DUPR FAQ’s
WHAT IS DUPR?
Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating (DUPR) is a global rating system in pickleball. 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.
HOW IS DUPR DIFFERENT FROM GPN?
GPN is a pickleball league and event management system, and ALSO a rating system similar to DUPR. Ratings in GPN (GPNR) and DUPR are both calculated based on Elo algorithms (as are Pickleball Bracket ratings, Pickleball Den ratings, etc.) All these rating systems have slightly different algorithms so ratings will vary. Your most reliable ratings will be those where you have the most matches with the widest variety of players. Click here for more information.
WHY ARE WE USING DUPR NOW?
We’re using both. GPN has partnered with DUPR. Once you connect your DUPR to your GPN profile (in your profile settings), match results from GPN will go to DUPR and matches from DUPR will go to GPN. This improves the accuracy of both your GPNR and your DUPR.
HOW DO I CONNECT DUPR TO MY GPN PROFILE?
From your GPN profile settings page click the DUPR tab (or scroll down to the bottom if on mobile). Click the ‘CONNECT’ button at the bottom and follow the prompts (you can sign up for DUPR if you don’t have an account). Click here for more information.
HOW TO DOWNLOAD THE DUPR APP:
Apple App Store here: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dupr/id1567932355
Google Play Store here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=gg.dupr&hl=en_US&gl=US
HOW IS THE DUPR RATING CALCULATED?
DUPR is a modified Elo algorithm that uses a player’s last rating to update their new rating. The algorithm considers the following factors:
Victory: Did you win or lose? If you win, your rating will go up and if you lose, your rating will go down.
Type of Result: Was this a self-posted rec play score, a club match, or a tournament result entered by DUPR? Rec play games will count less towards your rating change.
Rating Difference of Opponent: There’s an EV (expected value) of performance in every match. If your opponent is higher than you and you win, you’ll increase more than if your opponent is lower rated and vice versa.
Match Score: Points matter! Was this match closely contested or a blow out? If you win by a large margin, you will go up more than if you barely close out your opponent.
Match Count and Recency: Do you have a lot of recent matches? If you have many recent matches, each individual match will have a smaller impact than if you only have a few matches or have not logged matches in some time.
WHY DOES MY DUPR PROFILE SAY NR?
NR means “Not rated.” It likely means that no match scores have been submitted yet.
WHAT IS THE DUPR RELIABILITY SCORE (THE RING BESIDE MY RATING)?
It’s your rating reliability score that increases if you enter more DUPR results, play with different partners and against different opponents, and play in DUPR certified leagues/tournaments. It decreases if you don't record matches. 100 is the highest.
WHAT’S HALF LIFE?
Half-life reflects the recency of your matches. The higher the half-life, the more reliable your rating is. Every match has a weight of 1. Every day the weight of that match decays very slowly. The sum of all those weights is your half-life. E.g., if you record 10 matches today, your half-life is 10. If you record no matches for the next month your half-life may decrease to something like a 9. Therefore, the more matches logged, the more reliable your rating, and the less drastic fluctuation there will be in your rating after matches.
HOW DO I GET MY FIRST RATING AS A DUPR USER?
Simply play a match! Once you've recorded your first game on DUPR, your rating will be generated based on factors like the skill level of your opponents and the outcome of the match.
WHO SHOULD I PLAY WITH TO GET AN ACCURATE RATING?
Playing with rated players is ideal. However, playing with unrated players is still beneficial, even though it is less precise.
HOW MANY MATCHES DO I NEED TO PLAY FOR AN ACCURATE RATING?
Aim for 10-20 matches. Quality matters too; ensure you're playing at the right level and experiencing a mix of wins and losses in close games. Note: If you play with unrated players, everyone starts at 3.5 and it’ll take several matches to dial in your rating. Ideally play with some rated players initially, or soon afterwards to dial in your rating.
CAN MY RATING CHANGE WHEN I HAVEN’T PLAYED? WHAT IS DUPR CONNECTIVITY?
