If curling had a most valuable seat in the house, it would belong to whoever’s holding the hammer.
Last Rock Wins (Sort Of)
The hammer just refers to having the last rock in an end, and in curling, last is a huge advantage. Throwing last means you get to see everything that’s already happened before you decide your shot. Need to draw around a guard, clear out an opponent’s rock, or set up for the next end? That’s exactly what the hammer gives you.
How Teams Get It and Keep It
At the start of a game, hammer is usually settled with a coin toss or a draw to the button. After that it’s pretty simple. Score in an end, and you hand the hammer to your opponent for the next one. Don’t score, including in a blank end, and you keep it.
Why It Drives So Much Strategy
This is where curling starts to look like chess on ice. Teams will sometimes pass up an easy point on purpose, or even blank an end entirely, just to hold onto the hammer for a more important moment later in the game. So if you hear someone say a team is “bringing the hammer home,” now you know why that’s a bigger deal than it sounds.
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