Cutthroat pickleball: rules, scoring and rotation for three players
One against two, with a rotation that gives everyone a turn alone. The two published versions side by side, a rotation diagram and a worked example.
How does cutthroat pickleball work?
Cutthroat pickleball is a house game for three players: one against two. The single serves, and the first to 11 wins. When the pair wins a rally, all three rotate clockwise. The two versions differ on where the single serves from, and neither is official, so agree the details before the first serve.
| Play Pickleball (page dated 08/02/2024) | The Dink (9 June 2024) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who scores | Only the serving player. Each player keeps their own points. | Each player keeps their own score; the page does not say who can score, only that play follows regular doubles. |
| Serving | The single always serves, from behind the baseline. | The single serves from the right on an even score and the left on an odd one, until a side out. |
| Court halves | The single plays only the half they serve from. The pair keeps returns in that half; the other half is out for that rally. | The pair may hit only into the half the single serves from. The single's centerline acts as a sideline, and a ball on it is in. |
| Rotation | If the receiving side wins a rally, all players rotate clockwise. | On a side out, all players rotate clockwise and one of the pair becomes the single. |
| Winning score | First to 11. | Games are played to 11. |
Who scores
- Play Pickleball (page dated 08/02/2024)
- Only the serving player. Each player keeps their own points.
- The Dink (9 June 2024)
- Each player keeps their own score; the page does not say who can score, only that play follows regular doubles.
Serving
- Play Pickleball (page dated 08/02/2024)
- The single always serves, from behind the baseline.
- The Dink (9 June 2024)
- The single serves from the right on an even score and the left on an odd one, until a side out.
Court halves
- Play Pickleball (page dated 08/02/2024)
- The single plays only the half they serve from. The pair keeps returns in that half; the other half is out for that rally.
- The Dink (9 June 2024)
- The pair may hit only into the half the single serves from. The single's centerline acts as a sideline, and a ball on it is in.
Rotation
- Play Pickleball (page dated 08/02/2024)
- If the receiving side wins a rally, all players rotate clockwise.
- The Dink (9 June 2024)
- On a side out, all players rotate clockwise and one of the pair becomes the single.
Winning score
- Play Pickleball (page dated 08/02/2024)
- First to 11.
- The Dink (9 June 2024)
- Games are played to 11.
Which cutthroat this is
This page is about the three-player pickleball game. It is not cutthroat pool or the tennis game of the same name, which are different games. Play Pickleball also calls the pickleball game Australian pickleball and compares it with Canadian doubles in tennis, so you may meet those names.
It is a house format. USA Pickleball's 2026 Official Rulebook (read 2 November 2026) has no cutthroat rule: we searched its text for cutthroat, Australian and Canadian doubles and found none. Everything below is attributed to the page that says it. PickleCrew's app does not run cutthroat.
How a game of cutthroat runs
- Set up one against two. The single stands at one end and the pair stand together at the other. Both pages describe this setup.
- Agree the scoring. Use one of the two versions in the table, or your own, and say which before the first serve.
- The single serves, and keeps serving while they win rallies. Standard serving rules apply, including calling the score first (Play Pickleball).
- The pair returns into the single's half. Both pages restrict the pair to the half of the court the single serves from.
- Rotate when the pair wins a rally. All three move one step clockwise, and one of the pair becomes the single.
- Play to 11. Both pages end the game at 11 points. Neither says whether it must be won by two, so agree that too.
The Dink adds a tip: if a line call is close, lean toward the ball being in, so rallies last longer.
The rotation, drawn
- When the pair wins a rally, everyone moves one step clockwise: the single goes to the top spot, the top player goes to the bottom spot, and the bottom player becomes the single.
- The sources say players rotate clockwise and that one of the pair becomes the single. They do not say which one, so this is one reading.
Which player from the pair becomes the single is not stated by either page. The diagram draws one reading, and the worked example below follows it. If your group reads it the other way round, everyone still gets a turn alone, in a different order.
A worked example
Three players: A starts as the single, and B (top) and C (bottom) are the pair. This follows Play Pickleball's version, where only the single scores and the pair's rally win rotates everyone. Another version would score differently.
| Rally | Won by | Single (serves) | Pair (top and bottom) | Scores |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | Nobody yet | A | B and C | A 0, B 0, C 0 |
| 1 | The single | A | B and C | A 1, B 0, C 0 |
| 2 | The single | A | B and C | A 2, B 0, C 0 |
| 3 | The pair | C | A and B | A 2, B 0, C 0 |
| 4 | The single | C | A and B | A 2, B 0, C 1 |
| 5 | The pair | B | C and A | A 2, B 0, C 1 |
| 6 | The single | B | C and A | A 2, B 1, C 1 |
Start
- Won by
- Nobody yet
- Single (serves)
- A
- Pair (top and bottom)
- B and C
- Scores
- A 0, B 0, C 0
After rally 1
- Won by
- The single
- Single (serves)
- A
- Pair (top and bottom)
- B and C
- Scores
- A 1, B 0, C 0
After rally 2
- Won by
- The single
- Single (serves)
- A
- Pair (top and bottom)
- B and C
- Scores
- A 2, B 0, C 0
After rally 3
- Won by
- The pair
- Single (serves)
- C
- Pair (top and bottom)
- A and B
- Scores
- A 2, B 0, C 0
After rally 4
- Won by
- The single
- Single (serves)
- C
- Pair (top and bottom)
- A and B
- Scores
- A 2, B 0, C 1
After rally 5
- Won by
- The pair
- Single (serves)
- B
- Pair (top and bottom)
- C and A
- Scores
- A 2, B 0, C 1
After rally 6
- Won by
- The single
- Single (serves)
- B
- Pair (top and bottom)
- C and A
- Scores
- A 2, B 1, C 1
Common mistakes
- Not agreeing the details. The two pages we read differ on where the single serves from, and The Dink does not say who scores beyond "like regular doubles".
- Letting the pair hit into the other half. Both pages restrict their returns to the half the single serves from.
- Rotating the wrong way. Both pages say clockwise. Check the diagram against which end the single is at.
- Calling every close ball out. The Dink suggests leaning toward in, so the single's rallies last.
- Mixing it up with cutthroat pool. Search for the pickleball game by name.
When only three show up
Cutthroat keeps all three on court. With two players, try skinny singles. With four or more, a round robin or a mixer rotates partners without anyone playing alone. For every format side by side, see the formats guide.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play cutthroat in pickleball?
One player stands at one end and two at the other. The single serves, and the pair returns. When the pair wins a rally, all three rotate clockwise, and a player from the pair becomes the single. The first to 11 wins. Where the single serves from differs between published versions.
What is cutthroat pickleball scoring?
Play Pickleball's version lets only the serving player score, and each player keeps their own points. The Dink says each player keeps their own score and that play otherwise follows regular doubles, with the single serving from the right on an even score and the left on an odd one. Both play to 11. Neither is an official rule.
What are the cutthroat pickleball rules?
The core, in the two pages we read: one against two, the single serves, the pair keeps its returns to the half the single serves from, everyone rotates clockwise, and the first to 11 wins. USA Pickleball's 2026 rulebook has no cutthroat rule, so the rest is a house rule to agree first.
How do you play pickleball with 3 people?
Cutthroat keeps all three on court. The Dink also suggests skinny singles for two, with the third player subbing in after each game. Either way, agree the scoring and the rotation before the first serve.