HUDSON - Team six was in shock. Behind 76-0, and with the game just seconds old, the four players stared in dismay at the Scrabble board.

"It's unbelievable," said 11-year old Michael Papulis of Hudson.

He and his teammates had been victimized by a dreaded "bingo," their opponent - Scrabble expert Ben Loiterstein - having used all seven letters at his disposal in a devastating opening move.

Team six at least was in good company yesterday as Loiterstein put his talents on display at Hudson Library, taking on - and whipping - 12 teams of teachers, parents and students, all at the same time.

Loiterstein was in Hudson to promote the use of Scrabble in the classroom. A Somerville resident, Loiterstein is working with the National Scrabble Association on its School Scrabble Program.

That's why Ethel DeBakker, a Marlborough sixth-grade teacher was there. "It sounds like a great idea," DeBakker said. "I'd like to find out how it's working around the country."

She and her mates from Team 12, 10-year-old Corinne Bradford of Hudson, and her mother Sandy Bradford were themselves about to get the expert treatment from Loiterstein, a former national Scrabble champion.

"We're only 18 points behind, but he's been beating us with three-letter words," Corrine said, as she looked at a board that was densely filled with Scrabble pieces.

Loiterstein completed an orbit around the room and returned to Team 12's table. "You make the board so yucky," DeBakker complained.

"Is that a word?" asked Corinne, but before anyone could answer Loiterstein said, "Yeah, I don't like this board either. What can we do to open it up?"

Answering his own question, Loiterstein picked up all seven of his letters and formed the word "aroused." In seconds he had accumulated another 72 points.

"Oh my God," DeBakker exclaimed. "We were holding our own until he did that."

Despite the beating most teams were taking, the afternoon was not a complete exercise in futility. Before the competition began, Loiterstein offered a Scrabble lesson filled with hints and tips the players tried to put into effect during their games.

Some of these techniques are old hat to Scrabble aficionados - try to take advantage of the double and triple word scores or score big by forming multiple words.

The tip that Loiterstein put into effect most often was that of sacrificing points in order to get the 50-point "bingo."

Team one was the only group that was able to turn that particular trick on Loiterstein. Down by about 20 points, the team came up with "slanders" and pulled past the expert.

But Loiterstein returned the favor, ending the match with his own "bingo" and defeating team one in the closest match of the afternoon.

The losers, consisting of Jeff MacQuarrie of Northborough, Marge Mulcahy of Needham, and her 10-year-old grandson Andrew Mulcahy, had been thrown together at the last minute.

MacQuarrie, a Marlborough firefighter, said he constantly plays the game at the fire station.

"I got a call from someone saying there was a famous Scrabble player in Hudson," MacQuarrie said. "I dropped everything and came running over. I didn't know I was supposed to bring the kids."

Despite being thrown together, they had Loiterstein on the ropes through much of the afternoon, before finally succumbing. "That guy really hates to lose," MacQuarrie said.

Though each of the 12 teams lost its match, the players, particularly the children, were enthusiastic about the experience, several of them signing up for an upcoming Scrabble tournament this spring.

And that's just fine with a Scrabble prophet like Loiterstein who believes the game provides numerous opportunities for academic improvement.

"I used to teach the fifth grade," Loiterstein said. "It's (watching kids play Scrabble) was the only time I've ever seen kids excited about using a dictionary.

"It gets them excited about language and interested in spelling," Loiterstein added. "And it really pleases me to see kids fall in love with such a low-tech game."