Padel scoring: points, golden point, Star Point, tie-breaks and sets
By the Lobwell Padel team. Updated 1 November 2026.
Short answer: Padel is scored like tennis: 15, 30, 40, then game, with sets won at six games by a two game margin and a tie-break at 6-6 (first to 7 points, two clear). At 40-40 the FIP rules allow three formats: advantage, golden point (one deciding point) and Star Point. Most matches are best of three sets, and many clubs swap the third set for a 10 point super tie-break.
Points within a game
A game starts at love, zero. The first point won is 15, the second 30, the third 40, and the fourth wins the game, provided the other pair has not also reached 40. The server's score is called first, so 30-15 means the serving pair has two points and the receivers one. Nobody fully agrees why the count jumps in fifteens. What matters is that it works exactly as in tennis, so if you know tennis, you already know most of padel scoring.
Call the score out loud before every serve, a habit coaches drill in the first padel session guide. In a fast doubles game, four people losing count is the most common cause of a polite row.
| Points won | Called |
|---|---|
| 0 | Love |
| 1 | 15 |
| 2 | 30 |
| 3 | 40 |
| 4 (with a two point lead) | Game |
| 3 each | Deuce, or 40 all |
What happens at 40-40
This is where padel differs from tennis, and where most of the confusion lives. The FIP Rules of Padel for 2026 list three ways to settle a game that reaches deuce. Before your first point, agree which one you are using.
- Advantage: as in tennis. Win the next point for advantage, then one more to win the game. Lose it and you are back to deuce.
- Golden point: no advantage. The next point wins the game, and the receiving pair choose which of them receives it. Very common in UK club and league games because it keeps bookings on time.
- Star Point: advantage is played, but if the game returns to deuce for the third time, a single deciding point is played. It is a middle ground that the professional tours adopted.
Sets and tie-breaks
A set is won by the first pair to reach six games with at least a two game lead: 6-4 wins, 6-5 does not. If the score reaches 5-5, play on to 7-5. At 6-6, a tie-break decides the set.
In a tie-break, points are counted 1, 2, 3 and so on. The first pair to seven points with a two point margin win the set 7-6. The player whose turn it is to serve starts with one serve from the right side, then serve alternates every two points, and the pairs change ends every six points.
- 1Point 1
Next server in rotation serves once, from the right.
- 2Points 2 and 3
The other pair serves twice, starting from the left.
- 3Every 2 points
Serve passes on, keeping the four player order.
- 4Every 6 points
Pairs change ends.
- 5First to 7, two clear
That pair wins the tie-break and the set 7-6.
Match formats you will meet in the UK
A full match is best of three sets. The FIP rules also allow shorter formats, and UK clubs use them to fit games into a 60 or 90 minute booking. A super tie-break is played to 10 points, two clear, in place of a deciding third set. Mini sets to four games are used in some leagues and junior events.
Social formats such as americanos (our guide on how to book a padel court covers group sessions) often ignore sets entirely and count total points over a fixed number of rallies or minutes. Ask the organiser before you start.
| Format | How it is won | Typical length |
|---|---|---|
| Best of three sets | Two sets of six games | 75 to 100 minutes |
| Two sets plus super tie-break | Third set replaced by a first to 10 tie-break | 60 to 90 minutes |
| One set | First to six games, two clear | 30 to 45 minutes |
| Americano | Points won across short timed or fixed point rounds | Set by the organiser |
A worked example
Anna and Ben serve against Cara and Dev, playing golden point. Anna serves. She wins the first point: 15-love. Cara and Dev take the next two: 15-30. Anna's pair win two in a row: 40-30. Dev levels it: 40 all. Under golden point, Cara and Dev choose who receives, and they pick Dev on the forehand side. Anna serves the deciding point, Ben puts away a volley and the game goes to Anna and Ben.
In a social hour you might play 10 to 14 games like that. Once the scoring is second nature, your attention goes back on the ball, which is where it should be. The padel rules guide covers what wins and loses each of those points.
Scoring etiquette
The server calls the score before each serve. If you disagree, sort it out before the point, not after. On a close line call on your side, the pair nearest the ball decides, and if they are not sure the point goes to the other side or is replayed. These habits matter more in padel than in tennis because four people share one small court. When you move on to doubles tactics, knowing the score also changes which risks are worth taking: at golden point, the safe deep lob is usually the right ball.
Questions people ask
Is padel scoring the same as tennis?
Points, games and sets are the same. The difference is at deuce: many padel matches use golden point or Star Point instead of playing advantage indefinitely.
What is golden point in padel?
At 40-40 a single point decides the game, and the receiving pair choose which player receives it.
What is the Star Point rule?
Under the FIP 2026 rules, advantage is played until the game returns to deuce for the third time, when one deciding point is played.
How many points is a padel tie-break?
A standard tie-break is first to 7 points with a two point lead. A super tie-break, used instead of a third set, is first to 10.
Sources
Keep reading
GuidePadel rules: every rule you need for doubles, from the serve to the fencePadel rules come from the International Padel Federation.
GuideHow to play padel: the serve, the walls and the first ralliesTo play padel, two pairs face each other on a 10 by 20 metre walled court.
GuideThe padel serve: the rules, the faults and a serve that gets you to the netIn padel you serve underarm: bounce the ball behind your service line, hit it at or below waist height with at least one foot on the ground, and send it diagonally into the receiver's box.
GuidePadel doubles tactics: positioning, the net, the lob and the middleThe core padel tactic is simple: the pair at the net usually wins the point, so get both players to the net together and use lobs to push opponents back when they hold it.
GuideWhat is padel? A plain guide to the sport filling up UK courtsPadel is a doubles racket sport played on an enclosed court 10 metres wide and 20 metres long, with glass walls you can play the ball off.