There is alot going on in this thing for an E.M. Probably the most going on in any E.M. pin. The trick on this one is to build up your bonus, light the spinner, and let it rip!

Alright so… Hot tip!

Let me first just say that this game has a great theme, the horse racing is something I haven’t seen before on a pin and it was done very well. The back glass is very pretty and the art work on the playfield really works, the horseshoes, the Racers falling off and fighting each other, very cool.

I feel mean when I say this, but, the artwork is perhaps the extent of this deck. Look, I’m not saying it’s a boring game. The game play can be fun when you crank that spinner to collect that top saucer and wait for the ball to come down and smack those drops off the pop bumper, I get it. But that’s literally it. The game has one shot. You continue to hit that spinner as many times as possible and wait for the ball to dribble down into that drop target area. There’s no reason to shoot for anything else. The captive ball looks cool but has no purpose, it’s a sucker shot. Go for it, and you’re going to drain. It’s not even worth that many points anyways, just forget about it. When the extra ball is lit, you can’t even hit that bloody side saucer anyways, just wait for the ball to accidentally fall in there and away you go.

I couldn’t sell mine fast enough. A really pretty game that just doesn’t have any playability. My sisters enjoyed it and it got plenty of looks from visitors, but play it thrice and you’ve played it two times too many.

This EM showcases a great variety of items and rules for what can be done with relays and steppers. Set up right, it plays fast and powerful. Clear the drops once, and the spinner is lit -- a joy to nail with all the clicking and chiming trying to keep up, watch that score reel blur with motion. Clear 'em again and extra ball is lit. A third and special starts flip flopping in the outlanes. Each time the drops also boost in value from 100 to 1000, then 10K. The captive ball can also be worth trying when lit. Even a weak shot that doesn't hit the target can get you some bonus advance via the rollover. This was Williams at the height of their EM abilities. Fast fun and balanced challenge.

The absolute best EM I have ever played! So much fun!

Hot Tip is a simple and straightforward game.

The Pros:
A spinner on this game that BEGS to be ripped.

The Cons:
Once the drops are down and the spinner is lit, that's it. Nothing else is worth going for on this game. The captive ball is a sucker shot. that occupied the left 1/3 of the table.

The Takeaway:
If you like your games simple, this may be your deck. For me, it's too simple.

Picked one up that was in good shape overall. Restored it with just minor touch ups to the playfield and cabinet and clear coated the playfield. Cupped inserts suck...

WHOA FREAKIN' NELIE!!!

A lone pop that does so much to help you and to punish you.

Excellent playfield layout with very fast game play. Get the drops down once to light the spinner, twice to light the Free Ball while advancing the drop target score value. Do it a third time for even bigger drop target points and also lights the chance for a credit.

Rip that spinner to get back to the top of the playfield to light the Double Bonus and Captive Ball.

But beware the Captive ball shot. So very tempting but miss it and a tough recovery unless the tilt bob has been removed :)

The total EM package from gameplay to artwork.