Doubles with an odd number of players: fair sit-out rotations
Copy the table for your head count. Everyone rests the same amount and nobody partners the same person twice.
By Albert Antioquia · Updated
When the number of players isn’t a multiple of four, somebody has to sit out every doubles game. The fair way is a fixed rotation in which everyone sits out the same number of games, nobody sits out twice in a row, and partners change every game. Below are ready-made rotations for 5, 6, 7 and 9 players, which work the same way for badminton and pickleball. Give each player a letter and follow the table from the top.
The three rules behind every table
- Equal rest. Over one full cycle, every player sits out the same number of games.
- No back-to-back sit-outs. Sitting out two games in a row feels like being forgotten, even if the totals are even.
- New partners. Within a cycle, nobody partners the same person twice, so a strong pair can’t team up all night and nobody is stuck with the same partner.
5 players, 1 court
One player sits out each game. After five games everyone has played four, rested once, and partnered every other player exactly once.
| Game | Court | Sits out |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A C v B D | E |
| 2 | B E v A D | C |
| 3 | A B v C E | D |
| 4 | B C v D E | A |
| 5 | A E v C D | B |
6 players, 1 court
Two sit out each game. After six games everyone has played four and rested twice, with a different partner every time.
| Game | Court | Sit out |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | D E v A F | B C |
| 2 | B C v E F | A D |
| 3 | B D v A C | E F |
| 4 | C F v A E | B D |
| 5 | A D v B F | C E |
| 6 | C D v B E | A F |
7 players, 1 court
Three sit out each game, so the wait is long: everyone plays four of every seven games. If you can, ask for a second court or switch to shorter games. Otherwise this table keeps it even, with a new partner every game.
| Game | Court | Sit out |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | B C v E G | A D F |
| 2 | A F v B D | C E G |
| 3 | C G v E F | A B D |
| 4 | A B v C D | E F G |
| 5 | F G v D E | A B C |
| 6 | A C v B F | D E G |
| 7 | A E v D G | B C F |
9 players, 2 courts
One player sits out each round. Over nine rounds everyone plays eight, rests once, and partners each of the other eight players exactly once.
| Round | Court 1 | Court 2 | Sits out |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C E v G H | A D v B F | I |
| 2 | C I v D E | B H v A G | F |
| 3 | D F v B G | A C v H I | E |
| 4 | A I v C D | B E v F H | G |
| 5 | F G v B I | C H v A E | D |
| 6 | E G v B D | A H v F I | C |
| 7 | C G v E H | A F v D I | B |
| 8 | D G v C F | A B v E I | H |
| 9 | B C v E F | D H v G I | A |
With 10 players on 2 courts, two sit out each round, and five rounds give everyone four games and one rest each. Beyond that, the pattern is the same: sit-outs per game equal the number of players minus four times the number of courts.
What if courts finish at different times?
The tables assume games on the same round finish together, which is true on one court and roughly true with timed games. Without a clock, courts drift apart. Then stop following rounds and use one rule instead: when a court frees up, the four players who have played the fewest games go on, skipping anyone who just came off. That is the logic a queue app uses, and it is the subject of the multiple courts guide.
What if someone arrives or leaves?
- Late arrival: they go on the next game, because they have played the fewest. Then continue with the table for the new head count from game 1, giving them a letter that plays in game 1.
- Early leaver: switch to the table for one fewer player at the next game. Nobody needs to start counting again; just keep giving the court to whoever has played least.
- Three players: play singles with one sitting out and rotate winners off, or play “Canadian doubles” (two against one), an informal format where the single player covers a full court.
Doing it without the paper
The tables are fine for one court and a fixed group. When numbers change through the night, it is easier to let something else track who has played and who has partnered whom. In PaQueueKa the default rotation does exactly that: it picks the next four by games played, skill level and recent partners, and players who arrive late join with a code and slot straight in. See rotation modes.
Questions people ask
How do you play doubles with 5 players?
One player sits out each game. Rotate so each player sits out once every five games. After five games everyone has played four and partnered each of the others exactly once.
What if courts finish at different times?
Stop following rounds and use one rule: when a court frees up, the four players who have played the fewest games go on, skipping anyone who just came off.
Try it at your next session
PaQueueKa runs the queue, the rotation and the fee split for badminton and pickleball. Hosting and joining are free on iPhone and Android.