Pickleball Scoring Made Simple: Learn Traditional & Rally Scoring Easily

Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world—fun, social, and easy to learn. But if there’s one part that often confuses new players, it’s the scoring system. The good news? Once you understand the basics, it becomes second nature. In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about pickleball scoring—explaining the two main systems and giving you simple tricks to remember them—so you can quickly learn how scoring works and focus on enjoying the game.

Hawaii Pickleball Lingo: Essential Terms Guide

Pickleball Scoring Made Simple

Two Main Types of Scoring

  1. Traditional / Side-Out Scoring (used in most recreational play and official tournaments)

  2. Rally Scoring (newer, sometimes used in leagues & tournaments)

1. Traditional Pickleball Scoring / Side-Out Scoring

✅ Only the serving team can score points.
✅ Games are usually played to 11, win by 2.
✅ In doubles, each team gets two servers per turn (except the very first serve of the game).
✅ The score is always called as:
Server score – Receiver score – Server number (1 or 2)

How to Remember:

  • Server’s score decides side: Even = Right, Odd = Left.

  • Call three numbers in doubles. Example: “3–2–1” → Server has 3, Opponent has 2, First server is serving.

Example (Doubles):

  • Start of game → “0–0–2” (only one server starts)

  • Team A serves and scores → “1–0–2” (server switches sides)

  • They lose the next rally → second server serves → “1–0–1”

  • Lose again → side out → Team B serves at “0–1–2”

2.  Pickleball Rally Scoring

✅ Every rally is a point, no matter who serves.
✅ Games usually go to 15,21,25, win by 2.
✅ No second server—just one serve per side.
✅ Still: Even score = Right side, Odd score = Left side.

How to Remember:

  • Score = Point → Every rally counts.

  • Win on your serve → You must serve to win the game.

Example (Singles Rally Scoring):

  • Start: 0–0, server on right.

  • Server wins rally → 1–0, switch to left.

  • Server loses rally → Opponent gets a point (0–1) and now serves.

  • Continue until someone reaches 15 and wins by 2.

Quick Tricks to Keep It Straight

  • Say it in order: Your score first, opponent’s score second.

  • Even = Right, Odd = Left.

  • In doubles traditional → Don’t forget the 3rd number (server 1 or 2).

  • In rally scoring → Every rally counts, but you can only win the game on your serve.

Beginner Example (Traditional Doubles)

  • Start: “0–0–2”

  • A scores a point → “1–0–2” (server moves to left side)

  • A scores again → “2–0–2” (back to right side)

  • A loses rally → partner serves → “2–0–1”

  • Partner loses rally → side out, Team B starts at “0–2–2”

That’s it! Remember:

  • Traditional = Only servers score, 3 numbers.

  • Rally = Everyone scores, 2 numbers.

Now that you know how to keep score, you’re already on your way to having more fun and confidence on the court. Scoring no longer has to be confusing—and that means you can focus on enjoying the rallies, teamwork, and strategy that make pickleball so addictive.

If you’re ready to take the next step and actually improve your game, check out our guide on the Core Principles Helping Hawai‘i Pickleball Players Elevate Their Game. These proven tips will help you sharpen your skills, build confidence, and start winning more points.