Well, mine doesn't have any outlane posts at all, so I can't help you there...

I prefer 5 ball settings so that the game doesn't "skip" the J's and K's as the 5X bonus multiplier goal.

The 5X bonus is not "always lit".

You need to be aware that the BONUS rules change on each ball:
Ball 1 bonus 5X= knock down 10
Ball 2 bonus 5X= knock down all J's
Ball 3 bonus 5X= knock down all Q's
Ball 4 bonus 5X= knock down all k's
Ball 5 bonus 5X= knock down all A's

Also of note: The BASE value of each BANK that you COMPLETE (light) will count up as 10's=1K,J's=2K,Q's=3K,K's=4K,A's=5K

So, the MAX bonus for each ball is always 75K points.

If you complete a bank that is NOT the 5X bank for the ball that you're on, you will only collect the base value for THAT bank (1k,2k,3k,4k,or 5k). That is, UNLESS you complete the bank for the current ball's 5K multiplier bank. It can get confusing if you just start to flail and light a bunch of banks. You have to be aware at the beginning of each ball, that your goal has changed.

So, let's say you are on ball # 4 and the ONLY banks you've completed thus far are the 10's, J's and Q's. If you drain, you collect 6K in bonus. BUT, if you knock down the last two K's targets you need to complete THAT bank before you drain, your bonus will suddenly be 50K. See how lucrative those last two K's targets become?

Obviously, the deeper you get in the game, the more difficult it is to light 5X.

These rules are only for the SS version of Joker Poker.

What a great game!!!!!!!

Agreed. This is why it is so popular. Well, one of the reasons. Though, some would say this unbalances the scoring. Meh.

I love that you really can't collect an extra ball on a straight shot.gotta bounce it off the pops.Kyrinski knows his physics!!!!

Pinball Resource will have the Manual My system 1 games get the most play by far at my place its a great game that can not be mastered

I prefer mine on 3-ball settings (with Extra Balls turned on), which as snyper alluded to, you simply skip the ball 2 and 4 requirements for getting 5x Bonus. Thus, for 3-ball settings:
Ball 1 bonus 5X= knock down 10
Ball 2 bonus 5X= knock down all Q's
Ball 3 bonus 5X= knock down all A's

Hmmmm, I disagree. To collect an EB, the lit standup target is indeed a straight shot from the left flipper. Granted, you can certainly get a lucky bounce of the pops to collect it, too.

Lighting it is a whole different issue:
(1) Spell A-B-C in one ball.
(2) Complete the Aces 5-bank of drop targets.

Joker Poker is such a great game. I have to agree with the others. I just focus on completing the bank of targets that light 5x bonus for that particular ball, then I focus on maxing the bonus by completely all target banks once. If I get lucky and max the bonus, I then wail on the Queen target bank continuously until I drain. It's the best bank to just pick points off of because it's a clean shot from the flippers and it resets upon completion unlike the 10 or j's which you have to complete both banks.

thats a tight shot!!!

My usual strategy: If EB's are turned on, then go for your Extra Ball! Either get the Aces or ABC.

For Aces bank: Keep flinging the ball around the Jack bank to get to the Aces bank. Plus, on 3-ball, pops are 1K/pop!

For ABC: From a cradle on the left flipper, you can shoot the ball to the right of the Jacks all the way to the top rail, which will often bounce over to the ABC lanes.

Avoid intentionally shooting the 10 and J's bank -- these are death shots.

Also, if you don't have the after-market Pascal board, get it! My wife & kids enjoy the feature of having a ball-save on JP -- which tends to serve up plenty of house balls. And setting the Special for 50K points is also a nice alternate strategy/points cash-in.

I have the Pascal board but my settings are more traditional.i like the way the rules are with 5ball setting.i like the progression.But Ive recently switched to 3ball so its more challenging.Pascal board is a must IMHO.

Glad I found this thread, just confirmed what I've figured out in the week I've had my JP, my first pin. Mine has he Ni-Wumpf CPU board (as well as RottenDog power and driver boards), but it sounds like I have a lot of the same options. Currently running 5-ball, no ball save, with extra ball. Just wondering what kinds of scores you are getting on these? My current high with those settings is around 480k, and I admit I am very much a beginner at pinball, working on my ball control skills.

I have a pascal in mine as well. Love that you can put in initials for top 4 high scores. Makes the game very reliable.

With those scores, I'd encourage you to change to 3-ball. Typically, the rule of thumb is 3 balls for solid state pins, and 5 balls for EM's.
But it's your pin, so set it how YOU want it.

My high scores on my JP are all 1MIL+ set on 3-ball with EB's enabled through gameplay (not from score thresholds). I also set Special to award 50K points instead of replays.

Enabling the Skill Shot also adds a nice nuance to the plunge to intentionally go for A or C, whichever is lit for the skill shot.

I'll give 3-ball a shot. I'm pretty sure my EB's are only through gameplay as well, I'll have to look at the Special options, that sounds better to me as replays are pointless for freeplay setup anyway. It had skill shot and ball save both on when I got it and I turned them both off after a while as they didn't really appeal to me that much, but like you say we can each set it how we like definitely nice having the options anyway.

I still have much to learn and practice, but 1MIL+ is something to shoot for. Thanks for the input.