Something Taylor said to me made me think about what I need to do to get better at pinball.  Taylor said that he is usually trying to think three shots ahead as he is playing.  This made me think that he is playing the machine like a chess player plays against an opponent.  He knows the rules and how to exploit them.  He considers which shots lead to what scoring and the risk/reward of each shot based on its difficulty.   Based on that knowledge of the machine and it’s rules and shots, he develops a strategy to maximize his score through a sequence of shots.

i often take an opposite approach especially if I am not in competition.  On a game like Fish Tales, I will take the first shot on the fly and then adjust my game depending on what I am able to accomplish.  If I lock a ball, I figure I am 1/3 of the way to multiball and will begin to focus on getting multiball.  If I hit the ramp or hit the captive ball, I will focus on those scoring opportunities.  

Given the difficulty of multiball and the fact that you can typically outscore the 30 million multiball jackpot by other easier methods – monster fish, rock the boat, video mode and feeding frenzy, I realize a more strategic approach will lead to higher and more consistent scores.  

Instead of walking up and plunging the ball and waiting to see what happens. I am going to try to approach the machine with a scoring plan.  Having a plan and executing it are two different things, but the plan is the first step.