
VAPA Pickleball Tournament & Festival
🎰 VAPA Pickleball Tournament & Festival – Vegas Edition 🎰
💸 More cash. More competition. More connection.
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas — except the highlights. The VAPA Pickleball Tournament & Festival is bringing elite competition, high-stakes matchups, and serious prize money to the court. Whether you’re chasing the podium or the payout, this is where you show up and show out.
🏓 Divisions
Mixed Doubles
3.0 – 3.49 💰
3.5 – 3.99 💰
4.0 – 4.49 💰
Men’s Doubles
3.0 – 3.49 💰
3.5 – 3.99 💰
4.0 – 4.49 💰
4.5 – 4.99 💰
Women's Doubles
3.0 – 3.49 💰
3.5 – 3.99 💰
4.0 – 4.49 💰
🏆 10 Total Divisions. One goal: WIN.
💥 What to Expect
Fast-paced Pool Play → Playoff Bracket Showdowns
🏆 Medals for top finishers
💰 Cash prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place (all divisions!)
⚡ High-energy atmosphere with top players from across the country
🌃 Vegas energy, big moments, and unforgettable competition
🎲 Bring your partner. Bring your game. Go all in.
This isn’t just another tournament — it’s a festival experience built for competitors, fans, and the pickleball community.
See Details below for important information on tournament format and prize pool payout structure.
Tournament Format
Divisions: 10 brackets (MD 3.0/3.5/4.0/4.5, MX 3.0/3.5/4.0, WD 3.0/3.5/4.0).
Pools: Pools of 5 (4 guaranteed matches).
Round Robin: 1 game to 11 (win by 1).
Advancement: Single pool of 5 → top 3 seeds advance. Multi-pool → top 2 seeds per pool advance.
Playoffs: Single elimination. 1 game to 15 (win by 2).
Medal Matches: 1 game to 15 (win by 2).
Prize Pool Structure
Registration is $100 per player per event entry. Of each $100, $50 covers tournament operations and venue costs, and $50 goes directly into the prize pool for the division being entered. Each division's prize pool is therefore $100 per team registered.
Each division's prize pool is split 60% / 30% / 10% among 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishers. Prize pools scale with actual registrations. The figures below assume each division fills to its team cap.
Per-division payouts (at full fill):
MD 3.0 (10 teams, $1000 pool): 1st $600, 2nd $300, 3rd $100
MD 3.5 (15 teams, $1500 pool): 1st $900, 2nd $450, 3rd $150
MD 4.0 (15 teams, $1500 pool): 1st $900, 2nd $450, 3rd $150
MD 4.5 (10 teams, $1000 pool): 1st $600, 2nd $300, 3rd $100
MX 3.0 (10 teams, $1000 pool): 1st $600, 2nd $300, 3rd $100
MX 3.5 (10 teams, $1000 pool): 1st $600, 2nd $300, 3rd $100
MX 4.0 (10 teams, $1000 pool): 1st $600, 2nd $300, 3rd $100
WD 3.0 (10 teams, $1000 pool): 1st $600, 2nd $300, 3rd $100
WD 3.5 (10 teams, $1000 pool): 1st $600, 2nd $300, 3rd $100
WD 4.0 (5 teams, $500 pool): 1st $300, 2nd $150, 3rd $50
Total prize pool at full registration: $10,500 across 105 teams.
Want to play for the biggest cash prizes possible? Get all your friends to come play!
DUPR Enforcement
All divisions are DUPR-rated and enforced, and match results will be reported to DUPR. Your doubles DUPR must be at or below the upper bound of the division you enter (MD 3.0 requires DUPR ≤ 3.49; MD 3.5 requires ≤ 3.99; and so on). Players without a verifiable DUPR rating may be required to self-assess; self-assessments are subject to organizer review.
Not Rated players: If your doubles partner has an NR DUPR rating (no DUPR history), VAPA will use the rated partner's DUPR. If neither player has a DUPR rating, select "Contact Organizer" and send us a message with both players' information so the tournament director can place you in the right division.
DUPR Review
VAPA's tournament director will review DUPR scores along with win/loss history. These reviews are done once registration closes, and any team found out of compliance will be reassigned at that point. Registering for the tournament does NOT lock your DUPR rating. VAPA reserves the right to move players between skill brackets based on this review data.
To flag a tournament integrity concern: email the organizers at least 72 hours prior to the start of your event. Flagged cases are reviewed by the tournament directors. Players found to have registered below their actual skill level will be moved to the appropriate division (no refund); in egregious cases, the team may be disqualified.
Minimum Registrations
If a division doesn't reach its minimum registration requirement, it may be canceled without affecting payouts for any other division. That said, we will make every effort to run every bracket, and we may combine brackets at our discretion to ensure all registered players get to play.
Start Times and Draw Notice
VAPA reserves the right to reschedule bracket start times based on bracket turnout and unforeseen fluctuations in registration. In the event that VAPA reschedules bracket start times, VAPA guarantees that all currently registered players will still be able to compete in all brackets for which they are currently registered.
The draw for each individual division may change right up until the player meeting, held 30 minutes before the division starts. DUPR compliance reviews, late registrations, and last-minute cancellations can each shift the initial draw for an event.
Late Participants
If a player arrives more than 15 minutes late to their division start, their match may be recorded as a forfeit. We cannot delay division starts for any player, so arriving late may result in being removed from your pool entirely.
Paddle Legality
All players must use paddles approved by either the USAP or UPA at the time of the tournament. Paddles that have been delaminated or otherwise modified in a manner that voids their approval status are strictly prohibited.
Payments and Refunds
To secure your spot, both teammates must be registered and paid in full, with a partner selected. Payment is not accepted on the day of the event.
Withdrawals through July 5, 2026 will receive a refund minus a $20 cancellation fee. After July 5, 2026, no refunds or credits will be issued. If VAPA cancels an event, affected players will receive a full refund.