Pickleball Rating System

PickIndex

A dynamic rating updated after every match. It's calculated fairly based on the opponent's level and the score margin — tracked separately for Singles and Doubles.

3.547 +0.032
Sample user rating — change after a match

Scale

Expressed between 2.000 and 7.000, with 3 decimal places.

2.0 – 2.5 Beginner Learning the basic rules
3.0 – 3.5 Intermediate Consistent shots, dink game
4.0 – 4.5 Advanced Tactical play, third shot drop
5.0 – 5.5 Professional Full technical arsenal
6.0+ Elite National/international level

Getting Started

New players start with a rating of 3.000.

In the first ~10 matches, because the reliability score is low, your rating changes quickly — so it settles to your real level fast. After 10+ matches, the rating moves much more slowly.

Reliability increases by 8% each match, capped at 100%. The bar next to your rating shows where you are — a full bar = a stable rating.

Calculation Formula

After every pickleball match, a delta (Δ) of equal magnitude is calculated for the winner and the loser. The winner gains this much, the loser loses this much.

1. Domination (margin) margin = (winner_points − loser_points) ÷ total_points

A match ending 11-2 (margin = 0.82) does not yield the same value as a match ending 11-9 (margin = 0.10).

2. Actual score Actual = 0.5 + 0.5 × margin

A normalized measure of "how dominantly the winner played" — 0.5 a draw, 1.0 total domination.

3. Expected score (ELO-like) Expected = 1 ÷ (1 + 10^((loser_rating − winner_rating) ÷ 1.5))

The higher-rated player is expected to win — this is the "expected value". Unexpected upsets produce a large delta.

4. K-factor (rate of change) K = 0.25 × (1 − average_reliability × 0.6)

For new players K is large → the rating changes fast. If both players are experienced, K shrinks.

5. Result Δ = K × (Actual − Expected)

Added to the winner's rating, subtracted from the loser's. The rating is kept within the [2.000, 7.000] range.

Examples

Close match, expected result
3.500 vs 3.450 · 11-9
+0.011 −0.011

The favorite winning by a narrow score is the expected result — the rating changes little.

Unexpected upset
3.200 (won) vs 4.000 · 11-8
+0.082 −0.082

A lower-rated player beat a higher-rated opponent → a big gain.

Total domination
3.500 vs 3.500 · 11-2
+0.102 −0.102

A crushing win between equal ratings — because the margin is high, the delta is high too.

New player
3.000 (new) vs 3.500 · 11-7
+0.086 −0.086

Because reliability is low, K is large — the new player's rating moves fast.

Singles & Doubles

Each player has two separate PickIndex ratings: one for singles and one for doubles. These are calculated independently of each other.

In a doubles match, only the ratings of registered users are updated. If the partner has no account (added by name only), the rating does not change.

FAQ

Why isn't my rating going down / up?

It updates automatically when the match is completed. If it doesn't appear, the match is probably not in "Completed" status — the tournament owner must have entered the result.

Do matches I played earlier count?

Matches before the system went live are not processed retroactively. Everyone starts at 3.000 and is shaped by newly played matches.

Tournament match, or one we played among ourselves?

Only completed pickleball matches in tournaments created on the platform count.

What's at the top?

The ceiling is 7.000 — the best players in the world rankings are in this band. In Türkiye, the number of 5.5+ players is currently very small.