How Is Pickleball Scored?
Rally Scoring vs Side-Out, Games to 11, Win by 2, Best of 3 & the Complete Point System
Last updated: April 6, 2026
Pickleball games are played to 11 points with a mandatory win-by-2 rule — if the score reaches 10-10, play continues until one side leads by 2. Matches are best of 3 games. Traditionally, pickleball uses side-out scoring (only the serving side can score), but rally scoring (every rally = a point) is increasingly adopted in professional play and recreational leagues. Under rally scoring, every rally awards a point to the winning side regardless of who served.
Traditional Side-Out Scoring: How It Works
For most of pickleball's history, the sport has used side-out scoring, which means only the serving team can score points. If the receiving team wins the rally, they do not earn a point — they simply gain the serve (a "side-out"). This system is still used in most recreational play and many amateur tournaments.
In doubles side-out scoring, each team has two servers. When the first server loses a rally, the serve passes to the second server (the partner). When the second server also loses a rally, the serve passes to the opposing team. The exception is at the start of the game: the team that serves first gets only one server (not two), starting as "Server 2" — this balances the inherent advantage of serving first.
Score calling in side-out doubles uses three numbers: the serving team's score, the receiving team's score, and the server number (1 or 2). For example, "4-2-1" means the serving team has 4 points, the receiving team has 2 points, and it is Server 1 serving.
In singles side-out scoring, there is only one server per side, so the score is called with two numbers. The server serves from the right court when their score is even (0, 2, 4...) and from the left court when their score is odd (1, 3, 5...). This alternating pattern is a key rule that helps track the score.
Side-out scoring produces unpredictable game lengths because many rallies result in no points being scored. A side-out rally advances the game state (by changing the server) but does not change the score, which can make games feel slower and longer.
Rally Scoring: The Modern Alternative
Rally scoring is increasingly used in professional pickleball and many recreational leagues. Under rally scoring, every rally results in a point for the team that wins the rally — regardless of which team served. This is the same system used in modern volleyball, badminton, and table tennis.
Why the shift to rally scoring?
- Predictable game lengths: Since every rally produces a point, games end faster and match durations are more consistent — ideal for tournament scheduling and broadcast.
- Simpler for spectators: Fans can immediately understand the impact of each rally without needing to know who is serving.
- Reduced serving advantage: In side-out scoring, the serving team has a significant structural advantage (only they can score). Rally scoring levels the playing field.
- More excitement: Close games have more drama when every rally changes the score.
Major League Pickleball (MLP) has used rally scoring since its inception, and the PPA Tour has adopted rally scoring for portions of its events. USA Pickleball has experimented with rally scoring formats at various levels, and the consensus in the professional community is moving toward rally scoring as the standard.
JudgeMate uses rally scoring for pickleball. Every rally awards a point to the winning side, games go to 11 points, win by 2, best of 3. This reflects the direction of the sport and provides the clearest, most intuitive experience for live score tracking.
The Win-by-2 Rule
Regardless of whether side-out or rally scoring is used, pickleball requires a minimum 2-point advantage to win a game. A game cannot end at 11-10 — play must continue until one side leads by at least 2 points.
Examples:
- Score reaches 11-9 → Game over. The side with 11 wins (2-point advantage satisfied).
- Score reaches 11-10 → Game continues. No 2-point advantage yet.
- Score reaches 12-10 → Game over. The side with 12 wins.
- Score reaches 11-11 → Game continues.
- Score reaches 13-11 → Game over. The side with 13 wins.
There is no cap on the score — games can theoretically continue indefinitely until the 2-point margin is achieved. In practice, scores above 15-13 are rare, but they do occur in highly competitive matches.
The win-by-2 rule ensures that a game cannot be decided by a single lucky point. The winning side must demonstrate a clear advantage over two consecutive scoring opportunities, which adds drama and fairness to close games.
The Serving Sequence in Doubles
Understanding the serving sequence is essential for pickleball scoring, particularly in doubles with side-out scoring. Here is how it works:
Starting the game:
- The team that wins the coin toss (or paddle spin) chooses to serve or receive.
- The starting server serves from the right-hand court (even court).
- The starting team begins with only one server — they start as "Server 2." This means if they lose the first rally, the serve immediately passes to the opponents. This rule compensates for the advantage of serving first.
During the game:
- The server serves diagonally crosscourt.
- If the serving team wins the rally (in side-out scoring), they score a point and the same server switches sides (right to left, or left to right) and serves again.
- If the serving team loses the rally, the serve passes to the second server (the partner). The players do not switch sides on a side-out.
