The mix formats are the mixed-doubles variants of the Americano and the Mexicano. The idea is simple: every pair always consists of one man and one woman. You switch partner and opponent every round, but men and women always play together in a pair. They are ideal for mixed club days, doubles tournaments and corporate events where the social mix is the main focus.
The difference between the two
- Mix Americano: the pairs change every round through a fixed rotation. Purely social, everyone plays with and against as many different people as possible.
- Mix Mexicano: round 1 starts with random mixed pairs, after which Slams reshuffles the line-up every round based on the current standings. The best man plays with the best woman, against players of a similar level. More competitive, but still mixed.
When should you choose a mix format?
Choose a mix format when you deliberately want men and women to play together in every match, for example at a mixed club afternoon or a relaxed doubles tournament. If you would rather have random pairs without a gender rule, pick a regular Americano or Mexicano. Not sure about the wider choice? See choosing the right format.
How many men and women you need
Because every pair contains one man and one woman, you need an equal number of men and women. Slams enforces this automatically: you cannot generate a round as long as the number of M and F is not equal, or as long as not every participant has a gender. You then get a clear message, for example that there are currently more men than women.
- A minimum of 8 participants: 4 men and 4 women (one full court of 2 against 2).
- Count on 1 court per 4 players.
- Can't the group be divided into exactly 4 players per court (for example 5M and 5F)? Then Slams fairly rotates which players sit out each round, per gender, so that nobody stays on the bench structurally.
Adding participants with a gender
On the Participants tab, add your players and choose M or F for each one. Slams needs that gender to build the mixed pairs. Want to create new players first? See adding players.
Scoring and the standings
Scoring works exactly like a regular Americano. For each match you enter a result per side (games or points won), and in the settings you choose whether you play to points (24 by default) or to time (15 minutes by default). Draws are allowed. The standings are individual: every player builds up their own points total, regardless of who they play with. Man or woman makes no difference to the final winner. More on this in how standings work. Note: mix formats do not count towards players' DSS rating.
You can enter results in the dashboard, via a court QR code or via a score-entry link. Set the number of courts on the Settings tab, or enter your own court numbers via setting up courts.
