For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast

My grandfather has been a 'picker' for most of his life, trading various items for others - mostly antiques, though he has dabbled occasionally with coin-op. He was very interested to see the new game, so I captured his reaction and his pinball on location story from years ago. The game he references in the beginning of the recording is a mechanical horse race game - as near as I can tell a trade...

Brent is one of the co-hosts for the Broken Token Arcade and Pinball Podcast. If you have not listened to Broken Token, pause your player and check it out at http://www.brokentoken.com Two collector friends speak about collecting, repair tips, useful reproductions and community topics and more! Always entertaining and informative. Brent and I discuss his collecting habits and fantastic gameroom, a...

Steve is a fellow collector who happened to come across a Turf King! Steve recorded an interview with me after loading the game, which was thankfully less difficult than previous moves. We discuss how he happened upon this game, it's history with him, his history with collecting and more. Steve was gracious enough to let me play his collection - fun and beautiful games! Thanks Steve! T-Shirts! The...

In the world of the EM, one of the biggest and most interesting devices is the 35mm film projector. In this episode, I teach you how to run your own carbon arc projector, cut cues, run a Brenograph machine, dim the lights and open the curtains! I worked as a projectionist for several years before starting my career, and as a box office attendant for a couple of years before that. The Byrd Theatre...

Showtime is the first game to feature Magic Squares rearranged into the center of the backglass. This game also features the first Magic Line - in this case, a set of four moving numbers that rotate across using an additional two discs behind the backglass. The ballyhole gives first extra ball, rollovers can extend the time tree to after 5th, triple deck scoring, and corners score as green 5-in-li...

Key West is the first bingo that Bally produced that allowed you to collect wins in triple deck scoring before you were locked out of the moving numbers feature (in this case, Magic Squares). Collecting in multiple colors is a great thrill. The ballyhole returns - awarding first extra ball, corners score green 5-in-a-line, and also a first for this game, you can swap the red and yellow scores if o...

Big Show is a magic squares game, notable for being the first game with triple deck scoring! Corners score as 5-in-a-row in green, extra balls, magic squares in traditional position, and spotted numbers 2 or 18. Ballyhole lights first extra ball. Backglass: http://bingo.cdyn.com/machines/bally/big_show/resources/bg-big_show-1.jpg Cabinet: http://bingo.cdyn.com/machines/bally/big_show/resources/cab...

Double Header is another unique game! Bally made two separate games in one - the first game is a static bingo card with multiple spotted numbers and select-a-spot. Red yellow and green lines can score double or triple. The second game is a Magic Squares game. It does not have the double, triple or quadruple scoring, but it has multiple spotted numbers. Beautiful baseball-themed artwork round out t...

Parade is another unique game in the Bally bingo pantheon: the Extra Lines feature allows you two extra rows of repeated numbers to try to put together a winner. Advancing odds, up to quadruple replays awarded for a winner, magic squares and extra balls. There are no spotted numbers on this game, but the Ballyhole returns to award first extra ball. Backglass: http://bingo.cdyn.com/machines/bally/p...

Broadway was the first game Bally produced with Magic Squares! Magic Squares allow you to rotate each of the four corner quadrants via player control on the footrail. Broadway has red and yellow lines that allow you to earn up to triple odds over what is indicated by the advancing odds. Backglass: http://bingo.cdyn.com/machines/bally/broadway/dade.html Cabinet: http://bingo.cdyn.com/machines/bally...

Beach Beauty is another Bally one-off game - this game's unique feature is 'Wild Pockets'. Based on the machine qualifying green or red, you have to sink a ball into one of 7 holes to qualify the feature. From there, you can move that ball into another position! The backglass is split basically in half, one side red, the other green. Corners scoring, advancing odds, extra balls, super cards, and m...

Miami Beach was another experiment by Bally. In this case, they tried a feature called "Magic Curtains". The bingo card is actually 9x5. By default, only a 5x5 card is shown, and as you insert coins, you may reveal additional sections of the card. As you do this, other features may be revealed. Advancing odds, extra balls, 'corners scoring' (not exactly), 3 scores as 4 or 5, and great artwork. Bac...

