Joker Poker

Joker Poker, designed by Ed Krynski with artwork by Gordon Morison, was released by Gottlieb in June 1978. Built on the Gottlieb System 1 platform, it was among the company's early solid-state electronic games, released during the industry-wide transition away from electromechanical machines; indeed, Gottlieb also produced an electromechanical version of Joker Poker the same year. With a confirmed production run of 9,280 units (3,911 domestic and 5,369 export), it was a substantial commercial success.

Key to Joker Poker's gameplay is its three-flipper setup, paired with two pop bumpers, one slingshot, and a generous complement of drop targets: two 3-bank sets, one 5-bank, and one 4-bank, plus a single standup target. Notably, the "10" and "J" drop targets are reset by the same coil. Operators could configure 3 or 5 ball play and choose whether a tilt penalized only the ball in play or ended the game, and the sound package consists of three chimes and a knocker.

The machine's design and art center on a card-playing theme, with Gordon Morison's artwork depicting poker hands and related motifs in bold colors. Its combination of heavy drop-target play and classic card-game presentation has kept Joker Poker a well-regarded title among collectors of late-1970s Gottlieb games.