How does padel scoring work?

A padel game works like a tennis game. The first pair to win four points wins the game, as long as the other pair has two or fewer. Zero is called "love", then the points are called 15, 30 and 40, and the fourth point wins the game. The server's score is called first, so "30–15" means the serving pair has two points and the receivers have one. Tennis uses the same point names, and the tennis scoring guide explains why.

When both pairs have won three points, the score is 40–40, called deuce, and a special rule decides the game. The International Padel Federation (FIP) rulebook lists three: advantage, the golden point and the Star Point.

What is the advantage rule?

Advantage is the traditional tennis rule. From deuce, the pair that wins the next point has "advantage". If they also win the following point, they win the game. If they lose it, the score goes back to deuce. A pair needs two points in a row to finish the game, so a game can run on for a long time.

A worked example

Ana and Ben (pair A) serve against Cara and Dan (pair B). Ana serves the first point.

From here the rule you agreed takes over. The next three sections show what each one does with this deuce.

The golden point is one deciding point played at deuce. When both pairs reach 40–40, the next point wins the game, with no advantage and no second chance. People also call it the 40-40 rule or no-ad scoring, and in Spanish it is punto de oro.

The FIP rulebook sets out how that point is played:

• The receiving pair choose the side. They decide whether the serve comes to their right or their left box. The serving pair has no say.
• No swapping. The two receivers can't change positions to take the point, so choosing a side also decides which of them returns the serve.
• Mixed doubles. The player who receives is the one of the same sex as the server.
• The winner takes the game.

So if you are asked "who receives on the golden point?", the answer is that the receiving pair choose the side, and the player already standing there returns the serve. Say your choice out loud before the server serves.

Why do clubs like it? A game can last at most seven points (six to reach 40–40, then the golden point), so sets and matches finish closer to the clock. That helps when courts are booked by the hour or a social night runs on a timer. Some players dislike it because one point can decide a game that was level for a long time. Both views are fair. What matters is that all four players agree before the first serve.

The Star Point is a newer way to settle deuce. A game gets at most two advantage points in total. If both are lost, a single deciding point, the Star Point, wins the game. FIP's General Assembly approved it unanimously on 28 November 2025. It applies in 2026 on the CUPRA FIP Tour (from FIP Bronze Melbourne in January), on Premier Padel (from the Riyadh P1 in February), and on FIP Promises and the amateur FIP Beyond circuit.

This is how a game plays out under the FIP rulebook:

1. At 40–40 the score is deuce 1. The pair that wins the next point has advantage 1. If they win the point after that, they win the game.
2. If they lose it, the score goes to deuce 2. The next point gives advantage 2, and winning the point after that wins the game.
3. If the second advantage is lost, the score goes to deuce 3, and the next point is the Star Point. Whoever wins it wins the game.

As with the golden point, the receiving pair choose the side for the Star Point and can't swap positions, and in mixed doubles the receiver is the player of the server's sex.

The longest possible game is 11 points: six to reach 40–40, then advantage, deuce, advantage, deuce and the Star Point. That is longer than a golden-point game (7 points) but, unlike plain advantage, it has a limit. FIP's stated aim was to cap the points in a game and avoid long advantage battles.

Agree on one before the first serve. There is no single rule for every amateur game. The FIP rulebook allows all three, the pro tours use the Star Point in 2026, and clubs, leagues and events set their own.

A simple way to choose:

• A casual game with friends: play whatever your regular group plays. If nobody minds, the golden point keeps things moving.
• A club night or social tournament: use the organizer's rule. It is announced with the format, and the golden point is common because it keeps rounds on time.
• A league or tournament: the event's regulations decide, and they override your habits. Read them before the first match.
• Training for a federation event: practise the Star Point so the rhythm at 40–40 feels familiar.

If you don't agree beforehand, you will end up arguing about it at the worst moment: deuce.

