Charge more on Friday night than on Tuesday afternoon
Set your rates once, by day and by time. Every table, court and PC is priced by the clock, so nobody at the counter has to work out which rate applies.
How a rule works
A rate, a day and a time window
Pick every day, weekdays, weekends or one named day. Add a window like 6pm to 11pm, or leave it as all day. Then choose what the rule covers.
The whole venue
One rule for everything you rent out. Good for a simple weekend rate.
One type of space
All your tables, all your courts or all your pods. Courts can go up on a Saturday while the pool tables stay the same.
A single space
The match table, the court with the best lights, the VIP karaoke room. It can have its own rate on top of everything else.
If you run tables and courts under one roof, each gets its own rules. Your padel courts can have a weekend price without touching what the snooker tables cost.
Crossing a rate change
A game that starts at 5:20 and ends at 7:05
Your day rate is $12 an hour and the evening rate starts at 6pm at $18. A group plays on Table 3 from 5:20pm to 7:05pm on a Wednesday.
playdesk bills the first 40 minutes at $12 and the next hour and five minutes at $18. The bill shows both lines, so when someone asks why it came to $27.50, the answer is right there. Paused time isn't charged at either rate.
Table 3 · Wednesday · 5:20 to 7:05 PM
- 5:20 to 6:00 PM · 40 min at $12/h
- $8.00
- 6:00 to 7:05 PM · 1h 05m at $18/h
- $19.50
- Table time
- $27.50
Examples
How some venues set it up
These are made-up venues, but every rule here is one you can set in a couple of minutes.
Snooker and pool hall
Tables at $12 an hour
- Weekday evenings, 6pm to 11pm: $18
- Weekends, all day: $18
- Table 1 on Friday evenings: $22
Padel club
Courts at $40 an hour
- Weekday mornings, 7am to 4pm: $28, to fill the quiet hours
- Weekends, all day: $48
Gaming lounge
PCs and consoles at $5 an hour
- Weekday afternoons, 1pm to 5pm: $3.50, for the after-school crowd
Karaoke venue
Rooms at $30 an hour
- Friday, 8pm to midnight: $45
- Saturday, 8pm to midnight: $45
Bookings and short games
The price people are quoted is the price they pay
Booking estimates
When someone books ahead, they see an estimate split by rate. If you change your evening price next week, a booking made today still checks in at the rates it was quoted. The final bill follows the time they actually played.
Minimum charge
Set a minimum per space, so a 10-minute game on a table with a 30-minute minimum is billed for 30. Useful for the group that racks up, plays one frame and leaves.
FAQ
Pricing rule questions
Can I run a happy hour?
Yes. A happy hour is a rule with a lower rate and a time window, for example weekdays from 3pm to 6pm at half price. Anyone playing through 6pm pays the happy hour rate up to 6pm and your normal rate after it.
What happens when two rules could both apply?
The more specific one wins. A rule for one table beats a rule for all tables, which beats a rule for the whole venue. On the day side, a rule for Friday beats a weekdays rule, which beats an every-day rule. When no rule matches, the space's own hourly rate is used.
Can two rules overlap?
Not at the same level on the same day. If you already have a weekday rule from 6pm to 11pm for your tables, playdesk won't let you add another weekday table rule from 9pm to midnight. That way a minute of play never has two prices.
Can a rule run past midnight?
A single rule runs within one day. For a late night rate from 10pm to 2am, set one rule from 10pm to midnight and a second one from midnight to 2am on the following day.
Can I charge different prices on public holidays?
Not yet. Rules go by day of the week, not by date, so a bank holiday Monday is priced like any other Monday. Holiday dates and special opening hours are on our list.
Can members get a lower rate?
Not automatically yet. Memberships with their own rates are one of the next things we're building. Until then, staff can apply a preset discount to the bill in one tap.
Can I sell packages like 3 hours for the price of 2?
No. Rates are hourly and every session is billed on the minutes actually played, with a minimum charge per space if you want one. There are no package or per-game prices today.
Get started
Put your own rates in and try it
Start a free trial, add a table and an evening rule, and run a test session across the change.
- Free 14-day trial
- No credit card required
- Cancel anytime