Pickleball scoring - here’s how it’s done

This article was written in collaboration with USA Pickleball.

So, you've signed up for your first pickleball session, and have learned all about the game and its fascinating history. You've got all the gear you need. All that's left is to figure out how pickleball scoring works.

This is one thing that trips up a lot of newcomers. Despite sharing many components with sports like tennis and badminton, pickleball is unique when it comes to scoring. Read on to learn how it all works.

Pickleball scoring might seem confusing at first, but I promise you'll get the hang of it soon enough. It's actually a pretty straightforward and logical system.

The doubles and singles games are scored differently, so I'll cover doubles first (the more common way to play) and then pickleball singles. Here's a quick introduction if you're new to the sport:

By the end of this guide, you'll have all the knowledge you need to get out there and play. After a couple of games, the scoring rules will make a lot more sense.

Once you've read through this article, why not put what you've learned into practice with some pickleball lessons?

The first thing you'll notice is that pickleball scores include three numbers. This confuses people right off the bat since there are only two teams, not three. Here's what each number means in a pickleball score:

Let's see an example:

Let's consider the first two numbers for now. In this example, the score is 6-3. The serving team's number always appears first. If the other team were serving, the score would instead read 3-6.

So, what does the third number mean?

First, some context. In doubles, both players on a team take turns serving. The person on the right of the court always serves first.

Both players on a team get to serve before the other team gets a chance. The first player continues to serve until their team loses a point. If they score, a player can continue to serve until they mess up. As they continue to serve, the players swap sides, from right to left, for each serve.

This is where the third number comes in. This number tells us if the team is on their first or second server. If the first player messes up and the serve passes to the second player, the third number in the score will be "2".

Here's another example. Imagine you and I are in the middle of a game and we're on the winning team. We've scored 5 points, and the opponents have just 3. It's our turn to serve because they both made a fault. The score is now "5-3-1":

If I'm standing on the right-hand side, I'm the first server and will shout "5-3-1" before serving. If we lose the rally, the service passes to my partner (you). You'll then shout "5-3-2" before serving. If we lose again, the service now passes to our opponents.

Before serving, the opposing team shouts "3-5-1". Notice the first two numbers have swapped since the first number is always the serving team's score.

There's a lot to remember here, so let's go over the main five points of pickleball serving (doubles):

When starting a new game in pickleball, the score is always "0-0-2"? As you know, the third number indicates which player is serving. In this case, the final number is 2 instead of 1. This only happens at the start of a new game. I'll explain why.

Starting a new game with the second server removes any advantage that their team has from starting the match. Since only the serving team can score points, this makes the game fairer for everyone.

Since pickleball scoring is slightly more technical than in other games, it's customary (and required in competitions) to call out the score before each serve. This helps everyone stay on the same page and avoids confusion.

So, when you're out there playing, don't be shy. Holler out those three numbers before you serve.

While doubles might be the most popular variation of the sport, pickleball singles is still pretty common. The rules are slightly different for singles and, thankfully, simpler too. Let's get into it.

In singles, you don't need to worry about the third number. Instead, the score only includes the number of points each player has (e.g. "5-6"). This score tells us that the player with 5 points is currently serving.

Another difference is that each "team" only gets one attempt at serving since there's only one player. So, if you mess up your serve, it's your opponent's turn straight away.

When starting a new game, the serve always begins on the right. If the player serving scores a point, they move to the left and serve from there. If they lose, it's called a "side out", meaning the opponent now serves, starting on the right.

So, if the server's score is an even number (e.g. 0, 2, 4), they must serve from the right-hand side of the court. If their score is odd (e.g. 1, 3, 5), they must serve from the left.

This rule is great for reminding you which side to serve from during play if you've lost track. Just remember, "Even right, odd left".

It can be a challenge keeping track of scores, so here are some tips:

Rules are great, but they can be hard to remember when you're in the middle of a game. Remember to call the score before serving. This will help you to stay on top of it.

The "Even right, odd left" trick for singles can be transferred to the doubles game. Here's how.

When starting a new game, take note of which player is first to serve (they'll be on the right). For the rest of the game, whenever they're on the right again, their team's score will always be even. When that player is on the left, their score will be odd. The reverse is true for their partner.

For example, imagine you are the first to serve in a game and your team's score is now 8. You must stand on the right because your score is an even number. If you happen to forget the score during a game, just take note of which side you're on and where you started.

In a standard pickleball game, you need 11 points to win. However, you must also win by two points. So, if you reach a score of 10-10, the next point will not end the game. One player will need to clear the other's score by 2 points to win (e.g. 12-10).

As a result, games can go on forever, with scores like 20-18 and even higher. In pickleball competitions, games are often played as the best of three games.

Players on different courts and in different clubs work out their competitions in many ways. However, in open-play formats, teams usually play one game to 11 points before rotating out and letting new teams play. Sometimes the winners stay on and play the next team of competitors.

Now that you've got the basics of pickleball scoring, the only thing left is to get out on the court and cement what you've learned. Play a couple of games and the rules will make a lot more sense, I promise.

If there's anything I've missed out or you have any local rules you'd like to share with your fellow pickleheads, we always love to hear from you. Until next time, happy pickling!

After partnering with USA Pickleball, we worked together to improve this guide, updating any out-of-date information and adding any new sections as needed. I also tried to make the rules a lot clearer, since pickleball scoring can get a little confusing.