Quickie Version
UTAD.
Go-To Flipper
Balanced
Skill Shot
make either “lights bumper” outer lane. If you’re close to getting a replay, go instead for any number you still need.
Full Rules
Bank-A-Ball is not designed for tournament play, instead being geared specifically towards winning free games. I include it here for reference only.
Collect pool balls 1-7 or 9-15 to light the center stand-up target for the 8-ball and a special. Once you have 1-8, the right side lane labeled “Low” lights for a special; if you have 8-15, the left side “High” lane lights for a special.
The bumpers are lit by either side lane at the top and by either return lane to the flippers. By the way, this was the first pinball machine to have the now-standard return lanes. The center stand-up 8-ball target turns the bumpers off.
There’s little strategy to speak of, just flip the ball into the bumpers and nudge for the best. The only time to shoot at a stand-up target is if you need it for a replay.
Gottlieb’s marketing folks made a big deal when this machine came out about the “animated backglass” where the balls scored drop down in the glass box there.
Playfield Risk
Everything; even the \#6 and \#14 lane feeds aren’t always safe. Learn to anticipate how balls coming down from the top bounce or roll depending on their speed and approach angle; you might at least occasionally prevent some drains. Keep balls away from the tops of the slingshot mounts, especially the outer edges.
External Links
Machine Information
- Name
- Bank-A-Ball
- Manufacturer
- Gottlieb
- Year
- 1965
- Type
- em
- Display
- reels
- Players
- 1