Quick answer: Table tennis is played to 11 points, and you must win by at least 2 points. Matches are decided over a best-of-5 or best-of-7 games. Each player serves 2 points in a row, then serve passes to the opponent — except after 10-10 (“deuce”), when serve switches after every single point. The ball must bounce once on your side and once on your opponent’s side on every legal shot. That’s the core of it — everything else in this guide fills in the details so you can actually play a proper match with confidence.
The Basics: Table, Ball, and Net
Before the rules make sense, it helps to know what you’re playing with:
- Table: 2.74m long × 1.525m wide, standing 76cm off the ground.
- Net: 15.25cm high, running across the middle of the table.
- Ball: An official ball is 40mm in diameter and weighs 2.7 grams. Competition-grade balls are graded 3-star — this is the ITTF-recognized quality standard for match play, unlike the “star rating” used on rackets (which is a brand-specific marketing scale, not an official grading system — more on that in a separate guide).
- Racket: Any size, weight, or shape is technically allowed, but the blade must be flat and rigid, and at least 85% wood by thickness. If you don’t have one yet, our Table Tennis Rackets category has ready-made options for every level, or you can build your own combination with our Racket Configurator.
If you’re just getting your first set of equipment together, a beginner-friendly bundle like the Drop Serve bundle (Loki Kirin 1 blade with Rxtone 5 MAX rubber on both sides) gives you a stable, forgiving setup to actually learn these rules on, instead of a racket that behaves unpredictably.
How Scoring Works
- A game is played to 11 points.
- You must win by 2 points — so if the score reaches 10-10, play continues until one player leads by 2 (12-10, 13-11, and so on).
- A match is usually the best of 5 games (first to win 3) at club level, or best of 7 games (first to win 4) in higher-level tournaments.
- You win a point when your opponent fails to return the ball legally — this includes missing it entirely, hitting it into the net, hitting it off the table, or hitting it before it bounces on their own side (a “volley,” which is illegal in table tennis).
How Serving Works
Serving has more structure in table tennis than casual players usually realize:
- Toss the ball from an open palm, near-vertically, at least 16cm high, without spin.
- Strike the ball as it falls, so it first bounces on your own side of the table, then clears or passes around the net, then bounces on your opponent’s side.
- Alternate every 2 points. Player A serves for points 1 and 2, then Player B serves for points 3 and 4, and so on.
- From 10-10 (deuce), serving alternates every single point instead of every 2, until the game is won.
- A “let” (the ball clips the net on a serve but still lands correctly) is simply replayed — it doesn’t count as a point either way.
Getting a legal serve consistent is one of the first real skills to practice — we cover it step-by-step in our companion guide, Table Tennis Serving Rules Explained Simply.
Basic Rally Rules
Once the serve is in play, a normal rally follows simple back-and-forth logic:
- The ball must bounce once on your side before you hit it back (you can’t volley it out of the air).
- After you hit it, it must clear the net and bounce once on your opponent’s side.
- Hitting the ball around the net post (outside the white sideline extension, but still landing on the table) is legal — it’s a common advanced tactic, not a foul.
- Touching the table with your free hand while the ball is in play, or moving the table, is a fault and loses you the point.
Common Beginner Questions About the Rules
Do I need an official 3-star ball to practice at home? No — for casual home practice, any decent training ball works fine. Save 3-star balls, like our Butterfly 3-Star TT Balls or Nittaku 3-Star TT Balls, for matches and serious practice sessions where consistent bounce matters.
What happens if the ball touches the net during a normal rally (not a serve)? Play continues as normal — a net touch mid-rally isn’t a let, it’s just part of the point, as long as the ball still lands legally.
Is it legal to hit the ball with the side of the racket, not just the rubber face? Yes, as long as the surface that contacts the ball is one of the two approved rubber surfaces attached to the blade. Hitting with the bare wooden edge is legal too, though rare in real play.
How long is a typical table tennis match? A best-of-5 recreational match usually takes 15-25 minutes; competitive best-of-7 matches can run 30-45+ minutes depending on how close the games are.
Once you’re comfortable with the rules, the next step is picking the right racket for how you actually want to play. Our Complete Beginner’s Guide to Buying Your First Racket walks through exactly that, or reach out to us directly — contact Xennom Sports for honest, player-to-player advice. Cash on Delivery available across Pakistan.