Padel · Rules explained
Golden point in padel: the 40-40 rule explained
The golden point is padel's sudden-death rule for 40-40: instead of playing advantage, the pairs play one deciding point and whoever wins it wins the game. The receiving pair chooses whether that point is served to the right or the left (in mixed doubles it is instead served to the player of the same sex as the server).
How does the golden point work?
When a game reaches 40-40 under Golden Point (punto de oro in Spanish), there is no advantage: one deciding point is played at 40-40 and its winner takes the game. Three details make it padel's own:
- The receivers choose the side. The receiving pair chooses to receive on the right or the left. The partners may not swap positions for that point, so in practice they are choosing which of them faces the serve.
- Mixed doubles: there is no choice. The deciding point is served to the player of the same sex as the server.
- A game can never go past 7 points. The longest golden point game finishes 4-3 in points, so games take a predictable time.
The World Padel Tour adopted the golden point from its 2020 season, and it is still one of the three deuce rules in the FIP Rules of Padel.
Golden point vs advantage: what is the difference?
| At 40-40 | Golden Point | Advantage |
|---|---|---|
| What decides the game | One deciding point | Two points in a row from deuce |
| Longest possible game | 7 points | No limit |
| Serve side for the key point | The receiving pair chooses | Alternates right and left as usual |
| Score after 40-40 | Game | Advantage (Ad), then game or back to deuce |
The difference is easiest to see with the same rallies. Both tables start at 40-40, with each pair having won three points, and play the same eight rallies: Us, Them, Them, Us, Them, Us, Us, Us.
| Point | Won by | Game score | Games (sets) | Serving next | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Us | Game to Us | 1–0 | Them | The Golden Point. Us win it, so Us win the game at once |
| 2 | Them | 0–15 | 1–0 | Them | A new game, and Them serve it |
| 3 | Them | 0–30 | 1–0 | Them | |
| 4 | Us | 15–30 | 1–0 | Them | |
| 5 | Them | 15–40 | 1–0 | Them | |
| 6 | Us | 30–40 | 1–0 | Them | |
| 7 | Us | 40–40 | 1–0 | Them | 40-40 again, so another Golden Point. Us, receiving this time, choose the side |
| 8 | Us | Game to Us | 2–0 | Us | Us win the second deciding point too: 2 games to 0 after the same eight rallies |
Scored point by point by the same scoring rules the app uses.
| Point | Won by | Game score | Games (sets) | Serving next | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Us | Ad–40 | 0–0 | Us | Advantage Us, shown as Ad |
| 2 | Them | 40–40 | 0–0 | Us | Back to deuce |
| 3 | Them | 40–Ad | 0–0 | Us | Advantage Them |
| 4 | Us | 40–40 | 0–0 | Us | Deuce |
| 5 | Them | 40–Ad | 0–0 | Us | Advantage Them again |
| 6 | Us | 40–40 | 0–0 | Us | Deuce for the fourth time |
| 7 | Us | Ad–40 | 0–0 | Us | Advantage Us |
| 8 | Us | Game to Us | 1–0 | Them | Us win two points in a row: game to Us, 1 game to 0 after the same eight rallies |
Scored point by point by the same scoring rules the app uses.
With Golden Point, Us win the game on the very next rally and are 2 games to 0 up after eight rallies. With advantage, those same eight rallies are still the first game, and Us only win it on the last one.
What is the Star Point in padel?
The Star Point sits between the two: up to two advantages are played, then one deciding point at the third deuce. The game can go deuce, advantage, deuce 2, advantage, deuce 3, and then a single point, the Star Point, decides it. In mixed doubles that last point, like a golden point, is served to the player of the same sex as the server.
- Approved unanimously by the FIP General Assembly in Acapulco on 28 November 2025.
- Part of the FIP Rules of Padel from 1 January 2026.
- CUPRA FIP Tour debut: the FIP Bronze Melbourne Padel Open, January 2026.
- Premier Padel debut: Riyadh Season P1, February 2026.
- Circuits using it: Premier Padel, CUPRA FIP Tour, FIP Promises and FIP Beyond. Other events may still choose advantage or golden point.
Here are the same rallies from 40-40 under Star Point, worked out by hand because the app does not score Star Point:
| Rally from 40-40 | Won by | Star Point score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Us | Advantage Us (first advantage) |
| 2 | Them | Deuce 2 |
| 3 | Them | Advantage Them (second advantage) |
| 4 | Us | Deuce 3: no more advantages, the next point decides |
| 5 | Them | Them win the Star Point and the game |
So one set of rallies gives three different results: Us win the game on rally 1 with Golden Point, Them win it on rally 5 with Star Point, and Us win it on rally 8 with advantage.
What is the silver point in padel?
Silver point is not a term in the FIP Rules of Padel, which settle 40-40 with Advantage, Star Point or Golden Point. It is an informal name with no definition in the rules, so if someone suggests playing silver point, ask exactly what happens at 40-40 before the first serve.
How the app handles it
The app plays Golden Point by default: at 40-40 it shows a Golden Point chip and the next point wins the game. Switch the match to Advantage and it shows a Deuce chip and an Ad score instead. It does not offer Star Point. It records only which side wins the deciding point: the receivers' choice of court and the mixed-doubles serving rule are up to you.
Questions
Is the golden point still used in professional padel?
Less than before. It was the professional standard from 2020, first on the World Padel Tour and then on Premier Padel. From 2026, Premier Padel and the FIP tours play the Star Point instead, which only reaches a single deciding point after two advantages. Other events can still choose golden point or advantage.
Who serves the golden point in padel?
The player serving that game, as for every other point in it, because one player serves the whole game. Only the receiver changes: the receiving pair picks the right or the left, and in mixed doubles the point goes to the player of the same sex as the server.
Is the golden point the same as no-ad scoring in tennis?
In effect, yes. Tennis No-Ad scoring also plays one deciding point at 40-40, and there too the receivers choose the right or left court and, in mixed doubles, the player of the same gender as the server receives. See no-ad scoring in tennis.
Is there a golden point in a padel tiebreak?
No. Tiebreak points are counted 1, 2, 3 and a tiebreak must be won by 2 points, so 6-6 carries on to 8-6 or beyond. See the padel tiebreak rules.
Last reviewed September 25, 2026
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