Gayety is one of only two games with the Magic Pockets feature. This feature allows you to kick the balls physically from hole number 1 to number 7 and back again, stopping anywhere along the way. The game will spot numbers at mystery intervals, has corners scoring, three columns of Magic Lines, and has the "3 scores as 4" feature. Extra balls allow you to have up to 8 chances at getting a 5 in a...

A special holiday episode with repeat guest host, Fake Nick Baldridge, who once again joins the For Amusement Only podcast to discuss esoteric pingame manufacturer, Nantucket Nickel, and their second production release. Thanks, FNB!

Big Time is a Magic Lines moving numbers game that allows you to move each column of numbers up or down one position! The catch is that you earn that feature at mystery intervals. Between advancing odds and this feature, the game has spotted number rollovers, extra balls, and corners scoring, along with two super cards. Great game, beautiful artwork! I was very happy to see and play this game at Y...

Variety is a single card bingo - the first with moving numbers! In this case, Magic Lines. Magic Lines allow you to move the first three columns of numbers (on this game) up or down one position. This increased the winning potential for players, and really opened up Bally to experiment with different designs and player-friendly features. The fixed numbers on earlier games of course allowed for com...

Hi-Fi is a single card bingo with super cards, select-a-spot, advancing odds, extra balls, and the 'Bump' feature (only used on this machine). The artwork is music-themed and gorgeous. Backglass: http://bingo.cdyn.com/machines/bally/hi_fi/dade.html Cabinet: http://bingo.cdyn.com/machines/bally/hi_fi/resources/cab-hi_fi-1.jpg Playfield: http://bingo.cdyn.com/machines/bally/hi_fi/resources/pf-hi_fi-...

Surf Club is yet another fantastic Bally bingo with a complete integrated art package, select-a-spot, super cards (qualified via rollovers), extra balls, a Super Line (3 in a row score as 5!), advancing odds, and ... the hold feature returns with a twist! Backglass: http://bingo.cdyn.com/machines/bally/surf_club/resources/bg-surf_club-2.jpg Cabinet: http://bingo.cdyn.com/machines/bally/surf_club/r...

Ice Frolics has the super score system of Frolics (one card scores based on advancing odds, the rest are fixed payout), but adds the Hold feature used on Palm Springs. Corners, Extra Balls, three cards, rollovers, and the ability to choose your Super Score card (with an extended time tree) make this a very deep bingo experience. Backglass: http://bingo.cdyn.com/machines/bally/ice_frolics/dade.html...

Palm Springs is one of only a small number of Bally bingos with the 'hold' feature. This allowed you to hold only the odd numbers, only the even numbers, or hold all. The rest of the balls would drop back down, allowing you to shoot again! This game has two super cards, corners scoring, advancing odds, extra balls, and select-a-spot. Fantastic looking player. Backglass: http://bingo.cdyn.com/machi...

Dude Ranch is a highly-regarded bingo. A two card bingo with a super card, super lines, select-a-spot, extra balls and corners scoring! Advancing odds, and rollover spotted numbers round out the package. More fantastic bingo artwork!

Beach Club has a single main card and two 'super cards' - 3x3 sets of numbers that score 3 in a rows as 4! The game also features corners scoring on both the main card and the super cards, up to seven spotted numbers using the select-a-spot dial on the front of the cab, extra balls, and amazing artwork.

Bally's Beauty is a really fantastic looking three card bingo with advancing odds, extra balls, spotted numbers and ... the first game to feature select-a-spot! By turning a knob on the front door, you can choose one of five numbers to spot across all the bingo cards. If you need more (for some reason), this game also offered corner scoring on the center card. Beautiful, fun, thought-provoking gam...

Bright Spot is a six card bingo, made as a follow-on to Frolics, which had come out earlier in 1952. Whereas Frolics introduced some new features and ideas to six card players, Bright Spot brings players back to basics: a spotted number which lights one center number (a mystery to the player until the first ball is shot), the manual ball lifter is back, and fixed payouts for each card make this a...

Here's some stuff that's been going on in my pinball world recently (really more than a month, been holding onto this stuff for almost a month!) If you haven't listened to 'This Flippin' Podcast' yet, be sure to check that out. They discuss new machines and various other things in their pinball lives (including EMs).