Williams

Jack*Bot

Pinside Rating

This game received 194 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 7.646 _/10

7.646

Top 100 ranking

This game ranks #157 in the Pinside Pinball Top 100.

Score breakdown

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game Design: 7.715

Artwork: 7.695

Sounds/Music: 7.077

Other Aspects: 7.631

Pinside staff rating

This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 5 of us have rated this game.

7.39

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Found 94 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 94 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
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8.760/10

5 months ago

MTL

Pinbolls

Pinside+ Frequent

6y 67,050 245 3 11

Jackbot is simple to understand from a rules perspective, but there are so many nice nuances to the code that really add to the fun. The art on the cabinet and the playfield are great. Also the playfields for whatever reason seem to hold up really well. Jackbot is Pinbot with degenerate gambling. The addition of the gambling to Jackbot is were this game really shines. You are constantly given the opportunity to take your winnings or go for double or nothing. One of the nice things about going for the double, is if you are successful it immediately lites your next game at the scoop. If you don't double your winnings, you have to hit the left ramp to enable the next game. You can also cheat the games , by repeatedly pushing the extra ball button when the game title is shown.
It doesn't work all the time, but it's great when you get it. The Multi-ball in Jackbot is started by completing the grid. You get an opportunity to complete the grid in one shot, by skillfully hitting the lit row or column. The goal of the Multi-ball is to get to mega visor, which is not easy to do. Also if you can lock a ball in each eye fast enough, you get a super Jackbot. If you are looking for points Casino Run should be your focus. You get to Casino Run by playing the four games. Once complete, Casino Run will light at the scoop. Casino run is a slot machine that awards big points as well as other rewards. You have 45 seconds, which can be extended with an award. You hit the ball in any scoop to start the slot machine, but you have to be careful, if you hit a bomb on the slot machine you lose everything. You can use your cheat button to figure one bomb. There is also an award that says no bomb, which will keep you from losing to your fist bomb. This is a great tournament game and has a lot of replayability, due to the addictive nature of the ruleset. If you find one, definitely give it a shot.

Pinbolls has owned this game in the past.

8.252/10

10 months ago

DRC

drConti

Pinside apprentice

Lanzo Torinese

3y 17,650 17 14 6

I haven't managed to break the default record yet. Very fast game, I often get the ball out for bad rebounds. If you like gambling it's very nice, it allows you to double your score (if you manage to take the ramp to the left within a time). Nice music and effects, even for the youngest children.

drConti currently owns this game.

8.772/10

10 months ago

SJP

eSJayPee

Pinside+ Frequent

Plymouth Meeting, PA

1y 30,150 22 8 14

One of my all-time favorite machines and definitely my favorite of the Bot series. I wish I still owned this one and hope to find a nice one down the road.

The gambling theme takes Pin*Bot to an unexpected level. The Casino Run mode is fantastic and really brings out the risk taker in all of us. It's very easy to gamble away 1B points.

Game play is fun with enough things to do that I come back frequently.

The cabinet art and translite are average at best but they don't take away from the great game play.

The cheating button adds a nice RNG aspect to the overall experience.

eSJayPee has this game on the wishlist.

4.213/10

1 year ago

???

CCFactory

Inactive member

Unknown

1y 1,000 8

The ugly third sister. 'Nuff said. yuck.

4 Pinsiders flagged this.

7.848/10

1 year ago

FAB

foxyshilo

Pinside member

10y 32,400 2 2 28

Basically an updated version of pinbot. The visor is the best part of the game. Locking eyes to start multiball. Love the poker aspect of the game. Fun game but gets old fast.

foxyshilo has owned this game in the past.

7.985/10

1 year ago

VEE

Veemonroe

Pinside member

London

2y 55,550 205 7 176

Played several times at Astro City in Southend.

I have a PinBot at home and the layout feels identical (and is a great fun layout). Graphics and artwork are excellent on both pins.

The extra rules, such as gambling on shots, add depth and interest, and the DMD is cooler, but it’s not light years better than the 1986 pin.

My husband’s view is that the additions to PinBot do not inspire additional joy over the original pin.

9.700/10

1 year ago

VPR

ViperVS

Pinside member

Vantaa

6y 49,050 185 29

Didn't expect much from this when I bought it. Now it's the most played game in my lineup. Pinball in it's purest form.

ViperVS edited previous rating on October 17, 2022.
ViperVS has owned this game in the past.

8.389/10

2 years ago

C P

Skatewake

Pinside+ Addict

2y 99,550 506 9 64 3

I always liked playing this after playing PinBot.

