Mexicano

Same points scoring as Americano, but the leaderboard decides the courts: the top four meet on court 1 every round.

Pick this if you like the individual points scoring of Americano but want the tension of a leaderboard — where you are playing this round tells everyone exactly how you are doing.

At a glance

Players: 4 or more (any number — extras rest and rotate)
A match is: A fixed number of points — 16, 21, 24 or 32 (24 by default)
You enter: One pair's points; the other pair gets the rest automatically
Winner of the session: Most points scored, added up across all your matches
Pairings depend on: Your position in the standings
Court 1 means: You are in the current top four

The idea

Mexicano scores exactly like Americano: fixed points per match, every point goes to your personal total, most points wins. The difference is how you are placed each round.

In Mexicano the standings are the draw. After every round everyone is lined up by total points scored, and that line is cut into fours: the top four play on court 1, the next four on court 2, and so on. Your court tells you where you stand, live, without anyone having to read out a table.

How the next round is built

First the app works out who rests, if the numbers do not divide evenly. Rests are shared out fairly — whoever has rested least goes next — and this happens before the ranking, so resting never costs you your place on court 1.

Then everybody still playing is ranked by total points scored, highest first, and cut into groups of four in that order.

Inside each group of four, the pairing is fixed by the format rather than chosen: first plays with fourth against second and third. The idea is to even out the match, because the strongest player in the group is carrying the weakest.

How you win

Exactly as in Americano: total points scored, then matches won, then name. Being on court 1 is a consequence of leading, not a prize in itself.

The thing to understand is that court 1 is where the points are hardest to win, because everyone there is playing well. A big score down on court 3 is worth exactly as much as a big score on court 1 — the points are the points. That is what keeps the whole field in the game.

A worked example

Eight players, two courts, matches to 24 points. Round 1 is random.

After round 1 the totals are: Ana 15, Ben 15, Gus 14, Hana 14, Eve 10, Finn 10, Carl 9, Dana 9.
Line them up by points and cut into fours. Court 1: Ana, Ben, Gus, Hana. Court 2: Eve, Finn, Carl, Dana.
Court 1 pairs as 1st & 4th vs 2nd & 3rd — Ana & Hana vs Ben & Gus.
Court 2 does the same — Eve & Dana vs Finn & Carl.
They play to 24 again, everyone adds the points to their total, and the courts are redrawn.
Whoever has the most points when you finish has won the session.

Good to know

Unlike Winners Court and Americano, Mexicano can give you the same partner two rounds in a row. That is not a bug — the 1st-and-4th-against-2nd-and-3rd rule is the format, and if the standings barely move, the pairing barely moves. The app applies the rule as written.
You can move several courts in one round. Your court is purely your rank, so a big score on court 3 can put you on court 1 next round.
A match can end level, for example 12–12 out of 24. Both pairs bank their points and nobody gets a win or a loss.
Points conceded do not count against you. Only what you score decides the standings.
Resting is decided before the ranking and rotates fairly, so it never pushes you down a court. It does mean one fewer match in which to score, though.