A game of table tennis goes to 11 points, but if it reaches 10-10 you keep going until someone leads by 2. Every rally scores a point, and service passes to the other side after every 2 points, or after every single point once the score reaches 10-10.
This page follows Table Tennis England's Laws of Table Tennis 2026-27, which reproduce the laws set by the sport's international governing body, as of November 2026. I've left out the national byelaws printed in boxes in that document, because they only apply to competitions Table Tennis England regulates.
The table, net, ball and racket
| Item | What the laws say |
|---|---|
| Playing surface | 2.74 m long, 1.525 m wide, 76 cm above the floor |
| Colour and lines | Dark and matt, with a white side line 2 cm wide along each 2.74 m edge and a white end line 2 cm wide along each 1.525 m edge |
| Bounce | About 23 cm when a standard ball is dropped onto it from 30 cm |
| Net | Top 15.25 cm above the playing surface, posts 15.25 cm outside the side line |
| Doubles centre line | 3 mm wide, white, counted as part of each right half-court |
| Ball | 40 mm across, 2.7 g, plastic, white or orange, matt |
The racket can be any size, shape or weight, but the blade has to be flat and rigid and mostly natural wood. One side must be black and the other a bright colour that's clearly different from black and from the ball. Before a match, you're meant to show your racket to your opponent and the umpire and let them examine it.
How to serve legally, step by step
Most arguments in a garage or office game are about the serve, and the laws are precise about it.
- Start with the ball resting freely on the open palm of your free hand, and keep that hand still.
- Throw the ball near vertically upwards, without spin, so it rises at least 16 cm after leaving your palm.
- Let it fall without touching anything, and strike it on the way down.
- It must touch your court first, then go directly to the receiver's court. In doubles, it goes from your right half-court to the receiver's right half-court.
- From the start of the serve until you hit it, the ball stays above the level of the playing surface and behind your end line.
- Don't hide the ball from the receiver with your body, your partner or anything you wear or carry.
- As soon as you've thrown the ball up, move your free arm and hand out of the space between the ball and the net.
If the umpire isn't sure a serve is legal, they can stop play and warn you the first time in a match. After that, any serve that isn't clearly legal is a fault. The hidden-ball rule is the one that surprises casual players most: the receiver has to be able to see the ball for the whole serve.
Points, games and matches
Unless a rally is a let, it ends in a point to someone. A game goes to the first player or pair to 11, unless both reach 10, when it goes to whoever first gets 2 points ahead. So a game can finish 11-9, but from 10-10 it can't finish until it's 12-10, 13-11 or further.
A match is the best of any odd number of games, so you agree before you start whether it's best of three, five or more. The first choice is decided by lot: the winner picks whether to serve, receive or start at a particular end, and the other side gets the remaining choice. You change ends after each game, and in the last possible game of the match you also change ends when one side first reaches 5 points.
Who serves when, in singles and doubles
After every 2 points, the receiver becomes the server. Once both sides have 10 points, the order stays the same but each player serves for only 1 point in turn. Whoever served first in one game receives first in the next.
Doubles adds a fixed rotation. The pair serving first chooses which of them serves, and in the first game the receiving pair chooses who receives. At each change of service, the previous receiver becomes the server and the partner of the previous server becomes the receiver. Here's that rule played out with players A1 and A2 against B1 and B2:
| Service turn | Server | Receiver |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | A1 | B1 |
| 2nd | B1 | A2 |
| 3rd | A2 | B2 |
| 4th | B2 | A1 |
| 5th | Back to A1 | B1 |
Within a rally, doubles players hit in a strict order: server, receiver, server's partner, receiver's partner, and round again. Hitting out of that sequence loses the point.
Lets, lost points and the expedite system
A let is a rally that isn't scored, so it's replayed. The laws list these as lets:
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- A serve that touches the net assembly but is otherwise correct.
- A serve delivered when the receiver isn't ready, as long as neither the receiver nor their partner tries to hit it.
- A failure caused by a disturbance outside the player's control.
- Play interrupted by the umpire or assistant umpire.
You lose the point if you fail to make a correct serve or return, if you strike the ball twice in a row on purpose, if you obstruct the ball, if you or anything you wear or carry moves the playing surface or touches the net assembly, or if your free hand touches the playing surface. That last one is the rule people miss: it's about the free hand, the one not holding the racket, and putting it down on the table costs you the point.
The expedite system is there to stop games dragging. It kicks in after 10 minutes' play in a game, or at any time both sides ask for it, but not if at least 18 points have already been scored in that game. From then on, each player serves for 1 point in turn, and if the receiving side makes 13 correct returns in a rally, the receiver wins the point. Once it's introduced, it stays for the rest of the match.
My verdict: what I'd teach first
I'd teach scoring and service first: 11 to win, 2 clear from 10-10, and the serve swaps every 2 points. Then I'd go through the legal serve once, slowly, with the open palm and the 16 cm throw, because that's what turns a kitchen-table game into a fair one.
I'd skip the expedite system and the racket colour rules for casual games at home or at work; they matter at club level and above. If you're planning a sports afternoon, the team building activities people don't dread sit well alongside it, and if your group fancies a bigger court, my beginner's guide to pickleball covers another bat-and-ball game that's quick to pick up.
Frequently asked questions
How many points is a game of table tennis?
11 points, and if it reaches 10-10 you must win by 2.
How many serves in a row in table tennis?
2 points each, then service changes. At 10-10 each player serves 1 point in turn.
What is a let in table tennis?
A rally that's replayed and not scored, for example a serve that touches the net but is otherwise correct.
How high must you throw the ball on a serve?
At least 16 cm, near vertically upwards and without spin, from the open palm of your free hand.
Can you touch the table in table tennis?
Not with your free hand. If your free hand touches the playing surface, your opponent wins the point.
