Rules & How to Play

OpenLadder is self-officiated. These rules keep it fair and fun for everyone.

The basics

  • Matches are self-officiated — no referees, no umpires. Just two players and a can of balls.
  • Format is best-of-3 sets with a 7-point tiebreak at 6-6. The third set can be replaced with a 10-point match tiebreak.

Joining ladders

  • You can join a maximum of 2 active ladders at a time. This keeps competition focused and gives every player a fair shot at matches.
  • You can leave a ladder at any time — but your past matches and points for that season stay on the books.

Arranging a match

  • Post a proposal with your preferred time and location — anyone in your ladder can accept it.
  • Once a proposal is accepted, both players are committed. Back out only if truly necessary, and give as much notice as possible.

Balls

  • Both players should bring a new, unopened can of balls.
  • After the match, the winner keeps the new can. The loser takes the opened can.

Reporting scores

  • The winner reports the score in the app within 24 hours.
  • If the score looks wrong, either player can edit it within 24 hours of it being reported. Tournament matches are the exception — email us instead.
  • For bigger issues, email us at support@playopenladder.com and we'll sort it out.

Points

  • Points are awarded automatically when a match is confirmed.
  • Default wins (opponent no-show) award reduced points: 15 to the winner, 0 to the loser.
  • See the Scoring page for the full formula.

End-of-season tournament

  • Every season finishes with a single-elimination tournament on each ladder — lose once and you're out.
  • To qualify you need at least 3 confirmed matches in the season. The tournament only runs if 8 or more players qualify.
  • The field is seeded by season points, frozen at midnight ending the last day of the regular season. A score confirmed after that still counts for the standings, but not for seeding — so don't leave your third match to the last night.
  • 8 to 11 players qualify → the top 8 play. 12 or more → the top 16 play, and the top seeds get a first-round bye whenever the draw isn't full. Above 16, the top 16 get in.
  • Qualifying isn't the same as being in. You'll get an email inviting you to confirm your spot, and an unconfirmed spot goes to the next player in the standings.
  • Roughly one round per week. You arrange each match with your opponent the usual way, inside that round's window — if you can't make a round, tell the organizer rather than no-showing.
  • Tournament matches score no points and don't change the standings. In fact once the tournament starts, every match scores 0 for the rest of the season — regular matches you play during that window still show in your record, they just don't move your points.
  • Tournament scores can't be edited by players, because the next round is already built on the result — email us to correct one. A no-show can be awarded to the opponent by default.
  • The bracket is public. Once the draw is made, a View the bracket link appears on your ladder page showing seeds, matchups, results and who's left.

Fair play

  • Agree on the score after each set — don't leave it until the end.
  • Call lines honestly. When in doubt, the ball is in.
  • Be on time. If your opponent is more than 15 minutes late without notice, you may claim a default win.
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