Pickleball that knows side-out from rally.
Pickleball is not scored like tennis. A match is made of games, a game is counted in points, and there are no sets in between, so the number in the score box is exactly the score that was called.
6 match formats, 6 draw formats, and at least 10 min of rest between two matches on the same day.
How scoring works.
A game is won at 11, 15 or 21 points with a two-point lead, and there is no cap: 11-9 ends a game, and so do 12-10 and 24-22. There is nothing between points and games, so for pickleball SetMatcher talks about games and points, where for tennis it talks about sets and games.
- 11-0
- 11-9
- 12-10
- 15-13
- 21-19
- 24-22
The third number, and when you leave it out.
In doubles the score is called as three numbers: the serving side’s score, the receiving side’s score and which of the serving pair is serving. You can save that third number with a finished game, but it is optional, because most results are written down as two numbers. It is not used in singles, which is called with two numbers, or with rally scoring, which has no server number. Rally scoring is a provisional rule in the 2026 rulebook, used when the tournament director chooses it, and that edition no longer requires the last point to be won by the serving team.
- 11-10
- 10-8
- 13-8
- 6-4
- 30-29
The match formats you can play.
Six: best of three to 11, best of five to 11, best of three to 15, and single games to 11, 15 and 21. Doubles comes first, then singles and mixed doubles. Choosing the target means choosing the format, so a game to 11 in a match played to 15 is caught rather than quietly saved.
- Best of 3 games to 11
- One game to 11
- One game to 15
- One game to 21
- Best of 3 games to 15
- Best of 5 games to 11
- Doubles
- Singles
- Mixed doubles
- Side-out
- Rally scoring
Draws, rest times and ladders.
Pickleball is the only sport here where you can run a double elimination draw. A new tournament starts as a knockout with a consolation bracket, because outside pro brackets the rulebook promises every player at least two matches. Groups leading to a playoff are called pool play, as in the rulebook. Ten minutes of rest between matches is the shortest of any sport here except table tennis.
The other six sports.
Plenty of clubs play two or three of these. Each one has its own page.
- TennisEight formats, both sides of every tie-break, and a match won on sets.
- PadelThree deuce rules, best of three only, and the court side you play.
- BadmintonA cap no other sport here has, and both BWF scoring systems.
- Beach tennisOne point at 40-40, always, in every format.
- SquashNo sets, no cap, and up to three plate draws.
- Table tennisFour match lengths, from a league three to a nine-game team tie.
Your first match is one tap away.
Join a group, play, enter the score. The ladder, the draw and the season keep themselves up to date.