Am I Server 1 or Server 2 in Pickleball?

In doubles, the player who starts a serving turn from the right court is server 1, and their partner is server 2. The number belongs to the turn, not to the person, so you can be server 1 now and server 2 later. The one exception is the first turn of the game, which opens at 0-0-2 with a single server who counts as server 2. Here is how each case works. For more like it, see our doubles guides.

What do server 1 and server 2 mean?

Each doubles team has two servers, and the call says which one is up. Server 1 serves first. When server 1 loses a rally, the partner becomes server 2. When server 2 loses a rally, that is a side out and the serve goes to the other team. As the official guide to doubles puts it, both partners serve before the serve changes hands.

Which player is server 1?

The player standing in the right court when the team gets the serve. The basic rules say that player "is server number 1 for this sequence only." The next time the team gets the serve, the partner may be on the right and becomes server 1.

That is the part new players miss. You don't keep your number for the whole game. After every side out, look at where you and your partner are standing. Whoever is on the right starts as server 1, and that can be either of you.

Why does the game start at 0-0-2?

The team that serves first gets only one server on its first turn. That limits the head start of serving first. Because there is no second server to come, the opening server is treated as server 2, which is why the call is 0-0-2. The rules on side-out scoring explain that the 2 means the serve goes to the other side when it is lost.

So if you are the first player to serve in a game, you are server 2. After that first turn, every team gets two servers.

What happens when server 1 loses the rally?

The serve passes to your partner, who becomes server 2. Nobody scores and nobody moves yet. If server 2 then loses a rally, it is a side out, and the other team takes the serve. The new serving team starts again from the right court, with whoever is standing there as server 1.

Where you stand follows the score:

• Even score for the serving team: the server serves from the right.
• Odd score: the server serves from the left.
• The serving team switches sides only after it wins a point.
• The receiving team never switches sides.

If your positions do not match the score, something is off. Either someone is on the wrong side or the score was called wrong. Stop and sort it out before the next serve.

How can you tell which server you are during a game?

Use a quick three-step check at the start of each turn:

1. Look at the serving team's score. Even means the first server stands on the right, odd means the left.
2. Ask who started this turn. If your partner served first and lost the rally, you are server 2.
3. Say the call out loud. Your partner and the other team can catch a mistake before the serve.

Here is a short example. Your team wins the serve after a side out, and you are standing in the right court, so you are server 1. You win a point and switch to the left court, then lose the next rally. Your partner is now server 2 and serves from whichever side matches your team's score. When your partner loses a rally, the serve goes to the other team, and the numbers start over.

Players also confuse the number with the court they stand in. The number tells you who is serving in this turn. The score tells you which side to serve from. Keep those two ideas apart and most mix-ups go away.

How do you read the score call?

The server calls three numbers before each serve: the serving team's score, the receiving team's score, then the server number. So 4-2-1 means the serving team has 4, the receivers have 2, and server 1 is up. If you want the full picture of points, game length and winning by 2, read how to keep score in doubles.

Try it

Next time you play, say the call out loud before every serve and check that the server stands on the side that matches the score. When it fits, you know the number is right.

Pickle Call is built for exactly this. It keeps the call, the server number and the serving side for you, and the score screen shows a small court diagram that marks the server with a 1 or 2. Pickle Call is coming to iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. See how server 1 or 2 works in the app.

Bottom line

Server 1 is whoever starts the turn in the right court, and server 2 is the partner. The number lasts one turn, and a new game opens at 0-0-2 with a single server. When in doubt, check the score against where everyone stands.