One match result is all it takes to get a DUPR rating, although reliability will be low. Even if four players who are all unrated play and post a score, if just one of those four players subsequently plays any rated player, all four players will become retroactively rated. This is what DUPR developers call “connectivity”.
CAN I RECORD MATCHES FROM ANY REC GAME?
Yes. Login and select NEW MATCH. Discuss this with all players ahead of time and agree to record the match. All players will be notified via the app that there’s a logged match awaiting their validation and all players must validate the match for it to be counted. Self-recorded matches are weighted much lower than club matches or tournaments, but they do still count.
WHAT IF MY MATCH PARTNER REFUSES TO VALIDATE SCORES IN SELF-RECORDED MATCHES?
It's crucial to uphold DUPR’s Fair Play Standards. Communicate with your partner beforehand and report any violations to DUPR for investigation. E.g., “This person agreed to make this a DUPR match, but after we played, they refused to validate it.” DUPR tracks complaints against their fair play guidelines.
HOW CAN PLAYING AT A DUPR CLUB (LIKE PEBBLE CREEK) BENEFIT MY RATING?
Club matches are weighted significantly higher than self-reported matches. And while DUPR tournament matches will come and go, playing weekly at a DUPR club and knowing it’ll count towards your rating is ideal. The more information you feed the algorithm, the more accurate your rating will be.
CAN MY RATING GO UP IF I DO WELL (BUT LOSE) AGAINST HIGHER PLAYERS?
No. If you lose against someone you’re expected to lose against, but play really well, your rating will still go down. Not much though, if the disparity is great. It’s best to play others at or slightly above your level - and win.
CAN MY RATING GO DOWN IF I WIN AGAINST LOWER PLAYERS?
No, if you win your rating will not go down. And if the disparity between you and your opponents is great your rating won’t move much. But don’t fear playing lower players to help them establish their ratings, it won’t affect your rating much because theirs is unreliable.
CAN I INCREASE MY RATING QUICKLY BY PLAYING DOWN IN TOURNAMENTS?
No. If you win against lower players your rating won’t be affected as much as if you win against players at or above your level. So don’t sandbag in tournaments, it won’t help you much, and you’ll annoy others.
WILL PLAYING WITH UNRATED PLAYERS HURT MY RATING?
Playing with unrated players won't impact your rating much because their rating is unreliable (match count, recency, club/tournament matches, etc.)
SHOULD I AIM TO BEAT LOWER-RATED PLAYERS TO BOOST MY RATING?
While winning against lower-rated players will increase your rating, it won’t do so by much because you’re expected to win. The most significant improvements come from competitive games against opponents at or slightly above your level.
HOW DOES MATCH FORMAT (E.G., ONE GAME VS. BEST TWO OUT OF THREE) AFFECT MY RATING?
Longer match formats yield more data and have a greater impact on your rating, as they provide a better indication of your skill level.
CAN I INPUT PAST MATCH RESULTS TO IMPROVE MY RATING?
Yes, past results can be added to your profile, but recent matches hold more weight in determining your current rating.
WHAT HAPPENS IF I STOP PLAYING AND LOGGING MATCHES? (RATING DECAY)
The reliability of your rating decreases over time due to the decay of match recency. Returning to regular match logging will restore reliability.
HOW CAN I INCREASE MY RATING?
Register more wins than losses (even wins against lower rated players usually help).
Play and win games against players at or above your rating.
Play and win league matches (eg. at Pebble Creek), which are weighted more heavily than rec matches.
Play and win games in tournaments, which are weighted more heavily than rec matches.
JOIN LEAGUES AT PEBBLE CREEK TO BOOST YOUR RATING
Playing weekly in DUPR club events will have a significant impact on your rating. The fastest way to raise your rating if you think your skills have improved but your rating doesn’t reflect that is to join leagues and events. DUPR wants people to take part in competitive games, and these are weighted more heavily than rec matches.
FOR MORE DUPR FAQ’S VISIT: