Eight Ball Deluxe

Sequel to Eight Ball and considered the more fun of the two. It has the same super-bonus for completing your eight balls, but a different layout.

Skill Shot and after any shot to the top: nudge for the lit lane.

Let’s start with the right flipper. Why left orbit rather than the bonus X inlines at first? Simple math. A multiplier is worth 7000 times however many targets you’ve collected. Left orbit shots are worth 70K once you’ve made 5 of them. Once you’re on rack \#2, you have a minimum of 56K and will likely have more than 70K in base bonus by the end of the ball, so a multiplier shot is now worth more than 70K. Strictly speaking, left orbit shots when maxed out are really worth more than 70K, since you’ll either get a top lane as well, worth either 1K or 25K, or the ball will occasionally fall back over the orbit rollover for a second score of 70k.

Key feed is actually out of the bumpers, which drains more often than you’d like. The rebounds from the drop targets can, of course, but no two shots at them will be the same, so you’ll have to observe and react to each. Also watch out for the rebound from the 8 target, which can drain down the middle.

When the ball doesn’t go all the way up the left orbit or is otherwise rolling down above the upper flipper, you’ll need to gauge if it’s better to flip at the 1-7 drops or let the ball roll down the front of the left slingshot, hopefully without triggering it, and then either trap it on the left or dead bounce it to the right flipper. I’ve found that shooting the drops with the lower flipper is usually safer than using the upper one, so I lean towards letting it roll. If all I need is the 8-ball, though, I’m inclined to use the upper flipper to shoot it, since that flipper has a better angle at the 8-ball and requires less force to get the ball there.