SADDLEBROOKE RANCH PICKLEBALL CLUB – HOW PICKLEBALL SCORING WORKS

How Pickleball Scoring Works: A Complete Guide

1. The Basics of Pickleball Scoring
• Games are played to 11 points (sometimes 15 or 21 in tournaments).
• You must win by 2 points (e.g., 11–9 is a win, but 11–10 is not).
• Only the serving team can score points. If you’re receiving, you cannot earn
points—only the right to serve.
2. The Three-Number Score
• Pickleball uses a three-number format when announcing the score:
• Server’s Score – Receiver’s Score – Server Number
• Example: “5–3–2”
• 5 = Serving team’s score
• 3 = Receiving team’s score
• 2 = Second server in the serving team’s rotation
3. Serving Rotation
• Each team has two servers per turn (except at the start of the game).
• The first server serves until they lose a rally, then the second server serves.
• When both servers lose their serve, the ball goes to the other team—this is called a
side out.
4. Starting the Game
• At the beginning of the game, the serving team only gets one server (the second
server).
• So the first score call will end with “2” (e.g., “0–0–2”).
5. How Points Are Won
• If the serving team wins a rally, they earn a point and the same server continues
serving.
• If they lose a rally, the serve passes to the next server on their team (or to the other
team if both servers have served).
6. Common Scoring Example
• Imagine Team A starts serving:
• Score: 0–0–2 (start of game)
• Team A wins rally ® Score becomes 1–0–2
• Team A loses rally ® Side out, Team B serves
• Team B starts with 0–1–1 (first server)
• And so on…
7. Winning the Game
• First team to 11 points, win by 2, wins the game.
• In tournaments, games may go to 15 or 21 points, but the “win by 2” rule always
applies.
Quick Tips for Beginners
• Always call the score before serving.
• Remember: Only the serving team scores points.
• Learn the three-number format—it’s the most confusing part for new players!

Serving Rotation: Server 1 ® Server 2 ® Side Out ® Opponent Server 1 ® Opponent Server 2