Pickleball · Scoring guide
How to keep score in pickleball
Pickleball games are played to 11 points, won by 2, and a match is usually the best of three games. With traditional side-out scoring only the serving side can score, and doubles players call three numbers before each serve (server's score, receiver's score, server number), starting at 0-0-2.
Pickleball scoring rules at a glance
| Rule | What the USA Pickleball rules say |
|---|---|
| Scoring system | Side-out scoring is the official method; rally scoring is a provisional alternative |
| Who can score | Only the serving side. A rally won by the receiving side wins the serve, not a point |
| Game | First to 11, win by 2, no cap: 12-10, 13-11 and so on |
| Match | Best 2 of 3 games to 11 (the recommended tournament format) |
| Other formats | Best 3 of 5 games to 11, one game to 15, or one game to 21 |
| Doubles score call | Server's score, receiver's score, server number, for example 4-2-1 |
| Singles score call | Server's score, receiver's score, for example 4-2 |
| First call of a doubles game | 0-0-2 |
| Serving court | Singles: the server's own score, even right and odd left. Doubles: the team's score places its starting server (right when even, left when odd); server 2 serves from where they stand |
| Changing ends | After each game. In a deciding game or a one-game match, also when the first side reaches 6 (game to 11), 8 (game to 15) or 11 (game to 21) |
How does side-out scoring work in doubles?
Each team gets 2 servers per turn, one after the other, and only the serving team can score. A turn runs like this:
- Every side out starts with a serve from the right-hand court. The player standing there is server 1.
- If the serving team wins the rally, it scores a point. The server moves to the other court, swapping with their partner, and serves again to the other receiver.
- If the serving team loses the rally, nobody scores. Server 1's turn ends and the partner, server 2, serves from the court they are standing in.
- When server 2 also loses a rally, it is a side out: the serve passes to the other team, which starts again at step 1.
- The receiving team never scores and never switches courts. Winning a rally on the return only takes the serve off the servers.
How do you call the score in doubles?
Before each serve the server calls three numbers: their team's score, the receiving team's score, then the server number. "4-2-1" means the serving team has 4, the receivers have 2 and the first server is serving. The full score must be called before the serve, and the serve must follow within 10 seconds after the score is called. If you lose track mid-game, the pickleball score caller gives you the call and the server number after each rally.
The 0-0-2 start
The team that serves first in a game gets only one server on its opening turn, so its first server is called server 2 and the game opens at 0-0-2. One lost rally then hands the serve over, as it would for any server 2. From the next turn on, both teams get two servers. The 0-0-2 explainer covers why.
A doubles game, rally by rally
Ana and Ben (Us) serve first against Cal and Dee (Them). Ana and Cal start in the right-hand courts. The call is what the server says before the next serve: the serving team's score first, then the receivers', then the server number. We checked this table by hand against the rules above.
| Rally | Won by | Next call | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start | – | 0-0-2 | Ana serves from the right. First-server exception: Ana and Ben get one server this turn |
| 1 | Us | 1-0-2 | Point. Ana switches to the left court and serves again |
| 2 | Us | 2-0-2 | Point. Ana serves from the right |
| 3 | Them | 0-2-1 | Side out: Ana and Ben had only one server on the opening turn. Cal serves from the right |
| 4 | Them | 1-2-1 | Point. Cal serves again, from the left |
| 5 | Us | 1-2-2 | No point. Dee, server 2, serves from where she stands: the right |
| 6 | Them | 2-2-2 | Point. Dee serves again, from the left |
| 7 | Us | 2-2-1 | Side out: Cal and Dee have both lost a rally on serve. Ana serves from the right |
| 8 | Us | 3-2-1 | Point. Ana serves from the left |
| 9 | Them | 3-2-2 | No point. Ben, server 2, serves from the right |
| 10 | Them | 2-3-1 | Side out. Cal serves from the right. 10 rallies, 5 points |
Two things to notice. Ana and Ben lost the serve after a single lost rally at rally 3 because of the 0-0-2 exception, while Cal and Dee needed two lost rallies (5 and 7). And Dee and Ben both served from the right on an odd team score, which is normal for a second server.
