The cleanest way to run a pool bar tournament. Double elimination brackets for 8 to 32 players. Share a live link to your pub group.
Choose Double Elimination and your player count. 16 is the most popular bar tournament size, it gives everyone at least 2 matches in the same evening. Add player names. Decide your game type (8-ball, 9-ball) and race-to number upfront, post it in the bracket description so everyone agrees before they rack. Play matches. After each race, report the winner in the bracket. Losers drop to the losers bracket rather than going home. Run the final. If the losers bracket finalist wins, force a true final (they need to win twice). Crown the champion and share the bracket.
Double elimination with 16 players is the gold standard for bar and pub pool events. Everyone gets at least 2 matches, the night runs 3–5 hours depending on your race-to number, and there's a clear champion at the end. For quicker events, 8-player double elim wraps up in 2–3 hours.
For casual bar events: race-to-3 keeps matches quick (15–25 minutes per match). For competitive pub nights: race-to-5 is the sweet spot. For serious events with skilled players: race-to-7 or race-to-9. The race-to number is separate from the bracket format, set it in your bracket description and track scores outside the bracket if needed.
For APA-style handicapped play, apply your league-calculated race-to numbers per match pairing. Note each player's handicap in their bracket name (e.g., "John [SL5]"). Brackify handles the bracket progression, you manage handicapping in the match setup itself.
Brackify is optimized for single-event brackets rather than ongoing league seasons. For a weekly league season with standings, use Brackify for each weekly event bracket and track cumulative standings separately. You can also use the Round Robin format for league-style play where everyone faces each other.
Yes, Brackify is fully game-agnostic. Name your bracket "9-Ball Open" or "10-Ball Championship" and run any pool variant. The bracket format (double elimination, race-to-X) applies regardless of which pool game you're playing.