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

High level pinball players figure out the one or two shots that are easily repeatable and least likely to send a ball straight down the middle or side drains, and then do those shots over and over again in a competition. When you’re just playing for fun you want to figure out how to unlock all the different scoring modes, so you make risky shots, and sometimes the ball drains, that’s the beauty of pinball. Gravity always wins.