Work out the score from the stones
Imagine that Team A has hammer. After its final delivery, Team B has the closest stone to the button, and the next closest counting stone belongs to A. B scores one. A’s possession of the last shot cannot turn that layout into an A point.
In a second example, A has the three closest stones in or touching the house, all closer than B’s nearest stone. A scores three. The scoring rule counts eligible stones closer than the opposition’s nearest one; it does not give one point simply because A had hammer or because A delivered the final stone.
Track the next end separately
In standard team curling, the team that scores gives up hammer for the next end. If the end is blank, the team holding hammer keeps it. That can explain a deliberate final shot that removes stones rather than leaving a single scoring stone behind. The immediate score and the next-end advantage are different parts of the decision.
Mixed doubles differs: World Curling explains that a blank end causes the hammer to pass to the opposing team in that format. Read the event label before carrying a standard team-curling assumption into a mixed-doubles replay.
Read scoreboard symbols with the legend
A small asterisk can be easy to misread. Curling Canada’s rules explain that its first-end last-stone mark on a scoreboard records the initial advantage and is not moved. A broadcaster may separately display a current hammer icon. The screen’s own legend and design determine which one you are seeing.
If a clip ends immediately after the final stone moves, wait for the agreed score or official result before counting a marginal stone from the camera angle. A measurement can be needed to decide which stone is closer or whether one touches the house. For viewing notes, keep the end score, cumulative game score and next-end hammer in separate columns. That makes a steal or blank end understandable without treating the last delivery as a guaranteed scoring result.
Related questions
Can the team without hammer score?
Yes. Scoring depends on the final stone positions, not possession of the last delivery.
Sources and scope
Scope notes distinguish published documentation, supplied information and editorial methods. They do not report a hands-on service test.
- World Curling introduction — Scoring, hammer transfer, blank ends and mixed-doubles exception
- Curling Canada rules — Scoring, measurement and fixed first-end last-stone scoreboard mark
