Hot Streak
You bet on a race between four ridiculous mascots, then watch them fall, turn around and run off the track. You choose nothing during the race: you just scream. 3 races, and the richest wins.
Bet, cheat a little, scream.
Bet
Take 2 tickets: on a mascot or on a crazy question.
Slip in a card
The deck is face up, but everyone hides one card of their own in it.
Watch and scream
Cards are flipped: mascots run, turn around, fall, go off the track. Nobody chooses anything any more.
When three have crossed the line or are disqualified, tickets pay. Three races, the richest wins.
Place your bets. They're off.
Your goal: win as much money as possible from one race. You start with $10, take a ticket on a mascot and one on a weird question, then slip a secret card into the deck.
You play against three other players who have already slipped in their cards. Each new race has a different deck and hand, so no race is the same.
Race rules are the real ones: moves, stars, falls, turns, swerves, collisions, knockouts, green cards and the track shortening when the deck runs out. The track is drawn like the mat in the rulebook, with the finish on the left. The deck is an example built from the card types in the rulebook, and you take the top ticket of a pile without the draft.
What can go wrong? Pretty much everything.
The mascot moves that many spaces the way it is facing. Negative numbers send it back.
It runs to the next star on the track, even across the finish line.
It lies on the track and can only crawl: every move becomes one space.
Now it runs the wrong way: going forward takes it away from the finish.
It moves to the lane beside it, left or right of where it is facing. Even off the track.
A mascot that moves into or through another's space knocks it down. The one moving is fine.
If it falls while already down, leaves the back or side of the track, or is left under the mat. It takes the lowest free podium place.
It stands up and turns back towards the finish, then moves.
They move or stand up all mascots together. No collisions, and nobody can cross the line with them.
Six quick answers.
Normal rules from 3 to 8. In 2 there is a variant with more cards and tickets; from 9 up, bets go on paper and the pots are shared.
↓Explaining itThree movesBet, slip in a card, watch. Card effects are learned during the first race.
↓Who forAges 6+, families tooYou bet with fake money. At the end a table tells you, by how much you won, how your life turned out: absurd jokes.
↓LanguageItalian editionRace cards have just a few words, such as falling down or recovering; side bets are short questions.
↓How long20 minutes, 3 racesIn the third race one of your two tickets pays double. Then you count your money and read how your life turned out.
↓LuckLots, and on purposeThe deck is shuffled, but you know almost everything in it and you add one card yourself. Your skill is in the bets.
↓Better to see it.
The official how-to-play video by CMYK, in English: you will understand the race even without the words.
Is it for your table?
You will like it if
- you want something to play with lots of people, even non-gamers
- you love games where watching is the best part
- you enjoy bluffing about which card you slipped in
- you like toys on the table: real figures and a track that rolls out of the box
Skip it if
- you want control: during the race nobody decides anything
- you hate luck
- you mostly play in two: it has a variant, but it shines in a group
Give the cards to whoever puts on the best show.
The rulebook gives the cards to the best shuffler and the mascots to the most enthusiastic player. Our advice: whoever announces the cards makes the race.
What people ask first
What kind of game is Hot Streak?
A party game by Jon Perry, published by CMYK, art by Cécile Gariépy, Italian edition by Asmodee. 2 to 99 players, ages 6 and up, about 20 minutes, weight 1.2 of 5 on BoardGameGeek. You bet on 3 races between four mascots, and the richest wins.
How does a race work?
Each player takes 2 betting tickets, then slips a secret card into the face-up racing deck, which then has 18 cards. The deck is shuffled, 3 cards are burned, and cards are flipped one at a time: each one moves a mascot. The race ends when three mascots have crossed the line or been disqualified.
How do betting tickets pay?
Mascot tickets pay more the better the mascot finishes: for example, on the safe side 10, 7 or 5 dollars for 1st, 2nd or 3rd. The risky side pays more only if the mascot wins. Side bets pay if you guess YES or NO right, and on the risky side you can lose money. 4th place always pays 0.
When is a mascot disqualified?
If it falls while already down, if it leaves the back or the side of the track, or if it is under the mat when the track gets shortened. It goes on the lowest free podium place.
How many can play?
From 2 to 99. Normal rules from 3 to 8; in 2 there is a variant with 4 cards in hand and 3 tickets each; from 9 up you bet on paper and share the pots. BoardGameGeek says the best number is 5.
How much luck is there?
A lot, and it is the point. You know which cards are in the deck, you add one yourself and you choose your bets, but the order of cards is pure chance.
Is it suitable for kids?
BoardGameGeek and the publisher say ages 6 and up. You bet with fake money. The life outcomes at the end are absurd jokes, some with grown-up humour: read them yourself first.
What is in the box?
A racetrack mat that rolls out of the box, 4 mascot figures, 53 racing cards, 12 side bet cards, 12 mascot tickets, 6 side bet tickets and about 100 fake banknotes. The box lid is the podium.
Which language is it in?
This is the Italian edition by Asmodee. There is also an English edition, sold separately.
Who are you betting on?
Our assistant has read the Hot Streak - ITA rulebook. Ask whatever you like: you stay on this page.