Eight Ball Deluxe

Bally, 1981 — shot-by-shot rules and strategy guide.

Open Eight Ball Deluxe in the Pinball Genie app →

Eight Ball Deluxe is early solid-state, which usually means a thin rulebook. This one is an exception. A real chain of dependencies runs through it — clear the rack, light the 8 Ball, light DELUXE, complete DELUXE, reset the rack, feed the super bonus — plus a bonus formula worth understanding before you play rather than after.

Racking the balls

Seven drop targets run down the right side, 2K each. All seven down lights the 8 Ball target in the top right corner. Two things about this bank matter. In a multiplayer game the same physical targets carry different numbers for each player — you only ever clear your own rack, and the machine rebuilds your exact state next ball by standing everything up and then dropping the ones that should be down. And, contrary to what you may be told: hitting the 8 Ball never resets the drops. A lit 8 Ball is free to shoot at whenever you want it.

The 8 Ball ladder

The 8 Ball target pays whatever value is lit and then raises it: 20K, 40K, 60K. Unlit it is worth a token few hundred. Hit it once 60K is showing and the corner pocket and both outlanes light for Special — the outlane light alternates sides on slingshot hits, so check which is live before you nudge. Completing the A-B-C-D lanes also raises the 8 Ball value, so you can push it past 60K without shooting the target at all.

There is a light between the flippers most players never read. When it is on, the next hit on a lit 8 Ball pays a Special as well as its points — that falls on the second and third lit hits, depending on the setting.

DELUXE, twice over

Hitting the lit 8 Ball lights the six round DELUXE targets offset behind and between the ball drops. They pay 3K lit or unlit, but hitting a lit one puts its letter out. Complete all six and you score 50K or a Special, reset the entire rack, and add 56K to your super bonus.

The generous part: if DELUXE is lit and you drain before finishing it, the machine still adds 56K to the super bonus and still resets the drops next ball. Lighting DELUXE is never a wasted shot. Depending on the setting, either only the letters you missed relight, or all six do.

Every playfield DELUXE also lights the next letter of DELUXE on the backglass. Finish all six and the letters dance and you are paid up to three Specials. Those backglass letters stay lit between games — an unusual rule, and worth a glance before you drop a coin, because someone else may have done most of the work.

The bonus formula

This is where games are won. Your bonus is (super bonus + 7K per downed ball drop) × multiplier. A lit 8 Ball counts toward it when down; an unlit one does not. The super bonus is a separate pot holding only 0, 56K or 112K, added before the multiply — which is why filling it and then setting 5x beats either on its own.

The multiplier comes from the inline drop bank at the top left. Each target sets it outright to the figure printed on it, up to 5x. It is also the most dangerous bank to shoot at — the rebound is unkind, so take it from a settled ball rather than on the fly.

Then there is the corner pocket, a pothole behind the 8 Ball target that pays your entire bonus — super bonus plus bonus, times the multiplier — while your ball keeps playing. Shooting it at 1x with an empty rack throws it away. Set the multiplier, get the rack down, then take the pocket. Some machines pay bonus only with no multiplier, so watch what it gives you the first time.

The rest of the playfield

Left loop. Pays the lit value and lights the next: 10K, 30K, 50K, extra ball, 70K, Special. The first three always come in that order, and some setups make you run the ladder twice before the Special is available. Unlit, the loop is worth a few hundred.
A-B-C-D lanes. A and B are the top rollovers, and on most three-ball setups either C or D spots both. Completing all four spots the uppermost unhit drops, lights a bumper, and raises the 8 Ball value.
Thumper bumpers. Around 500 idle, 3,000 flashing — six times what a drop target pays. They light in a fixed order: upper left, upper right, then bottom.
The 25K rollover. With A and B collected but C or D outstanding, one top lane lights for 25K. The lit lane swaps sides on every bumper and slingshot hit, and goes out for good once A-B-C-D is complete.
Bank shot. The round target behind the multiplier drops, paying 50K or a Special. Whether that alternates, and which comes first, is an operator setting.

One caveat

More of this machine is operator-adjustable than is typical. Whether C and D spot each other, how many targets A-B-C-D spots, whether Specials alternate with points, whether the corner pocket multiplies, how many Specials the backglass pays — all of it can be changed. Treat these values as common factory behaviour and spend your first ball on an unfamiliar machine finding out what that one actually does.

How Eight Ball Deluxe plays

Eight Ball Deluxe is a 1981 Bally pool table built on its bonus: rack the seven ball drops, drive the 8 Ball value up, and complete DELUXE over and over. Spell DELUXE across all six backglass letters for a run of specials, the game's summit.

