Pickleball Scoring Made Easy: Simple Guide + Printable Score Sheet

Pickleball scoring can feel complicated at first, but once you understand a few simple rules, it becomes second nature. This post walks you through the basics step by step and gives you a free printable score sheet you can use to keep every game organized and drama-free.

What Makes Pickleball Scoring Different?

Pickleball is usually played to 11 points, and you must win by at least 2 points (for example, 11–9 or 13–11). In most formats, only the serving team can score a point, which is the main thing that confuses new players compared with sports where either side can score on any rally.

In doubles, the score is called with three numbers: your team’s score, the other team’s score, and which server (1 or 2) on your team is serving. In singles, the score has only two numbers: server’s score first, receiver’s score second.

Basic Scoring Rules for Beginners

Here is the simplest way to think about scoring in a standard doubles game:

- Games are typically played to 11 points, win by 2.  

- Only the team that is serving can earn a point.  

- When the serving team wins a rally, it adds 1 point and the serving partners switch sides.  

- When the receiving team wins a rally, no point is scored; either the serve moves to the second server on that team, or (after the second server loses the rally) a “side-out” happens and the other team gets the serve.

At the very start of the game in doubles, only one player on the first serving team gets to serve before a side-out, which is why you often hear the score begin as “0–0–2.” After that first side-out, both players on the serving team will always have a turn serving before the ball goes back to the other side.

How to Call the Score Correctly

In doubles, always use this pattern:  

Serving team’s score – Receiving team’s score – Server number.”

Some examples:

- If your team has 3 points, the other team has 2, and you are the first server on your side, you call: “3–2–1.”  

- If your team has 7 points, the other team has 9, and your partner is serving as the second server, you call: “7–9–2.”

In singles, you just call two numbers: your score first if you are serving, then your opponent’s score. Getting into the habit of calling the score before every serve helps everyone keep track and prevents arguments later.

Common Scoring Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)

New players often run into the same problems:

- Forgetting who started serving the game and which side should be on the even or odd score.  

- Losing track of whether the server is “1” or “2” in doubles.  

- Misremembering the last couple of points and disagreeing on the current score.

You can avoid most of these issues by always calling the full score before serving, switching sides immediately after your team wins a point, and assigning one person per court to mark the score as you play.

 Why Use a Printable Score Sheet?

A printable score sheet takes the mental load off the players and makes it easy to double-check the score at any time. Instead of relying on memory (or arguing over who’s right), you can glance at the sheet and see exactly where the game stands.

Score sheets are especially helpful when:

- You are running open play with rotating partners.  

- You’re hosting a mini-tournament or round-robin.  

- You have beginners who are still learning how scoring works.  

With a simple sheet and a pen or pencil, anyone can step into the “scorekeeper” role for the game