Basic rules of table tennis for new players
You can learn the essentials in five minutes. Most clubs follow ITTF rules for scoring and serving, even in casual play.
Scoring
- A game is played to 11 points. You must win by at least 2.
- Every rally scores a point for someone, no matter who served.
- A match is usually best of 5 or best of 7 games.
Who serves
- Servers change every 2 points.
- At 10-10, serving changes after every point until the game ends.
- In the next game, the player who received first now serves first. Players also switch ends after each game.
How a rally works
The serve must bounce once on your side and then on the receiver's side. After that, each return must be hit after the ball has bounced once on your side, and it must land on the opponent's half (touching the net on the way is fine). You lose the point if you hit the ball twice in a row, hit the table with your free hand, move the table, or let the ball bounce twice on your side.
Lets
A serve that touches the net and still lands on the receiver's side is a let. Replay it. There is no limit on lets.
Doubles
Partners must alternate shots. The serve goes from the right half of the server's side to the right half of the receiver's side. See our serve rules for the details of a legal serve.
At a club
Casual play at a club is often more relaxed, but scoring to 11 is common. Learn the local habits too: who plays next, and how the table is shared. Our etiquette guide has those.
Published Oct 3, 2026.