The Hot Hand - by Ben Cohen

About the Book

Book Synopsis

How can you maximize success--and limit failure? Wall Street Journal reporter Ben Cohen brilliantly investigates the mystery and science of streaks, from basketball to business.

"A feast for anyone interested in the secrets of excellence." --Andre Agassi

For decades, statisticians, social scientists, psychologists, and economists (among them Nobel Prize winners) have spent massive amounts of precious time thinking about whether streaks actually exist. After all, a substantial number of decisions that we make in our everyday lives are quietly rooted in this one question: If something happened before, will it happen again? Is there such a thing as being in the zone? Can someone have a "hot hand"? Or is it simply a case of seeing patterns in randomness? Or, if streaks are possible, where can they be found?

In The Hot Hand, Wall Street Journal reporter Ben Cohen offers an unfailingly entertaining and provocative investigation into these questions. He begins with how a $35,000 fine and a wild night in New York revived a debate about the existence of streaks that was several generations in the making. We learn how the ability to recognize and then bet against streaks turned a business school dropout named David Booth into a billionaire, and how the subconscious nature of streak-related bias can make the difference between life and death for asylum seekers. We see how previously unrecognized streaks hidden amidst archival data helped solve one of the most haunting mysteries of the twentieth century, the disappearance of Raoul Wallenberg. Cohen also exposes how streak-related incentives can be manipulated, from the five-syllable word that helped break arcade profit records to an arc of black paint that allowed Stephen Curry to transform from future junior high coach into the greatest three-point shooter in NBA history. Crucially, Cohen also explores why false recognition of nonexistent streaks can have cataclysmic results, particularly if you are a sugar beet farmer or the sort of gambler who likes to switch to black on the ninth spin of the roulette wheel.

Review Quotes

"I've been on both sides of the 'hot hand.' I've had it, and I've faced opponents who had it. And I've written extensively about the role it played in my life. But Ben Cohen offers up an original and riveting deep dive on this fascinating topic, which relates to so many other pursuits. A feast for anyone interested in the secrets of excellence." -- Andre Agassi, winner of eight Grand Slam titles and New York Times bestselling author of Open

"Engaging... Intriguing." -- New York Times Book Review

"Fascinating, eye-opening and consistently entertaining, The Hot Hand asks a big question: how do we determine when one success will likely follow another? The answer is not only surprising, but instructive." -- Charles Duhigg, New York Times bestselling author of The Power of Habit and Smarter Faster Better

"A fascinating look at decision-making and success." -- Sports Illustrated

"Long before I reached the end of this provocative and uniquely brilliant book, I knew I would never be 'finished' with it. Ben Cohen's research shows how every day, from basketball to business to beet farming, human events are profoundly shaped by the power of streaks. I will never make another difficult decision without considering this." -- Sam Walker, bestselling author of The Captain Class

"A fascinating book on the elusive allure of being on a roll. For any fans of human psychology, or numbers geeks, wolves of wall street, basketball obsessives - and anyone else who loves great stories that hint at the mysteries behind our decision-making, belief...and occasional runaway success." -- Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, New York Times bestselling author of Everybody Lies

"Captivating." -- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Wall Street Journal sports reporter Cohen looks into the odd 'science of streaks'... Cohen returns, always, to the game of basketball, but he pauses along the way to provide fascinating looks at coin tosses, investments, farm yields, and other real-world instances of how probability plays out in the world. Sports fans and science geeks alike will enjoy these travels in the world where numbers, luck, and superstardom meet." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"An unfailingly entertaining and provocative investigation... An absorbing, thoughtful and thought-provoking read throughout." -- Midwest Book Review

"Cleverly crafted...an interesting and thought-provoking book on a topic that isn't often discussed but that impacts many different interests, activities and industries."
-- BookPage

"The Hot Hand lends itself to fans of basketball, stats and stories well told." -- Free-Lance Star (Fredericksburg, VA)

"Fans of Michael Lewis and Malcolm Gladwell will devour this one." -- Lee Woodruff, New York Times bestselling author

"Fascinating." -- The Federalist

"An entertaining and provocative investigation into the seductive idea that streaks not only exist, but can be created." -- Brooklyn Digest

"Supremely engrossing... The book is a page-turner if ever there was one." -- MoneyControl

"An intelligent popular social science book." -- Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution

"Fascinating. ... It's something that if you're either a math or a sports geek, you're going to find really intriguing." -- Barry Ritholtz, Bloomberg's "Masters in Business" podcast

"An engaging and provocative look into what it really means to get hot. Curious as to how you can maximize success? Read on." -- Ozy