Hot Hand (pinball)

Hot Hand
Manufacturer	Stern Electronics, Inc.
Release date	June 1979
Design	Harry Williams
Production run	4,117

Last updated April 07, 2019

Hot Hand is a poker-themed pinball game created and produced by Stern Electronics and released in 1979. It is notable for having a five-inch rotating arm (resembling a tapered pinball flipper) at the top of the playfield.

Poker is a family of card games that combines gambling, strategy, and skill. All poker variants involve betting as an intrinsic part of play, and determine the winner of each hand according to the combinations of players' cards, at least some of which remain hidden until the end of the hand. Poker games vary in the number of cards dealt, the number of shared or "community" cards, the number of cards that remain hidden, and the betting procedures.

Pinball is a type of arcade game, in which points are scored by a player manipulating one or more metallic balls on a play field inside a glass-covered cabinet called a pinball machine. The primary objective of the game is to score as many points as possible, often within a limited time. Many modern pinball machines include a "storyline" where the player must complete certain objectives in a certain fashion to complete the story, usually earning high scores for different methods of completing the game. Different amount of points are earned when the ball strikes different targets on the play field. A drain is situated at the bottom of the play field, partially protected by player-controlled paddles called flippers. A game ends after all the balls fall into the drain a certain number of times. Secondary objectives are to maximize the time spent playing and to earn bonus games.

Stern is the name of two different but related arcade gaming companies. Stern Electronics, Inc. manufactured arcade video games and pinball machines from 1977-1985, and was known for 1980s Berzerk. Stern Pinball, Inc., founded in 1999, is a creator of pinball machines in North America.

External links

IPDB listing for Hot Hand

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