1978 GottliebEMJoker Poker 4-PlayerPinball Machine:
If your collection is centered around the'transition' machines made in the late 1970's when technology waschanging from electromechanical (EM)to solid state (SS), here is a GREATaddition for you. There were a few machines made during this time in bothEM and SS models. In most cases, the EM models had significantly lowerproduction rates than their SS counterparts. That is true in the case ofGottlieb's Joker Poker, too. Although 9,280 SS models were made, only 820 EM machines came off thefactory line! (Another point to add to thisspecificmachine's collectability is the fact that it is a SAMPLE model!Its serial number is 01025 S.) Chances are good that you've seen MANYsolid state models over the years but not many Ems. For the collector,this can be a tough machine to find if you’re looking for one, so don't missthis opportunity. And to add to the good news, beyond its collectability,it's a pretty fun machine to play with varied targets, a good strategy toachieve a high score, andfast action on the playfield. If you are a fan of the poker crazethat is sweeping our land, make sure you keep reading, too! The whole theme and game play of thismachine is centered around poker. Beyond its name, themain strategy of the game is to achieve better and better poker hands, gainedby hitting drop targets that represent different cards. You can get asingle card, a pair of jacks, three queens, four kings, or the best hand, fiveaces, including a joker. Your incentive to keep getting better hands isthat the number of bonus points that you get are tied to the card hands thatyou achieve. As you getthese card combinations, the hands light upon the playfield to indicatethe bonus points that you will get at the endof that ball in play. And withpoker card graphics everywhere on the backglass, playfield,andplastics,you have a poker player's dream machine! Thisalso makes a great machine for the family gameroom because it allows up to four players tocompete against each other. One other thing to add for this specific machine:its overall cosmeticsare in VERY nice shape! They allow this machine to beplaced anywhere in your home! It looks that nice. And saving thebest for last, this machine is playing pretty well right now so it shouldn’trequire a huge mechanical effort by you in order to be working perfectly.As it stands, you can get it home, plug it in and PLAY! (With some minorglitches.) It doesn't get any better or any easier than that! Allof these factors combine for a nice opportunity for you to add a fun, nicelooking, and collectible machine to your gameroom or collection.
Although this machine is technicallymechanically unshopped, it is working pretty well right now, but does have someminor glitches. None prevent you from playing through a game, but they domean that your play and score won’t be perfect right now. This machinehas been sitting idle in my storage for a little while so it is showing theclassic signs of being unshopped. A few score reels are a little stickywhen resetting and don’t always step up correctly when points are scored,sometimes a chime rings and sometimes it doesn’t when points are scored,sometimes a target doesn’t register points while other times it does, sometimesthe ball in play stepper is a little sticky in going to the next number andother times it works perfectly, occasionally a drop target will be sticky whengoing down, etc. Otherwise, everything else seems to be working very wellthroughout the game including the scoring, flippers, features, etc. Thereis FAST action on the playfield, good 'pop' from the pop bumpers, andSTRONG flippers. So, although it is short of 100% overall, it is workingpretty well.My guess is that many of these issues will resolvethemselves with more playing time since I only played a couple games to prepfor this sale. As a worst case, plan on giving this machine a quicktune-up for optimum and perfect play. This machine needs to be PLAYED,not stored like I have been treating it. Show it some love! Theoverall cosmetics, along with its game play, make it a GREAT addition to anygameroom.
The original backglass is in EXCELLENTcondition. There are a few VERY minor nicks/chips in the paint, mostnotably in the five of clubs graphics in the far lower right corner, and acouple others here and there. With allthe colors and graphics onthis glass, NONE of the imperfections are even noticeable when the glass is inthe machine unless you are really looking for them. There is NO flakingof the paint AT ALL, only a few very small nicks/chips in the paint. Whenin place, you will be hard pressed to find any problems with the paint since itpresents itself VERY well. The graphics of the jokers and playing cards,along with the colorful artwork make this a very nice looking glass. Allof the colors are nice and bright with no sign of any fading. This is aGREAT looking glass, but is just short of perfect. No chance for anydisappointment, though, I don’t think.
The playfield paint is also in pretty niceshape, but again, just short of perfect. The only “wear” I can see, ifyou can call it that, is immediately next to a few of the round plastic insertson the lower portion of the playfield. But that can also be called“chipping” since it originated from the inserts. Otherwise, there is somechipping of the solid red paint, mostly in the lower portion, along with a fewother very small nicks/chips in the paint throughout. This is a NICElooking playfield, but it isn’t perfect. The good news is that with thebulk of the VERY thin chips being in solid red colored areas, touchups would bevery easy to do since you wouldn’t have to deal with graphics. Just doingthat will make most of the chips disappear. I’m not trying to make thisplayfield sound worse than it is! I just want to make sure for thecollector that you realize it isn’t perfect, but it certainly isn’t bad,either! All of the colors and graphics are in great shape with no sign ofany fading. The card theme is definitely continued with playing card andjoker graphics everywhere. This is a NICE looking playfield with someimperfections. All plastics are near mint with no cracks/breaks andexcellent colors/graphics. The two round pop bumper caps look nearlynew. All correct drop targets are in place and are also in greatshape. A couple show a LITTLE bit of wear to the graphics, but not realbad at all! They look great. The bottom and top metal playfieldaprons also look great with only a couple VERY small imperfections in thepaint/lettering/graphics. There are also original instruction and scorecards in place.
