Hot Streak review

CMYK | 2+ players | 6+ | 20 minutes

3…2…1…GO! And off go the mascots, cheered on loudly by the spectators: you! In Hot Streak, the mascots Mom, Dangle, Hurley and Gobbler take each other on in a chaotic race, but the spectators are competing for the win too. Because whoever has earned the most money from their bets after three races is the winner of Hot Streak!

The game

While the mascots do the physical work on the racetrack, it is up to the players to predict who will cross the finish line first. The players place two bets. Play it safe so the money keeps trickling in, or go risky: more risk, but bigger winnings. Once everyone has placed their bets, each player gets one more chance to nudge the race a little. Can you read your opponents well and back the right mascot(s) at the right moment, so you end up running off with the winnings?

Next, each player chooses one of the cards in their hand to add to the race deck, so they can influence the race. How much influence your card actually has remains to be seen. Before the race, the race deck is shuffled and three cards are discarded. So there is no predicting how the race will go. This means a healthy dose of luck comes into play when it comes to whether your chosen mascot wins or not.

Hot Streak is a real party game for lively groups who are up for chaos, because that is when the game really comes into its own! On top of that, this game is a real eye-catcher: the race mat you pull out of the box, the mascots and the paper money. Yes, with Hot Streak on the table you will definitely draw attention.

Luck plays a big role in Hot Streak, and in the end it is not really about winning. It is about cheering on the mascots, the unexpected twists during the race and the interaction with each other. With the right group, this is guaranteed to bring plenty of fun and chaos to the table!

Even setting up the game is fun. At the start of the game, the different roles are shared out among the players. The Bookie keeps track of the betting tickets and the money, the Dealer shuffles the cards and the Handler looks after the mascots.

The Handler makes sure the racetrack is in good shape and the mascots are completely ready. The Bookie lays out all the betting tickets and makes sure every player gets $10. The Dealer shuffles the side betting cards, places them next to the betting tickets and gives each player three cards, which they can use to influence the race later on.

Then the Dealer puts together the race deck. The race deck is made up of different cards. All the mascots start with the same starting card: recover and move 2. The mascots badly need this card during the race. Because how exciting is a race where the mascots only move forward? Some of the cards make the mascots fall over, turn around or even run off the track. Depending on the number of players, a number of cards are added to the starting card, and these are the cards the race is run with.

Then it is time to place your bets. Using a snake draft, each player picks two betting tickets. When it is your turn to pick, you can bet on a mascot or place a side bet. If you bet on a mascot, you can win money if that mascot finishes in 1st, 2nd or 3rd place. Side bets are events that might happen during the race: you choose whether or not they will happen. Once you have made your choice, you can decide whether to play it safe or go risky. Play it safe and you win $10, $7 or $5. Go risky? Then the payout for first place is higher, but you will not bring in as much for 2nd and 3rd place. With side bets you can even lose money if you go risky. Once everyone has chosen, the players get one more chance to influence the race. They do this by adding a card from their hand to the race deck. The dealer shuffles all the cards and the race can begin!

The mascots are lined up at the starting line, and the race begins as soon as the dealer puts the first card on the table. The tension slowly starts to build, because what will happen to the mascot(s) you just bet on? One of the mascots sprints three spaces forward. The next card moves a mascot forward and one lane to the left. That might mean another mascot crashes into him in a moment and he falls over. Ouch! Then the end of the race draws near, and one by one the places on the podium fill up. When the race deck runs out, all the cards are reshuffled and the racetrack gets a little shorter. Is there still a mascot on that part of the track? Then, sadly, it is disqualified. Once the third mascot is on the podium, the race is over and hopefully you have raked in the winnings. Show me the money!

Then it is time for the second race. Every player's hand is topped back up to three cards. This gives everyone a little more information each race about the cards in the race deck. Everything is set up again for the next race, which plays out the same way as the first. The third race works slightly differently. This is where the big money is to be made, because in this race one of your betting tickets is doubled. But where there is a lot of money to be won, there is also a lot to lose. So choose wisely! When the deciding final race has been run and the last money has been paid out, it is time to count up. Who has the most money, and who wins Hot Streak?