# Episode 113 - Miss America Tutorial

**Source:** For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast  
**Type:** podcast_episode  
**Published:** 2015-07-02  
**Duration:** 14m 0s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://foramusementonly.libsyn.com/episode-113-miss-america-tutorial

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## Analysis

Nick Baldridge provides a comprehensive tutorial on playing Miss America, a 1957 Bally bingo machine that was reproduced until 1980. He explains the machine's core mechanics including dual bingo cards, magic lines feature, and button operations, then provides feedback on Ryan Clader's first-time experience at the Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, clarifying common misunderstandings about electromechanical game behavior and coin lockout systems.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Miss America was originally produced in 1957 and reproduced several times during Bally's bingo years until 1980 — _Nick Baldridge, opening tutorial segment_
- [HIGH] Magic lines were the first type of moving numbers on a bingo card, unique in that lines moved horizontally from card to card — _Nick Baldridge, explaining Miss America's unique feature_
- [HIGH] On electromechanical games, button presses are not immediate—the machine must search through all possible winning combinations before crediting replays — _Nick Baldridge, explaining why R button had delayed response_
- [HIGH] Miss America has a coin lockout coil that prevents coin insertion while the machine is 'spinning' and only accepts coins when the machine has settled — _Nick Baldridge, explaining Ryan's coin return experience_
- [HIGH] Ryan Clader's wife won 4 credits on her first game at the Pinball Hall of Fame with a three-in-a-row, while Ryan played about five games without winning — _Nick Baldridge recounting Ryan's feedback after his visit_
- [HIGH] The payout hopper attached to the Miss America machine at the Pinball Hall of Fame made the machine very difficult to nudge — _Nick Baldridge responding to Ryan's observation about machine immobility_

### Notable Quotes

> "Due to the layout's age, it was the magic lines, the first type of moving numbers on a bingo card. This layout was unique in that the lines moved horizontally from card to card."
> — **Nick Baldridge**, early in tutorial
> _Explains Miss America's historically significant innovation_

> "On this or any other EM, a button that you press is not going to have immediate feedback. The machine has to think about it."
> — **Nick Baldridge**, clarification segment
> _Key insight into electromechanical game design that confused first-time players_

> "When the machine has stopped spinning and is settled, then you can put in another coin. You'll hear an audible buzz from the front of the machine in some instances because of that coil."
> — **Nick Baldridge**, explaining coin lockout
> _Critical operational detail about coin insertion timing_

> "It's still doable, but you have to pick your spots."
> — **Nick Baldridge**, discussing nudging with payout hoppers
> _Acknowledges payout hoppers make nudging difficult but not impossible_

> "I did a pretty poor job of explaining a couple things."
> — **Nick Baldridge**, midway through episode
> _Self-reflection on clarity of initial tutorial to Ryan_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Nick Baldridge | person | Host of For Amusement Only podcast, bingo machine expert, creator of Multi-Bingo homebrew machine, provides tutorial and analysis |
| Ryan Clader | person | Visited Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, first-time bingo player, sought tutorial from Nick Baldridge |
| Miss America | game | Bally bingo machine originally produced in 1957, reproduced until 1980, subject of this tutorial episode |
| Pinball Hall of Fame | venue | Las Vegas-based pinball museum where Ryan Clader and his wife played Miss America |
| Bally | company | Historic pinball/bingo machine manufacturer that produced Miss America and other bingo machines |
| For Amusement Only | organization | EM and Bingo Pinball podcast hosted by Nick Baldridge |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Miss America machine mechanics and gameplay, Bingo pinball machine features and design, Electromechanical game operation and button behavior, First-time player experience and instruction
- **Secondary:** Magic lines feature on bingo machines, Coin lockout systems in vintage machines, Nudging techniques with payout hoppers
- **Mentioned:** Pinball Hall of Fame Las Vegas

