King of the Court Pickleball Rules (and Queen of the Court)

King of the court is a pickleball format where courts are ranked from top to bottom, winners move up a court and losers move down after each game, and players usually split from their partner every game so they climb individually.

Updated October 2, 2026 · 4 min read

King of the court (or queen of the court, or monarch of the court if your club is inclusive and a little silly) is the most fun format to watch. Every game has stakes, everyone can see where they stand, and the climb to court 1 is a mini story of the evening. It is also one of the easiest formats to run, as long as everyone knows the rules before the first horn.

The core rules

1. Courts are ranked. Court 1 is the top court. The highest number is the bottom court.
2. Four players per court, playing doubles.
3. After each game: the winning pair moves up one court; the losing pair moves down one court.
4. The edges: winners on court 1 stay on court 1. Losers on the bottom court stay on the bottom court.
5. Split partners (the most common variant): when you arrive at your new court, you team up with one of the players who came from the other direction. You climb as an individual, not as a pair.

Fixed partners or split partners?

Split partners is the classic social version. Each game you get a new partner, and your score is your own. Strong players rise, but they have to win with whoever they land with.

Fixed partners is better for partner leagues. The pair moves up and down together and the top pair at the end wins. It is simpler to track but produces less mixing.

How a round moves: worked example

Twelve players, three courts, split partners.

After round 1:

• Court 1: Ana and Ben beat Cal and Dee.
• Court 2: Eli and Fay beat Gus and Hal.
• Court 3: Ivy and Jon beat Kat and Leo.

For round 2:

• Court 1: Ana and Ben stay (court 1 winners). Eli and Fay move up from court 2. New pairs: Ana + Eli vs Ben + Fay.
• Court 2: Cal and Dee move down from court 1. Ivy and Jon move up from court 3. New pairs: Cal + Ivy vs Dee + Jon.
• Court 3: Gus and Hal move down from court 2. Kat and Leo stay (bottom court losers). New pairs: Gus + Kat vs Hal + Leo.

Each court always ends up with four players. When pairs split, mix one "stayer" or "up-mover" with one from the other group so nobody keeps their old partner.

Timed games vs games to points

Timed games are the standard for king of the court. Start every court on one horn, play 10 to 12 minutes, stop on the horn. Everyone moves at once, and nobody waits for a long deuce battle on court 3.

Games to points (to 7 or 11) also work, but courts finish at different times. You either wait for all courts to finish, or let courts swap independently, which gets messy. If you use points, keep games short.

Ties at the horn: decide in advance. Popular options: play one more rally, the next point wins; or whoever is ahead wins, and if tied, the serving team at the horn takes it. Some groups use "first to two more points".

Scoring

The simplest version: the person on court 1 at the end is king or queen. More satisfying for a whole session is individual points:

• 1 point per win, ranked by total.
• Weighted by court: for example with three courts, a win on court 1 is worth 3, court 2 is worth 2, court 3 is worth 1. This rewards climbing.
• Point differential as the first tie-break, then total points scored.

Track it on a whiteboard, or let the generator print a sheet with columns ready for scores.

Odd numbers and waiting players

King of the court works best with exactly four per court. If you have extras:

• One to three extra players: they wait at the bottom. After each game, the bottom-court losers rotate out and the waiting players come on. Next game, they rotate back in. This keeps sit-outs at the bottom of the ladder, where it hurts standings least.
• Points for waiting: if you rank by points, award a waiting player the equivalent of a loss (zero) or use sit-out compensation (their average per game). Say which before you start.
• Four or more extras: open another court.

For example, 14 players on 3 courts leaves 2 waiting each round. Rotating them through the bottom court means each person sits out roughly once every few rounds, depending on how often they lose on court 3.

Seeding the first round

• Random: fun, but the first few rounds are lopsided as people sort themselves out.
• By rating: put the highest-rated players on court 1. Things settle quickly.
• By arrival: first four on court 1. Simple but arbitrary.

After three or four rounds, the courts sort themselves into rough skill bands. That is part of the charm.

Etiquette notes

• Move quickly between games; the horn waits for no one.
• On court 1, winners stay but should still switch sides or serve order as your club prefers.
• Celebrate the climb, not the drop. Somebody always tumbles from court 1 to court 3 in two games, and that is the fun of it.

Variations worth trying

• Queen and king courts: run women's and men's sides, then a mixed final round.
• Challenge court: only court 1 is king of the court; other courts rotate everyone off. See paddle stacking rules.
• Carry-over ladder: keep the finishing order and start next week from it. That is basically a pickleball ladder.

If you prefer every-game pairing by standings rather than court movement, look at Mexicano. It has the same "meet people near your level" effect with a printed scoreboard.

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