Guides

Run an open play night

Open play is the format with no draw: whoever shows up, plays. DinkBoard deals each round for you, keeps the partner mix fresh, and makes the sit-out rotation fair without a clipboard.

Create the night

Use New open play night. Name it, set the court count, and set games-to. That is the whole setup: there are no brackets and no entry list to build in advance.

Check players in

The check-in screen is a tap-per-name list. Add walk-ups by typing a name; anyone can arrive mid-night and join the next round. Only checked-in players are dealt.

Deal a round

Pick a mode and press the button. Mixer deals social doubles with rotating partners: it avoids repeating partners and opponents as long as the numbers allow. King of the court moves winners up a court and losers down, so the top court concentrates the hot hands.

• Sit-outs are computed, not assigned: with more players than seats, the players who have sat the least sit next.
• Nobody sits twice before everyone has sat once.
• The round is deterministic: re-opening the page shows the same round that was dealt, not a reshuffle.

Score it like any other event

Each dealt game is an ordinary match, so the desk, the court board, the venue TV, and the results page all work with no extra setup. Most nights just use the board so everyone can see who plays where next.

Make it a weekly program

A recurring night runs as a program: each session generates on a click, and season standings fold across sessions with a points scheme you set. The public standings page gives regulars something to argue about between weeks.