I played Pickleball for the first time two days ago and thought the scoring system was aesthetically clumsy. I propose the following.
The Surrain Pickleball Scoring System
Only in doubles on the second server’s serve, say, “the,” then…
Once both sides have at least nine points, stop accumulating points and…
- if tied: say “deuce”
- if winning: say “sun”
- if losing: say “moon”
Otherwise:
- Find a word from the following table by choosing the row that matches the higher score and the column that matches the lower score.
- Say “back” if you’re losing.
0 | valentines | ||||||||
1 | emerald | flowers | |||||||
2 | ivory | iris | fruit | ||||||
3 | ruby | rose | raspberry | trees | |||||
4 | opal | orchid | orange | oak | predators | ||||
5 | amber | azalea | apple | aspen | alligator | spices | |||
6 | topaz | tulip | tangerine | teak | tiger | thyme | linens | ||
7 | crystal | clover | cherry | cedar | cobra | cumin | cotton | dance | |
8 | pearl | pansy | peach | pine | pirhana | pepper | polyester | polka | metal |
9 | bloodstone | bluebell | banana | birch | bear | basil | bamboo | ballet | bronze |
10 | sapphire | snapdrago | strawberry | sequoia | shark | saffron | satin | salsa | silver |
0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
Winning? Next is down. Losing? Next is right, with “back.”
Examples
0-0-2 | “the valentine’s” |
3-0-1 | “ruby” |
5-2-1 | “apple” |
5-2-2 | “the apple” |
2-5-2 | “the apple back” |
10-9-2 | “the sun” |
13-14-1 | “moon” |
The Short Version
["the" if 2nd server]
if both players have 9
tied: "deuce"
winning: "sun"
losing: "moon"
else
[word from table] ["back" if losing]
Bonus for Winners!
Use the losing player’s score to determine how to refer to the game. For example, if you shut out your opponent, congratulations on a diamond game.
0 | diamond |
1 | jasmine |
2 | mango |
3 | maple |
4 | lion |
5 | vanilla |
6 | silk |
7 | flamenco |
8 | gold |
9 or more | cosmic |
An All-Scores Version of the Words Table
Note that when you’re winning, the class of word stays the same but the first letter of the word is different. During a comeback, the class of word changes but the first letter of the word is the same until you’re tied again.
To read this table, choose the row that matches your score and the column that matches your opponent’s score.
0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
0 | valentines | emerald back | ivory back | ruby back | opal back | amber back | topaz back | crystal back | pearl back | bloodstone back | sapphire back |
1 | emerald | flowers | iris back | rose back | orchid back | azalea back | tulip back | clover back | pansy back | bluebell back | snapdragon back |
2 | ivory | iris | fruit | rasperry back | orange back | apple back | tangerine back | cherry back | peach back | banana back | strawberry back |
3 | ruby | rose | raspberry | trees | oak back | aspen back | teak back | cedar back | pine back | birch back | sequoia back |
4 | opal | orchid | orange | oak | predators | alligator back | tiger back | cobra back | pirhana back | bear back | shark back |
5 | amber | azalea | apple | aspen | alligator | spices | thyme back | cumin back | pepper back | basil back | saffron back |
6 | topaz | tulip | tangerine | teak | tiger | thyme | linens | cotton back | polyester back | bamboo back | satin back |
7 | crystal | clover | cherry | cedar | cobra | cumin | cotton | dance | polka back | ballet back | salsa back |
8 | pearl | pansy | peach | pine | pirhana | pepper | polyester | polka | metal | bronze back | silver back |
9 | bloodstone | bluebell | banana | birch | bear | basil | bamboo | ballet | bronze | deuce | moon |
10 | sapphire | snapdrago | strawberry | sequoia | shark | saffron | satin | salsa | silver | sun | (impossible score) |

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Download a printable quarterback playbook-style reference.