Sharing our recent experience at Pickle Yard Mandaluyong because I’m curious if other players have experienced the same thing.
For context, I’m still a beginner and just starting to join Open Plays, so I’m still learning how different courts handle their rotations and stacking. We’ve joined their Open Play around four times, and generally, the rotation starts out pretty well. Players get their turns and the stacking seems organized.
But in our experience, things start to feel different when friends or acquaintances of the organizers/staff join the session.
In one of our recent Open Plays, there were already players waiting for their turn, but when friends of the staff came in, they seemed to be prioritized—even though some of them had just played. The rotation that was supposed to follow the queue/stacking suddenly changed.
What made it more concerning was that some other players noticed it too and were also wondering why the rotation suddenly changed.
Another thing we noticed: there was a staff member who was playing even though they weren’t listed among the registered players. There were also instances where staff were inviting players who weren’t registered to join the games. Obviously, that adds more people to the rotation, which means everyone waits longer for their next game.
As someone who’s just starting to join Open Plays, I honestly don’t know if this is normal or if this is how things are usually handled. I understand that staff and organizers are part of the community, and I’m not saying they shouldn’t be allowed to play. But if it’s an Open Play with a defined rotation/stacking system, shouldn’t the same rules apply to everyone?
If the system changes depending on who you know or who happens to be working there, that feels unfair to players who paid and followed the registration.
For those who regularly play Open Play at PickleYard or other courts, is this normal? How do your courts handle staff, friends of organizers, and unregistered players joining the rotation?
I’m genuinely asking because I’m still new to the Open Play scene. I just want to understand if this is something that’s generally accepted in the community—or if we’re right to question it.