### Sentiment

**Neutral** (0)

### Signals

- **[gameplay_signal]** Detailed walkthrough of Miss America bingo machine mechanics including dual cards, magic lines, button operations, and winning conditions (confidence: high) — Complete tutorial segment explaining how to play, card layouts, button functions, and scoring
- **[historical_signal]** Miss America identified as 1957 original with magic lines as first moving numbers feature on bingo cards, reproduced until 1980 (confidence: high) — Nick Baldridge: 'This game was originally produced in 1957... and was reproduced several times in the Bally Bingo years, up until 1980'
- **[design_innovation]** Magic lines feature innovation where numbers move horizontally between dual bingo cards, controlled by footrail buttons (A, B, C, D, E) (confidence: high) — Nick Baldridge: 'It was the magic lines, the first type of moving numbers on a bingo card. This layout was unique in that the lines moved horizontally from card to card.'
- **[operational_signal]** Miss America uses coin lockout coil to prevent coin insertion while machine is processing; coins only accepted when machine has settled (confidence: high) — Nick Baldridge explanation of Ryan's coin return experience and machine spinning behavior
- **[venue_signal]** Pinball Hall of Fame Las Vegas has operational Miss America machine with payout hopper attached, making nudging difficult (confidence: high) — Ryan Clader's report of playing at venue and feedback about payout hopper making machine immobile
- **[gameplay_signal]** First-time bingo players struggle with instruction card complexity, button functions, and delayed machine responses in electromechanical systems (confidence: high) — Ryan's confusion about button functions, credit delays, and magic lines activation; Nick noting instruction cards are intimidating
- **[educational_signal]** Nick Baldridge producing detailed tutorial content to help introduce new players to bingo machines through podcast format (confidence: high) — Entire episode structured as tutorial with first-time player tips and follow-up clarifications based on Ryan's actual gameplay

