Padel game types
Most games on PadelPin are social: you sign up on your own, the organiser puts the players together, and you play with and against different people. Here is what each type of game means. Looking for a mix-in? It is further down, and it is not the same as a mixed game.
Price, length and level are shown on each game. Bring your racket; balls are usually provided.
Americano
You sign up alone. Partners change every round, so you play with and against everyone. Each match is played to a set number of points (often 21 or 24) or for a set time. Every point your pair wins goes to your own total, and the player with the highest total at the end wins.
Partner needed: no.
Good for: meeting new players and a relaxed first game at a new club.
Mexicano
Like an americano, but after the first round the pairs are set by the scores: the top four share a court, the next four the next court, and so on. The games get more even as the evening goes on.
Partner needed: no.
Good for: players who want close games.
Mix-in
A club session, usually 90 minutes to 2 hours. You sign up alone, and the organiser mixes the players onto courts by level and changes the groups during the session.
Partner needed: no.
Good for: regular play at your own level without having to arrange a four.
Pull (pozo)
The courts are ranked from top to bottom. After each round the winners move up one court and the losers move down. In Spanish it is called a "pozo".
Partner needed: it depends; some are for fixed pairs. The listing says.
Good for: competitive players who like a bit of pressure.
Open game
A game with free places. You see the day, time, level and price, and join the places that are left.
Partner needed: no.
Good for: a quick game when you have a free hour.
Women's game
A session only for women, in any of the formats above.
Partner needed: usually not.
Mixed
Pairs of one woman and one man.
Partner needed: sometimes. The listing says whether you sign up alone or as a pair.
Tournament
Fixed pairs play in groups or a knockout draw, often over a day or a weekend.
Partner needed: usually yes.
Which level am I?
Each game shows the level the organiser asks for. Clubs on the Costa del Sol mostly use a scale from 1 (new to padel) to 7 (competition), the same idea as the Playtomic level. If you are unsure, choose a game marked "all levels" or ask the organiser.