Could it be that the plug that connects to your crystal ball is slightly loose? Sometimes if it's loose but not completely disconnected, it will intermittently make the game lock up when it gets vibrated a bit. I had the same sort of thing as you happen -- it seemed like the game was freaking out over one switch hit at the beginning of each game, but it was really just the vibration causing a brief disconnect of the crystal ball. It's something to consider, anyway!