Playfield features include three rolloverlanes at the top, two round pop bumpers, FIFTEEN drop targets (four aceswith a joker, four kings, three queens, two jacks, and one ten), a paddletarget, a single rollover lane along the upper right side, two sets of tworolloverlanes on each of the bottom sides, a third flipper near the topof the playfield to help you down the aces, and various other rubber contactpoints that award scoring. Thisis a fun playfield to play! The main object is to downthe drop targets to achieve better and better hands of cards, which then lightin the lower portion of the playfield to indicate your bonus points. Ifyou love drop target games like me, this is a machine for you since it offers FIFTEENin total! If you complete the four aces and joker, an extra ball(same player shoots again) light is activated. Completing the A-B-Crollovers lights the extra ball and double bonus features. Completing theking targets along with all the aces/joker or A-B-C rollovers lights the“special” rollover. As you can see, there are LOT of ways to maximizeyour score, all of which pay dividends for your skill shots! This is aFUN playfield layout and provides you some strategy shots. The action isFAST with STRONG flippers. You can also win free games by exceedingcertain scoring levels, hitting the special when lit, orby matching yourlast two score digits to arandom number that lights on the backglass atthe end of each game. This is a “players” game!
The cabinet paint appears to be original andis also in pretty nice shape. There are some of the normal minor nicks,chips, and scuffs, with the “worst” being on the right side of the bottomcabinet and along the far bottom edge of the right side of the backbox, buteven those aren’t very bad! The colors are nice and bright with no signof any fading. The poker theme continues with playing card and jokergraphics on the sides of both the backbox and bottom cabinet. The coindoor and entry plate are excellent with very little, if any, surfacerust. They are both straight. The machine does seem to play fromcoin/credit and the two quarter coin mechs are on the backside of thedoor. There is a working lock/key on the coin door. The originalmetal backbox door has a lock in place that functions using a screwdriverrather than a key but it does still lock in place. The four chrome legsare in fairly nice shape with some surface rust starting to pop up. Mostshould buff out but you may be left with a little that won’t come out.They are decent, but not perfect. The eight leg bolts ARE new! Thetwo front leg levelers are missing but are readily available from partssuppliers.
Payment for the machine is to bereceived within seven days of the end of the sale.Credit cards are accepted through Paypal. Provided it is paid for at theend of the sale, I can hold the machine for as long as you need so you canmake arrangements to either pick it up or have it shipped. If picked up,ONLY cash will be accepted, or a Paypal payment must be made prior topickup. Whatever pickup/shipping method works best for you, I'll try toaccommodate your needs, but payment is still to be received within seven daysof the end of the sale.
If you need shipping, I wouldrecommend you contact Michelle Bianchi, Precision Transportation Agent, mbianchi at precision-nal dot com,630-352-3312 (toll free 877-432-2646) for a quote. Available shippingoptions include door to door service including all of the loading, unloading,blanket-wrapping, shrink-wrapping, etc. When shipping multiplemachines, the 'per machine' cost is SIGNIFICANTLY reduced, so makesure you look at my other sales and/or ask me what other machines I haveavailable right now! In rough numbers, it generally costs about$350-375 in total to ship a single machine to the east coast from here andabout $400-425 to the west coast. I have also worked with a few othershipping companies and can help steer you in the right direction. Mypreference is to work with a company that can come to my home for a pickup andprovide door to door service including all loading, unloading, shrink-wrapping,blanket-wrapping, etc. Although I am not able to crate or palletize themachine myself, I can help to arrange for outside crating and internationalshipping, with you paying all of the associated costs.
Whether you're a collector or just want aNICE looking, FUN pinball machine to play in your home, this machine meets yourneeds. Cosmetically, it is in very nice shape and with what seems to beonly a LITTLE bit of mechanical attention, will be working flawlessly, too.Collectors know the difficulty in finding this machine when you are looking forthe EM model. With only820 made, few seem to turn up on the market, so here is yourchance. And beyond the rarity, it is a FUN machine. With itspoker theme and theabilityfor fourplayersto compete in one game, itwould make a nice addition to anygameroom. If you are caught up in the poker craze, you can't do better thanthis machine! Maybe by hitting the correct drop target combinations youcan finally get a good hand! If it's easy you want, easy you shallhave!It's current mechanical condition allows you to start playingthis machine from the moment you get it home, with only some minor glitches inthe play.It's gettingtough to find this machinewithnice overall cosmetics, especially the playfield, because this modelis so FUN to play. It gets aLOT of use which usually meansextensive wear to the cosmetics. With its nice backglass, playfield, andoriginal cabinet paint, added to its current working condition, you can't gowrong with this machine. I can't say much more than this is a NICElooking machine that is hard to find in any condition, let alone nicecondition. Don'tmiss out on this one if you've been looking for the EM!Most likely, another EM won't turn up for a while.
