Scoring is the part of pickleball that confuses most newcomers, and it is the one thing that can make a casual game grind to a halt. The good news is that once you understand the logic behind it, calling the score becomes second nature. This guide walks through traditional side-out scoring, why you only score on your own serve, how to read out those three numbers you keep hearing in doubles, and where in Australia you can practise the call without any pressure.
The basics: games to 11, win by 2
Most recreational and tournament pickleball games are played to 11 points, and you must win by 2. So if the score reaches 10-10, play continues until one side leads by two clear points (12-10, 13-11, and so on). Some tournament matches are played to 15 or 21, again win by 2, but 11 is the standard you will see at almost every local court.
A match is usually the best of three games. For a quick social hit, a single game to 11 is the norm.
Why you only score on your serve
This is the rule that trips people up. In traditional pickleball, only the serving side can score a point. This is called side-out scoring.
- If the serving side wins the rally, they score a point and keep serving.
- If the receiving side wins the rally, no point is scored. Instead, the serve passes to the other side (a side-out), and now they get the chance to score.
So you can win plenty of rallies while receiving and still not move the scoreboard. Your job when receiving is to win the rally to earn back the serve, then start scoring.
If you are still getting your head around the wider ruleset, the pickleball rules explained article covers faults, the kitchen, and the two-bounce rule in more detail.
The three numbers in doubles
In doubles, the server calls out three numbers before every serve, in this order:
- The serving team’s score
- The receiving team’s score
- The server number (1 or 2)
So a call of “5-3-2” means the serving team has 5 points, the receiving team has 3, and the player serving is the second server.
What the “server number” means
In doubles, both players on a team get a turn to serve before the serve passes to the opponents, with one important exception at the very start of the game. The server number tells everyone which of the two players is currently serving.
- Server 1 serves until their team loses a rally.
- The serve then passes to server 2 on the same team.
- When server 2’s team loses a rally, that is a side-out and the serve goes to the opponents.
The first serve of the game
At the start of every new game, the first serving team only gets one server. Their call begins as “0-0-2” rather than “0-0-1”. This is sometimes called the second-server exception. It exists so the team that serves first does not get an unfair advantage from two full service turns before their opponents touch the ball. After that very first turn, both teams get two servers per side-out as normal.
The serving rotation and switching sides
This is where the score itself tells you where to stand. In doubles, the server’s score determines which side of the court they serve from.
- When your team’s score is even (0, 2, 4 and so on), the player who started the game on the right serves from the right-hand side.
- When your team’s score is odd (1, 3, 5 and so on), that same player serves from the left.
How partners switch
Players only switch sides with their partner after their team scores a point on serve. You stay on your respective sides through the whole rally and only swap once you win the point. The receiving team never switches positions based on the score; they stay where they are.
A useful sanity check: at any time, the correct server should be standing on the side that matches whether their team’s score is even or odd. If something feels wrong, pause and check the score against the position before serving.
Singles scoring
Singles is simpler because there is only one server per side. You still only score on serve, and you still call two numbers (your score, then your opponent’s score). The even and odd rule applies to you as the single player: serve from the right when your score is even, and from the left when it is odd. There is no server number to call.
A note on rally scoring
You may come across rally scoring, where a point is awarded on every rally regardless of who served. It is faster and easier to follow, which is why it appears in some social sessions, leagues, and team formats. Games are often played to 15 or 21 under rally scoring to balance the quicker pace. If you are curious about how scoring works at the top of the sport, Australia now has a professional competition, the National Pickleball League, whose team-based matches are a good watch for seeing formats beyond the standard game to 11.
Traditional side-out scoring remains the standard for most clubs and for tournaments sanctioned by the national governing body, Pickleball Australia (pickleballaus.org), so it is worth learning properly. If a venue uses rally scoring, they will usually tell you before you start.
Where to practise calling the score
Reading about the three numbers only gets you so far. The place to lock them in is a social or open play session, where games rotate quickly, nobody minds if you pause mid-call, and there is usually an experienced player on court happy to correct you. A few venues around the country make this especially easy:
- In Melbourne, Bayside Pickleball Club in Hampton grades its sessions by level. Novice sessions run Wednesday 1-2pm, Saturday 12:30-1:30pm and Sunday 1:30-3:30pm, so you are calling the score alongside other players still learning it too.
- On the Sunshine Coast, The Pickleball Hive in Buderim runs New Bee sessions for newer players on Saturday and Sunday mornings, 8-10am or 10am-12pm.
- In Sydney’s south-west, Pickle Point in Milperra hosts all-levels Funday Pickleball Socials on Monday, Wednesday and Sunday nights from 8-10pm.
- In the Adelaide Hills, the Adelaide Hills Recreation Centre in Mount Barker holds a weekly pickleball session on Wednesdays from 10am to noon.
Dedicated indoor centres are another option. Kingston Pickleball Centre in Chelsea Heights, Victoria, runs group social match play alongside its beginner coaching programs, with court hire at $30 per hour on weekdays before 4pm and $40 per hour at peak times if you would rather drill the rotation with friends first.
Putting it into practice
The fastest way to lock this in is to play. Call the score out loud every single serve, even when it feels awkward, because saying the three numbers builds the habit far quicker than reading about it. Within a few games it stops being a chore.
If you are still finding your feet, the beginner’s guide to pickleball is a good companion read. When you are ready to get on court, browse the full directory of pickleball courts or use the interactive map to find a social session near you.
