Trips (sometimes "Triples") uses three-player teams and three sub-matches per team match. Every player takes part in each team match, playing two of its three doubles sub-matches. It rewards depth over a single dominant duo, which is why clubs love it for league nights and members love it for "did anyone bring a friend?" chemistry.
Here's how to plan a Trips event on Fluid.
Every club plan includes open play, waitlists, simple in-club tournaments and scramble play. Recurring leagues begin with Pro. Multi-division events use Fluid's separate tournament software. Compare club plans and ask the team about tournament pricing.
What is Trips format?
A Trips team is three players. When two teams play a "team match," they play three sub-matches, with each player on the team partnering with a different teammate in each sub-match:
- Match 1: Player A + Player B
- Match 2: Player A + Player C
- Match 3: Player B + Player C
Each player plays in two of the three sub-matches; each pairing happens once. The team that wins the most sub-matches wins the team match. Some events instead use a total-points variant. Publish how the winner and any ties are determined, and confirm the available scoring settings for your event.
Sub-matches are typically played to 11 or 15 points, rally scoring, win-by-2 — short enough that you can stack three of them in a reasonable window.
Why directors like Trips
- Three players is easier to recruit than four. Smaller team size means more teams from the same player pool.
- Everyone participates. Each player plays two sub-matches and rests during one.
- Faster pace. Three sub-matches to 11 fits in a tighter window than an MLP team match.
- Skill mixing. Pairings rotate, so the strongest player can't carry the whole match alone.
Step 1: Plan team count and structure
Common shapes:
- 6 teams → round robin (each plays each, 5 matches per team)
- 8 teams → two pools of 4, top 2 to playoff bracket
- 12 teams → three pools of 4, top 2 to playoff bracket
- 16 teams → four pools of 4, top 2 to single-elim bracket
Plan for ~60 minutes per team match (three sub-matches to 15, plus transitions). One court can host one team match at a time.
Step 2: Create the event
Open tournament creation and sign in to your organizer account. Review the team registration demo and configure:
- Event name, dates, venue, registration window
- Bracket format: Triples
- Team size: 3
- DUPR caps: combined team rating (commonly capped at, e.g., 13.5 for a 4.5-and-under event)
- Sub-match scoring: typically to 11 or 15, rally, win-by-2
- Team match scoring: confirm the supported choice and any tiebreakers before publishing your rules
Selecting Triples format unlocks 3-player roster management and the rotation logic for sub-matches.
Step 3: Open registration
A team captain registers the team, adds the other two players (or invites them by email/DUPR ID), and pays. Fluid handles:
- Combined DUPR validation against your cap
- Captain or split-pay options
- Substitute players if your event allows them
- Roster lock date — after this, swaps require director approval
- Waitlist for late teams
Review the full registration and teammate-invitation flow before opening the event.
Step 4: Seed and pool
Once rosters are locked, Fluid seeds teams by combined DUPR. Generate pools and set advancement (typically top 2 per pool). For a round-robin format, skip pools and run a single round robin.
Step 5: Schedule
Trips matches use one court per team match. The three sub-matches play sequentially on the same court. Fluid lets you:
- Allocate courts to brackets
- Set match start times
- Build in buffer between team matches and check it against the required rest
Twelve teams in three pools of four produce 18 team matches: three pools × six matches. At four courts and an estimated one hour per team match, pool play needs at least five court waves, before additional buffer and rest. This is a lower bound, not a promised finish time. If the top two from each pool advance, the six-team playoff adds five team matches and needs two first-round byes; publish how those byes are seeded.
Step 6: Run event day
Sub-match rotation
Fluid auto-generates the three sub-match pairings for each team match — A+B, A+C, B+C. Players see who they're partnering with and when. No paper, no confusion.
Scoring
Each sub-match scores independently:
- Self-report: players enter scores from their phones
- Director scoring: your scorekeeper enters from the admin dashboard
- Live leaderboard updates as sub-matches finish
The team match score (e.g., "2–1") updates in real time as sub-matches close.
Tiebreakers
An example pool tiebreaker order to review is:
- Head-to-head record (between tied teams)
- Sub-match win differential
- Total point differential
- Total points scored
Confirm the actual order and available settings for your event format, then publish them.
Step 7: Playoffs
Top teams advance to your playoff bracket — single or double elimination. Same Trips scoring per match. Review the resulting bracket, byes and court schedule before starting playoff matches.
Pitfalls and tips
- Lock rosters before the event. Same-day swaps blow up your DUPR caps and create scheduling chaos.
- Use shorter sub-match scoring (to 11) for events with many teams. Long matches (to 15 or 21) are great for premium events but stretch your day.
- Don't allow same-day team formations. Trips teams need at least one practice session together to make the rotation feel natural.
- Print the sub-match pairings for each team match if your players are first-time Trips. They sometimes forget who they're partnered with for which match.
Ready to bring Trips to your club? Create your Trips event on Fluid after reviewing your roster, scoring and court schedule.