Elo, without the mystery.

Rated changes Elo. Casual does not.

Both game types record the winning side from the game played at the field and the players who completed it. Only a valid completed Rated game calculates and applies Elo changes.

The matchup is set in stone at kickoff.

When all ten players check in and the game starts, indieSoccer freezes every rostered player’s matchup Elo and games-played count. Team averages, win percentages, and intended stakes are based on that snapshot, so they do not drift while the game is being played or while the host waits to enter a result.

Four hundred points is the reference scale.

Team win probability compares the two team-average ratings. An individual player’s Elo change compares that player’s kickoff rating with the opposing team’s average rating.

E = 1 / (1 + 10 ^ ((opponent Elo − player Elo) / 400))

Newer players move faster.

Total games includes both Rated and Casual games completed before kickoff.

The result is rounded to a whole number.

A win uses an actual score of 1; a loss uses 0. The calculated value is rounded to the nearest whole number, and Elo cannot fall below zero. indieSoccer does not currently offer a draw result.

new Elo = max(0, round(current Elo + K × (actual − expected)))

If another result updates a player’s live Elo after this game’s kickoff but before this result is processed, indieSoccer preserves this game’s intended kickoff delta and applies it to the current live sequence.

Players choose an initial level.

During onboarding, a player chooses Beginner at 800, Intermediate at 1200, or Advanced at 1600. Rated results then move that value using the rules above.

Player-card frames track Elo tiers.