Playing in a padel social? Here's how it works

How a padel social works

Instead of playing with the same partner all night, you rotate. Every round you're paired with someone new against another pair, and your score for the round is the number of points your team won. Add your rounds up and the player with the most points at the end wins — so what matters is how you play with everyone, not who you happened to be paired with.

• Americano: partners are shuffled so you don't repeat a pairing if it can be avoided.
• Mexicano: after the first round, pairings adapt to the scores so matches stay close and everyone gets a good game.

Each round is played to a fixed number of points (your organiser will tell you, often 16, 21, 24 or 32), and the two teams' scores always add up to that number. There's no need to bring your own partner or organise teams.

Before you arrive

• Check the day, time, venue and courts in the message from your organiser, and let them know if you can't make it — or if you'll be late or need to leave early. They can add or remove players at any point, and the rotation adjusts.
• Bring your racket, water and anything the organiser asks for. If you're short of kit, ask them in the group chat.
• Aim to be there a few minutes early so the first round can start on time.
• Charge your phone if you'd like to follow the scores live — it's optional, and you don't need an app.

On the day

1. Find out who you're playing withThe organiser shares each round's pairings and courts — on a screen, on their phone, or by calling them out.
2. Play the roundRally to the agreed number of points. Be honest about the score and keep the pace up so every round gets played.
3. Tell the organiser the scoreThe organiser (or someone they've asked) enters it. If they've allowed it, you may be able to enter scores yourself from your own phone.
4. Swap partners and go againMove to your next court. When the numbers don't divide evenly, a couple of players sit out each round — it rotates, so nobody sits out twice before everyone has had a turn.

Following the scores on your phone (optional)

If your organiser has started a live game, they'll send you a 6-character code or a link. Open the link, or go to padelsidequest.com/match-organiser.html and enter the code, and you can watch the standings update in real time. There's no app and no account — just the code.

Sitting out, and keeping it fair

If you sit a round out, you haven't had a chance to score, so your organiser can credit the missed round — most often at your own average, so a strong player isn't penalised for sitting out. The standings can also be ranked by average points per game or by games won, whichever your group prefers.

Leaderboards and your privacy

After the game, your organiser may save the results to a group leaderboard that keeps your group's last 10 games. It shows names and points — nothing else — to anyone with the group's code. You don't need an account.

Some organisers also switch on player insights (things like your form over time, best partner and toughest opponents). They only appear if the organiser chooses to record them, and they're shared only with people who have the group's link. If you'd rather not be included, just tell your organiser. They can leave you out with one tap, and any matches already recorded for you are deleted straight away. See our privacy policy for the details.

Quick questions