How to Play Pickleball with 3 Players

  • Date: December 24, 2022
  • Time to read: 3 min.

Pickleball is a great game for all ages and can be played in singles or doubles. But what can you do if you want to play pickleball with 3 players?

One idea is to play cutthroat pickleball, where two players are on one side of the net and the other 2 players are a team. Another option requires the winner of the previous game to play the next game, while the loser stays out.

In this article, we talk about cutthroat pickleball and other ways to play pickleball with 3 players.

How do you play cutthroat pickleball?

Cutthroat pickleball is a variation of the game that can be played with 3 players. The aim of the game is to eliminate the other players by scoring points. The game is played to 11 points, and you must win by 2 points.

If there are 3 players, then each player takes turns being the lone player. This means that they will play against the other 2 players as a team. The lone player will have to cover just half of the court, called the “winning half”, and the team-players must return the ball to him in that half. After 5 serves, the loan player changes the position to the other half of the court.

Cutthroat pickleball is a great way to mix up the game and make it more challenging.

How can you play pickleball with 3 players

Pickleball is a fun game that can be played with 3 players. There are a few different ways that you can play, the most popular being is cutthroat pickleball.

Here are other ways that you can play pickleball with 3 players:

Net person

One way to play with 3 players is to have one player be the net person. This player will stay at the net and hit the ball back and forth with the other 2 players. The net person can not move around the court, but they can hit the ball anywhere they want. This is a great way to practice your volleys!

The other 2 players will take turns hitting the ball back and forth to the net person. The game can be played to a certain score, or you can just play until someone gets tired.

This is a great way to play if you have uneven numbers, or if you just want to practice your volleys.

Mixed doubles

Another way to play with 3 players is to have one player be single, and the other 2 players be a team. For the team players, the doubles rules apply. This means that they can hit the ball into either player’s court, and they can also switch up who hits the ball.

After each game, the single player will rotate so that everyone gets a chance to play both singles and doubles. This is a great way to mix things up and keep the game interesting.

Tournament

You can also create a tournament. This means you need to have one person sit out  each game. The 2 players that are playing will play to a certain score, and then the next player will come in and play. This continues until everyone has played each other.

This type of game can be played even if you have more than 4 players. You can have multiple games going on at the same time, and then the winners of each game will play each other in the finals.

Winner always play

This is a more relaxed way of playing. The winner of the previous game will always play the next game. This means that if someone is losing, they can sit out for a game and then come back in.

This is a great way to play if you want to keep the game going and don’t want anyone to get too discouraged.

Conclusion

There are many different ways to play pickleball with 3 players. You can try cutthroat pickleball, mixed doubles, or even a tournament. Whatever way you decide to play, pickleball is a great game for all levels of players.

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