Am I server 1 or server 2 in pickleball doubles?
The player who serves first for a team after a side out is server 1; when that team loses a rally, the partner becomes server 2, and when server 2 loses, it is a side out. The first server after a side out is whoever stands in the right-hand court. Pickle Call tracks the server number and shows who serves from which side.
IncludedHow it works
Pickle Call keeps the positions of all four players after every rally: each team’s starting player stands on the right on an even team score and on the left on an odd one, with the partner opposite. From that it knows who stands on the right after a side out (that player serves first) and which side the server serves from after each point. A small court on the score screen shows where everyone stands and who serves, with a 1 or 2 marker, so serving order is never a guess.
When people use it
- Recreational doubles when the group loses track of who serves next
- League play where serving from the wrong side costs a point
- New players learning where to stand
Questions
- Who serves first after a side out?
- The player standing in the right-hand (even) court. That is the team’s starting player when the team’s score is even and the partner when it is odd.
- Does the server always serve from the right on an even score?
- Not always. The server serves from the side they stand on, and in doubles the server is not always the player who started on the right. Pickle Call shows the serving side from the server’s position, not from the score alone.
- Does it work for singles?
- Yes. In singles there is one server: they serve from the right on an even score and from the left on an odd one.
Related features
All featuresThe score call
The call in three numbers, server score first, ready to say before every serve.
IncludedSingles and doubles
Two servers and a three-number call in doubles; one server and two numbers in singles.
IncludedSide-out scoring
Points only for the serving side, server 1 then server 2, then side out.
Included