what does having the hammer mean in curling

Having the hammer in curling means your team gets to throw the last stone of the end, which is a built‑in strategic advantage because you have the final chance to change the score.

What Does Having the Hammer Mean in Curling?

Quick Scoop

In curling, “the hammer” is simply the last stone advantage in an end.

• The team with the hammer throws second in each pair of shots and delivers the final stone of the end.

• This last shot lets them react to the entire situation in the house and either score multiple points or limit the opponent’s score.

• Because of that, the hammer is often more valuable than a single point in tight games.

Think of it like having the final move in a chess combination: you see how everything sits, then make the last, most decisive play.

How You Get the Hammer

At the start of a game, the hammer is usually decided by a “draw to the button”: players from each team slide a stone toward the center, and the closest total wins last stone advantage.

After that, possession of the hammer changes end by end:

• The team that scores in an end normally gives up the hammer next end.

• The team that doesn’t score gets the hammer in the next end.

• If an end is blank (no points scored), the team that already had the hammer keeps it.

So if you hear “they stole a point,” it means the team without the hammer managed to score anyway, which is a big momentum swing.

Why the Hammer Is Such a Big Deal

With the hammer, your strategy is built around turning that last shot into maximum payoff.

Teams with the hammer often:

• Play stones more to the sides, keeping the middle clear so the final shot is easier.

• Aim to score multiple points (a “big end”) rather than settling for just one.

Teams without the hammer often:

• Guard and clutter the center line to make that last shot as tough as possible.

• Treat a “force” (making the hammer team take only one point) or a “steal” (scoring without hammer) as a success.

Because it shapes every shot selection, commentators especially highlight “having hammer in the final end,” where that last rock can decide the game.

Small Example: One End of Play

Imagine an end where:

• Team A has the hammer.
• After all but the last stone, Team B is lying one point.

Team A’s final stone can:

• Hit and remove B’s counting stone to score one or more.
• Draw into the house to out-count B’s stone.

Without that final stone, they’d simply give up the point. With the hammer, they get to rewrite the scoreboard at the very last moment.

Mini FAQ

Is the hammer always an advantage?
Almost always, yes; scoring is easier when you throw last, though game score and situation can sometimes make “one up without hammer” statistically comfortable late in games.

Can you keep the hammer on purpose?
Yes. Teams sometimes choose to blank an end (deliberately avoid scoring) so they retain the hammer for a later, potentially bigger scoring opportunity.

TL;DR: Having the hammer in curling means you get the last shot of the end, which is a major strategic edge because you can see everything in the house and then deliver the final, potentially game‑changing stone.

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