- If the second server also loses a rally, the serve passes to the opposing team (this is the "side-out"). The opponents' Server 1 begins from the right-hand court.
Right court = even score, left court = odd score: The server's position on the court corresponds to the serving team's score. If the serving team's score is even (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10...), the server who started on the right serves from the right court. If the score is odd (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11...), they serve from the left court. This rule helps players verify they are in the correct position.
Under rally scoring, the serving sequence is simplified because every rally produces a point, and the serve simply alternates or follows the rally-scoring rotation rules set by the tournament.
The Non-Volley Zone (Kitchen) and Its Impact on Scoring
The non-volley zone (NVZ), universally called the "kitchen," is a 7-foot zone on each side of the net. Its rules directly impact scoring because kitchen violations are among the most commonly called faults in pickleball.
The rule is simple but strict: A player may not volley the ball (hit it out of the air without letting it bounce) while any part of their body is touching the kitchen or the kitchen line. Furthermore, a player's momentum after a volley cannot carry them into the kitchen — if a player volleys and then stumbles or steps into the kitchen, it is a fault, even if the ball has already been played.
Common kitchen violations that affect scoring:
- Stepping on the kitchen line while volleying.
- Momentum carrying a player into the kitchen after a volley.
- A player's partner standing in the kitchen during a volley (even if the volleying player is behind the line).
- Dropping a paddle or any item into the kitchen during a volley.
What is allowed in the kitchen:
- Entering the kitchen at any time to play a ball that has bounced (this is called a "dink" and is one of the most important shots in pickleball).
- Standing in the kitchen between rallies.
- Moving through the kitchen when not volleying.
The kitchen rule is what makes pickleball tactically distinct from tennis and badminton. It prevents players from standing at the net and smashing every ball, encouraging instead a game of finesse, patience, and the soft "dinking" exchanges that define high-level pickleball.
Service Rules That Affect Scoring
A fault on the serve has direct scoring consequences — either a point for the opponent (rally scoring) or loss of serve (side-out scoring). Here are the service rules every player must know:
Underhand serve: The serve must be struck with an underhand motion. At contact, the paddle must be moving in an upward arc, and the highest point of the paddle head must be below the wrist. Additionally, contact must occur below the waist (the navel). This eliminates overhead serves and power serves that would dominate the game.
Diagonal crosscourt: The serve must travel diagonally, landing in the opponent's service court (the area beyond the kitchen on the opposite diagonal side). A serve that lands in the kitchen or on the kitchen line is a fault.
One serve attempt: Unlike tennis, there is no second serve in pickleball. If the serve is faulted (into the net, out of bounds, or into the kitchen), it is immediately a fault.
Let serve: If the serve clips the top of the net but still lands in the correct service court, it is a let and is replayed (no fault, no point). There is no limit on the number of consecutive lets.
Drop serve (alternative): Players may also use a drop serve — they drop the ball from any natural height (no throwing or tossing upward) and hit it after it bounces. The drop serve has no restrictions on paddle position at contact, making it easier for beginners.
Foot fault: The server must have both feet behind the baseline at the moment of contact. Stepping on or over the baseline before or during the serve is a fault.
Worked Example: A Rally-Scoring Pickleball Game
Here is a simplified example of how scoring works in a rally-scoring pickleball game (as used in JudgeMate):
Game start: Team A serves. Score is 0-0.
| Rally | Winner | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Team A | 1-0 | Team A serves, wins rally, scores 1 point |
| 2 | Team B | 1-1 | Team A serves, Team B wins rally, scores 1 point |
| 3 | Team B | 1-2 | Team B serves, wins rally, scores 1 point |
| 4 | Team A | 2-2 | Team B serves, Team A wins rally, scores 1 point |
| ... | ... | ... | Every rally = a point for the winner |
| 19 | Team A | 10-9 | Team A leads but cannot win yet (no 2-pt advantage) |
| 20 | Team A | 11-9 | Team A wins the game (11-9, 2-point advantage achieved) |
If the score had reached 10-10:
| Rally | Winner | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Team B | 10-10 | Tied — no team can win at 11-10 |
| 21 | Team A | 11-10 | Team A leads but still no 2-pt advantage |
| 22 | Team B | 11-11 | Tied again |
| 23 | Team A | 12-11 | Still no 2-pt advantage |
| 24 | Team A | 13-11 | Team A wins! (13-11, 2-point advantage achieved) |
Match progression: If this was Game 1 and Team A won, the match score is 1-0 (games). If Team B wins Game 2, it goes to 1-1 and a deciding Game 3 is played. The first team to win 2 games wins the match.
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