Which side do you serve from?
Use the serving side's score: even (0, 2, 4...) means the right-hand court, odd means the left.
- Singles: the server's own score picks the court, every serve.
- Doubles: the score tells you where the team's starting server (the player who began the game on the right) should be: on the right when the team's score is even, on the left when it is odd. Use it to check positions. The second server serves from wherever they stand.
Only the server and receiver have to be in the correct court for the score. Their partners may stand anywhere on their side, which is why stacking is legal.
What changes in singles?
Singles uses the same side-out rules with one server per side, so losing a rally on serve is an immediate side out. There is no server number: the call is two numbers, server's score first, and a game opens at 0-0. Pickleball singles scoring plays a game finish rally by rally, with the call and the serving court for each serve.
What changes with rally scoring?
Rally scoring is USA Pickleball's provisional alternative. Every rally scores a point for the side that wins it, whoever served, and the rally winner serves next. There is no second server, so the call is two numbers, serving team first. Games are 11, 15 or 21 points, win by 2. Since 1 January 2026, either side can win the game-winning rally.
| Rally | Won by | Score | Games won (scores) | Serving next | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Us | 9–8 | 0–0 | Us | Won on the return: a point and the serve |
| 2 | Us | 10–8 | 0–0 | Us | Won on serve. 10-8 is game point |
| 3 | Them | 10–9 | 0–0 | Them | Won on the return: a point and the serve |
| 4 | Them | 10–10 | 0–0 | Them | Level at 10-10 |
| 5 | Us | 11–10 | 0–0 | Us | 11-10 is not a win: a game needs a 2-point lead |
| 6 | Them | 11–11 | 0–0 | Them | Level again at 11-11 |
| 7 | Us | 12–11 | 0–0 | Us | A 1-point lead again, 12-11 |
| 8 | Us | Game to Us | 1–0 (13–11) | Us | 13-11: a 2-point lead wins the game |
Scored point by point by the same scoring rules the app uses. On the last row, Games shows the finished game's score.
Rally vs side-out scoring plays the same rallies under both systems and covers the 2026 rule change.
When does a game or match end?
A game ends as soon as one side reaches 11 with a 2-point lead. There is no cap and no tiebreak game: at 10-10 play simply continues until someone leads by 2, so 12-10 or 15-13 are normal scores. Tournaments can also play games to 15 or 21, all won by 2.
A match is usually the best of three games, so the first side to win 2 games wins. The teams change ends after each game, with a break of 2 minutes before the next one.
How the app handles it
Sport Score Tracker scores pickleball with one tap per rally: you record only which side won it. Rally scoring is the default. Side-out scoring is an option, and in it a rally won by the receiving side passes the serve and scores no point. You can play singles or doubles, games to 11, 15 or 21, won by two or by one, over a single game or the best of 3 or 5. The scoreboard shows each side's points and games won, and marks the serving side.
Side-out doubles is only partly supported. The app does not track server 1 and server 2 or the 0-0-2 start, and it passes the serve after any rally the serving team loses, so each team gets one server per turn instead of two. If you tap every rally, a point won by a second server is recorded as a side out with no point, and the score on screen drifts from the official count. For side-out doubles, use the pickleball score caller; in the app, play rally scoring or side-out singles. The app also does not show which court to serve from or prompt the change of ends.
Questions
Who serves first in pickleball?
The side that wins the coin toss chooses to serve, receive, pick an end, or defer, and the other side takes the remaining choice.
When do you switch sides in pickleball?
Teams change ends after each game. In a deciding game, or a one-game match, they also switch when the first team reaches 6 in a game to 11, 8 in a game to 15, or 11 in a game to 21.
How many timeouts do you get in pickleball?
Each side gets 2 in a game to 11 or 15, 3 in a game to 21, and each time-out lasts up to 1 minute.
Is there a let serve in pickleball?
No. A serve that clips the net and lands in the correct court is in play, so the rally goes on and counts like any other. Service lets were removed from the USA Pickleball rules in 2021.
Last reviewed September 25, 2026
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