How to Keep Score in Pickleball (and What 0-0-2 Means)

Scoring · The three numbers · Updated 2026-07-11

Pickleball's famous three-number score call - "four, six, two" - confuses every new player for the same reason: the third number has nothing to do with points. It's which server is serving.

Here's the whole system, in the order the confusion usually arrives.

The rules that generate every score call

  • Only the serving team scores (traditional side-out scoring). Win a rally as the receiving team and you don't get a point - you get the serve.
  • Games go to 11, win by 2. Tournament matches sometimes play games to 15 or 21, still win by 2.
  • Both partners serve before the ball changes teams. When server #1 loses a rally, server #2 takes over. When #2 loses it, that's a side-out - the other team serves.
  • The call is server score, receiver score, server number: "4-6-2" means my team has 4, you have 6, and I'm our second server.

Why games start at 0-0-2

Serving first is an advantage, so the rules cut it in half: the team that serves first in each game gets only one server for their opening service turn. That lone server is counted as server #2 - hence the opening call, "zero, zero, start" or 0-0-2. As soon as that first server loses a rally, it's a side-out, and from then on every service turn uses both partners.

Where to stand (this is where games derail)

  1. Even score → serve from the right: When the serving team's score is even (0, 2, 4...), the player who started the game on the right side serves from the right court. Odd score → from the left.
  2. Only the serving team switches courts: Partners on the serving team swap sides each time they win a point. The receiving team never switches on a point - receivers stay put until their own team serves and scores.
  3. Lost track? Check the starting server: If the game's very first server is on the right and the score is even, positions are correct. This one check untangles most "who serves from where" arguments.

Or let the app carry all three numbers

Dink tracks the score, the server number, and which side the serve comes from - then calls it out loud after every rally, so the argument never starts. The scoreboard shows server dots and "serve from the right" hints, the whole group can read it from across the net, and one tap undoes any mistake. Singles or doubles, side-out or rally scoring.

Tap to score. Dink says the rest.. Spoken score call-outs with the server number, a glanceable scoreboard, and one-tap undo. Free on the App Store - no account. Download Dink: Pickleball Score Keeper on the App Store.

Frequently asked questions

What do the three numbers in a pickleball score mean?

Serving team's score, receiving team's score, then the server number (1 or 2). "Four, six, two" = servers have 4, receivers have 6, and the second server is serving.

Why does pickleball start at 0-0-2?

The first-serving team only gets one server in their opening turn, counted as server #2, to reduce the advantage of serving first. After the first side-out, both teams use both servers.

Can you score a point in pickleball without serving?

Not in traditional side-out scoring - winning a rally as the receiving team only wins you the serve. In rally scoring formats, a point is awarded on every rally regardless of who served.

When do you switch sides in pickleball?

Serving-team partners swap right/left each time their team scores. Teams change ends between games, and in a deciding game when one team reaches 6.

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