Gottlieb
Royal Flush Pinside Rating
This game received 54 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 8.075 /10
Royal Flush
Score breakdown
Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:
Game Design: 8.195
Artwork: 7.551
Sounds/Music: 2.896
Other Aspects: 8.27
Pinside staff rating
This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 1 of us has rated this game.
Found 31 ratings (with comment) on this game
There are 31 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
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9.128/10
1 year ago
Lake Forest, IL
A really simple - deceptively simple - layout & scoring system that nevertheless never fails to challenge. There are VERY unforgiving / punitive angles here that you must learn to avoid - but the possibility of a huge scoring round just around the corner keeps you going. Great balance between pursing jokers and knocking down the drop targets. So glad I added this one to my collection.
8.225/10
1 year ago
One of my first pins, then sold the machine. A couple years later bought another one and did a decent restore on it. This machine is surprisingly hard to get ALL of the scoring features lit at the same time. For an EM with non-reset targets, it is nice to have the 3000 point target hidden behind the Queens. It gives a secondary goal to aim for once all the targets are down. I continue to come back to play this game even though I have had it in my collection for 10+ years!
7.642/10
2 years ago
I recall being addicted to this game as a kid. Great playfield layout, in my opinion, and though there are better games out there for the era this game was excellent. I will be looking to add this to my collection going forward, and always looking for it at bars and arcades to play.
7.826/10
2 years ago
London
I played Royal Flush several times at Plonk Crazy Golf in Hackney. It was quite entertaining because of the drop targets, but I felt I was missing something in terms of understanding how to play.
Watching a tutorial later, it became apparent that the way to score big was to shoot the jokers at the sides of the playfield and *then* shoot the drop targets. This wasn’t obvious from the card on the pin, unfortunately, and I feel it was non-obvious how to play well - unlike, say, Jack’s Open/Lucky Strike.
Watching a tutorial later, it became apparent that the way to score big was to shoot the jokers at the sides of the playfield and *then* shoot the drop targets. This wasn’t obvious from the card on the pin, unfortunately, and I feel it was non-obvious how to play well - unlike, say, Jack’s Open/Lucky Strike.
9.324/10
2 years ago
Royal flush is a fantastic player that can be easily overlooked for it’s seemingly simplistic layout.
I’m embarrassed to say that I owned this game for several years before I actually realized what a lovely playing game it is. The jokers make each drop target worth 1000 more points, therefore incentivizing joker collection before going for drop target bank. This feature creates the entire premise of the game, which is the lovely dance between deciding to go for jokers and risk draining with no bonus, or snagging low value targets to try and build bonus.
The artwork on the playfield is nothing special but the back glass is very pretty in my opinion.
This is just one of those games that when set up correctly makes you want to play again and again. Blowing this game up is a real challenge. One of my favorite EMs by far! Dare I say my favorite 4 player machine in terms of gameplay.
I’m embarrassed to say that I owned this game for several years before I actually realized what a lovely playing game it is. The jokers make each drop target worth 1000 more points, therefore incentivizing joker collection before going for drop target bank. This feature creates the entire premise of the game, which is the lovely dance between deciding to go for jokers and risk draining with no bonus, or snagging low value targets to try and build bonus.
The artwork on the playfield is nothing special but the back glass is very pretty in my opinion.
This is just one of those games that when set up correctly makes you want to play again and again. Blowing this game up is a real challenge. One of my favorite EMs by far! Dare I say my favorite 4 player machine in terms of gameplay.
6.656/10
2 years ago
Royal Flush is a cool machine, but I have found it to be incredibly brutal to play. You would think that big bank of drop targets would be easy to clear, but believe me--it's not! If this has been the first EM machine I had ever experienced, I think I would have written off that entire genre of pins as nothing but '70s era arcade coin-stealers!
I have watched Chuck Wurt's tutorial video on Royal Flush several times, and I really respect his skills! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGVirmO6Q68 Watching that video makes me determined to keep playing until I can master this machine.
A previous owner of my machine installed LED bulbs throughout, which actually look really good.
Do I recommend this machine? Not for the newer player. Not as a first (or only) EM machine. Not if you are unprepared for the brutal ass-kicking it will deal out. But in a larger collection, it definitely has a place. My rating may not be that high, but I'm glad I own this game.
I have watched Chuck Wurt's tutorial video on Royal Flush several times, and I really respect his skills! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGVirmO6Q68 Watching that video makes me determined to keep playing until I can master this machine.
A previous owner of my machine installed LED bulbs throughout, which actually look really good.
Do I recommend this machine? Not for the newer player. Not as a first (or only) EM machine. Not if you are unprepared for the brutal ass-kicking it will deal out. But in a larger collection, it definitely has a place. My rating may not be that high, but I'm glad I own this game.
8.215/10
4 years ago
Boy that row of drop targets sure is tempting, isn't it? Build up your hand to get the big bonus at the end of your ball but this is not as easy as it sounds. Careful shot selection is a must to avoid the outlanes and if the player flips carelessly they will be done with the game in no time.
9.107/10
4 years ago
Sales numbers don't always tell the story but for this one they do. And despite the high production numbers for this and Card Whiz, I rarely see them for sale. That's a good game there - lots out there and people want to hold on to them.
The backglass is pretty neat and so is the cabinet; the playfield is sort of okayish as far as the art goes. Nice strong Gottlieb chimes. Love the joker on the bumper.
