What Happens In A Tie In Curling?

A curling match takes between eight and 10 ends to play, depending on the level of the competition. At most levels, matches cannot finish in a tie, so teams must play a tiebreaker to decide on a winner. Although ties do not happen in every match, all curlers should understand these tie-breaking procedures and implement the strategy needed to win.

Extra End

If the teams complete the predetermined number of ends and the game remains tied, they must play an extra end. The game will end once one of the teams scores at least one point at the completion of the extra end. Keep in mind that since some competitive games features a time limit, each team receives an extra eight minutes to complete an overtime end. The team forfeits the game if they go over the limit.

Hammer

During the extra end, the rotation of the hammer continues in the same manner as during regulation play. This means that the team that scored most recently during regulation play will deliver their first stone first, with the other team having second stone. The team with second stone also gets last stone in the end, giving it the best chance of winning the match. This continues throughout extra ends, until one team scores and ends the game.

Tied Stones

If two stones end up the exact same distance from the button, players will consider those stones tied. In these cases, the stones will not count for either team and only stones closer to the button than the tied stones will count as scored points. If no closer stones exist, you will call the end blank and neither team will register any points.

Problems

Since playing an extra end can add minutes to the game, it does cause problems at all levels of the sport. During a major event, teams will often play in both the afternoon and the evening, sometimes with only a 90-minute break between matches. A team that plays an extra end will have a shorter break, putting the team at a disadvantage in its next game. In addition, many television broadcasting companies do not like extra ends because they cut into other programming. This can even provide problems for the ice technicians, since they have a limited time to get the ice ready for the next group of games.