A standard padel tie-break starts with one point served by the next player in the existing service order. After that, each player serves two points in turn. Write down that order before you start: it solves most beginner confusion.
This guide concerns a standard seven-point tie-break. A deciding point at deuce and a match tie-break are different situations. Confirm the format with your organiser before play.
The rules you need at the start
Under the FIP rules, the standard tie-break is won by reaching at least seven points with a two-point lead. The first point is served from the right; subsequent two-point service turns begin on the left and then move to the right. Keep the service order from the set. Change ends after each six points played. Receiving order stays as established for that set.
Golden Point resolves a game at deuce. Star Point allows two advantage cycles before its deciding point. Neither means that an ordinary tie-break stops at the first team to seven regardless of the margin.
Put names into this service card
Suppose the established order is A, C, B, D, where A and B are partners. A is due to serve when the tie-break begins. The letters below are a worked example, not a fixed instruction to start with a particular side's strongest server.
| Point number | Server | Serving side |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | Right |
| 2 and 3 | C | Left, then right |
| 4 and 5 | B | Left, then right |
| 6 and 7 | D | Left, then right |
| 8 and 9 | A | Left, then right |
Notice the awkward moment: the end change after point six happens during D's two-point turn. D still serves point seven after moving to the other end. An end change is not a new service turn.
Count total points, not just your own
At 4-2, six points have been played, so it is time to change ends. At 5-3, eight points have been played, so it is not. Adding both scores is the simplest check when you lose track.
At 6-6, reaching 7-6 gives a one-point lead, so play continues. An 8-6 score has the required two-point margin. At 8-8 you need 10-8, or a later two-point margin; there is no reason to stop just because someone has passed seven.
A thirty-second agreement before play
One player says the four-person service order aloud. Another confirms the target and required margin. Everyone identifies their receiving side. Then agree who will announce the score clearly before each point.
You do not need an app for this. A small card with four names in a loop works well for a first social match. Move a finger around the card after each service turn, remembering that the opening turn is the exception with just one point.
What if your group loses track?
Stop before serving again. Reconstruct the last agreed score, the server and the points played since the previous end change. In organised competition, ask the official to resolve a disputed rule rather than inventing a remedy. A friendly group should agree how it will deal with uncertainty before starting.
Do these rules cover every competition?
No. A match tie-break may use a ten-point target, and organisers can specify other approved formats. Check the event instructions rather than copying the format you watched on television. Our service card is for the standard sequence described above.
Keep the card beside your score record for your first few games. Once the one-point opening and two-point turns become familiar, the rest is ordinary scorekeeping.