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## Transcript

 what's that sound it's for amusement only the em and bingo pinball podcast welcome back to for amusement only this is Nicholas Baldridge today i wanted to go over a conversation that ryan clader and i had he recently made a trip out to the Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas and had heard that there were some bingos out there and he had never played a bingo before. So he asked me for some first-time player tips and I suggested that it would help if I knew which type of machine it was because each one has their own different play style. So he was able to call and was told that it was a Miss America machine. So what I sent to him is the following. Here she is, Miss America. This game was originally produced in 1957, and the theme was brought back out and proved so popular that it was reproduced several times in the Bally Bingo years, up until 1980. To play a Miss America, the first thing to note is that there are two bingo cards physically beside each other. Each card has two different colored lines arranged in various patterns. The pattern depends on the year the game was produced. Those colored lines correspond with the odds shown directly above or below, again depending on the game. These games have one big feature. Due to the layout's age, it was the magic lines, the first type of moving numbers on a bingo card. This layout was unique in that the lines moved horizontally from card to card. each line is lettered, for example A, B, C, D, and E and pressing the corresponding foot rail button moves the numbers if you have the letter lit and the time tree has not locked you out when you first approach this machine, since I'll only be there in spirit to coach you I'd suggest the following approach review the back glass carefully pay less attention to the numbers on the cards at the moment and more to the features and what I described above See if you can see how each will light and what will happen in your mind. Start plunking in coins. These games didn't have pick-a-play, which means that the game will randomly award you odds and features increases. For your first game, try putting in a single coin. This will give you five balls. It will also give you the default lowest odds. You don't have to worry about features at all, as it is incredibly unlikely that it will give them to you on game start unless the game is malfunctioning. So play straight bingo. Try to nudge the ball into holes that will give you 3, 4, or 5 in a row on either card. You do not have to make 5 in a row on both cards to win 5 in a row. After shooting each ball, carefully consider the position of the lighted numbers on the back glass. Review what numbers you need in order to get a set, or two lit numbers beside each other in a row. Marked diagonals count, but unmarked diagonals do not. Note that you can have a winner on both cards, but they'll be in separate colors. You have five balls. I believe in you. Good luck. Now did you win If so you either super skilled or have some beginner luck For your second game put in more than a single coin to try and light the magic lines that A B C D E feature I mentioned Ignore the time tree, just put in money until it awards you as much of the magic lines as you're comfortable gambling for. At this point, shoot your first ball. When it lands, press the corresponding footrail button for the magic line on which that number appears on the horizontal row. Awesome, isn't it? Shoot your second ball. Try to land it on one of the horizontal rows above or below the first ball's landing line. Move the magic lines via the footrail buttons until they're in line with each other. Shoot your third ball, aiming for the number above or below the second ball that will give you three in a row. If you don't make it, try for another number on that same row, then move using the magic lines. Shooting your fourth ball will lock you out of the magic lines feature, unless you have an extended time tree. If you didn't make a winner before shooting your fourth ball, then you'll need to carefully nudge the machine to get it to go where you want. Don't be afraid of missing your ideal hole. Instead, try to guide the ball all the way down to the ball return. This takes skill and will make you sweat. Once you have your five in the line, depending on the game, it will either have automatically counted up the credits for you, or you'll need to press a button marked C or R to have the machine search. On some models of Miss America, there's a double or nothing feature, similar to my ticker tape that I've mentioned. Until you get a feel for the machine, maybe on small wins, I wouldn't go for this too frequently. I have my ticker tape set to be factory liberal on that feature, but who knows how this machine is set up. If you win big and are done, and no one's right behind you to take the credits, because you're going to do well and I know it, I would suggest pretending you got paid and resetting the machine. To do this, simply turn the power switch off and back on. You'll see the reset cycle, which is pretty interesting and hasn't really been seen since, with good reason. Hope that gets you started. Have fun and shoot me a pic of your ill-gotten gains. So, Ryan got back to me after he made it out to the Pinball Hall of Fame. And he says he did not make a hit. However, his wife did. a three in a row for four credits. And he said he played about five games and his wife played about two games. She got her hit on her very first game. Ryan said he did his best to explain things to his wife, but then things weren't working how he expected them to. His wife got a hit. and no credits started racking up on the meter, so he pressed the R button and then still nothing. And then, sometime later, four credits appeared, but he had no idea why. He put additional quarters in the machine, but none of the A, B, C, D, E buttons seemed to do anything. He also mentioned there were a red and a yellow button in front and one seemed to start the game the other seemed to light extra ball but he didn know how to achieve it On top of that the game had a payout hopper attached to the bottom which rendered the machine immobile. He said it was like the whole cab was made out of concrete. It was crazy. So, I responded and told him that, in fact, those payout hoppers are pretty irritating, and they make the games very hard to nudge. It's still doable, but you have to pick your spots. So apparently I did a pretty poor job of explaining a couple things. So the first thing which I wanted to let him know is that on this or any other EM, a button that you press is not going to have immediate feedback. the machine has to think about it. So because everything worked in an electromechanical fashion, when you press that R button, the machine has to search through all of the possible combinations of three in a row before it hits upon the one that you've actually won on. And that's when it starts racking up the replays. Now, if you have two different bingo cards, there are many different combinations that you can make, for three in a row. This complexity only gets more difficult when you factor in that these games have the magic lines feature which allows for the numbers to be moved horizontally. When you do this, the game has to know exactly which position is actually lit in order to figure it out. So you're increasing the scope of what the game needs to search in order to award you replays. The next thing is the red and yellow buttons. So, the red button is, in fact, the game start button. Now, there should have been a score and instruction card printed down in the apron area, and this would have also reiterated this fact, but you push the red button, and then you drop in your money. In this case, it was set to quarters. So you drop in your quarter. The game resets. At this point, you drop in another quarter, and it's going to remain on the red button, and it will start searching for additional features or odds jumps. when the game stops spinning as I call it it will either tick up towards a feature or move the odds like I said the odds jumps or it will do nothing at all and you'll kind of hear a thunk with finality if you're able to hear it at all And this tells you that the machine is ready to put another coin in. The games have a coin lockout coil which is supposed to fire and prevent you from putting in money when it not required With a little clarification on Ryan part I discovered that in fact that was the case So while the machine is spinning, the coin lockout is engaged and the machine will not accept your coin. He found this out because a coin showed up in the coin return. So it just went straight through the machine. When the machine has stopped spinning and is settled, then you can put in another coin. You'll hear an audible buzz from the front of the machine in some instances because of that coil. Now, for the yellow button. The way that this works is that after you've shot your fifth ball, the game can be put into extra ball mode. when you push the yellow button, then it requires you to deposit coins or have replays on the meter that you can play to try to earn an extra ball. So you push the yellow button to set it into extra ball mode. This prevents the game from resetting when you put in your coin. You put in your coin and you'll see it spin in the extra ball section only. and eventually, with enough money, it will step up. For Miss America, it should step to Extra and then Ball. So on the first coin, it'll light first. Maybe if you're lucky, it'll light Extra and Ball as well, but it will always light first. then on the next coin it will may light extra and on the next coin it may light ball difficult to explain in podcast form easier to explain in person when you can see the machine's behavior but in any case Ryan I hope that your experience was good enough that you're interested in trying another machine there are other features which I did not go over which are present on these machines, most notably the red letter game. But explaining that before you have an understanding of the basic bingo concept, I feel is kind of counterproductive. They are confusing if you don't take the time to examine the glass and also the instruction cards down in the apron area. There's a lot of information that's printed on those cards, so don't get me wrong. It can be very intimidating. In fact, that's one of the things that really intimidated me about bingos when I first started playing them, is it's just like a novel in the instruction cards, but it's well worth taking a minute, reading it, figuring out what you're actually trying to do. Thank you for joining me. My name again is Nick Baldrige. You can reach me at 4amusementonlypodcast at gmail.com. You can listen to us on iTunes, Stitcher, Pocket Cast, via RSS, on Facebook, on Twitter at Bingo Podcast, on Instagram at nbaldrige, and you can listen to us on our website, which is 4amusementonly.libsyn.com. Thanks very much, and I'll talk to you next time.

_(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: c01235a0-6973-4b50-8be2-ecebe0076cc0*