9.228/10

2 years ago

HKY

HoakyPoaky

Silver State Pinball

11y 144K 3,675 128

Possibly the most underrated DMD game of all time.

They took the classic Pinbot layout & added an incredible ruleset, turning Jackbot into one of the best competitive play games ever. They integrated a casino theme & created the ultimate risk vs reward game. Multiple opportunities to risk it all, or go for double or nothing. Big point swings, especially if you get lucky in the Casino Run mode.

Multiple plunge skill shots, a 2-ball multiball mode which requires ball trapping & precision shots, LOTS of jackpot shots & SUPER jackpots, multiple casino games, and even cheating! It’s quite a rush, especially when playing against friends.

Colorful artwork, colorful inserts, a classic mech with mechanical ball locks, a flap ramp, unique jazzy soundtrack, the sexy bride dealer, robot voice callouts, great light shows, great dots…. This game is a rare gem.

If you’re looking for usual 90s deep modes & thematic gameplay, then look elsewhere. Jackbot is all about taking risks, making precise repeatable shots & racking up massive amounts of points. A great title to find for your local pinball league. It’s a game that’s easy to understand, but difficult to execute.

I’m so happy I finally found one. They didn’t make many of these either. People are starting to rediscover & appreciate these underrated 90s DMD titles now. So if you see a Jackbot, grab it while you can or you may regret it in a few years ;)

HoakyPoaky edited previous rating on November 15, 2021.

7 Pinsiders starred this!

7.017/10

2 years ago

SUS

Grayont

Pinside member

Encinitas, CA

6y 51,550 84 1 129

Jackbot borrows it's layout from Pin Bot and brings it to the DMD era. It's a simple game where you play the casino games to get to the casino run mode. The casino games are pretty basic and there isnt anything too special here. You can spam the extra ball button on the front of the game to try to cheat the games which is interesting. Casino run is where the game shines, and gives a great risk/reward aspect where you need to keep pursuing more awards while hoping not to lose out on it all. Very nerve racking, and fun here, but this is the only real highlight, and it's fully up to chance on what you get or how long you last. This can be a turn off for some. Overall it's an alright game, but there isn't enough here to keep me coming back. Casino run it quite fun to witness though.

7.752/10

2 years ago

???

PaulOhio

Pinside member

Medina, OH

4y 15,250 3 8 12

Great rules and fun betting point values make this a unique game that is very entertaining. It's a fun h=game to compete on as well.

PaulOhio currently owns this game.

6.998/10

2 years ago

BJO

Toine79

Pinside member

Affligem

4y 42,050 314 6

I've bought Pinbot a couple of years ago and played it for several weeks.
Game is basic but I still wanted to play another game and again.
After a couple of months I had the opportunity to buy an IJ and the Pinbot moved to another home. With pain in my hart.

Several weeks ago I've found a Jackbot. Same playfield, casino theme and better system with dmd.

Game is fun to play but I'm missing something compared to the classic Pinbot.

It is a good game. Simple to play but hard to master.
Casino Run is a very cool mode but it is not a keeper in a small collection.

Toine79 has owned this game in the past.

8.016/10

3 years ago

PO

pat4race

Inactive member

Unknown

3y 19,000 1 73

Fun game, easy to understand rules, with nice theme. The more I get to play it, the more I enjoy the rules and gameplay.

pat4race edited previous rating on April 17, 2021.

7.884/10

3 years ago

???

sP33DyEd

Pinside apprentice

Unknown

3y 13,250 4 8

All or nothing first pin and loved it but entry pin

sP33DyEd edited previous rating on November 30, 2022.
sP33DyEd has owned this game in the past.

7.604/10

3 years ago

DIA

mrossman5

Pinside+ Frequent

Warren, PA

6y 197K 3,186 7 253

Something about Jack-Bot definitely gets stale after a while of play. I can't quite put my finger on it, but because of this, I would never want to own one.

