Table tennis scoring rules

Scoring a game

Every rally scores a point — there is no concept of only scoring on your own serve. The first player to 11 wins the game, unless the score reaches 10–10, in which case play continues until someone leads by two.

Scoring a match

Matches are played over an odd number of games so there is always a winner. Best of five — first to three games — is the common club and recreational format. Best of seven is used at the top of the sport, including the Olympic Games.

Players change ends after every game. In the deciding game they change again as soon as one player reaches five points, so neither side spends the whole decider on the better-lit end of the hall.

Who serves, and when

• Two serves each, then service passes over — regardless of who won the points.
• At 10–10, service changes after every single point.
• The player who served first in a game receives first in the next one.
• The choice of who serves first in the match is decided by lot — traditionally a coin toss or hidden ball.

Calling the score

The server's score is always called first. "Eight–five" means the server has eight. Calling the score out loud before each serve is the single cheapest way to avoid the most common argument in recreational table tennis, which is not about rules at all — it is about what the score actually was.

The old 21-point game

Until 2001, games were played to 21 with five serves each. The change to 11 points and two serves was made to shorten matches, make individual points matter more, and fit the sport into television schedules.

The old format survives in living rooms and basements everywhere, which is why two players from different generations can spend an entire game disagreeing without either of them being wrong about what they were taught.