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

I was a pretty good player in my youth: routinely got replay after replay. Then I moved countries, and the local arcade had a HUGE selection of machines, but they weren’t on legs: instead, they were sitting legless on solid shelving. Suddenly I couldn’t play for squat. So, it’s not just knowing the angles, it’s also playing the machine. It’s not just fingers on the flippers, it’s hands guiding the table. I’d never thought about that.

Currently I live near one of the largest remaining pinball arcades. It’s easy to tell which machines have high scores that can’t be attained with the current table angle, leg tightness and flipper settings.

The answer is, buy your own machine 🙂

Answer 2

> When you watch professional pinball players.

Wait, what? Surely there isnt any professional pinball players out there? Like yeah there might be the occasional tournament, but professional means they are doing it as a job.

Answer 3

Generally speaking, there is a level of wizardry involved.

You need to learn to trust your sixth sense. One would even imagine if you were born with a physical disability such as the inability to speak or see or hear, you could then play the silver ball on a higher level.

Theoretically a person such as this, much like a bat using sonar to see without seeing, could possibly play using only the olfactory system. Combine this with other key attributes such as soft flexible wrists you’ve now got a theoretical king.

Improbable yes but should a person like this come along they would take the sport to new heights approaching twist levels of epicness.