The first pair to win six games, with a lead of at least two, wins the set. At 5–5 you play on, and a pair that wins two more games takes the set 7–5. At 6–6 you play a tiebreak, and whoever wins it takes the set 7–6. A match is best of three sets, so the first pair to win two sets wins the match.

How does a padel tiebreak work?

A tiebreak is one extra game with its own scoring. Points are counted 0, 1, 2, 3 and so on, not 15-30-40. The first pair to reach 7 points wins it, provided they lead by two. At 7–6 you play on until someone leads by two, so 9–7 and 12–10 are normal results.

The serving pattern is the part people forget. Suppose the order in the set is Ana, Cara, Ben, Dan, and it is Ana's turn:

The server swaps between right and left on every point, starting from the right. The pairs change ends after every 6 points. The pair that did not serve first in the tiebreak serves first in the next set.

If the first two sets are split, the deciding third set is a full set with a tiebreak unless you agreed a different format beforehand. The next section covers the most common alternative.

A super tiebreak is a single tiebreak to 10 points that replaces the deciding set. When each pair has won one set, you don't play a third set. You play to 10 points instead, and the first pair to reach 10 wins the match, provided they lead by two. It is also called a match tiebreak or a 10-point tiebreak.

FIP lists it among its alternative scoring methods. FIP's text sets only the target and the two-point margin. In practice it is played like an ordinary tiebreak: one serve to start, then two serves each, the usual order of service carrying on, and a change of ends every six points.

The FIP rulebook offers a few other ways to shorten a match:

• Mini-set: the first pair to win four games, two clear, wins the set, with a tiebreak at 4–4.
• Tiebreak to 7: the deciding set is a normal 7-point tiebreak.
• Third set without a tiebreak: if agreed in advance, the third set is played until one pair leads by two games.

Amateur tournaments and social leagues often use the super tiebreak so that every match fits a fixed slot. A match that ends one set all is then settled by one short tiebreak instead of another full set. The organizer chooses the format, so check it before you play.

A coin toss decides. The winner can choose to serve or receive first, choose the side of the court, or ask the opponents to choose first.

Who serves when?

Before each set, each pair decides which partner serves first. After that, each player serves a whole game, in the order A1, B1, A2, B2 and then round again. The order can't change during a set, but it can change at the start of the next one. Within a game the server swaps between the right and left service boxes on every point, starting from the right, and serves diagonally. The padel rules guide covers the serve itself.

When do you change ends?

Pairs change ends after the 1st, 3rd and every odd-numbered game of a set. In a tiebreak they change after every 6 points.

In official matches the FIP rulebook sets time limits: 20 seconds between points, 90 seconds when changing ends (with no rest after the first game of a set) and 120 seconds between sets.

Flobit scores padel point by point, so everyone knows whether it is 30–15 or 15–30 without arguing. When you create a match you pick the rules:

• At 40–40: the golden point (the default) or advantage. Flobit doesn't offer the Star Point.
• Match length: best of 3 or 5 sets, with a full final set or a super tiebreak to 10 points.
• Tiebreak: played at 6–6.

One person taps each point, and undo reverses a slip. Spoken score calls announce the score aloud in English, Azerbaijani, Russian, Turkish or Spanish, so nobody has to shout it across the net. The Apple Watch app keeps scoring even when the signal is weak. On iPhone, a Live Activity keeps the score on the lock screen, courtside mode turns the phone into a full-screen scoreboard, and a public live page lets friends follow along.

When the match ends, the result confirms on its own after 24 hours, and a casual result can be disputed within that window. Your rating updates when a result is confirmed. See live scoring and Apple Watch scoring for the details, or the padel page for everything Flobit does for padel.

What is the golden point in padel?

Who receives on the golden point?

What is the Star Point in padel?

Do amateur players use the golden point or the Star Point?

How does a padel tiebreak work?

What is a super tiebreak in padel?

How many sets and games are in a padel match?

Does Flobit score padel with the golden point?