A Beginner's Guide to Pickleball's Unique 3-Number Scoring System
Pickleball’s charm lies in its simplicity: a small court, a lightweight paddle, and easy-to-learn rules. Yet, for many newcomers, the most confusing part of the game isn’t the non-volley zone (the “Kitchen”), but the way the score is kept. If you’ve ever heard a player call out a score like “6-3-1” and wondered what the third number means, you're not alone.
Unlike tennis or badminton, pickleball uses a distinctive side-out scoring system, which, once mastered, becomes intuitive. This article will break down the essential rules of pickleball scoring, ensuring you can keep the game moving without hesitation.
The Foundation: Scoring Basics
To start, let’s establish the core goals and rules that govern scoring:
Game Target: A standard pickleball game is played to 11 points.
Winning Margin: Just like volleyball, the winning team must have a lead of at least 2 points. This means a score of 11–10 is not a win; play continues until the score is 12–10, 13–11, and so on.
Serve is Power (Side-Out Scoring): This is the most crucial rule: only the serving team can score a point. If the receiving team wins a rally, they do not gain a point; they simply get the opportunity to "side out" and take over the serve. This rule rewards consistency and the ability to hold the serve.
Match Length: Most non-tournament matches are played as the best two out of three games to determine the winner.
The Three-Number Puzzle: Calling the Score in Doubles
In doubles pickleball the most popular format is where every single score announced contains three numbers. This is the heart of the system and a necessity for tracking server rotation.
The sequence is always called in this order:
Serving Team’s Score > Receiving Team’s > Score Server Number (1 or 2)
Let’s use the example: "6-3-1"
6: The serving team currently has 6 points.
3: The receiving team currently has 3 points.
1: The first player on the serving team is currently serving.
This method ensures everyone on the court knows who should be serving, which side of the court they should be serving from, and the match status, all in one quick call.
Note on Singles: In singles play, the scoring is simpler. Since there's only one person per team, the score is called using only two numbers (your score, then your opponent’s score, e.g., "5–3").
Serving and the Critical "Side Out"
The rules governing the side out are what make the pickleball system truly unique and require careful tracking in doubles.
The Rotation Cycle
In doubles, a team has two opportunities to serve before a side out is called. Player 1 serves until they lose the rally; then, Player 2 takes over the serve. Once Player 2 loses their rally, the serve goes over to the opposing team.
The Starting Exception: "0-0-2"
To prevent the first serving team from having too big an advantage early on, the game always starts with only one server.
The score is announced as "0-0-2."
This means: 0 points for both teams, and Server 2 (the second player on the initial serving team) is serving first.
If this player loses the rally, it is an immediate side out, and the opposing team takes the serve with their Player 1.
After this initial sequence, all subsequent side outs grant the new serving team both server positions (Player 1 then Player 2).
The Scored Point
When the serving team wins a rally, they earn a point and immediately switch sides of the court. The original server continues to serve to the now opposite player on the receiving team. This ensures every player serves to every opposing player, making the game fair and dynamic.
When a team loses a rally (fails to score), they do not switch sides of the court; only the server position changes (from Player 1 to Player 2, or results in a side out).
The Simple Alternative: Rally Scoring
While side-out scoring is the official format for most competitive play, you may encounter a variation: rally scoring.
In this simpler format, a point is scored after every rally, regardless of which team served. This system typically speeds up the game, and these games are often played to higher point totals, such as 15 or 21, still requiring a two-point margin to win. Rally scoring is sometimes used in specific tournament formats or casual play for efficiency.
Conclusion
Pickleball’s three-number scoring system is an elegant solution to managing server rotation and ensuring fairness in the doubles game. It rewards teams that can consistently convert their service opportunities into points. While calling out "6-3-1" might sound like a secret code at first, understanding that the numbers track the status of the score and the server rotation makes the process intuitive. Focus on winning the rally, track the server number, and before you know it, keeping score will be as smooth as a perfect third shot drop
