Poker Ball

The Lindstrom Tool and Toy Company's Poker Ball (1934) is a notable addition to the early days of pinball, produced during the company's brief 1932-1934 run in Bridgeport, Connecticut. As a Pure Mechanical bagatelle with a playing-card poker theme, it provides a unique glimpse into the variety of small tabletop amusement games manufactured in this era.

Gameplay on the Poker Ball is straightforward: players aim to navigate the ball through a fixed arrangement of pins and scoring areas, accumulating points through skillful plunging and table positioning -- flippers would not be introduced to pinball until more than a decade later, in 1947. A charming detail is that the game also includes rules allowing it to be used as a fortune-telling game, adding a second layer of novelty appeal beyond straightforward scoring.

Measuring a compact 22 1/2 by 14 inches, this small machine is a testament to the resourcefulness of early bagatelle manufacturers. Unfortunately, there appears to be no specific information on who designed the game. Regardless, the Poker Ball remains an interesting piece in the history of pinball, offering a glimpse into the playing-card themes and dual-purpose novelty games popular in the early 1930s.