What is the golden point in padel?

At 40-40, instead of playing advantage, one deciding point is played and whoever wins it wins the game. The receiving pair chooses whether to receive on the right or the left.

What is the Star Point in padel?

A deuce format approved by FIP on 28 November 2025. The first two deuces are played with advantage. If the score reaches deuce a third time, one deciding point, the Star Point, wins the game.

Is the golden point still used in padel?

Yes. Golden point is an official option in the 2026 FIP rules, alongside advantage and Star Point. Amateur leagues and clubs choose which format they use.

Who chooses the side at the deciding point?

The receiving pair, for both the golden point and the Star Point. For the Star Point, the receiving players may not change positions.

How does a tie-break work in padel?

At 6-6 in games, a tie-break decides the set. The first pair to 7 points with a 2-point margin wins it.

What is a super tie-break in padel?

An official short format: at one set all, a super tie-break replaces the third set. The first pair to 10 points wins, with a margin of at least 2 points.

How padel scoring works: golden point and Star Point

Padel uses tennis scoring: 15, 30, 40, game, sets to 6 games and a tie-break at 6-6. The part that changes from match to match is what happens at 40-40. Under the 2026 rules of the International Padel Federation (FIP), there are three options: advantage, golden point and Star Point. Amateur leagues and clubs choose which format they use, so ask before you start.

Points and games

A game is scored the same way as in tennis:

Points won	Score called
0	0
1	15
2	30
3	40
4	Game (unless the score reaches 40-40)

When both pairs reach 40, the score is 40-40, also called deuce. From here, the format you play decides how the game ends.

Sets and matches

Set. The first pair to win 6 games with a 2-game margin wins the set. At 5-5, play continues to 7-5. At 6-6, a tie-break decides the set.
Match. Best of three sets: the first pair to win two sets wins the match.

Tie-break

At 6-6, a tie-break is played. The first pair to 7 points with a 2-point margin wins it, and with it the set. If it is 6-6 in the tie-break, keep playing until one pair is 2 points ahead.

What happens at 40-40: three FIP options

Format	How the game ends	Most points at deuce before a decider
Advantage	A pair must win two points in a row from deuce	No limit
Golden point	One deciding point at 40-40	None: the first point decides
Star Point	Up to two advantage points, then one deciding point	Two advantage points

1. Advantage

This is the classic tennis method. At deuce, the pair that wins the next point has the advantage. If they win the following point too, they win the game. If they lose it, the score goes back to deuce. A game can, in theory, go on for a long time.

2. Golden point

The golden point (in Spanish, "punto de oro"; in English also called "no advantage") keeps things short. At 40-40, one deciding point is played, and whoever wins it wins the game.

Who chooses the side? The receiving pair chooses whether to receive on the right or on the left.
Is it still allowed? Yes. Golden point remains an official option in the 2026 FIP rules.

3. Star Point

Star Point is the newest format. The FIP General Assembly approved it unanimously on 28 November 2025. It sits between the other two: it gives each game a chance to swing back, but it puts a cap on how long a deuce can last.

How it works:

First deuce. At 40-40, play for advantage as usual. Once a pair has the advantage, the next point is the advantage point: if they win it, they win the game; if the other pair wins it, the score returns to deuce.
Second deuce. The same thing again: another advantage point, and the game is either won or back at deuce.
Third deuce. If the score reaches deuce a third time, one decisive point is played: the Star Point. The pair that wins it wins the game.

For the Star Point, the receiving pair chooses the side, and the receiving players may not change positions for it.

The effect: a game can contain at most two advantage points before one deciding point.

Star Point, step by step

Here is one game between pair A (serving) and pair B:

40-40 (first deuce). A wins the point: advantage A. B wins the next point: back to deuce.
40-40 (second deuce). B wins the point: advantage B. A wins the next point: back to deuce.
40-40 (third deuce). Now it is the Star Point. Pair B, receiving, chooses which side receives. Whoever wins this one point wins the game.

Had A won the point after its advantage in the first deuce, the game would have ended there, just as in normal advantage scoring.

Where Star Point has been used in 2026

In 2026, Star Point has been used on these circuits:

Qatar Airways Premier Padel Tour
CUPRA FIP Tour
FIP Promises (World Tour and Continental Tour)
FIP Beyond (an amateur circuit)

It was first played at FIP Bronze Melbourne, 5–11 January 2026. Its Premier Padel debut was at the Riyadh Season P1, 9–14 February 2026.

So Star Point has been part of Premier Padel and the FIP tours in 2026. That does not mean your Tuesday-night league uses it.

Shorter formats

FIP rules also allow shorter formats, useful when court time is tight:

Super tie-break instead of a third set. At one set all, a super tie-break replaces the third set. The first pair to win 10 points wins, provided there is a margin of at least 2 points.
Mini-set. A set to 4 games, with a tie-break at 4-4.
7-point tie-break at one set all, instead of a full third set.

Which format does your club use?

Amateur leagues and clubs choose their own format: advantage, golden point or Star Point, with or without a super tie-break. There is no single answer for every club, so:

For a league or tournament: check the rules sheet or ask the organiser before your first match.
For a friendly game or an open match: agree on the format with the other three players before the first serve. Booked slots have a fixed length, and a shorter format can help you finish a set in time.
When in doubt: say "golden point or advantage?" during the warm-up. It saves an argument at 40-40.

Next steps

Learn the serve, the walls and the faults in our guide to padel rules.
Find a club near you in our directory and book through the club's booking app or by phone.
Before the first point, agree three things: the deuce format, the number of sets and whether a super tie-break replaces the third set.