Padel scoring is almost identical to tennis. Once you know the basics – 15, 30, 40, game, sets to 6, tie-break at 6-6 – you can follow any match at your club. The confusion comes when deuce is reached and the rules start to vary by setting.
Here is the quick-reference version:
| Element | Rule |
|---|---|
| Points | 15 → 30 → 40 → game |
| Games per set | First to 6, with a 2-game lead |
| At 6-6 | 7-point tie-break (first to 7, 2-point lead) |
| Match format | Best of 3 sets |
| At deuce (UK clubs) | Golden point – one point decides |
| At deuce (Premier Padel, FIP tours, LTA Grades 1–2) | Advantage, with Star Point at the third deuce |
Read on for the full detail on each part – including how the Star Point works and what happens in a tie-break when nobody can agree on who serves.
The basics: points, games and sets
A point, a game, a set – padel uses all three, stacked the same way as tennis.
Points go 15, 30, 40, game. If you win four points before your opponents and without the score reaching 40-40, you win the game. You do not need to call scores as fractions of anything – 15 literally means one point won, 30 means two, 40 means three. (“Love” is zero.)
Games make up a set. First pair to win six games, with a lead of at least two, wins the set. So 6-4 wins. 6-5 does not – you keep playing until one pair leads by two, or until 6-6 is reached.
At 6-6, a tie-break is played (covered separately below).
Matches at UK club level are almost always best of three sets. The first pair to win two sets wins the match. Social sessions often play one set, or even a single set to 4 games, because court time is booked in one-hour slots. Both are fine – the same scoring rules apply within each game. For a realistic picture of how long a full match takes, see how long a padel match lasts.
If you are watching Premier Padel on television, you will also see matches follow best-of-three sets, with the same set structure.
Deuce: golden point, advantage, and the Star Point
At 40-40 (deuce), the scoring depends on where you are playing. UK club matches almost all use golden point. Professional circuits use different rules – and Premier Padel has been running a hybrid system since 2026.
| Circuit / setting | Deuce system | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| UK club / recreational | Golden point | Near-universal; receiver picks side |
| Premier Padel and FIP tours (CUPRA FIP Tour, FIP Promises, FIP Beyond) | Star Point | Advantage at the first two deuces, then a single deciding point at the third (from 2026) |
| LTA Padel Grade 1–2 events | Star Point | Mandatory from 1 January 2026; optional at Grades 3–5 |
Golden point: At deuce, one single point decides the game. The receiving pair chooses which of them will receive the serve – left or right side. This is the detail most beginners miss entirely, and it matters: a smart receiving pair will put their stronger player on the side that faces the server’s probable direction. The serving pair must adapt but cannot object.
Advantage: The traditional rule from tennis. After deuce, the pair that wins the next point has “advantage.” If they win the following point too, they win the game. If they lose it, the score returns to deuce, and this can cycle indefinitely until one pair wins two in a row.
Star Point: the hybrid system added to the official FIP rules for 2026 and used on Premier Padel and the FIP tours. The game uses advantage scoring at deuce – two consecutive points required to win – but only for the first two deuces. If the score returns to 40-40 for a third time in the same game, the next point is a Star Point (a golden point), and that decides the game regardless of which pair wins it. The receiving team still chooses sides for the Star Point, exactly as they would at a standard golden point.
In practice, the Star Point rarely changes anything: most games that reach deuce are decided before three deuces are reached. Its purpose is to prevent the most protracted games from going on indefinitely while preserving the drama of advantage scoring for the typical case.
For UK club play, assume golden point unless the organiser announces otherwise.
How tie-breaks work in padel
A tie-break is played when a set reaches 6-6. Points are counted as single numbers – 1, 2, 3 – and the first pair to reach 7 points with a 2-point lead wins the set. If the score reaches 7-7, play continues until one pair leads by 2.
Serving order in a tie-break (this is the one that causes arguments):
- The player whose turn it was to serve starts the tie-break, serving once from the right side.
- Serve then switches to the other pair, who serve two consecutive points – the first from the left, the second from the right.
- After that, serve rotates in 2-point blocks until the tie-break ends. Each server serves from the left, then the right.
- Sides are switched every 6 points played – for example at 3-3, 4-2 or 5-1, then again after 12 points, and so on. There is no change of ends at the start of the tie-break.
