How to Play an Americano Tournament in Padel

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Americano is a “quick tournament setup” of padel that is normally played with non-fixed teams, and often more participants than six.

The main difference between a normal game of padel in terms of the scoring system, and an Americano setup is that each ball counts towards the total scoring.

As an example; each match is decided by playing a predetermined number of points (1 point per ball), for example, 21 points. If playing to 21 points per match, one team will serve four times and then the serve will switch to the other team.

An example result would be 14-7, this means that the players on the winning team will each take 14 points from the match, and the losing players will each take 7 points to their total points in the tournament.

Read on to learn how to play and organise an quick padel tournament using the Americano way.

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What is Americano in Padel?

Before you and your padel friends can play this awesome form of Padel, let’s lay down some basic information about this alternate rule set first.

Padel is a team game played in doubles, but normal Americano is won by participants individually, not as a team.

The biggest difference between Americano Padel and Padel is the way teams are arranged for their matches and the way the scoring system works.

Instead of playing on fixed teams, Americano players will change partners after every round. Once all the matches are over, players should have played with every other person at least once.

This also means that once the tournament ends, you will have played against everyone twice.

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How to play Americano Padel

Let’s start with some basic information about this fun form of Padel.

How many participants play in an Americano tournament is Padel?

Padel games are usually played with doubles; Americano doesn’t change that. You’ll need a few more padel friends if you want to try to play Americano!

The number of participants should be divisible by 4 so that everyone can be on at least 1 team and won’t be left out. For example, if you want to play on 2 courts, you’ll need 8 players.

Duration of an Americano Padel tournament

The length of a tournament will depend on the number of participants. For example, if you’re playing with 7 other participants, the tournament will last roughly 2 hours.

Tournaments can last multiple days depending on your choice and your club’s rules. Before you organize your Americano tournament, ensure that you have enough participants.

The scoring system

There are two scoring systems in this awesome version of Padel.

Points-based

The first method will be based on how many points each team has earned. How many points each team will need must be agreed upon before the first match begins.

In a points-based Americano tournament, each match is decided by playing a predetermined number of points (1 point per ball).

Let’s say you are playing to 32 points. If playing to 32 points per match, one team will serve four times and then the serve will switch to the other team.

An example result would be 17-15, this means that the players on the winning team will each take 17 points from the match, and the losing players will each take 15 points to their total points in the tournament.

Since tournaments will last for multiple rounds, a victory in the first round won’t be a deciding factor, so remember to stay sharp and that every point counts in this version.

Sets-based

The second method is like the standard form of Padel. The points that individual players earn will not matter as much here, but rather the number of sets they have won as a team.

If a draw occurs, the players must count the number of sets they’ve lost and compare it to the number of sets they’ve won.

Who wins the Americano?

To win a tournament of Americano Padel, an individual player must have the most points after all the rounds and matches. You’ll win solo, regardless of whether your partners have done well.

This means it’s important to earn a high number of points for all the games, but every player will eventually face their former teammates as opponents.

Number of courts needed

Before you can start playing a few matches of Americano, you’ll need to know how many courts you’ll need. The number of courts you are playing on will depend on the number of participants present.

Whether playing Team Americano or Team Mexicano, Padel will always be played with doubles!

Generally, the number of courts will follow multiples of 4. For example, if you have 16 players and want to know how many courts you’ll need, divide that by 4.

A tournament with 16 players will need 4 courts.

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Are there different rules in Americano?

Yes, there are different ways to organize your Americano tournament. Here’s a brief explanation of the different types of Padel Americano.

Normal Americano

In this form, players plays at least one round with all the other participants in this form. Every round will be played alongside a different person until the tournament ends.

Note that in all versions of Americano, there is no way to earn extra points or “Super points.” The point system will only change when playing any of the Mexicano forms.

Mixed Americano

Each team will have one woman and one man as the participants. The games will continue until every woman has played on a team with every man at least once.

If your club is mostly made of men, find a female player. Mixed Americano requires a balance of men and women!

Team Americano

Team Americano is the closest to normal Padel. Participants will be playing on the same team for all the rounds.

Once every team has played 1 round against every other team, the tournament ends. The match’s outcome will still be based on how many points each team has earned.

Mexicano

There is an alternative version of Padel Americano called “Mexicano.” This is a fun form of Padel americano with its own slightly different rules and names, like Team Mexicano and Super Mexicano.

In the original Mexicano, all the rounds need to be neck-and-neck in terms of points. Just like a regular round of Padel, it comes down to how many points your team has.

However, the players won’t know which team they’ll face until the tournament begins. The first match of the tournament will be drawn for you.

