Pickleball Scoring: Who Serves and Which Side, Explained

Only the serving side scores

In standard pickleball scoring, you score a point only when your side is serving and wins the rally. If the receiving side wins the rally, they don’t score: they take one step closer to getting the serve. A game is usually played to 11, win by 2, so 11–10 isn’t over yet, but 12–10 is.

Calling the score in doubles

Before every serve, the server calls three numbers:

1. The serving side’s score
2. The receiving side’s score
3. The server number: 1 if this is the first partner to serve in this turn, 2 if it’s the second

So “5-3-1” means the serving side has 5, the other side has 3, and the first server is serving. The whole score has to be called before the serve; serving in the middle of the call is a fault.

Why games start at 0-0-2

The side that serves first only gets one server on its first turn, to balance out the advantage of serving first. The rulebook treats that player as the second server, so the first call of the game is “0-0-2.” When that side loses its first rally, the serve goes straight to the other side.

First server, second server, side out

From then on, each side gets two serves per turn:

1. After the serve comes over, the player standing on the right is the first server.
2. They keep serving as long as their side keeps winning rallies, switching sides with their partner after each point.
3. When their side loses a rally, the partner becomes the second server and serves from wherever they’re standing.
4. When the second server’s side loses a rally, it’s a side out: the other side serves, starting with their player on the right.

Where to stand

Only the serving side switches sides, and only when it scores. A simple check keeps everyone honest: the player who served first for your side in the game is on the right whenever your side’s score is even (0, 2, 4…) and on the left when it’s odd. That’s true whether you’re serving or receiving. If positions get mixed up, that’s the fix.

The serve always goes diagonally, crosscourt, to the receiver on the same side (right to right, left to left).

Singles

Singles has one server per side, so the score is just two numbers: the server’s score, then the receiver’s, starting at “0-0.” The server serves from the right when their own score is even and from the left when it’s odd. Lose the rally and it’s a side out.

A short example

Rally	Who wins	Call before the next serve	What happened
Start	–	0-0-2	Side A’s player on the right serves
1	Side A	1-0-2	A scores; the A partners swap sides; same server
2	Side B	0-1-1	Side out (A had only one server); B’s player on the right serves
3	Side A	0-1-2	B’s partner serves next, from where they stand
4	Side A	1-0-1	Side out; A’s player now on the right serves

The score tracker does this for you rally by rally, and draws where everyone should stand.

Rally scoring

Some groups and tournaments now play rally scoring, where whichever side wins the rally scores, serving or not. It’s a provisional option in the rulebook, not the standard. Under rally scoring the score is called as two numbers, and each doubles side serves with one player before the serve goes over. Since 2026 there’s no exception at game point: the receiving side can win the game on a rally it wins. Agree on the scoring before you start.

Tournament formats

Tournaments may play one game to 11, 15 or 21, or best 2 of 3 or 3 of 5 games to 11, all win by 2. In a game to 11, players switch ends when the first side reaches 6.