A pool tournament is one of the easiest office competitions to run — and one of the most satisfying. Here’s how to do it properly.
1. Pick a format
- Single elimination — fastest; one loss and you’re out. Great for 8–16 players over a lunch hour.
- Double elimination — everyone gets a second chance via the losers bracket. Fairer, a bit longer.
- Round robin — everyone plays everyone. Best for small groups who want maximum play.
2. Seed the players
If you know roughly who’s strong, seed them so the best players don’t meet in round one. No idea? Random seeding is perfectly fair.
3. Set the rules up front
Agree on the basics before the first break: rack type, what happens on a scratch on the 8-ball, and whether it’s race-to-one or best-of-three. Writing it down avoids mid-tournament debates.
4. Keep the bracket visible
Nothing kills momentum like “who am I playing next?”. Put the bracket on a screen everyone can see and update it the moment a match ends.
5. Crown the champion
Have a (small) prize and a moment of glory. Bragging rights last longer than the trophy.
Desk Champ handles steps 1–5 automatically: choose the format, add players, and it generates the seeded bracket, tracks results live, and keeps a lifetime leaderboard across all your tournaments.