The Basics: Only the Serving Team Can Score (Usually)
In standard pickleball, points are only awarded to the serving team. If the receiving team wins a rally, they don’t get a point — they just get the serve back. This is called side-out scoring, and it’s the format used in most recreational and competitive play.
Games are played to 11 points, and you must win by 2. In tournament play, some matches use games to 15 or 21, still win-by-2.
If you’d rather not keep the count in your head, our free Score Keeper tracks the score and who’s serving — it runs on your phone and works offline.
The Three-Number Calling System
Every time you serve in doubles, you call out three numbers — and if you don’t know what they mean, it sounds like complete gibberish.
Score-Score-Server
The format is: [Your team’s score] - [Opponent’s score] - [Server number]
So “4-2-1” means:
- Your team has 4 points
- Opponents have 2 points
- You are server 1 (the first server for your team this possession)
The server number only matters in doubles. At the start of each new possession, the team gets two chances to score — one for each player. Server 1 serves until they fault, then Server 2 takes over. When Server 2 faults, the serve passes to the other team.
The Exception: Start of Game
At the very beginning of a game, the first serving team starts with only one server (server 2). This is a deliberate rule to reduce the first-serve advantage. So the opening call is always “0-0-2.”
Doubles Serving Rotation
Here’s how it flows:
- Your team gets the serve. The player on the right side serves first (Server 1).
- They keep serving as long as their team wins rallies and scores points.
- When Server 1 faults, Server 2 (left side) takes over. Players don’t switch sides.
- When Server 2 faults, the entire serve goes to the other team (a side-out).
- The other team now has their two servers, starting from the right side.
A common beginner mistake: thinking players switch sides after each point in doubles. They don’t. In doubles, you only switch sides when you score a point. Server 1 stays on the right when it’s their serve — they only swap when their team earns a point and they rotate.
Switching Sides When You Score
In doubles, your team switches sides every time you score a point. So if you score with Server 1 from the right side, you and your partner now swap — you move to the left, partner moves to the right — and Server 1 serves again from the right side (which is now physically where you are).
This is how you track who’s “supposed” to be on which side: your position on the court encodes the parity of points scored. Even score = you started on the right and are still on the right. Odd score = you’ve flipped.
Singles Scoring
Singles is simpler. There’s only one server per team, so no server number. The call is just [Your score] - [Opponent’s score].
- Even score: serve from the right side
- Odd score: serve from the left side
Rally Scoring: The Alternative Format
Rally scoring awards a point on every rally, regardless of who served. The team or player that wins the rally scores. This format is used in some leagues, pro exhibitions, and casual games where players want faster matches.
Under rally scoring, games typically go to 21, win by 2. You still rotate serve based on side-out, but points accumulate much faster. Our Score Keeper has a rally-scoring toggle (and adjustable win score), so it handles whichever format your group plays.
Rally scoring is increasingly popular in organized leagues. Major League Pickleball (MLP) uses a modified rally scoring format. As of 2026, USA Pickleball still uses side-out scoring for official sanctioned play, but many recreational leagues have switched.
Quick Reference
| Situation | What to Do |
|---|---|
| Start of game (doubles) | Call “0-0-2” |
| Win a rally while serving | Score a point, switch sides with partner |
| Lose a rally as Server 1 | Pass serve to Server 2 (no point, no side switch) |
| Lose a rally as Server 2 | Side-out — other team gets the serve |
| Win a rally while receiving | Side-out — you get the serve |
| Singles, even score | Serve from right side |
| Singles, odd score | Serve from left side |
Common Scoring Mistakes
Calling the wrong server number. If you lose track of who is Server 1 vs Server 2, look at positions. The player on the right when a new possession starts is always Server 1.
Scoring on a side-out. You cannot score when you’re receiving. If you win the rally as the receiving team, you get the serve — that’s it.
Forgetting to switch sides. After every point you score in doubles, you and your partner switch sides. Many recreational players forget this and drift into the wrong positions by mid-game.
Wrong starting position in singles. Your score determines your side. Even = right, odd = left. If you’re on the wrong side when you serve, it’s a fault.