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Gottlieb's

Flipper Cowboy

1962 

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Flipper Cowboy is one of several add-a-ball machines produced by Gottlieb during the era. the idea of an add-a-ball is to get around anti gambling laws by not awarding the player free games which can be sold or traded for a pay out from the operator. The machine features the unique to Gottlieb 'roto spin' as well as a cowboy in the backbox who shoots the target every time a free ball is awarded. he also shoots 5 times at the start of a game. To achieve free ball awards one must make a certain points score or score 4 adjacent roto spin targets. 7 inserts light up one at a time indicating which target values, (1 thru 7) are made. When any combination of 4 in a row are made a free ball is awarded. This makes the number 4 key. You can't get any combination of 4 in a row without making the 4. You can make 1 through 3 and the 5 through 7 and not have 4 in a row. Clock the 4 and Pow..Pow.. Pow..Pow you just won 4 free balls! The roto spin also features a red bullseye which awards a free ball each time it is struck. The roto spin only allows 2 numbers to appear at a time. Aside from striking the target the numbers can be scored via 2 outlanes right between the Flippers. This adds some strategy whereas when a roto target value will score 2 or more free balls it is sometimes wise to let the ball in play drop out. There are 5 rollover lanes as well as a roto 'spin' bumper atop the playfield. 4 lanes, 2 white and 2 yellow, when scored give a free ball also. Once this is achieved only the 2 yellow rollovers re-light, when these are scored another ball is awarded and the sequence repeats. The playfield is laid out exactly like Gottlieb's Buckaroo . The Add-a-ball version of Buckaroo is Cowpoke which makes Cowpoke the exact same game as Flipper Cowboy with different graphics. As we all know Dave Gottlieb had a winner here! Flipper Cowboy is great fun to play, they say its Roy Rogers on the backglass, but I don't remember him ever doing any marlboro ads! Back to the Top