I'm more of an EM fan but I guess I can just say this: if you don't like a game like Attack from Mars, for example, you're probably never going to like a DMD game. And if you just outright dislike this game, you're probably never going to like an EM. And I'll love any EM that gives you different choices of how to go about playing it, like this one does.
*Wife approval* "Do they have Royal Flush?" Whenever I'm headed to a show or somewhere that has pinball games, this is the only one she asks about. Her #1 favorite, and she was introduced to it as a kid on some PC game. 10/10.
The backglass is pretty neat and so is the cabinet; the playfield is sort of okayish as far as the art goes. Nice strong Gottlieb chimes. Love the joker on the bumper.
I'm more of an EM fan but I guess I can just say this: if you don't like a game like Attack from Mars, for example, you're probably never going to like a DMD game. And if you just outright dislike this game, you're probably never going to like an EM. And I'll love any EM that gives you different choices of how to go about playing it, like this one does.
*Wife approval* "Do they have Royal Flush?" Whenever I'm headed to a show or somewhere that has pinball games, this is the only one she asks about. Her #1 favorite, and she was introduced to it as a kid on some PC game. 10/10.
6.866/10
4 years ago
I like this because it was hard to rack up points. Like others have said, you need to get jokers first to build up your bonus. I like the the faces on the jokers drop targets. I also like the 500 point and 300 point target behind the playing card drop targets. I also like lights on the playfield. The machine I played on did not have a working return gate.
8.451/10
4 years ago
Great card themed EM, almost as good as High Hand, but still very good. Surprised to see it as low as it is. Challenging game, drop targets make it a sweet setup in a collection of EM pins. Had this next to Super Spin, Target Alpha, and Grand Prix, that made some noise when those 4 got going!
8.733/10
4 years ago
Not just a CLASSIC electro mechanical, but the definitively quintessential card game of the era. With fantastic back glass graphics and theme specific layout of the playfield done very well...this machine just delivers GREAT game play. Plays with character in the home or in the bowling alley bars it found a home in, jammed up in the corner by the juke box. A real players machine. With a sweet crack of a free game, it could turn your frown upside down.
Hard to find anyone who hasn’t dropped a half roll of quarters in this Gottlieb Classic and walked away with a lesson and some respect earned and learned.
Hard to find anyone who hasn’t dropped a half roll of quarters in this Gottlieb Classic and walked away with a lesson and some respect earned and learned.
7.933/10
5 years ago
Ronneby
Its a simple but very fun game,the family enjoys playing it against each others .Love the mechanical sounds from the reels flicking.The upside is multiplayer 1-4.On the downside it doesent have multiball or ramps,but how many EM has got that?
7.783/10
6 years ago
The Good: Really excellent asymmetric playfield. Decent rules with good strategy: Hit the drop targets to complete certain hands to maximize your bonus. Each joker that's hit increases the drop target value by 1000, and advances the kickout hole. The "scanning" bonus is really unique. Probably one of the deeper multiplayer EM games out there. Still things to shoot for after you've hit all the drop targets down.
The Bad: Playfield art is lackluster, and the backglass could use more lighting here and there. Hitting the jokers doesn't always require skill, and from a maintenance perspective, the tiny fragile AS relay must be in perfect working order to have the bonus work correctly. The drop target logic would have been more interesting had it used the "Jacks Open" logic, but this game is tough as nails as it is.
Takeaway: They didn't make +10K of these units for nothing. This game is fantastic. Considering they made so many, it's surprising how few pop up for sale. Rules are VERY similar to Cleopatra.
Update 1: I've had more time on the game, and the more I play it, the more I appreciate it's idiosyncrasies. The key to a good game is careful shot planning: I.e. You want to first focus on collecting the jokers before hitting the drop targets. Each joker increases the value of the drop target by 1,000 points. Considering you MUST complete certain hands to rack up a good bonus, it's easy to drop a ton of targets, and only light a single bonus award, so you really want to ramp up the value of each drop target first. Random flailing about will result in a drain.
The Bad: Playfield art is lackluster, and the backglass could use more lighting here and there. Hitting the jokers doesn't always require skill, and from a maintenance perspective, the tiny fragile AS relay must be in perfect working order to have the bonus work correctly. The drop target logic would have been more interesting had it used the "Jacks Open" logic, but this game is tough as nails as it is.
Takeaway: They didn't make +10K of these units for nothing. This game is fantastic. Considering they made so many, it's surprising how few pop up for sale. Rules are VERY similar to Cleopatra.
Update 1: I've had more time on the game, and the more I play it, the more I appreciate it's idiosyncrasies. The key to a good game is careful shot planning: I.e. You want to first focus on collecting the jokers before hitting the drop targets. Each joker increases the value of the drop target by 1,000 points. Considering you MUST complete certain hands to rack up a good bonus, it's easy to drop a ton of targets, and only light a single bonus award, so you really want to ramp up the value of each drop target first. Random flailing about will result in a drain.
9.296/10
8 years ago
Abbotsford, BC
I recently tried to figure out my favorite multi player EM, and after much consideration, Royal Flush was it!! Gottlieb really knew how to do card games, and RF was it's best multiplayer effort, a superb game that can reward and punish you all in the same time, but most importantly keeps you coming back for more.
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