Padel Scoring — NZPadel

Home›Scoring

Points

Points follow the tennis sequence:

Points Won	Score Called
0	Love (0)
1	15
2	30
3	40
4 (if ahead by 2)	Game

The server's score is always called first. So "30-15" means the serving team has 30 and the receiving team has 15.

Games

When both teams reach 40, it's called deuce. From deuce, a team must win two consecutive points to win the game:

Advantage — one team wins the point at deuce, giving them "advantage"
If the team with advantage wins the next point, they win the game
If the other team wins the next point, it goes back to deuce

Golden point rule: Many tournaments and clubs use "golden point" at deuce. Instead of advantage, one sudden-death point decides the game. The receiving team chooses which side to receive on. This speeds up matches and adds drama.

Sets & Tiebreaks

The first team to win 6 games wins the set, provided they lead by at least 2 games.

6-4, 6-3, 6-0 — all valid set scores
At 6-5, the leading team needs one more game to win 7-5
At 6-6, a tiebreak is played

Tiebreak Rules

Points are counted 1, 2, 3, 4... (not 15, 30, 40). First team to 7 points wins, with a 2-point lead required. Players change ends every 6 points. Service alternates every 2 points after the first point.

Golden Point

Golden point (also called "punto de oro") has become standard in professional padel and most club play:

At deuce (40-40), one single point decides the game
The receiving team chooses which side (deuce or advantage) to receive on
No advantage is played — it's sudden death

This rule was introduced to reduce match times and increase excitement. It gives the receiving team a strategic choice: play to their stronger side, or try to disrupt the server's rhythm.

Match Formats

Format	When Used
Best of 3 sets	Standard competitive matches, tournaments
Best of 3 sets + super tiebreak	Third set replaced by a 10-point tiebreak to save time
Single set to 9 games	Some club social formats
Timed matches (60 or 90 min)	Club bookings when courts are on a schedule

At most NZ clubs, casual games are played within the booked court time (usually 60 or 90 minutes). If you're in a competitive league or tournament, best of 3 sets is standard.