Padel scoring is the easiest part of the sport to learn, because if you have ever watched tennis you already know most of it. Padel scoring is identical to tennis: 15, 30, 40, game.
This guide covers how padel scoring works point by point, the golden point rule, tie breaks, and the padel serving rules that decide how each point starts.
The padel scoring system at a glance
Points run 15, 30, 40 and game. Six games win a set, with a two game lead required. Matches are typically played as best of three sets.
Padel is played exclusively in doubles on a 20m x 10m court, so every score belongs to a pair rather than an individual. A pair needs at least four points to win a game. Whether a game can also be decided by a single point at 40-40 depends on which of the three FIP scoring options is in use, which is explained below.
How points are scored
The first point wins 15, the second 30, the third 40. Win a fourth and one team wins the game.
Scores are called with the serving team first, so 30-15 means the servers lead.
Love
Zero is called love, exactly as in tennis. A game starting 0-0 is called love-all.
Deuce
At 40-40 the score is deuce. What happens next depends on which scoring option is being played. The FIP Rules of Padel set out three, and all three are official.
What happens at deuce: the three FIP options
The FIP Rules of Padel, in the edition marked for application from 1 January 2026, set out three options for the score at 40-40. The rulebook presents them as options and does not designate one of them as the default, so the format is agreed by the competition or the club before play.
Option 1: advantage
The pair that wins the point after deuce is called advantage. If the same pair wins the next point, they win the game. If they lose it, the score returns to deuce. This is traditional tennis scoring, and it is what most club and social play in Britain still uses.
Option 2: the star point
Two advantage cycles are played. The pair winning the first point after deuce is called advantage 1, and losing the next point returns the score to deuce. The pair winning again is called advantage 2, and losing the next point returns the score to deuce for a third time. At that point a single deciding point, called the star point, is played and wins the game. The receiving pair chooses whether to receive the serve on the right or the left side of the court.
Option 3: the golden point
No advantage is played at all. At deuce, a single deciding point called the golden point is played and wins the game. As with the star point, the receiving pair chooses whether to receive on the right or the left side of the court.
The practical difference matters: under advantage a game can run on indefinitely, under the star point it ends at most five points after deuce, and under the golden point it ends immediately. Agree which option you are playing before you start.
Winning a set
A set is won by the first team to win six games, provided they lead by a two game margin. At 6-4 the set is over; at 6-5 it continues to 7-5 or to a tie break.
The tie break
If a set reaches 6-6, a tie-break is played. The first team to reach 7 points with a two point lead wins the tiebreak in a set.
If the tie break reaches 6-6, play continues until one team establishes a two point margin. Points in a tie break are counted 1, 2, 3 rather than 15, 30, 40.
Winning the match
Matches are typically played as best of three sets, so the first team to win two sets wins the match.
Scoring in practice: a worked example
Say your team serves. You win the first rally: 15-0. Your opponents take the next two, 15-30. You level at 30-30, then win another for 40-30.
One more point and the game is yours. If instead they level it at 40-40, you are at deuce, and what follows depends on the option in play: an advantage, two advantage cycles and then a star point, or a single golden point.
Keeping score on court
The serving team calls the score, their own first. Calling it out loud before each point avoids most disagreements.
Serving alternates between teams each game, and within a team the two players alternate as server between their own service games. You also change ends after every odd-numbered game.
Padel serving rules
The serve is where most new players get caught out, because the padel serve is nothing like a tennis serve.
Serve underhand, below waist height
The serve must be hit below waist height, making it an underhand serve. Making contact above the waist is a fault.
Bounce the ball first
You must bounce the ball on the ground behind the service line and strike it after the first bounce. The ball must touch the ground before you make contact, so you cannot throw it up and hit it directly.
Stand behind the service line
The server must stand behind the service line with at least one foot on the ground, and must not touch or cross the line before making contact.
Serve diagonally
The serve must land in the opponent's diagonal service box. Each side has two service boxes, and you alternate between them as the score progresses.
Two attempts
You get two attempts, a first serve and a second serve. Two faults in a row result in losing the point, exactly as in tennis.
The net cord
If the serve clips the net cord and lands in the correct service box, it is a let and you replay it. If the ball touches the net and lands outside, it is a fault.
Common serving faults
A fault occurs when the ball is struck above waist height, when the server steps on the line, when the ball lands outside the correct service box, or when the serve directly hits the mesh fencing after bouncing.
