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In a double elimination tournament, you must lose twice before you're eliminated. After your first loss in the main bracket ("winners' bracket"), you drop into the consolation bracket ("losers' bracket"). You stay in the tournament until you lose again in the consolation bracket.

This is the most common format in backgammon clubs because it gives everyone a second chance. The final is typically between the winner of the main bracket and the winner of the consolation bracket.

Why we use it: Everyone gets to play more matches, and a single bad game doesn't end your event.

In a round robin, every player plays every other player exactly once (or a set number of times). There is no elimination — everyone plays the same number of matches regardless of wins or losses.

At the end, players are ranked by total match wins (or total points won, depending on the format). In a points-based round robin, winning by gammon or backgammon can matter since each game's point total is recorded.

How it works in practice: With 4 players in a round robin, each player plays 3 matches. With 6 players, each plays 5. The winner is whoever finishes with the most wins; ties are broken by total match points or a playoff.

Advantages: Fairer than elimination formats — a single bad match doesn't knock you out. Everyone plays the full schedule. Good for smaller groups where you want maximum match time.

Compared to double elimination: Round robin guarantees the same number of matches for everyone, while double elimination gives more matches to players who keep winning. Double elimination is better for larger groups; round robin works best with 4–8 players.

Each "match" is a series of games played to a target point total. Common match lengths at our club:

3-point match — Quick, casual. Good for practice or large brackets. Shortest match format.

5-point match — Standard consolation bracket length. Takes about 20–40 minutes.

7-point match — Standard main bracket. Approximately 40–75 minutes. This is the most common competitive format.

9-point match — Used for finals. Longer, more strategic. Cube decisions become crucial.

11-point & 13-point — Found at major tournaments. Long, serious matches that reward consistency.

The longer the match, the more skill (relative to luck) determines the outcome. A 1-pt "match" is just one game; a 13-pt match heavily favors the stronger player.

At our regular monthly club events, we run 4-player and 8-player double-elimination brackets. This is a deliberate choice — smaller brackets keep things moving so nobody is standing around waiting for a match to open up. They also work well for latecomers who arrive after the event has started, and for players who need to leave early, since a 4- or 8-person bracket can be completed in a reasonable window without holding up the whole room.

4-player bracket: The most common format at our club events. With only four players in a flight, matches start quickly and the bracket wraps up efficiently. Everyone gets multiple games and there's no waiting. Perfect for a casual monthly format.

8-player bracket: Used when we have a larger turnout. More rounds, higher placement points available, and still fast enough that the event moves at a good pace.

16-player & 32-player brackets: These larger formats would be used for a dedicated club championship or open tournament where players have committed to a full day of play. With 16 or more players, each round takes longer to schedule and players often wait between matches — great for a tournament event, but not the right fit for a casual monthly event.