Pickleball scoring: how to keep score in doubles and singles
The score is called before every serve — all three numbers, out loud.
Pickleball scoring is the part that makes new players hesitate before serving, and it comes down to one unfamiliar idea: the score has three numbers, not two. Once you know what the third number is for, the rest is arithmetic — games to 11, win by two, and only the serving team can score.
How to call the score in doubles
Before every serve, the server calls three numbers, out loud, in this order:
Your score — their score — server number.
So 6-3-2 means your team has six, the other team has three, and you are the second of your team’s two servers. The server number is always 1 or 2, and it refers to you, not to the point.
Call it before you toss, not after. If you call the wrong score and the rally is played out, the rulebook lets either team stop play to correct it before the next serve — after that, the score stands.
Why the third number exists
In doubles, both partners get to serve before the serve passes to the other team. The third number is how everyone knows which of the two is currently up.
- Server 1 loses the rally → the serve passes to their partner, who becomes server 2.
- Server 2 loses the rally → side-out. The serve goes to the other team.
Without that number, the receiving team cannot tell whether the next fault ends the other team’s turn, and neither can the servers. It is bookkeeping, and it is why the call is not optional.
What 0-0-2 means at the start
The first serve of a game is called 0-0-2, which looks like a mistake and is not.
The team serving first gets only one server in that opening turn. If they lose the rally, the serve goes straight to the opponents rather than to the partner. Calling their server “second server” is how that is expressed. It exists so the team that wins the toss does not get two free chances before the other team has touched a serve.
Only the serving team scores
This is traditional side-out scoring, and it is what rec play and most USA Pickleball tournaments use. Win a rally on your serve and you get a point. Win a rally on the return and you get nothing but the chance to serve.
That is why games take longer than the score suggests, and why a team can dominate rallies and still lose: points only come from your own serve.
Where you stand, and when you switch
Your position is set by your score, not by whose turn it is.
- Even team score (0, 2, 4…) — the server serves from the right side.
- Odd team score (1, 3, 5…) — the server serves from the left.
Partners swap positions with each other only after their team scores a point. The receiving team never swaps position mid-turn; receivers stay put and take the ball on the side it comes to.
That one rule is a self-check: if your score is even and you are about to serve from the left, someone has lost track.
Winning: 11, by two
Games go to 11 points, and you must win by two. At 10-10 the game continues — 12-10, 13-11 and so on — with no cap. Tournaments sometimes play to 15 or 21, still by two, usually for medal matches or shortened round robins.
Sides change at 6 in a game to 11 so nobody plays a whole game into the wind or the sun.
Singles scoring: two numbers
In singles there is no second server, so the score has two numbers: yours and theirs. Everything else holds — serve from the right when your score is even, from the left when it is odd, only the server scores, 11 by two.
That even/odd rule does the whole job of telling you where to stand, which is why singles scoring is genuinely easier once you have played doubles.
Rally scoring: what is different
In rally scoring, every rally produces a point regardless of who served. It is used by Major League Pickleball and some league formats, usually to games of 21 with a hard cap, and it makes match length predictable — which is the point, for broadcast.
It is not what your local rec session plays, and it is not what the USA Pickleball rulebook uses for standard tournament play. Learn side-out scoring first; rally scoring takes ten seconds to pick up afterwards.
The common mistakes
- Calling two numbers in doubles. The server number is not optional.
- Forgetting to swap with your partner after scoring — the even/odd check catches it.
- Assuming a won rally on the return is a point. It is a serve, not a point.
- Serving before the receiver is ready. The receiver can hold up a hand; a serve struck before they are set is replayed.
Common questions
How do you keep score in pickleball?
Call three numbers before every serve in doubles: your team score, the opponents score, and whether you are the first or second server. Only the serving team can score a point. Games are played to 11 and must be won by two points.
Why is the pickleball score three numbers?
The third number tells everyone which of the two partners is serving. When the first server loses the rally, the serve passes to their partner as second server; when the second server loses it, the serve goes to the other team. Without that number nobody can tell whether a side-out is next.
What does 0-0-2 mean in pickleball?
It is the first serve of the game. The team serving first only gets one server in their opening turn, so their server is designated the second server — 0-0-2. This stops the first team gaining an advantage from two chances before the opponents have served at all.
How many points do you need to win a pickleball game?
Eleven, won by a margin of two. If the score reaches 10-10 the game continues until one team leads by two. Tournament matches sometimes use 15 or 21 points, also win by two.