how do you determine who gets the hammer in curling

In curling, the hammer (last stone of the end) is mostly decided by a skill shot before the game, but in casual play it can be as simple as a coin toss.

Quick Scoop: Who Gets the Hammer?

In modern competitive curling (Worlds, Olympics, major tours), the first-end hammer is usually decided by a Last Stone Draw (LSD). Two players from each team throw pre-game draws toward the button; the team with the lower average distance to the center wins last stone in the first end.

At more casual or club level, leagues often just flip a coin or use a random method, and the coin-flip winner chooses either hammer or which color/side they want.

The Standard Competitive Method (LSD)

• Before the game, each team gets a short practice.
• After practice, designated players each throw draws toward the button (often one clockwise, one counter‑clockwise).

• Officials measure how far each stone stops from the button and compute a total or average distance.
• The team with the shorter distance total earns the hammer in the first end.

• Those LSD numbers are also used in big events as a tiebreaker for standings and playoff seeding.

You can think of it like a mini “closest to the pin” contest in golf that decides who serves first in tennis.

Other Ways It’s Decided

Outside top‑tier events, organizers often keep it simple:

• Coin toss / random spin before the game, winner chooses hammer or stones.

• Single draw to the button : each team throws one stone; whichever is closer gets hammer.

These options are common in local leagues and funspiels because they are quick and easy to run.

How Hammer Changes During the Game

Once the game starts, hammer moves based on scoring:

• The team that scores in an end usually gives up the hammer in the next end.
• The team that does not score (or has a steal scored against them) usually gains the hammer in the next end.

• Teams can also blank an end (no score on purpose) to keep the hammer for the next end, which is a common strategy at high levels.

This is why commentators talk so much about “managing the hammer” and “blanking to keep last stone.”

Why It Matters So Much

Having the hammer gives a built‑in scoring edge : you throw last, so you see the full situation and can either draw for points or remove an opponent stone without them being able to answer.

Analyses of elite events show teams with the initial hammer win noticeably more often than 50% of the time, especially in tight games. That’s why the Last Stone Draw has become the standard—so that advantage is earned by skill, not pure luck.

TL;DR: In serious curling, the first hammer is usually earned by a pre‑game Last Stone Draw (closest-to-the-button contest). In casual play, it’s often just a coin toss, and once the game starts, hammer alternates based on who scores.

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