EM and purely mechanical slot machines are very interesting creatures, mostly due to the way the mechanisms work together.
I am highly impressed with anything that is purely mechanical, though some of the EM machines have unusual or captivating features.
For this episode, I focus on two manufacturers, Bally and Mills.
Trade Stimulators were small countertop amusement devices - typically modeled after slot machines.
These games would vend something similar to a gumball or other small trinket - to skirt gambling laws. The gameplay was typically gambling. If the slot came up a winner, you would notify the bar owner or shopkeep and win a free beer or other prize, or in some cases, a payout.
For amusement only, indeed!
Magic Pockets are a unique under playfield mechanism, only used on two Bally Bingos in 1955 - Gayety and Gay Time. These bingos allowed you to reposition balls in the top row of the bingo playfield (numbers 1-7).
If this wasn't enough, these machines also had the magic lines feature that allowed you to reposition numbers on the backglass. This allowed for the ability to make some great winning combinations.
Gottlieb was famously against payout games, however in 1951, they produced a bingo style game with a throwback playfield.
There are several interesting and unusual features in this game, which are detailed within!
Most of the big amusement manufacturers made EM rifle games, some early examples with lighted scoring, and most with score reels.
These games are very interesting in the way they present the targets to the player vs. what is actually happening inside the game.
Adjustments, game mechanics and cabinet style are discussed.
In 1955, Bally experimented with their payout game formula, making an attractive and innovative game called "Crosswords".
Crosswords is an interesting game - you put in coins to light additional puzzles on the backglass (up to four), then play your game - if you spell a word (max of four letters), you win replays. You earn a multiplier-style reward if you also land a ball in one of two specially marked star holes.
It is a very attractive and interesting game, and looks like a lot of fun to play.
James Willing of the Spooky Pinball Podcast's EM Dungeon segment (http://spookypinball.com/podcast) comes on to fill in my knowledge gaps on bowling games and their special modes and features, including ball bowlers and shuffle / puck bowlers.
Jim put up some photos of the United Skippy machine's glass on the EM Dungeon Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/emdungeon), which I will reshare on my Facebook as well. https://www.facebook.com/foramusementonlypodcast
The Reflex Unit is shrouded in secrecy in bingos and horse racing games. It acts as an auto-portioning circuit. When you win on a bingo, it steps up, preventing the machine from granting you awards quickly. Conversely, when you press the button to play off credits or put in money, the machine steps down.
The connection between the hit Duran Duran song and this unit is also explained.
The super card was an additional feature on games with a single card. It allowed you to shoot for a smaller 3x3 grid of numbers instead of the normal 5x5 grid. The super card granted you 4-in-line scores instead of the normal 3-in-line for 3 in a row, so worth shooting for if it was lit.
Phil Bogema is a very good player from Colorado and Maryland.
He was able to max out credits on machines on route (900 credits) very quickly.
Phil has a very analytical mind, and it was fascinating to talk to him about his playing days and play style.
He also was active on the Old Binger forums before they went down, and has restored many bingos.
His stories on Danny's site (danny.cdyn.com) are very interesting, and recommended reading.