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how do you score points in curling

You score points in curling by having your stones closest to the center of the target (“the house”) after all rocks in an end have been thrown.

How Do You Score Points in Curling? (Quick Scoop)

The absolute basics

  • A game is split into “ends” (like innings in baseball). Each team throws eight stones per end.
  • At the end of an end, only one team can score.
  • The scoring area is the circular target called the house ; stones must at least touch the rings to be eligible to score.

Think of it like a giant dartboard on ice: whoever has the closest darts to the bullseye, without the other team sneaking one in closer, gets the points.

Step‑by‑step: How a single end is scored

  1. Wait until all 16 stones are thrown
    • Each team delivers 8 stones.
    • No scoring is final until the end is complete.
  1. Find the stone closest to the “button”
    • The button is the very center of the house.
 * Whichever team owns that closest stone is the only team that will score in that end.
  1. Count that team’s stones that are closer than any opponent stone
    • Starting from the button, count outwards:
      • 1 point for the closest stone.
      • +1 point for each additional stone from the same team that is closer to the button than the opponent’s nearest stone.
 * The moment you reach an opposition stone, you stop counting.
  1. Ignore any stones not touching the rings
    • Stones fully outside the rings (not touching any circle) do not score, even if they’re closer than ones in another end or look visually near.

Simple example scenarios

  • Example 1: One point
    • Red has the stone closest to the button.
    • Blue’s closest stone is the second‑closest overall.
    • Red scores 1 point (only that single closest stone is closer than any Blue stone).
  • Example 2: Two points
    • Yellow has the two stones closest to the button.
    • The third‑closest stone belongs to Red.
    • Yellow scores 2 points : both of Yellow’s stones are closer than Red’s first stone.
  • Example 3: Lots of rocks but still 0
    • Blue has four stones in the house, but Red has one stone that is slightly closer to the button than any Blue stone.
    • Red scores at least 1 , and Blue scores 0 , even with more stones in the house overall.

Special scoring terms you’ll hear on broadcasts

  • End – A segment of the game, after which you total up points. Most games are 8–10 ends.
  • Blank end – When no team has a stone in the house, or the closest stones don’t touch the rings, no points are scored. The team with last‑stone advantage (“the hammer”) keeps it for the next end.
  • Hammer – The advantage of throwing the last stone in an end, often used to try to score multiple points.
  • Steal – When the team without the hammer scores. It’s a big momentum swing and commentators talk about it a lot during Olympic broadcasts.

Why curling scoring is a trending topic lately

In recent winters, curling has been all over social media and streaming clips, especially during international championships and the Winter Olympics cycle. Fans new to the sport often share short videos of wild final shots and then hit the comments with questions like “Wait… how is that only 1 point?” or “Did they just steal?”

Because games can flip quickly with a big multi‑point end or a steal, understanding how you score points in curling makes those highlight reels and live broadcasts much easier to follow and more fun to debate in forums.

Quick FAQ

Do both teams ever score in the same end?
No. Only one team can score in a given end, based on which team has the single closest stone to the button.

What is each stone worth?
Each eligible stone (touching the rings) that is closer to the button than any opponent stone is worth 1 point. There’s no extra value for being “perfectly” on the button.

Can a team score with a stone outside the house?
No. If it’s not touching any of the rings, it cannot score.

TL;DR:
You score points in curling at the end of each end by having stones in the rings that are closer to the center than any of your opponent’s stones; each such stone is worth one point, and only one team scores per end.

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