Spin-A-Card

Released January 1969 - Game 265 - Production approximately 2650

Hi Lo

Released February 1969 - Game 266 - Production approximately 5000

Hearts and Spades

Released April 1969 - Game 267 - Production approximately 615

Spin-A-Card is a 1969 Gottlieb game, and is a good solid game like most Gottliebs of the 
sixties and seventies. Hearts and Spades is the add-a-ball version of the game, while Hi Lo 
is the Italian version of the machine.   The review refers to Spin-A-Card as this is the 
version I had, indeed I have a soft spot for it as this was my first ever pinball machine.

Spin Those Cards....

The playfield is symmetrical and bears a resemblance to Hi-Lo Ace from Bally, a machine four  
years  its junior.   The objective of the game is to light the playing  cards depicted  
between the slingshots and on the backglass.
There are two hands, red and white (hearts and spades...), with the red hand comprising of
A-K-Q-J-10, and the white A-2-3-4-5.   Either one or both hands are needed to light the 
specials, depending on  the  difficulty level set.

The Playfield.... All but two of the eighteen targets and rollovers on the playfield are allocated a card, the exceptions being the top centre rollover which awards just 500 points and the large central target, also 500 points and Special when lit. The cards, K-Q-J and 2-3-4 have a target and a rollover each, 10 and 5 just a target with the two Aces being perhaps the most difficult, as they occupy the two flipper return lanes. There is a second way to spot the cards however, and that is by utilising the two spin holes situated midway up the playfield. Depositing a ball in either hole results in 500 points being scored, and the ball being held whilst a light spins round the cards on the backglass. This continues for a couple of seconds, with the card remaining lit on the backglass being spotted on the playfield (unless, of course, it is already spotted, in which case only the 500 points are gained). The playfield also boasts four pop bumpers, two green and two yellow. These bumpers score either one point unlit, or ten when lit. They are lit by the top left and right rollovers respectively.

Conclusion...

So, a dependable Gottlieb, most notable for two points.  Firstly the spin feature.  The 
spinning of the cards on the backglass is done by a unit in the cabinet resembling a spinner 
flag, which is spun by a kicker rather than the passage of a ball. Each time the flag's 
switch closes the card lit on the backglass changes - I think that this is a nice feature, 
and quite clever for an EM game.

The other point, and probably the first thing you notic about the game, is the back box 
design.  Rather than the 'wedgehead' design, used by Gottlieb for years either side of the 
date of Spin-a-Card, a square design  is used, with groved pillars either side of the back 
glass rather than just plain wood.  This can be seen (just about, sorry for the poor photo) 
in the picture above.  The design is also used on Hearts and Spades, (and presumably Hi Lo 
as well, though I've never actually seen one), but I don't think any other single player 
Gottliebs of this era varied from a wedgehead box - maybe Gottlieb were trying to make the 
game a bit special, the flyer folds out to A2 poster size, suggesting they were really 
trying to sell the game!