The Examiner came out with some handy tips on catching that elusive cab tomorrow night, or any busy night, for that matter. The biggest suggestion is to learn the city's traffic patterns and look for cabs on major arteries heading toward downtown, such as Geary or 19th Ave -- regardless of whether you're actually going that way, or look for a queue of cabs at the nearest hotel.
It was also suggested to call for a cab in advance when you're going to be traveling during peak hours -- we didn't know you could do that? And of course, let the cab company know if you're bailing on them (we think we've been blacklisted by various companies for failing to do so).
Also, Smartphone users can use Taxi Magic or Cabulous to track, book, and pay for nearby cabs. Apparently Luxor Cab makes 3,000 to 4,000 pickups a week through Taxi Magic.