A serve may hit the glass walls after bouncing in the service box and still be legal, but if the ball hits the mesh fencing it is a fault. That distinction catches out most beginners.
How points are won
A team wins the point when the ball bounces twice on the opponent's court, when the opponents hit the ball out, or when they hit into the net.
You also win the point if the ball hits your opponents, or if they commit an error such as double hitting the ball.
Using the walls
After the ball bounces once on your side, you may let it hit the glass walls and play it back. This is what makes padel unique and encourages longer rallies than other racquet sports.
What you cannot do is let the ball bounce twice, or hit your own back wall before the ball crosses the net.
Short formats for club play
Many British clubs run shorter formats to fit court bookings: a single set, first to four games, or a championship tie break to ten points instead of a third set.
None change how a game is scored, only how many games or sets it takes to finish.
The basic rules of padel scoring in summary
If you are new to playing padel, these are the essential rules of padel scoring in one place.
Four points win a game
You need four points to win a game: 15, 30, 40 and then the winning point. Reaching three points only puts you at 40, so the game is not over yet.
Deuce and advantage
Under Option 1, whoever holds advantage wins the game if they take the following point. If the opponents win it instead, the score returns to deuce. Under Option 2 the same applies for two advantage cycles before a star point decides the game, and under Option 3 there is no advantage at all.
A legal serve
A legal serve bounces once behind the service line, is struck below the waist, and lands in the opponent's service box diagonally opposite. You cannot hit the ball directly out of your hand.
Losing the point
The opponents win the point if the ball bounces twice on your side, if you hit the ball out or into the net, or if you serve two consecutive faults.
Padel scoring vs other racquet sports
Padel shares its scoring with tennis but differs from other sports. Badminton scoring typically goes to 21 points, with points only scored when serving in older formats, and squash games traditionally use point-a-rally scoring up to 11 or 15.
Padel keeps the same scoring system as tennis precisely because it grew out of it, which is one of the key differences that makes the sport easy to pick up.
How padel scoring compares to badminton and squash
Padel borrows its fundamental structure and scoring terminology directly from tennis, which sets it apart from the other indoor racquet sports British players may know.
Badminton scoring typically goes to 21 points, and in older formats points could only be scored when serving. Squash games traditionally use point-a-rally scoring up to 11 or 15 points.
Padel keeps 15, 30, 40, game, and adds the option of deciding a game at deuce with a single point. If you already know tennis, there is almost nothing new to learn.
Why the court matters to scoring
A padel court measures 20 meters long by 10 meters wide, a smaller court than a tennis court, enclosed by glass walls 3 to 4 meters high plus mesh fencing. The net height in padel is 88 cm at the center. Because the walls keep the ball in play, rallies last longer and points are harder to end outright.
Padel balls are similar to tennis balls but with slightly lower pressure, another reason rallies extend. Both factors mean the scoring feels quicker to move even though each point takes longer.
Why the scoring suits the game
Padel is an exciting sport partly because the scoring keeps games short and deuces dramatic: where a star point or a golden point is in play, one rally becomes a game-deciding moment.
Combined with walls that keep the ball alive, the basic rules produce long rallies inside a scoring system that still moves quickly.
Frequently asked questions
How does padel scoring work? Points run 15, 30, 40, game. Six games with a two game lead win a set, and matches are usually best of three sets.
What is the golden point in padel? It is Option 3 in the FIP Rules of Padel: at deuce a single deciding point is played instead of any advantage, and it wins the game. The receiving pair chooses whether to receive the serve on the right or the left side of the court.
Is padel scoring the same as tennis? Almost. It uses the same scoring system; the difference is that the FIP rules also allow a game to be decided at deuce by a star point or a golden point.
What is the star point in padel? It is Option 2 in the FIP Rules of Padel. Two advantage cycles are played after deuce; if neither decides the game, a single star point does. A game can therefore run to at most five points after deuce.
What happens at 6-6 in padel? A tie break is played to seven points, with a two point margin required.
How many serves do you get? Two. Two consecutive faults lose the point.
Can the serve hit the glass? Yes, after bouncing in the correct service box. If it hits the mesh fencing it is a fault.
How high can you serve in padel? Below waist height, after letting the ball bounce once behind the service line.
Final thoughts
Learn three things and you can play: points go 15, 30, 40, game; six games win a set; the serve is underhand, off a bounce, into the diagonal box.
Everything else follows naturally. When you are ready to play, explore our padel rackets and padel balls ranges.
