You could say not routed.

If the end game is to have it in your house, then it’s no big deal. If you go to sell, state it was played at TPF (or wherever) then taken home.

Well, HUO is really a statement of history of the machine more than anything else. I would say the game was HUO but note you took it a show once for others to enjoy.

I don’t think HUO matters as much these days as it did years ago. Condition is king, not the machine’s history.

HUO really means nothing, as others will say “condition is what matters”

I’ve seen routed games with 20-30k plays look and play better then some HUO games with 200-300 plays.

I think it’s still huo, the amount of plays at a show probably equal what you might do in 6 more months of ownership so same difference imo. The only concern is damage from moving it, easy to get dinged up by straps or volunteers in a hurry.

Don't get too hung up on HUO vs Non HUO. Plenty of collectors don't even bother with these acronyms. Keep it in good shape and you'll be fine.

The pole should have a “yes* - *was brought to XYZ show” a show will put maybe a thousand games on your machine. I can put a thousand on my home machines in a month.

HASUO = home and show use only
MHBOAAS = mostly home but once at a show

I think this would get silly before long. Not something that needs to be kept track of.

Condition is king, it doesn’t matter what label you use to describe the game.......even if it’s imamaculate with no legs.

The only letters that matter are LOO.

It's not HUO. You could take it to a "pay one price" arcade for a day, and that kills the HUO designation.

As others have said, these labels don't matter. I've seen (and bought) "HUO" machines in horrible condition.

I like to be as honest as I can when selling a game. I don't think I'd ever list something as HUO. If a buyer asked about the history, I'd tell him everything I knew, but I'm not going to knock $500 off because I took it to a show.

HUO is a meaningless designation. Many HUO machines have batteries leaking all over the CPU.

What do you mean by documented? No such documentation exists.

You can say whatever you want when you sell it. It doesn’t mean that you are being truthful, or that the buyer will believe you. The concept of something being HUO means nothing to me (condition and price is all that matters). Machines in some homes are kept in a worse state than a routed but maintained machine.

One things for sure though, I will always offer less money when buying something if the seller has tried to deceive me.

Absolutely not "HUO" if you took it to a show.
If it went to a show for freeplay area then it is not "home use ONLY"
If I were a buyer of said machine I would want that info disclosed. It wouldn't matter on price IMO but if your not honest about it, what else are you hiding.
-Mike

Agreed

ABSOLUTELY NOT! And I am frankly pissed that 22% of people think otherwise. I have noticed people posting games as HUO that are not and it’s a blatant lie!

If you were a smart seller, you'd lie and say your game had been routed in many locations and played by thousands and is still in great shape, giving buyers the impression they are buying a solid game.

If the game has been in your house and only has 100 plays on it (still not sure how that happens), of course it's in good shape.

Did anyone put money in it?

If I'm selling, yes an HUO game that's been in a show or a tournament is still HUO.

If I'm buying, I would say it is not.

Rediculous. Seller has no obligation to list any and all events their pin has been to. All a seller has to do is describe the condition accurately.

@ Sataneatscheese
Don't even worry about guys like that. They are far and few between. If anyone tries to dicker you down over bringing your pin to a show kick their ass right out the door. I have sold over 50 pins and have taken many to shows and it has never been a problem. Support your local shows!

If you can read, the answer is obvious... Home Use Only - if it was used in any "establishment" that is not a "home" then it is clearly not HUO.

The "Condition is King" argument is moot to the actual question.

Definitely. Unless they explicitly listed it as “HUO.”

If they do list it as HUO, but don’t disclose that it’s been at a public show, they’re lying.

What about a game that was on a retail showroom floor as a floor model....purchased and delivered/setup for home use. Would this be considered HUO machine?

how can there be NIB HUO?? Oxymoron at it's finest.

Nope we ran into this locally.

There is a local barcade that has all its games on freeplay and they get 1000s of plays a month. They have never had money put through them. Are they HUO lol

NIB show games from distributors sell for a $500+ discount for a reason. Saying a show game is HUO without at least sharing the fact is dishonest IMO.

It’s as if people forget what the “O” in HUO stands for.

...or the H

I can’t believe how crazy some people are here. Home Use Only:

on·ly
/ˈōnlē/
Learn to pronounce
adverb
1.
and no one or nothing more besides; solely or exclusively.

The word “only” is in the dictionary, it’s not up for debate.

HUO means "never been on location."

A show isn't a location. Show games do not take damage, do not get beat up like route games. Having a game at a show or tournament for a couple days is child's play. It's nothing in the grand scheme of things. As long as you take care of it when you are moving it, the game will be zero percent worse off for the wear.

It's really moot anyway. Call your game HUO. People who overshare on sale ads are inviting unneeded scrutiny and nit picking. If you say "Game is HUO except I took it to Allentown once" you deserve what you get (a lot of bullshit from the usual suspects).

condition is king !

Wow. Okay. I can’t believe I have to do this.

HOME:

home
/hōm/
Learn to pronounce
noun
1.
the place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household.

I love when people blow a gasket about things they cannot control.

high-strung
/ˈhī ˈˌstrəNG/
adjective
North American

adjective: high-strung

nervous and easily upset.

With the newer Stern code, doesn't the games played and balls played stay consistent, instead of being able to be reset or wiped out with a code update?

Not sure how that means anything.

You can tell a game has been at a show based upon the audits?

A show game may take a couple hundred games. That's NOTHING.

The first game I ever bought is an EM with a game counter. It's registered over 50,000 starts on it since I bought it in 2002.

Since HUO is not something that you can prove with 100% certainty, it does not matter.

HUO doesn't have much relevance any more, condition is king.

Clearly the answer is NO ....its either Home use only or its NOT .... pretty simple, and yes as a buyer I do put value on whether or not its HUO....

It doesn't really matter but sure why not. It's still owned and maintained by a home owner. A few hundred plays in one weekend at a show compared to a few hundred plays in a few months at home make no difference if maintained well. Routed games are generally maintained less since downtime is loss of revenue. They get more plays and operate in harsher conditions. Big difference but condition is more important. Some operators take good care of their games and some home owners do zero maintenance.

Only thing that matters is if the game is LOO or not.

The show discount is purely a sales tool Marco came up with and Stern approved. Has nothing to do with condition.

Exactly. "Documented HUO" is also bogus. Receipts only prove who bought it first.

Sometimes show games can rack up 400-800 plays in one weekend (at the shows I go to, anyway).

I've had (older pre-1990s) games come back with increased wear after the end of a show.

In a home environment, typically you wouldn't get nearly that many plays all in one shot.

Condition is king, and mileage/plays will make a difference no matter how well a game is maintained.

In general, it's usually best to offer details on the condition of the game and what's been done to it, rather than relying on specific terminology, since everyone seems to interpret the terminology slightly differently.

We can argue if its bogus or not, but in most cases its not. What I have found is most people in this hobby are very honest, and straight forward. Clearly the most important thing is condition, but having the game in a home is very different than having it at a show or in a bar. I suspect the people who don't care are ones who route or bring their games to shows, and continue to think their game is still worth a premium. Its not very hard to understand what Home Use Only means.....

Id say yes. When I hear HUO, I am mainly looking to see if it has been routed.

How many plays would a machine get at a show there?

the same suspects that bash these pins up at shows and want the pin discounted 500.00 cause it was at a show.