Curling Page Playoff

What is the Page Playoff System in curling?

The page playoff system in curling is used in curling event playoffs to determine a winner (usually) from a field of four teams. This format combines aspects of single and double elimination games, which favor the top two teams in the playoff rounds.

Format

Invented in the 1930s the page playoff system has four teams competing over three rounds where a team is eliminated in each round.

Game 1 (Page Playoffs): 3-seed and 4-seed teams play. The losing team is out.
Game 2 (Page Playoffs): 1-seed and 2-seed teams play. The winner goes to the final round.
Game 3 (Semi-Final): Game 1 winner plays loser of Game 2. The losing team is out.
Game 4 (Final): Also known as the final, Game 2 winner plays the winner of Game 3.
Bronze Medal: Losing teams of Game 1 and Game 3.

Advantages

Double Elimination: The Page Playoff System allows the losing team of Game 2 a second chance to win the tournament.

The Hammer: The home team is always the team that has a higher ranking in a game. In the final (Game 4), the home team is the winner of Game 2. In curling, home team advantage is given in the form of hammer.

Bronze Medal Game

A fifth match, called the bronze medal game, where the two losing teams of Games 1 and 3 play, was added in the 2008 World Women’s Curling Championship, the 2011 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, and the 2011 Tim Hortons Brier. It was removed in the 2018 Canadian Championship curling season.