The loop

Knock down the seven right-side drops to light the 8 Ball, then hit it to collect its value and arm the DELUXE targets.
Complete the A-B-C-D lanes to spot your standing drops, flash a bumper, and push the 8 Ball value higher.
Set your bonus multiplier on the top-left inline bank, and build the super bonus by finishing DELUXE, each completion adding 56K.
Cash the entire bonus at the corner pocket while the ball keeps playing, and spell DELUXE on the backglass toward the special run.

Reading the lights

Ball Drop Rack (status) — lit: Each of the seven right-side drops you knock down stays down and feeds your bonus, and clearing the full rack lights the 8 Ball target in the corner; the game keeps your rack in memory and stands it back up when you return, so a knocked-over drop is never wasted. · then: Work the bank down from the left flipper, then take the lit 8 Ball whenever you like -- hitting it never stands the drops back up -- to collect its value and arm the DELUXE targets.
8 Ball Value (ladder) — lit: A lit 8 Ball pays whatever the playfield currently says it is worth -- 20K, then 40K, then 60K -- and each collect steps that value one notch higher, while an unlit one is worth only a token few hundred. · then: Drive the value past 60K -- by 8 Ball hits or by completing the A-B-C-D lanes -- and the corner pocket opens for a bonus cash-out while both outlanes turn on for special. Glance at the lamp between the flippers first, because when it is on, your next 8 Ball collect adds a special to the points you score.
A-B-C-D Lanes (lanes) — lit: A lit lane letter is one you still need; on many machines a lit C or D quietly fills the other, and finishing all four spots your highest standing drops, sets a bumper flashing, and nudges the 8 Ball value up. · flashing: With A and B in but C or D still open, one of the top lanes lights for 25K, and that lit lane jumps sides on every bumper or slingshot hit until the set is finished. · then: Collect A and B, then milk that 25K top lane before you close C or D, since it goes dark for good once the set is done. Completing the lanes sets the three bumpers flashing in sequence -- the top-left, next the top-right, and finally the low middle one -- turning idle 500-point bumpers into 3000 a hit.
Multiplier Inline Bank (multiplier) — lit: Each target in the top-left inline bank sets your bonus multiplier outright to the number printed on it, up to 5x, and the bonus it multiplies is a genuine slice of your score. · then: Take this bank only off a cradled ball on the right flipper, since its rebound is vicious, then cash the whole bonus at the corner pocket tucked behind the 8 Ball -- it hands you the super bonus and rack bonus multiplied together, and your ball plays right on. Set the multiplier and fill the rack before you take the pocket, or you are throwing the shot away.
DELUXE Targets (letters) — lit: A lit 8 Ball arms the six round DELUXE standups scattered behind the drops; striking a lit one knocks its letter dark, and each completed playfield DELUXE turns on one more letter of the backglass DELUXE -- and those backglass letters carry over between games. · then: Complete all six for 50K or a special, a fresh rack, and 56K added to your super bonus -- and even lighting DELUXE then draining still banks that 56K and the reset rack. Light the backglass DELUXE all the way through for a run of up to three specials, the deepest thing on the machine.
Left Loop Ladder (ladder) — lit: Each left loop pays the value lit at the moment and lights the next rung up: it climbs 10K, then 30K and 50K, an extra ball, 70K, and a special at the very top, while an unlit loop is worth only a few hundred. · then: Run the ladder in order from the right flipper to reach the extra ball sitting between 50K and 70K, then the special at the top -- though some machines make you run the whole thing twice before that special comes live.
Outlane & Bank Specials (status) — lit: Once the 8 Ball value is driven past 60K, both outlanes light for special, and the live side flips between them on slingshot hits; the bank shot behind the multiplier drops carries its own 50K-or-special, alternating on an operator setting. · then: Check which outlane is lit before you nudge, since the live side swaps under you, and pick the bank shot off when it is showing its special rather than the 50K. These join the corner pocket, the top of the loop, and a DELUXE completion as the machine's many roads to a special.

Lane change: not verified for this machine yet.

Start scoring

Ball one — Clear your rack of seven drops from the left flipper and take the lit 8 Ball, then complete A-B-C-D to spot drops and start the bumpers flashing. Milk the 25K top lane while C or D is still open. — Rack The Balls, A-B-C-D Lanes, The 25K Rollover
Building — Set the bonus multiplier on the inline bank -- only off a cradled ball, the rebound is brutal -- and build the super bonus by completing DELUXE, 56K a time. Run the left loop ladder for the extra ball, and drive the 8 Ball past 60K to open the specials. — Set The Multiplier, Build The Super Bonus, Complete DELUXE, The Left Loop Ladder, Climb The 8 Ball Value
The big one — Cash your full super-plus-rack bonus at 5x through the corner pocket while the ball plays on, then complete DELUXE again and again to spell all six letters on the backglass for a run of up to three specials -- the deepest thing the machine offers, and it carries between games. — Backglass DELUXE, The Corner Pocket, Build The Super Bonus

Does Eight Ball Deluxe have an action button?

