Curling scoring is all about which team has stones closest to the center of the target at the end of each round, called an “end.”

The core idea (the “house” and the button)

  • At each end of the sheet is a big circular target called the house (the colored rings you see on TV).
  • The tiny circle right in the middle is the button (also called the tee).
  • Only stones that are at least partly touching the house count as potential scoring stones.

Think of it like dartboards on ice: only darts that land on the board can score, and you compare distances from the bullseye.

How points are scored in an end

Each end is scored after all 16 stones (8 per team) have been thrown.

  1. Find the closest stone to the button.
    • Whichever team owns that single closest stone “wins the end.” Only that team can score.
  1. Count how many of that team’s stones are closer than the opponent’s best stone.
    • The scoring team gets 1 point for each of its stones that is closer to the button than the opponent’s closest stone.
 * As soon as you reach a stone that is farther away than the opponent’s nearest stone, you stop counting.
  1. Stones outside the house don’t matter.
    • Even if a stone is just outside the rings and looks close, it scores 0.

Example:

  • After all stones are thrown, Team A has the closest stone, and they also have the second- and third-closest stones.
  • Team B’s best stone is the fourth-closest.
  • Team A scores 3 points that end (called a “three-ender”).

Ends, games, and the hammer

  • A game is split into ends , which are like innings in baseball. Typical games have 8–10 ends.
  • Each team throws 8 stones per end, alternating turns.
  • The hammer is the advantage of throwing the last stone in an end.
* The team with the hammer is usually more likely to score, especially multiple points.

How the hammer moves:

  • If you score in an end, you give up the hammer next end.
  • If you do not score (your opponent scores), you gain the hammer.
  • If the end is blank (no points scored), the team that had the hammer keeps it for the next end.

This is why teams often intentionally blank an end: they’d rather keep last- rock advantage to try for a bigger score later.

Special terms you’ll hear

  • Blank end: No team has a stone counting (closest is outside the house or both equally distant), so no points are scored, hammer stays with the same team.
  • Steal: The team without the hammer scores points. This is a big momentum swing, because they weren’t supposed to have the advantage.
  • Single, deuce, three-ender, four-ender:
    • 1 point = “single”
    • 2 points = “deuce”
    • 3 points = “three-ender”
    • 4 points or more = huge score, sometimes game-breaking.

How the scoreboard works (TV vs club boards)

On TV, the scoreboard is usually straightforward:

  • Columns for ends (1–10).
  • Under each end, a small number showing what each team scored in that end.
  • A total column at the right shows cumulative score.

Traditional club scoreboards can look weird if you’re new:

  • The middle row shows the running total of points (2, 3, 4, 5, etc.).
  • Above or below that total number, they place a smaller number showing which end they reached that total in.
  • This system reduces how many individual digits they need, since 0s, 1s, and 2s are most common.

Example of a club-style board idea:

  • Team gets 3 points in end 1 → they hang a “3” in the total row with a little “1” above it.
  • Next end they score 2 (total 5) → they move to “5” in the total row and hang a little “2” above it.

How you win the game

  • After all scheduled ends are played, the team with the highest total points wins.
  • In many competitions, if the score is tied after regulation ends, they play extra ends (sudden-death style) until someone wins an end.
  • In high-level play, a team that’s far behind may concede early once there’s almost no realistic chance to catch up; this is normal etiquette.

Quick Q&A style recap

  • Q: Can both teams score in the same end?
    A: No. Only one team scores in each end, the one with the stone closest to the button.
  • Q: What’s the maximum you can score in one end?
    A: 8 points (if all 8 of your stones are in the house and closer than any opponent stone), but that’s extremely rare.
  • Q: Why do teams throw stones that don’t seem to aim at the house?
    A: They’re often setting up guards , draws, or hits as part of strategy to either build a multi-point end or force the opponent to only one point or to blank.

Tiny story to lock it in

Imagine an Olympic end where Canada has the hammer vs. Sweden:

  • After all 16 stones, Canada has three stones in the house. Sweden has one stone in the house, but it’s the fourth-closest to the button.
  • Canada’s three stones are all closer than Sweden’s best, so Canada gets 3 points. Next end, Sweden gets the hammer because Canada scored.

You can now watch a broadcast and follow who is “actually winning” inside each end, not just the total on the board. TL;DR:

  • Each end, only one team scores: 1 point per stone closer to the button than any opponent stone, stones must be in the house.
  • Hammer = last rock; if you score you lose it, if you blank you keep it, stealing means scoring without hammer.

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