How Is It Decided Who Serves First in Table Tennis?
Who serves first in table tennis is decided by lot, usually a coin toss. The toss is only the first step: what follows is a linked choice between serving, receiving and starting ends, split between the two players, and it is set out in the Laws of Table Tennis.
Short answer: The right to choose is decided by lot, which in an umpired match is usually a coin toss. The winner may choose to serve first, to receive first, or to start at a particular end. The other player or pair then has the other choice: if the winner picks serve or receive, the opponent picks the end, and if the winner picks an end, the opponent picks whether to serve or receive (ITTF Statutes 2026, Law 2.13.1 and 2.13.2).
Table of Contents
The Official Procedure: A Toss and Two Linked Choices
Law 2.13.1 says the right to choose the initial order of serving, receiving and ends is decided by lot, and that the winner may choose to serve or to receive first or to start at a particular end. The ITTF Handbook for Match Officials (16th edition, July 2019, section 14.1.1) says this is usually done by tossing a coin or a disc with two distinct sides, and it lists the coin toss among the umpire’s pre-match tasks. Law 2.13.2 then says that when one player or pair has chosen to serve or receive first or to start at a particular end, the other player or pair has the other choice. In practice the winner takes either the serve/receive decision or the end, and the opponent takes the remaining one. A winner who picks an end leaves the serve or receive decision to the opponent, and a winner who picks serve or receive leaves the end to the opponent, so both players end up with a choice to make.
📊 Note: Winning the toss does not oblige the winner to serve. A player might prefer a particular end for a reason such as lighting, a draft or simple personal preference, and choose that instead, which leaves the serve or receive decision to the opponent.
Why the Choice Structure Matters
The winner makes only one of the choices, so there is a tactical question worth thinking about before the match rather than defaulting to habit. These are general ideas, not rules, and the Laws do not rank the options. A player who trusts their own serve might choose to serve first. A player who is unsure about handling an opponent’s serve might prefer to receive first, or to pick an end and let the opponent decide. Choosing an end can make sense when conditions differ between the two ends of the court, such as lighting or a draft.
Casual Alternatives to the Coin Toss
Casual players often use other ways of settling who chooses first. A racket spin is one example: one player spins a racket and the opponent calls which side will face up when it lands, much like calling a coin toss. Another is a hidden-ball guess, where one player hides the ball in one hand and the opponent guesses which. The Laws only require that the choice be decided by lot. Law 2.13.1 does not name a coin, a racket spin or a hidden-ball guess, and the Handbook describes a coin or a two-sided disc as the usual method. In an umpired match, follow the umpire’s procedure.
⚠️ Watch out: Law 2.13.1 says the choice is decided ‘by lot’ and does not list methods. The ITTF Handbook for Match Officials describes tossing a coin or a two-sided disc as the usual method. In a sanctioned match the umpire carries out the toss, so players should follow the umpire’s method rather than propose their own.
Both informal methods use equipment already at the table, so nobody has to find a coin before play can start. In a casual game, the players can simply agree on a method beforehand. In a sanctioned match, the umpire handles the toss.
What Happens for Each Game After the First
The toss decides the opening arrangement for the first game. After that the Laws fix what happens. The player or pair who served first in a game receives first in the next game (Law 2.13.6), and the player or pair who started at one end starts at the other end in the next game (Law 2.13.7). Within a game, the receiving player or pair becomes the server after each 2 points, except when both players or pairs reach 10 points or the expedite system is in operation, when each player serves for only 1 point in turn (Law 2.13.3).
A Practical Note for Players Who’ve Never Thought About This
It can be worth weighing all the options rather than defaulting to serve out of habit, especially against an opponent you already know or at a venue where the position of the table might matter. The Laws give the winner a choice of serving, receiving or an end, and they do not say that any one of them is always the right pick.
💡 Pro tip: If you’re playing a rematch against someone you’ve faced before, think specifically about whether their serve or their serve return is the bigger relative weakness before automatically choosing to serve yourself if you happen to win the toss.
There is also a matter of personal preference. Some players may like serving first because it gives them the first active shot, while others may prefer to receive first and see the opponent’s spin and pace before serving. Neither approach is correct in every case, and the right choice depends on the players.
What If a Match Has No Umpire?
Many club and recreational matches are played without an umpire, so the players have to run the toss themselves and agree on how to do it. The Laws say the choice is decided by lot, and the same linked choices apply: the winner chooses to serve, to receive or to start at a particular end, and the opponent makes the other choice.
💡 Pro tip: If you’re setting up a casual match and want to avoid any argument later, say the options out loud before flipping the coin: “winner picks serve, receive, or end, and the other player makes the remaining choice.” It removes any ambiguity about what the toss winner is choosing between.
