DYnamic Universal pickleball Rating - (dupr)

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DUPR (Dynamic Universal Player Rating) is a rating system for pickleball players that is completely objective and does not depend on subjective assessment or self-ratings. Much like golf’s USGA handicap system or the NTRP rating that is used in tennis, a DUPR rating is completely based on a player’s scores against other DUPR rated players. With DUPR committee-arranged round robins and other DUPR events, all scores are posted by the CMPC DUPR organizers and player skill-ratings are revised almost instantly.

The DUPR system has two very attractive benefits. First, with sufficient posting, it provides a very accurate rating of a player down to three decimal places, i.e. 3.534 or 4.179 or 2.478. Secondly, the system is completely objective and completely depends on a player’s performance. There is no basis for arguments like there would be for self-rating or other rating methods.

All players, regardless of their age, gender, location or skill are rated on the same scale between 2.000-8.000 based on their match results.  

Who can have a DUPR rating?

DUPR is free and anyone can have a rating. One match result is all it takes to have a DUPR rating, and 5-10 match results is all it takes to have an even more accurate rating. If you’ve ever played in a Pickleball tournament you most likely already have a DUPR rating and can claim your account at mydupr.com or by downloading the iOS or Android app.

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Do I have to have a DUPR rating to be a member of CantaMia Pickleball Club and to participate in open play and rec games?

No. Setting up a DUPR account and establishing a rating is strictly up to you as a club member. A DUPR skill-rating along with a Reliability Score of at least 60% is required to participate in DUPR events such as the MLP-Style Team Pickleball League, the Monday and Friday Skill-Rated Round Robins, or single-day Waterfall Tournaments.

Why do I, as an individual, want to have a DUPR rating?

Certainly, players who are playing in outside tournaments or outside DUPR events want to have a DUPR skill-rating. But, there are also reasons why a CMPC recreational player might want to have a DUPR rating and to join the CMPC DUPR Club.

First, having an accurate DUPR rating gives a player a definite view of where their current skill-level stands and which other players have similar skill-levels. This is useful for arranging games and private events.

Secondly, by having a DUPR rating, along with a minimum 60% RS, you are eligible to play in CMPC DUPR events, such as qualifying round robins, MLP-Style Team Pickleball, and the Monday and Friday Skill-Rated Round Robins.

How does DUPR benefit our club?

Our club benefits greatly by having an accurate skill-rating system for our members. In the past, there have been several methods that clubs like ours have used to assign ratings to players. 

The most common is self-ratings. The person himself declares a relative rating level for their own play. The rating is very general in nature, i.e. 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, etc., and the declared rating is usually far from reality. Some are declaring ratings that are far too low for their skill-set, in order to participate in a lower tournament division so they can win a medal. Some are giving themselves ratings that are well beyond their playing abilities simply for vanity reasons.

Some clubs organize a “ratings committee”. The ratings committee members would all witness a player or two in an informal match and subjectively assign those players a skill-rating. This method also has very little accuracy and the system creates great animosity and conflict between raters and those being rated.

The last method that has been used by clubs is to hire outside “raters” who have a certification from a recognized organization to come out and evaluate one or two players at a time. This method is more accurate than those above, but is quite expensive and would never serve to maintain an ongoing rating system for 250 players.

The DUPR skill-rating system eliminates all the problems and shortcomings of the methods listed above. It is a completely objective way to rate players and is based on player performance only—especially recent performance. It has the added advantage of being free-of-charge. DUPR provides a rating (to three decimal places) that gets increasingly accurate as more postings are done. Further, the ratings are updated almost instantly after posting.

Once our club has a large number of players with DUPR ratings, we can reap the benefit of being able to have skill-rated events such as MLP-Style Team Pickleball, CMPC Skill-Rated Round Robins, qualifying round robins, Waterfall events, and other fun events. Player enjoyment is enhanced tremendously when we have the means to pair together people of similar skill levels—often very similar skill levels.

How do I set up a DUPR account and get a rating?

DUPR is best utilized on your cell phone. From the App Store function on your phone, search for DUPR and download the app. Next, select Sign Up and establish an account. If you have already played in a tournament or league, you may have a player profile already with your match results and a DUPR rating. In this case, just search DUPR for your name. If you find that you already have a profile and rating, you just need to claim your account. In order to join the CMPC DUPR Club, from your profile, select CLUBS at the bottom of your screen and search for CantaMia Pickleball Club. Once found, just hit JOIN. That’s it. You are now part of our DUPR club and you simply need to play in our frequent qualifying round robins to get a rating.

How is the DUPR rating calculated?

DUPR is a modified Elo algorithm that uses a player’s last 30 (singles) or 60 (doubles) eligible matches. The algorithm considers three factors: 

· Points Won: How many points did you win? 

· Victory: Did you win or lose? 

· Type of Result: Was this a rec score, a league game, or a tournament result?

Which results go into my DUPR?

Results from CMPC qualifying round robins, CMPC DUPR leagues, Monday and Friday DUPR Skill-Rated Round Robins, or outside leagues and tournaments that utilize DUPR will be part of your DUPR rating.

What is the Reliability Score?

A player’s Reliability Score is found in the small circle to the right of the skill-rating. The score is expressed as a percentage, between 0 and 100 and is a measure of how accurate the player’s skill-rating is. The RS takes into account the number of postings the player has, how recent they are, how diverse the partner and opponent group is, and whether the postings are from rec play or from leagues, ladders, and tournaments. Rec play is weighted less than postings from organized play. Old postings deteriorate and have increasingly less effect on ratings.

Which matches are weighted more heavily in my rating?
Your most recent matches are weighted more heavily in your rating. Also, tournament scores are weighted more heavily, followed by league scores, and finally rec scores.

What is a provisional rating and what makes a rating reliable?

Your DUPR becomes reliable based on your connectivity to other players in the DUPR system and the recency of your results. DUPR no longer has “provisional ratings”. You will have a DUPR rating after your very first posted game or match. DUPR considers that new ratings are not accurate and dependable until a player reaches a minimum of 60% Reliability Score. If you play in DUPR events regularly, you should reach 100% RS in a reasonable time and at that point, your rating will be very accurate.

Can my DUPR rating go down, even though I won?

Unlike the previous DUPR algorithm, your rating cannot go down if you win. However, the algorithm has an EV (expected value) for every game you play, and it considers who your partner is and who your opponents are. If you win, but you did not meet or beat the expected result, your rating will increase only a very small amount—say, .003. If you win and beat a team that the EV says you should lose to, your rating could go up significantly—as much as .10. Conversely, if you lose, your rating will drop, and the amount of the drop is dependent on the expected result.

What is considered a “competitive match” according to DUPR?

DUPR now accepts score postings even if there is a large differential between partners or between teams. It is our suggestion however, that scores not be posted if there is more than a 1.0 differential between partners or when one team rating is >1.50 points greater than the other team.

How long does it take for ratings to update?

Ratings are updated within minutes after scores are posted. Your Reliability Score however, is revised just once per week—on Tuesday evenings.

How long does it take for results to be added to DUPR?

Results from CMPC DUPR events are typically posted the same day as the event, or the following morning.

Note: Contact Bill Schlimgen for additional information.