Abra Ca Dabra

Gottlieb, 1975 — shot-by-shot rules and strategy guide.

Open Abra Ca Dabra in the Pinball Genie app →

Abra Ca Dabra is a single-player electromechanical wedgehead — no multiball, no modes, no wizard modes, no ramps, no spinners, no saucers, and no extra ball. It's one of the earliest pinball machines ever made, designed by Jeff Brenner with magician-themed art by Gordon Morison. Everything the game does routes through one system: an escalating Bonus Value ladder (1000 → 2000 → 3000 → 4000 → 5000, shown down the center of the playfield) that gets scored the instant you cash it in — there is no end-of-ball bonus collect on this machine. Anything labeled "Bonus Value" is real-time scoring, not a stored total paid at drain.

The two feed paths. Two independent shots step the ladder up:

• Drop-target banks. Two banks of 5 targets each (left and right) sit in the upper playfield. Within each bank, one target is "lit" at a time (the lit position cycles with hits from pops, slings, and target hits). Hitting the lit target scores the full current Bonus Value; hitting an unlit target only scores 500. Clearing a bank lights the center bullseye standup target — clearing either bank is enough to light it, on both the 3-ball and 5-ball operator settings; the ball-count setting doesn't add a both-banks requirement for the standard bullseye (that stricter both-banks condition applies only to the 5-ball Special award once Bonus Value is capped at 5000 — see below). Hitting the lit bullseye then scores/advances Bonus Value one tier and resets the bank(s) for another lap.
• The 1-2-3-4 lane sequence. Four numbered rollover lanes sit across the top of the playfield, with a second numbered set nearer the flippers (likely, though not fully schematic-confirmed, wired into the same sequence). Completing all four numbers — in any order, carrying over ball to ball once lit — instantly scores current Bonus Value, bumps it a tier, and resets. On the 3-ball setting only, hitting lane 2 or 3 auto-spots its partner ("two numbers for the price of one"); on 5-ball, all four must be earned individually.

The plunge. There's no named "Skill Shot" feature (that mechanic postdates this game), but the plunge is a real strategic choice: it launches straight at the top lanes, and lanes 2/3 are the safe target — lanes 1 and 4 are explicitly flagged as SDTM-drain-prone off a hard plunge, and are better collected later via direct flipper shots.

Special/Replay. Once Bonus Value caps at 5000, the same two paths (bank-clear+bullseye, or 1-2-3-4 completion) instead award a Special — an added free game/replay credit, not an extra ball. If both banks happen to be down simultaneously at 5000, the bullseye is worth two Specials at once.

Outlanes matter. Both outlanes are labeled "BONUS" and score the currently-lit Bonus Value on drain, since a dead-center drain scores nothing extra — the one deliberate way to salvage value from a ball that's about to be lost.

What's absent, stated plainly: no multiball (physically impossible on this hardware), no timed modes, no ramps, no saucers/kickout holes, no spinners, no captive balls, no bonus multiplier unit (2X/3X/5X — Bonus Value is a single stepping number, not a multiplier), and no extra ball. Tilt behavior isn't fully documented, though EM convention of the era strongly suggests it ends the ball (possibly the whole game) and forfeits uncollected value — treat with real caution. Standard Gottlieb end-of-game score-match awards a replay separately from all of the above.

How Abra Ca Dabra plays

A single-player electromechanical wedgehead themed around a magician, where every scoring path feeds one escalating Bonus Value ladder. Winning means driving that ladder to its 5000 cap and collecting the Special replay award.

The loop

1. Hit the currently lit target in either drop bank -> scores the full Bonus Value and steps the lit position to another target.
2. Clear all five targets in either bank -> lights the center bullseye standup.
3. Shoot the lit bullseye -> scores the current Bonus Value, bumps it one tier, and resets the banks for another lap.
4. Complete the four numbered rollover lanes -> scores the current Bonus Value, bumps it a tier, and resets the sequence.
5. At the 5000 cap, the same bank-clear/bullseye or 1-2-3-4 completion -> awards a Special instead of a tier bump.

Reading the lights

• Drop Target Banks (shot arrows) — lit: One target in each bank is lit at a time; only that target pays the full Bonus Value, while unlit targets pay 500. · then: Shoot the lit target in either bank to collect the current value and step the lit position.
• Center Bullseye (shot arrows) — lit: Lit after clearing either drop bank; hitting it scores the current Bonus Value and advances the ladder one tier. · then: Shoot the bullseye while lit to step Bonus Value and reset the banks.
• Numbered Lanes (lanes) — lit: Each numbered lane lights as part of the 1-2-3-4 sequence; completing all four scores the current Bonus Value and bumps it a tier. · then: Collect missing numbers, using the plunge to target lanes 2 or 3 safely.
• Outlanes (lanes) — lit: Both outlanes are labeled BONUS and score the currently-lit Bonus Value when the ball drains through them. · then: Steer a dying ball to an outlane to bank the lit value instead of scoring nothing.
• Pop Bumpers (status) — lit: Each pop bumper scores 1000 when its cap lamp is lit and also advances the lit drop target in the nearby bank. · then: Use bumper hits to reposition the lit target before shooting the bank.