A 1981 cabinet, so the interface is two flipper buttons and a manual plunger. There is not even a scored skill shot to aim at — the plunge simply puts the ball at the top of the playfield and the game starts from there.

Goals in Eight Ball Deluxe

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

Rack The Balls progression · Medium

Seven drop targets on the right, 2K each, and clearing all seven is what lights the 8 Ball. The machine remembers exactly which of your targets were down and rebuilds that state at the start of your next ball, so nothing you knock down is ever wasted.

Reward: 2K per target, lights the 8 Ball
Climb The 8 Ball Value progression · Medium

The 8 Ball target pays whatever the playfield says it is worth and then raises that value: 20K, 40K, 60K. Hit it once 60K is lit and the corner pocket and both outlanes light for Special. Unlit it is worth a token few hundred.

Reward: 20K to 60K, then outlane Specials
Complete DELUXE mode · Hard

Hitting the lit 8 Ball lights the six round DELUXE targets on the playfield. They pay 3K each either way, but hitting a lit one puts its letter out. Complete all six and you score 50K or a Special, reset the whole rack of ball drops, and add 56K to your super bonus.

Reward: 50K or a Special, a fresh rack, +56K super bonus
Draining On A Live DELUXE secret · Easy

A rule that quietly protects you. If DELUXE is lit and you drain before finishing it, the machine still adds 56K to your super bonus and still resets the ball drops for your next ball. Depending on the setting, only the letters you missed relight.

Reward: +56K super bonus and a reset rack anyway
Backglass DELUXE wizard · Hard

Every playfield DELUXE you complete lights the next letter of DELUXE on the backglass. Finish all six and the letters dance and the machine pays out a run of Specials — up to three, depending on how it is set. Those backglass letters stay lit between games.

Reward: Up to three Specials
Set The Multiplier multiplier · Hard

The inline bank at the top left sets your bonus multiplier to whatever the target you hit says — 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x. Given that the bonus here is a real fraction of your score, this is the most valuable bank on the machine and also the most dangerous to shoot at.

Reward: Up to 5x on the bonus
Build The Super Bonus progression · Medium

The super bonus is a separate pot that only ever holds 0, 56K or 112K, and it is added to your bonus before the multiplier is applied. Every DELUXE that resets the drops adds 56K, and so does a DELUXE you light but fail to finish.

Reward: Up to 112K multiplied
The Corner Pocket strategy · Hard

A pothole tucked behind the 8 Ball target that cashes your entire bonus — super bonus plus bonus, times the multiplier — while your ball keeps playing. If the Special light in front of it is lit, it pays that too.

Reward: Your full bonus, mid-ball
The Left Loop Ladder progression · Medium

Each left loop pays the value currently lit and lights the next one up: 10K, 30K, 50K, extra ball, 70K, Special. Unlit it is worth a few hundred, so the whole point is keeping the ladder moving.

Reward: 10K to 70K, an extra ball and a Special
A-B-C-D Lanes multiplier · Easy

Completing the four lanes does three useful things at once: it spots the highest unhit drop targets, it sets a thumper bumper flashing, and it raises the 8 Ball value. On most three-ball setups collecting either C or D spots both.

Reward: Spotted drops, a flashing bumper, a bigger 8 Ball
The 25K Rollover secret · Medium

A small rule almost nobody notices. If you have collected A and B but either C or D is still outstanding, one of the top rollover lanes lights for 25K. The lit one flips sides on every thumper bumper and slingshot hit, and once A-B-C-D is finished it goes out for good.

Reward: 25K per collection
Flashing Thumper Bumpers strategy · Easy

An idle bumper is worth about five hundred points. A flashing one is worth three thousand a hit — six times an idle one, and half again what a 2K ball drop target pays. Completing A-B-C-D is how you light them, one per completion.

Reward: 3,000 per hit instead of 500
Where The Specials Live secret · Hard

Eight Ball Deluxe hands out Specials from six different places, and several of them depend on how the operator has set the machine. Knowing the full list is worth more than any single shot on the playfield.

Reward: Free games

Pinball Genie is an independent, solo-built project operated by Pinball Genie LLC. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any pinball manufacturer or theme rights holder.