I'll soon be back up to either eleven or twelve. Personally, the minimum number of pins is dictated by the maximum number of people we have over, which is 25-30. The maximum number of pins is determined by space. Only with effort can I cram in a dozen. Were they solely for my use, however, I'd probably have five or six. (Enough for reasonable variety, in other words.) I'll have to downsize someday, but hopefully not for a while yet. It really is fun giving people a chance to play pinball who either haven't done so in one or two decades or, almost as often, who have never touched a real pinball table. That gives me as much or more pleasure than playing the pins myself.