Lane change: not verified for this machine yet.

Start scoring

• Ball one — Plunge for top lane 2 or 3 to start the 1-2-3-4 sequence safely, then hit the lit drop target in the nearer bank for full Bonus Value. — Skill Shot — Lane 2, Skill Shot — Lane 3, Opening Sequence: First 30 Seconds
• Building — Clear either drop bank to light the bullseye, shoot it to step Bonus Value from 1000 toward 5000, and complete the 1-2-3-4 lanes as a second independent path. — Build & Cash the Bonus Value Ladder, Bank-Clear → Bullseye Loop, 1-2-3-4 Lane Cycle
• The big one — Once Bonus Value reaches 5000, clearing a bank and hitting the lit bullseye, or completing 1-2-3-4, awards a Special (free game) instead of a tier bump. — Light and Collect the Special, Flatten Both Banks

Does Abra Ca Dabra have an action button?

A 1975 Gottlieb electromechanical — cabinet buttons with in-game jobs were still decades off. Two flippers, a spring plunger, and nudging are the entire interface. The nearest thing to an extra control is plunge strength, and it is worth respecting: a hard plunge into the outer top lanes tends to feed the ball straight back down the middle.

Goals in Abra Ca Dabra

Every goal below is tracked step-by-step, with shot paths drawn on the playfield map, inside the app.

• Skill Shot — Lane 2 skillshot · Easy

  There's no named 'Skill Shot' feature on this 1975 EM, but the manual plunge is a real skill choice: a controlled shot landing center-left in lane 2 is far safer than the outer lanes.

  Reward: Lights lane 2 toward the 1-2-3-4 sequence, low drain risk

• Skill Shot — Lane 3 skillshot · Easy

  The mirror-image plunge choice: a controlled shot landing center-right in lane 3 is just as safe as lane 2, and lights a different number toward the sequence.

  Reward: Lights lane 3 toward the 1-2-3-4 sequence, low drain risk

• Bank-Clear → Bullseye Loop combo · Medium

  The one fully self-repeating scoring circuit on the table: clear a drop-target bank, then cash in the bullseye it lights. This is the core money loop.

  Reward: Scores current Bonus Value, bumps it one tier, resets the bank

• 1-2-3-4 Lane Cycle combo · Medium

  A second, independent feed into the same Bonus Value ladder — lets you keep scoring while a drop bank is mid-rebuild. Outer lanes are flipper shots; inner lanes come off bank rebounds.

  Reward: Instantly scores current Bonus Value, bumps it a tier, resets the sequence

• Build & Cash the Bonus Value Ladder multiplier · Medium

  This game has no 2X/3X bonus multiplier unit — instead a single escalating Bonus Value (1000 to 5000 cap) is what every lit target, the bullseye, and 1-2-3-4 pay out. There's no end-of-ball bonus collect, so cash in as you go.

  Reward: Escalates Bonus Value one tier per collection, up to the 5000 cap

• Opening Sequence: First 30 Seconds strategy · Easy

  The safest, highest-percentage way to start a ball on this unforgiving EM: confirm your flippers, plunge conservatively, then work the nearer bank.

  Reward: A controlled start with minimal early-drain risk

• Route the Dying Ball to the Outlane strategy · Easy

  Because there's no end-of-ball bonus and no other way to salvage a doomed ball, steering it toward an outlane instead of the center gap is the single highest-value defensive move on this machine.

  Reward: Banks the currently-lit Bonus Value instead of scoring nothing

• Light and Collect the Special wizard · Hard

  The one real capstone on this machine: once Bonus Value is walked all the way to its 5000 cap, the same bank-clear/bullseye and 1-2-3-4 paths pay a Special (free game/replay credit) instead of a tier bump.

  Reward: Special / Replay — a free game credit

• Flatten Both Banks combo · Hard

  Clearing one bank is enough to light the bullseye, but holding both banks down at the same time is the setup that pays double at the Bonus Value cap. Alternate sides instead of cashing the bullseye the instant it lights.

  Reward: Both banks down together — the setup for a double award at the 5000 cap

• Let the Bumpers Pick Your Target strategy · Medium

  The pop bumpers do double duty: they pay 1000 when their cap lamp is lit, and they also advance which drop target in the nearby bank is lit. Time to spend in the bumpers is not wasted time.

  Reward: 1000 per lit bumper hit plus a repositioned lit drop target