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how do they score curling

They score curling by counting how many of one team’s stones are closer to the center than the other team’s best stone at the end of each “end.”

The very short version

  • A game is split into “ends” (like innings).
  • After all 16 stones in that end are thrown (8 per team), they look at the house (the colored circles).
  • Only one team scores in an end.
  • That team gets:
    • 1 point for having the closest stone to the button (the tiny circle in the middle),
    • plus 1 point for every additional stone that is closer to the button than the opponent’s closest stone.
  • Stones that are not touching the house don’t count at all.

Think of it as: “How many of my rocks are closer than your best rock?” That number is my score for that end.

Key terms (so commentary makes sense)

  • House : The big set of concentric circles. Only stones touching any part of this ringed area can score.
  • Button : The tiny circle at the very center of the house; this is what “closest to the middle” means.
  • End : One segment of the game in which each team throws eight stones; most games are 8 or 10 ends.
  • Hammer : The team with the last stone in the end; huge strategic edge.
  • Blank end : An end where nobody scores (either no stones in the house, or they’re perfectly equidistant).
  • Steal : When the team without the hammer scores anyway.

Step‑by‑step: how one end is scored

  1. All 16 stones are thrown
    Each team alternates turns until they’ve each delivered eight stones. Nothing is scored until the very last stone comes to rest.
  1. Find who’s “shot rock”
    Officials or players look at which stone is closest to the button. That team “wins the end” and is the only team that can get points.

  1. Count scoring stones
    Starting from that closest stone, they count how many of that same team’s stones are closer to the button than the opponent’s closest one.

    • If only one stone is closer, that’s 1 point.
    • If four stones are all closer, that’s 4 points, and so on.

The theoretical maximum is 8 points in a single end (all of one team’s stones are counting and all the opponent’s are farther away).

  1. Ignore everything outside the house
    Any stone completely outside the house (no contact with the rings) is worth zero, no matter how pretty the shot was.
  1. What if nobody scores?
    • If no stone is touching the house, or the nearest stones from each team are exactly the same distance from the button, the end is scoreless (blank end).
 * In most formats, the hammer carries over to the same team for the next end after a blank.

Hammer, blanks, and steals (why strategy looks weird on TV)

  • Teams with the hammer often try to score at least two , or they may even intentionally blank the end to keep the hammer for later when they can set up a bigger score.
  • If you don’t have the hammer, your dream is to:
    • “Force” the hammer team to just one point, or
    • Steal by scoring yourself, which flips momentum.

That’s why you’ll sometimes see a team apparently missing a chance at a single point; they’d rather blank and keep last rock than take a lonely one and give last rock away.

Game length and tiebreaks

  • Standard games: usually 8 or 10 ends, depending on level and event.
  • After all ends, they total each team’s points from every end; highest total wins.
  • If the game is tied after regulation ends, they play extra ends until someone wins an end and breaks the tie.

Quick FAQ style recap

  • Q: In one end, can both teams score?
    A: No. Only the team with the stone closest to the button scores in that end.
  • Q: How many points can you get in one end?
    A: Up to 8, if all your stones in the house are closer than any opponent stone.
  • Q: Do you score as stones cross the hog line or anything like that?
    A: No. You only score after all stones in the end are thrown and come to rest.
  • Q: Does touching the rings matter?
    A: Yes. A stone must at least touch the outer ring of the house to be eligible to score.

SEO side note: This is the core of how do they score curling that commentators break down every Olympics, and it’s what drives most current explainers and forum discussion around curling scoring and the hammer.

TL;DR: After each end, find which team has the rock closest to the button, then count how many of their rocks beat the opponent’s nearest one; that number is the points they get for that end.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.