After the first match, the other matches will be points-based like normal Padel.

Team Mexicano

Team Mexicano has the same rules as Mexicano, but everyone will play with fixed teams. Playing a few matches of Team Mexicano is like playing regular Padel.

Team Mexicano is ideal if all the players plays against opponents of equal skill levels. Unlike Team Americano, it’s possible to not play against every other player, whether as a team or solo.

Super Mexicano

This style of play is similar to Mexicano, but there is a slight twist. Players can earn extra points when they score closer to the leader court.

This form of Padel prioritizes aggression since playing closer to the leader court, and net puts you at risk of forfeiting your points.

Before the game, players can adjust the amount of “Super points” they will earn and by which rounds they’ll earn.

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The best apps to organize your Americano Tournament

You don’t have to struggle with organizing your tournaments. Every app here will help you to organize your Padel tournaments!

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1. Americano Padel

This app’s name clarifies what it’s for: It’s for organizing Americano tournaments, but you can also use it for organising tournaments of Mexicano.

It’s available for download on Android and iOS and can be bought for a small fee. The interface is simple and clean, and the buttons are large and clearly labeled.

This app is designed to streamline the process of playing Padel Americano, and all you’ll need to give is some basic information. Here’s how the app works:

Before setting up your tournaments, the app will need your player names, how many courts you are playing on, and the number of points you’ll need to win a game.

After you place the number of points one team has earned, the app fixes the rest. Thanks to this app, as long as one person remembers the score, you won’t have to pause your games!

The app will also keep a running record of how many rounds you’ve played, In case the tournament is dragging on.

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2. Padel Puffin

If you’ve ever tried to organize a game of Padel Americano, then you know how confusing it can be. This simple app will help you to organize your Americano tournaments!

Padel Puffin isn’t available on any app store because it’s a website, but it’s free to use. Here’s how the app works:

Visit the website, then select which mode of Americano you want to play. It will ask for the name of the tournament and how many points you’ll need to win a match.

Unlike its competitors, Padel Puffin won’t ask for player names. It will count “team names” instead, but their function is the same.

You won’t have to recall your play results while in the moment because the app works with a points slider. Simply pick your score after a round, and the app fixes the rest.

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3. Padelboard

This Padel organizing app will let you choose how many rounds you want to play. It’s available for download on Android and iOS and is free to use. It was created by MATCHi.

To set up a tournament, type in the player names, how many courts you’ll use, and which game type you’ll use.

Players will enter their scores after a full match, and the next round starts. What Padelboard offers is greater integration with sports venues and easier invites.

Padelboard has an interactive leaderboard that lets you plan your tournaments down to the minute. However, most of the app is currently in Swedish, so that’s a slight issue.

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4. Rankedin

RankedIn is not an application for only organising Americano tournaments in Padel, but actually offers a wide arrange of features for many different racket sports.

One feature that we’re interested in for this article is to create tournaments.

RankedIn’s main pitch is that it offers features that will stimulate maximum activity when it comes to your sport or your club like:

• Live streaming
• Live scoring
• Live scoreboards
• Tournaments

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How do you play Padel Americano?

You’ll need a number of participants in a multiple of 4. A good number of participants to aim for would be from 8 to 16 players.

With less than 4 players, you’ll have uneven rounds. With greater than 16 players, the matches may extend for several days.

A round ends after the participants have scored a specific number of points, which is agreed upon before the games start.

Winning a match of Padel Americano can be either points-based or sets-based. Matches can take some time, so block off a weekend for your Padel tournaments!

There are a few other forms of Padel Americano with slight differences in rules. Team Americano locks you in with a single partner until all the matches are over.

If your local club is mostly made up of women, ask your male friends if they’d like to be a Padel player. Mixed Americano requires one woman and one man on each team.

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How do you organize a Padel tournament?

The standard way would be to gather all your players first. You’ll need to finalize names, how many courts you are playing on, and then the time and date.

Next, you’ll need to decide how long the tournament will take, then the distribution of matches and players. Now it’s time to play!

However, it’s common for players not to show up. Instead of letting scheduling conflicts interfere with your fun, you can use an app to help you to organize your games.

Use an app instead

Americano Padel tournaments are difficult to organize, but you can skip the confusion with the help of an app.

Instead of wondering how many points you have and who’s facing who, you’ll just need to type a few basic details into the app. Then the app fixes the rest.

You can choose an app from the list above like Americano Padel, Padel Puffin, and Padelboard. You no longer must stop the games in confusion and can hit the courts faster!

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Frequently asked questions about playing Padel Americano

Learn more about how to play this awesome variant of a padel tournament!

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