from each pool get top seeds, 2nd place teams next, then wildcards based on overall record.
After reviewing the preview, click Save Bracket to officially create the playoff bracket. This finalizes playoff matchups and makes them visible to players. Shows complete with a green checkmark after saving.
⚠️ Important: Once saved, playoff matchups are locked in, though you can still edit individual match scores.
Click Update Playoff Scores to enter playoff match results. This step automatically completes when a champion is crowned (final match has a winner).
🏅 Championship: The system tracks advancement through each round automatically until your tournament champion is determined!
Typically 2 teams per pool advance to playoffs. For larger tournaments, you can configure 1, 2, or 3 teams to advance in your division settings. The system will also select wildcard teams to fill the playoff bracket if needed.
Tiebreakers are automatically applied in this order: 1) Head-to-head record, 2) Point differential, 3) Total points scored. The system calculates these automatically based on match results.
You can use the Recreate Pools option in Pool Actions menu, but this will delete all existing matches and scores. Only do this before any matches have been played. Once pool play starts, pool assignments should remain fixed to maintain fairness.
Use Preview Playoff Bracket (Step 4) to see how teams will be seeded and matched up. This shows you the bracket structure without creating official matches. Click Save Bracket(Step 5) when you're ready to make it official - this creates the actual playoff matches.
Each step shows a green checkmark when complete. The final step "Update Playoff Scores" automatically completes when the championship match has a winner - meaning your tournament champion has been crowned!
If a team that qualified for playoffs cannot continue, you can manually edit the playoff bracket by clicking on the match and selecting a replacement team (typically the next-highest team from that pool).
Pool Settings: Configure pool size (3-6 teams), courts available, and teams advancing before creating pools. This helps with scheduling and determines playoff bracket size.
Workflow Progress: Follow the 6-step bracket workflow in order. Each step shows a green checkmark when complete, helping you track your progress.
Auto-Complete for Testing: Use the Auto-Complete Matches option in Pool Actions to simulate results for testing purposes (only available before pool play starts).
Print Options: Use Print Pools to create physical copies of pool schedules and standings for display at your venue.
Still have questions? Contact Support
Complete guide to managing pool play tournaments with championship playoffs
Pool play with playoffs is a two-stage tournament format that combines round-robin pool play with single-elimination playoff brackets. Teams compete in small pools during the initial phase, then top teams from each pool advance to championship playoffs.
Start by configuring your pool settings including pool size, number of courts, and teams advancing to playoffs. Click the "Update Settings" link on the Pool Settings card or use the "Division Settings" button to open the configuration dialog. This step is automatically marked complete when settings are configured.
💡 Tip: Set pool size (3-6 teams) and courts available to help with scheduling and time estimates. The settings dialog can be opened from multiple places on the bracket page for your convenience.
Click Create Pools to assign teams into pool groups and automatically generate round-robin matches for each pool. This step completes when pools are created.
✅ Creates balanced pools and round-robin schedules where every team plays every other team in their pool once.
Click Update Pool Match Scores to enter results as matches are completed. This step shows as complete when all pool matches have scores entered.
📊 Pool Standings: Automatically calculated based on wins, losses, and point differential.
🏆 Advancing Teams: Top teams from each pool will advance to playoffs based on your settings.
Click Preview Playoff Bracket to see how teams will be seeded and matched in the playoff bracket. This is a preview only - teams are seeded based on pool results.
🎯 Seeding: 1st place teams from each pool get top seeds, 2nd place teams next, then wildcards based on overall record.
After reviewing the preview, click Save Bracket to officially create the playoff bracket. This finalizes playoff matchups and makes them visible to players. Shows complete with a green checkmark after saving.
⚠️ Important: Once saved, playoff matchups are locked in, though you can still edit individual match scores.
Click Update Playoff Scores to enter playoff match results. This step automatically completes when a champion is crowned (final match has a winner).
🏅 Championship: The system tracks advancement through each round automatically until your tournament champion is determined!
Typically 2 teams per pool advance to playoffs. For larger tournaments, you can configure 1, 2, or 3 teams to advance in your division settings. The system will also select wildcard teams to fill the playoff bracket if needed.
Tiebreakers are automatically applied in this order: 1) Head-to-head record, 2) Point differential, 3) Total points scored. The system calculates these automatically based on match results.
You can use the Recreate Pools option in Pool Actions menu, but this will delete all existing matches and scores. Only do this before any matches have been played. Once pool play starts, pool assignments should remain fixed to maintain fairness.
Use Preview Playoff Bracket (Step 4) to see how teams will be seeded and matched up. This shows you the bracket structure without creating official matches. Click Save Bracket(Step 5) when you're ready to make it official - this creates the actual playoff matches.
Each step shows a green checkmark when complete. The final step "Update Playoff Scores" automatically completes when the championship match has a winner - meaning your tournament champion has been crowned!
If a team that qualified for playoffs cannot continue, you can manually edit the playoff bracket by clicking on the match and selecting a replacement team (typically the next-highest team from that pool).
Pool Settings: Configure pool size (3-6 teams), courts available, and teams advancing before creating pools. This helps with scheduling and determines playoff bracket size.
Workflow Progress: Follow the 6-step bracket workflow in order. Each step shows a green checkmark when complete, helping you track your progress.
Auto-Complete for Testing: Use the Auto-Complete Matches option in Pool Actions to simulate results for testing purposes (only available before pool play starts).
Print Options: Use Print Pools to create physical copies of pool schedules and standings for display at your venue.
Still have questions? Contact Support