Run every bracket with confidence.

Quick start checklist

A tournament can be prepared in a few deliberate steps. Complete these in order the first time you use Bracket Manager.

Install and launch

Install on Windows

1. Open the Brackets Manager listing in Microsoft Store.
2. Select Get and follow the Microsoft Store installation prompts.
3. Launch Bracket Manager from the Windows Start menu or desktop shortcut.
4. Keep the application on the tournament computer that will remain available throughout the event.

Set up your first tournament

Create the event, define its bracket, prepare playing locations, and confirm how much control the operator wants.

Create the tournament

1. Start a new tournament from the Windows application.
2. Enter a clear tournament name that players will recognize on messages and web pages.
3. Select the bracket format and player capacity that fit the event.
4. Choose the event's Basic or Pro bracket credit when you are ready to activate it.
5. Save the tournament before adding or seeding players.

Prepare the bracket

• Confirm the participant count and bracket size.
• Set seeds before play begins; seeds determine the players' starting positions.
• Review byes and confirm they advance the correct player.
• Use player handicaps when the tournament format requires them.
• Check that every opening-round match contains the intended players.

Add tables or playing locations

Add the tables, courts, lanes, stations, or other resources used by the event. Bracket Manager uses these assignments to tell players where to report and to help operators see what is available.

Register and import players

Players can be entered by the operator, brought in from the player directory, or submitted through online registration.

Add players manually

1. Open the tournament's player or opponent management area.
2. Add each player's name and the details used by the event.
3. Enter the seed and handicap when applicable.
4. For connected features, verify the phone number, SMS consent, and player access code.
5. Save the player and confirm the correct seed, name, and handicap appear together in the match grid.

Online registration

1. Activate a Pro tournament and publish its connected web structure.
2. Share the registration link or tournament code with players.
3. When a registration arrives, review the player's information in the Windows application.
4. Approve the registration, then place or seed the player in the bracket.
5. Confirm the player receives or knows the correct access code for the tournament.

Import and verify

After importing players, inspect the list before building the bracket. Correct duplicates, missing handicaps, inconsistent names, and phone-number errors before matches are created.

Use player and operator web controls

Connected tools let players act from their phones and let authorized operators manage the event away from the tournament computer.

Open a tournament

1. Go to bracketsman.com/tournaments/, or click View Tournaments at the top of bracketsman.com.
2. Enter the six-digit tournament code supplied by the tournament organizer.
3. Players: select View Brackets to open the live board and use player tools. Do not select Sign Up for player tools.

Navigate Player Tools

The mobile Player Tools page keeps the Bracket Manager logo centered between Back and Home. Choose Active Matches, Live Bracket, Recent Results, or Leaderboard from the compact home screen.

1. Open Active Matches to see bracket tabs and current match cards.
2. Select the correct bracket tab when the event contains more than one bracket or pool-play section.
3. Use Find My Match to search for either player or opponent by name.
4. Read the match number, assigned playing location, status, seed numbers, and opponents directly over the sport graphic.
5. Open the scoring action when it is available for the active match.

Sport-specific active-match cards

Active-match cards use the tournament type selected in Bracket Manager. The playing surface is a visual background only; player information remains consistently positioned and readable across layouts.

Publish and test access

1. Confirm the tournament has the connected Pro features required by the web tools.
2. Publish or refresh the tournament website structure from the Windows application.
3. Open the tournament page from a phone that is not the tournament computer.
4. Test one player access number and the operator login configured in Tournament Manager Settings.
5. Open an active match and verify its two players, names, handicaps, assigned location, and controls.

Manage scores, winners, and brackets

Start a match

1. Select an available match and assign its table or playing location.
2. Set or confirm the start time when the event uses scheduling.
3. Start the match from the Windows application or authorized operator tools.
4. Confirm both players can see the matchup and location.

Assign a winner in the Windows application

1. Open the match's Assign Winner screen.
2. Enter or confirm the score beneath each player.
3. Select the winner by clicking the correct player's picture. The selected picture is highlighted and marked Winner.
4. Confirm the seed, player name, and handicap shown under both pictures.
5. Approve the result to advance the winner and loser to their correct next bracket positions.

Approve a player-submitted result

1. Open the incoming result from the Messages pane or operator tools.
2. Compare the submitted scores and winner with the match information.
3. Approve the result when it is correct, or decline/correct it before changing the bracket.
4. Verify the completed match and both downstream bracket positions.

Messages and official requests

The Windows Messages pane keeps operator attention on match-ready notices, submitted results, official requests, warnings, and tournament activity.

Use the Messages pane

• Filter messages by application, matches, tables, timer alerts, tournament, upload, or other available categories.
• Read the tournament, match, players, table, score, winner, and timestamp before acting.
• Use the compact action buttons to approve, decline, start, reassign, acknowledge, or send a message when those actions are available.
• Clear resolved messages when they are no longer needed.

Official requests

An official request is urgent. The operator web button changes color and pulses more prominently than ordinary incoming activity. Open it promptly, identify the tournament, match, location, and players, then acknowledge or respond to the request.

Autopilot and manual control

Choose the right level of control

• Use Autopilot when player self-service and automatic progression fit the event.
• Use approval-based operation when players submit results but an operator must confirm them.
• Use full manual control when staff must make every start, score, and advancement decision.
• Test the selected workflow before the first official match.

Displays and multiple tournaments

Second-monitor bracket view

Keep the command center on the primary monitor and place the live bracket on a second display for players and spectators. Confirm the public display is readable from the room before the event begins.

TV and browser display

To show the bracket on a television or any browser-connected screen, open the live tournament page and select Full Screen. The display fills the browser window, refreshes live bracket images, and cycles through all active brackets using the same Cycle Brackets (seconds) value configured for the secondary display. On the television, tap once or press Enter to allow browser full-screen mode.

The full-screen toolbar keeps its zoom controls available. Select Close to leave full-screen mode and return directly to the live brackets screen.

Backgrounds and colors

Choose a bracket background and match-status colors that fit the venue. Favor strong contrast and avoid a detailed background that makes player names, match states, or connecting lines difficult to read.

Run simultaneous tournaments

Use tournament tabs to move between active events. Before taking an action, verify the selected tournament name, match number, and assigned location—especially when the same player or table names appear in more than one event.

Leaderboard

The leaderboard updates with completed matches so players and operators can see current performance without maintaining a separate spreadsheet.

• Confirm completed match results before relying on standings.
• Review wins, losses, win percentage, points scored, and point differential.
• Use the mobile player page to give participants direct access to standings.
• Correct an incorrect match result at its source, then confirm the leaderboard refreshes.

Purchase bracket credits

Bracket credits are purchased from inside the Windows application and applied to the account when checkout completes.

1. Open Purchase Brackets in Bracket Manager.
2. Choose the Basic or Pro bracket credit and the quantity needed.
3. Complete the secure Stripe checkout.
4. Return to Bracket Manager and allow the purchase status to refresh.
5. Confirm the new credits are available before activating the tournament.