What is deuce in badminton?

Deuce is what players call a tied score of 20-20 in badminton. From 20-all, nobody can win the game with just one more point: you need to get 2 points ahead, up to a maximum of 30 points.

How deuce works

A normal game is played to 21 points. But you must win by at least 2 points, so:

1. If the score reaches 20-20, the game goes into deuce.
2. The next point gives one side a 1-point lead, often called game point or advantage.
3. If the leader wins the next point too, they are 2 ahead and win the game. If the other side wins it, the score is tied again and play continues.
4. If the score keeps going back and forth to 29-29, the side that wins the next rally wins the game 30-29. That is the highest possible score in a 21-point game.

Deuce score examples

Is "deuce" an official badminton term?

Not in the official Laws of Badminton. An umpire announces the score, for example "twenty all", rather than "deuce". The word comes from tennis, where it also means a tie that has to be broken by two clear points, and it is widely used in club and casual badminton, especially in India.

Before 2006, badminton games were played to 15 points and only the serving side could score. A tied score near the end then led to "setting", where the game could be extended. Today's rally point system replaced that with the simple win-by-2 rule and the 30-point cap.

Deuce in shorter games

Casual games to 11 or 15 points use the same idea: you still need a 2-point lead, with a lower maximum. In DeucePoint, the cap scales with your target, so a game to 15 is capped at 21 and a game to 11 at 16.

Related rules

• Badminton scoring rules: games, intervals, changing ends and serving.
• Doubles serving rules: who serves and who receives.