How do people who are “good” at pinball manage to consistently avoid those random bounces that just go right down the middle out that there is no counter-play for?

Question

I have always wanted to get into pinball. But the few times I decided to really give it a go. I could do alright but most of my games seemed to end with a bounce that went straight down the middle out with nothing I can do about it.

When you watch professional pinball players. It doesnt matter what game it is they always seem to be able to avoid those shots even if its their first time on a machine.

So there has to be a method or developable skill to it. But I cant for the life of me understand it.

In: Other

Answer 1

From my experience, you learn to avoid specific moves.

For example, one pinball machine I played a lot with had a ramp in the middle going up to a scoring zone.

However, if the ball didn’t have enough momentum to go all the way up, it would roll back down directly between the flippers.

So I learned to avoid sending the ball to the ramp unless I was sure it was at the correct angle to go all the way.