Pokerino

The Pokerino, designed by Steve Kordek and released in November 1978 by Williams Electronics, is a widebody solid-state electronic pinball machine built around a cards-and-gambling theme. It features Double Action Flippers, which allow the inner flippers to operate first, or all four flippers to operate together, depending on how far the flipper buttons are pressed -- a mechanism that helps players avoid losing balls between a pair of flippers on this four-flipper layout.

Pokerino's gameplay revolves around the theme of cards and gambling, with a focus on strategy and precision. Players must navigate a series of challenging targets, including a 4-bank drop target, two 2-bank drop targets, a single drop target, and a spinning target, all while managing four captive balls and eight star rollovers to rack up points. Running on the Williams System 4 MPU, its solid-state electronics enabled more precise and responsive gameplay than earlier EM titles.

The Pokerino features artwork by Constantino and Jeanine Mitchell that captures a casino atmosphere, complete with cards and playful graphics, characteristic of the late-1970s pinball aesthetic. A total of 1,501 units were produced. Despite its relatively modest profile among collectors today, the Pokerino remains an interesting piece of pinball history, illustrating the flipper innovations of the solid-state era.