How many participants do I need at a minimum?

For the variant with individual players you need at least 4 active participants. A multiple of four plays at any given time; the rest sit out in fair turns, and never more matches at once than there are courts. For the team variant with fixed pairs you need at least 2 pairs.

Does an Americano count toward players' rating?

No. The Americano variants do not change the Slams rating. The results only count toward the standings of this part, not toward the club ranking.

What is the difference between Americano and Mexicano?

In an Americano, Slams arranges each round so partners, and then opponents, repeat as little as possible, so everyone plays with and against as many people as possible. In a Mexicano, Slams re-draws every round based on the current standings, so strong plays against strong.

Running an Americano in Slams

In an Americano you switch partners and opponents every round. Slams forms the pairings, assigns the courts and keeps track of the individual standings.

3 min read · Updated 18 July 2026

View the game format: Americano

An Americano is the most social format: you play individually, but with partners and opponents that keep changing. Over the course of the tournament you get to play with and against as many different people as possible, and at the end there is an individual winner. Slams forms the pairings, assigns the courts and updates the standings automatically, so you can focus on running the event.

The variants

Slams has four Americano-style formats. They share the same rules, but arrange the rounds differently:

Americano: Slams arranges each round so you play with the same partner as rarely as possible, and then against the same opponents as rarely as possible; whoever has sat out least sits out first.
Mexicano: the pairings follow the current standings, strong plays against strong. See Mexicano in Slams.
Mix Americano and Mix Mexicano: each court plays with 2 men and 2 women. See mix formats in Slams.

Alongside the classic variant with individual players there is a team variant with fixed pairs (Team Americano and Team Mexicano). In that case a duo stays together for the whole tournament and only the opponent changes.

Adding participants

On the Participants tab you add players from your member list, or you let them register themselves through a link. For a mix format you set each player's gender (M or F); a mix requires an equal number of men and women. Does someone drop out during the tournament? Withdraw the player: the match history stays intact and the player no longer counts in new rounds. No players in your list yet? See adding players.

Generating rounds

On the Rounds tab you generate the next round each time. Slams forms the pairings, spreads them across the courts and makes sure that players who have to sit out (a "bye") take turns fairly. You play one round at a time: the next round can only start once every match in the current round has a result. In the settings you decide how many rounds you play, or you leave the number open.

Scoring and the standings

For each match you enter a result per side: the number of games or points won. In the settings you choose whether you play to points (24 per match by default) or by time (15 minutes by default). Draws are allowed. The standings are individual: each player builds up their own points total, the sum of all games won across all rounds. In the team variant the standings are counted per pair. Read more about the calculation in how standings work. Note: an Americano does not count toward players' Slams rating.

You can enter results in several ways: in the dashboard, through a court QR code that lets players score themselves, or through a score-entry link. See also entering scores.

Setting up courts

On the Settings tab you set the number of courts. Do you play on specific courts, for example 2, 3, 4 and 5? Then enter those court numbers. Slams uses them in the schedule, on the printout and in the QR codes. More about this in setting up courts.

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All formats

Americano, Mexicano, King of the Court and more.

Tournament

Groups, schedule and knockout round automatically.

Ladder league

Players arrange challenges themselves.

More in this category

Choosing the right format

An overview of every format in Slams and when to pick which one, with a handy decision guide.

Organizing a Mexicano in Slams

A Mexicano works like an Americano, but from round 2 onwards Slams pairs players based on the current standings, so the matches become more evenly matched as you go.

Mix Americano and Mix Mexicano

Two social formats where every pair always consists of one man and one woman. Slams automatically enforces the mixed pairing and an even split.

King of the Court in Slams

Here is how the King of the Court format works in Slams: fixed pairs, rotation across the courts toward the king's court, and scoring per court.

Coen ReekersFounder of Slams

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