The first serve in the following set goes to whichever pair did not serve first in the tie-break.
There is no golden point in a standard tie-break – it continues with the 2-point lead requirement until someone pulls clear. If a golden point tie-break has been agreed for the whole match, it would apply here too, but this is unusual at club level.
Super tie-break (match tie-break): Sometimes used in tournaments to replace a third set, or in casual sessions when time is short. Played to 10 points with a 2-point lead required. The serving rotation is the same as a regular tie-break. A super tie-break can also follow a golden point rule if agreed beforehand – first to 10, minimum 2-point lead, golden point if the score reaches 9-9.
Scoring in casual play: Americanos and social formats
UK club social sessions often use formats where the standard set scoring does not apply. Knowing which format you are playing saves confusion.
Americano: The most common format at UK club social nights. Each match is played to a fixed points total (usually 16 or 24 points, sometimes a fixed time), and points are individual – whatever your pair scores goes on your personal tally, not shared. Partners rotate after each match. The person with the most individual points at the end of the session wins. There are no games or sets – just a running points total per person. For the full breakdown of how Americanos work, see what is Americano padel.
Mini-set format: Instead of sets to 6, each set is played to 4 games. Versions differ: the FIP’s four-game mini set plays a tie-break at 4-4, while the LTA’s FAST4 format (used at Grade 3 and 4 events) is first to 4 games with a tie-break at 3-3. This format fits a one-hour court booking more reliably than a full set to 6.
King of the court: A less common format where one pair defends the court against a rotating series of challengers. Scoring rules vary by organiser – often just a fixed points total per game.
If you are at a social session and not sure what format you are playing, ask. Most club organisers are happy to explain before play starts.
Common scoring questions
Golden point vs advantage: what’s the difference?
Golden point ends the game on the very next point after deuce. Advantage requires two consecutive points – and the cycle can repeat indefinitely.
Both resolve deuce (40-40), but by different rules. Golden point means the very next point ends the game – one pair wins it, the game is over. Advantage requires two consecutive points: you win one to earn “advantage,” then win another to take the game. If you lose the advantage point, it returns to deuce and repeats. UK club play almost always uses golden point. Professional events on Premier Padel and the FIP tours use Star Point from 2026, which starts with advantage.
Is golden point used at club level?
Yes – golden point is the standard at UK clubs. It is used in recreational matches, club leagues, and most grassroots tournaments.
Golden point is the standard rule at UK club level. Most recreational matches, club leagues, and social sessions use it. It is also used in many grassroots and county-level tournaments. From 2026, Premier Padel, the FIP tours and LTA Grade 1 and 2 events use the Star Point hybrid. If you are playing at your local club, the answer is almost certainly golden point.
How does serving work in a tie-break?
The scheduled server serves once from the right, then serving switches in 2-point blocks. Sides change every 6 points.
The player whose turn it is to serve opens the tie-break with a single serve from the right. Serving then switches to the other pair for two consecutive points, and from that point on each server serves two points in a row. Sides switch every 6 points total. The first serve of the next set goes to the pair who did not open the tie-break.
What is a Star Point?
The Star Point is the 2026 hybrid system used on Premier Padel and the FIP tours: advantage at deuce, with a golden point triggered if the same game reaches deuce three times.
The Star Point is the deuce system added to the FIP rules for 2026 and used on Premier Padel and the FIP tours – a distinct hybrid, different from standard golden point. Under the Star Point, games use advantage scoring at deuce in the normal way. If the same game reaches deuce three times, the third deuce triggers a Star Point: a single golden point to end the game. The receiving team chooses sides, as they would at any golden point. At your local club, the rule you will encounter is straightforward golden point.
At 6-6, is it a golden point tie-break?
By default, the tie-break uses no golden point – first to 7 with a 2-point lead, no cap. Golden point inside a tie-break must be agreed beforehand.
By default, no golden point is used inside a tie-break. The 7-point tie-break continues until one pair reaches 7 with a 2-point lead – and if both reach 7, play continues at 8, 9, 10 until one pair leads by 2. Some formats agree a golden point at 6-6 within the tie-break itself, but this must be agreed before the match begins. If no one said anything about it beforehand, assume the standard two-point-lead rule applies.
For the full rules – serving, faults, walls, and everything else – see the rules of padel: a complete guide.