POOLISM

🔄 Round-Robin Scheduler

Build a full fixture list where everyone plays everyone once — pick the number of players and get every round laid out, with byes handled automatically for odd fields.

🎱 Everyone Plays Everyone

Circle-method round-robin — everyone plays everyone once. 5 rounds, 10 matches total (one player sits out each round).

🔄 Round-robin schedule

Round 1
Player 1 vs Bye
Player 2 vs Player 5
Player 3 vs Player 4
Round 2
Player 1 vs Player 5
Bye vs Player 4
Player 2 vs Player 3
Round 3
Player 1 vs Player 4
Player 5 vs Player 3
Bye vs Player 2
Round 4
Player 1 vs Player 3
Player 4 vs Player 2
Player 5 vs Bye
Round 5
Player 1 vs Player 2
Player 3 vs Bye
Player 4 vs Player 5

How the schedule is built

Running a box league or a small tournament by hand quickly gets fiddly — you have to make sure every pairing happens once and nobody is double-booked in a round. The circle method solves this cleanly: fix one player, rotate the rest one seat each round, and read off the pairings.

Enter between 3 and 12 players and the scheduler prints the complete round-by-round fixture list, with a bye slotted in for odd fields so the rest is shared evenly. Number the players however you like and pin the sheet up at the table.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

What is a round-robin?

A round-robin is a format in which every player meets every other player exactly once. It is the fairest way to run a small league or box because final standings reflect results against the whole field, not the luck of a knockout draw.

How are the rounds generated?

The scheduler uses the circle (or polygon) method: one player is fixed and the others rotate one position each round. That guarantees everyone plays everyone once, no player has two matches in the same round, and the fixtures spread evenly across the schedule.

How many rounds and matches will there be?

With an even number of players you get one fewer round than there are players, and half as many matches per round. With an odd number you get as many rounds as players, one player resting each round. Either way the total number of matches is N times N-minus-one, divided by two.

What happens with an odd number of players?

The scheduler adds a 'bye' seat so the count is even, then each round one real player is paired with the bye and sits that round out. Across the full schedule every player sits out exactly once, so the rest is shared fairly.