How This Compares to Badminton
Players who also play badminton will notice a similar idea. Law 6 of the BWF Laws of Badminton (Section 4.1, version 5.0 in force from 26 April 2025) says a toss is conducted before play commences, and the side winning the toss chooses either to serve or receive first, or to start play at one end of the court or the other. The side losing the toss then exercises the remaining choice. The structure is close to table tennis, but each sport has its own wording, so check the rules of the sport being played.
Doubles: Does the Same Procedure Apply?
Law 2.13.2 refers to a ‘player or pair’, so the same toss and linked choices apply to doubles. Doubles adds some detail. In each game the pair having the right to serve first chooses which of them will do so, and in the first game of a match the receiving pair decides which of them will receive first (Law 2.13.4). At each change of service the previous receiver becomes the server and the partner of the previous server becomes the receiver (Law 2.13.5).
A Quick Word on Deciding Games (If the Match Goes That Far)
The initial toss covers only the opening arrangement. In the last possible game of a match, the players or pairs change ends when first one player or pair scores 5 points (Law 2.13.7). In doubles, in that same last possible game, the pair due to receive next changes its order of receiving when first one pair scores 5 points (Law 2.13.6). Both are triggered by the score rather than by a new toss.
What Happens If Someone Serves or Ends Up at the Wrong End
The order set at the start of the match matters because errors are corrected by reference to it. Law 2.14.1 says that if a player serves or receives out of turn, the umpire interrupts play as soon as the error is discovered, and play resumes with the players serving and receiving who should be server and receiver at the score that has been reached, according to the sequence established at the beginning of the match. In doubles, that uses the order of serving chosen by the pair having the right to serve first in the game during which the error is discovered.
Law 2.14.2 covers ends in the same way. If the players have not changed ends when they should have done so, the umpire interrupts play as soon as the error is discovered, and play resumes with the players at the ends at which they should be at the score that has been reached, according to the sequence established at the beginning of the match. This is one more reason the first choice, and who made it, is worth getting clear before the first point.
- ✓Actually weigh all three choices, serve, receive, or end, rather than defaulting to serve automatically
- ✓Consider a specific opponent’s known weaknesses before choosing what to do with a won toss
- ✓Treat the racket spin and hidden-ball guess as casual conventions, and follow the umpire’s method in a sanctioned match
- ✓Remember the choice structure covers only the first game’s starting arrangement
- ✕Assume winning the toss means you must serve first
- ✕Present an informal casual-play method as the ITTF procedure in a sanctioned match
- ✕Choose out of pure habit without considering whether an end or receiving might actually be better
- ✕Assume the same toss applies fresh to every single game rather than just setting up the first one
The Short Version, Restated
The right to choose first is decided by lot, usually a coin toss. The winner chooses to serve first, to receive first or to start at a particular end, and the opponent makes the other choice. Casual play often substitutes a racket spin or hidden-ball guess. The choice is worth thinking through rather than defaulting to serve out of habit, since each option can matter in some situations.
Common Questions
How is it decided who serves first in table tennis?
The right to choose is decided by lot, usually a coin toss. The winner chooses to serve first, receive first, or start at a particular end, and the opponent makes the other choice.
Does winning the coin toss mean you have to serve first?
No. The winner can choose to receive first or to start at a particular end. Choosing an end leaves the serve or receive decision to the opponent.
Is a racket spin the official way to decide who serves first?
The Laws say the choice is decided by lot and do not name a racket spin. The ITTF Handbook for Match Officials describes tossing a coin or a two-sided disc as the usual method, and in an umpired match the umpire carries out the toss.
Does the coin toss decide serving order for the whole match?
It sets the starting arrangement for the first game. After that, the player or pair who served first in a game receives first in the next game, and ends switch each game (Law 2.13.6 and 2.13.7).
Should you always choose to serve if you win the toss?
Not necessarily, consider whether receiving or choosing a specific end might be more advantageous against a particular opponent or venue.
The Short Version
- →A lot, usually a coin toss, decides who chooses first: serve, receive, or an end.
- →The winner makes one choice; the opponent makes the other (Law 2.13.2).
- →Racket spins and hidden-ball guesses are casual conventions; the Laws only say the choice is decided by lot.
- →This decision sets up the first game only, not every game in the match.
- →Serving isn’t always the best choice, weigh receiving and end selection too.
- →The same toss applies in doubles, where the pair also decides who serves and who receives first (Law 2.13.4).
Benjamin Fink is the Lead Equipment Analyst and Senior Contributor at Ping Pong Reviewed. A competitive USATT tournament player and table tennis technician with over 12 years of testing experience, Benjamin specializes in blade carbon composite physics, rubber sponge durometer hardness testing, ITTF equipment compliance, and table tennis robotics mechanics.