9.640/10

3 years ago

RIZ

Quadrider

Pinside member

Macomb, MI

4y 38,150 45 5 10

Game is very subjective among the pinball community.... some love it, and some hate it... not really sure why. In my opinion, it’s one of the most underrated DMD games ever. By far One of my top #2 Games of all time, and one of my grails. Simply put, I fucking Absolutely love everything about Jack*Bot!!! Casino run is absolutely fantastic and one of the best game modes of all time. Mega visor is very difficult to get to. The game has perfect balance of difficult shots, but always leaving you wanting to play another game.... especially with the extra ball cheat button! It plays somewhat on the slower side and not too fast, but still has decent flow. The soundtrack is by far my favorite in a game with the mid 90’s jazzy Sax with awesome guitar Solos on the main gameplay track… I even added a color Dmd and Pinsound with my own custom music mix with a powered sub and this game ROCKS! Under the PF, everything is easily serviceable. If I had to nit pick, I’d say the hit me target seems to be pretty pointless, also I don’t know why they didn’t add a GI to the right eye, the left side is well lit, but the right is kinda dark. I added comet matrix saucer lights to both eyes to fix this issue. Also added one to the game saucer. Overall I absolutely love J*B and it’s never leaving my collection!

Quadrider edited previous rating on September 17, 2021.
Quadrider currently owns this game.

7.444/10

3 years ago

TKM

Daditude

Pinside Moderator

Rockwall, TX

5y 266K 10,123 23 271

This is a really fun game based on Pinbot. What's not to like about robots in space?
If you like the original, you will enjoy the upgraded jackbot as well.

Daditude edited previous rating on September 19, 2020.

8.760/10

4 years ago

RMF

MasterReese

Pinside apprentice

4y 37,150 2 3 66 1

Simple ruleset, very fast playing. This is a pretty fun game and when I finish a game on it I think “just one more”.

MasterReese edited previous rating on May 17, 2020.
MasterReese currently owns this game.

9.740/10

4 years ago

JAS

jetmechinnc

Pinside+ Frequent

7y 80,050 1,140 30

This a classic "remake" of the 1980's pinball PinBot. Same shots, same cool visor, etc, but taken up a notch with a great risk reward gambling theme. I always liked Pinbot, so when I got the chance to add the third in the series to my collection, it was a no brainer. Plus, the motherboards are easier and cheaper to come by on this title compared to Pinbot. The call outs and DMD animations are great, especially with a color DMD, fun jazz music plays in the background and make you feel like you are at an old casino. The Casino Run mode is another cool risk reward for big points and is very satisfying to make it through the whole mode. I'd recommend this title to anyone who liked the original and wants an DMD in their lineup.

8.900/10

4 years ago

MMA

Spacemanratso09

Pinside member

Oakville, MO

6y 84,050 1,271 11 25

I got this without ever playing it
Definitely fun
Nothing hard to figure out but it’s fun
I think the artwork is beautiful and the theme is great
Got a color dmd and it really adds to the game visually
It’s weird hard to “rate” this game
Simple but lots of fun keeps me playing it
I would recommend to anyone
This is a keeper undervalued game like the nuances of the rules
A classic!

Spacemanratso09 edited previous rating on September 08, 2019.
Spacemanratso09 has owned this game in the past.

8.864/10

4 years ago

???

dex82

Inactive member

Unknown

7y 13,000 3 31

Amazing PIN and fantastic software!! Reallu underrated

2 Pinsiders starred this!

7.573/10

4 years ago

ERB

C0untDeM0net

Pinside member

5y 77,550 1,809 11

This pin quickly became a family favorite. The jazzy music and the gambling aspect keeps it entertaining and interesting. It's a lot of fun to open up the head and get the multi balls. It's got a semi challenging skillshot which I find much better than Bride of Pinbot.

8.420/10

5 years ago

SFV

Hammerhead

Pinside member

Melbourne, ON

12y 109K 2,784 15 18 1

The best of the Pinbot games.

By far.

Hammerhead currently owns this game.

7.424/10

5 years ago

BAD

Diospinball

Inactive member

Joliet, IL

6y 74,300 1,336 9 75

This is basically Pinbot but with a dmd... I think the ball locks are really cool. Decent rule set. Fun mb's and if you like robot babes then great artwork. To me, there is nothing great about this game. I like Bride of Pinbot better, but I think I rather own this over a Pinbot. Good animations, decent callouts. Again... its a fun game to shoot, just not a great one. It looks nice and would look nice in any persons collection. But, again in a limited space collection I rather have Bride.

8.504/10

5 years ago

MDF

frenchmarky

Pinside member

Moreno Valley, CA

5y 79,800 3,113 7 30

I love the gambling aspects of the game. It's not the typical randomness thing decided by the machine, but by you. Where at certain times you can accumulate a huge pile of winnings in Casino Run - millions of points, extra balls and credits and you could simply rake it in... but you just get the fever and say "Dammit, I'm still going to take one more skill-based flipper shot and go for broke!!"

frenchmarky currently owns this game.

2 Pinsiders starred this!

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