Flip a Card

Flip a Card is a charming single-player electro-mechanical game from February 1970, designed by Ed Krynski with artwork by Art Stenholm for D. Gottlieb & Company. With 1,800 units confirmed produced, it is a classic example of Gottlieb's polished single-player EM formula at the turn of the decade.

Players work the ball with two flippers, three pop bumpers, and two slingshots while aiming for seven standup targets and a single kick-out hole. The backglass features light animation in which playing cards light up during play, adding lively feedback to the action, while the sound comes from three chimes. The backglass art depicts a college dorm room complete with pennants on the wall and a study desk, fitting the game's cheerful College Life and Playing Cards theme.

A few details make Flip a Card interesting to collectors: an add-a-ball version was produced as Gottlieb's 1970 'Card Trix', and the backglass spells the name 'Flip a Card' even though manufacturer literature consistently hyphenates it as 'Flip-A-Card'. Surviving playfields have even been found in two subtly different factory color variations, a small mystery that has yet to be explained.