Click the play button on the video at the right to see and hear a sample of this game being played!
See the Images section below for detailed images of this game.
Game Description:
Hot Hand is a classic vintage pinball made by Stern, and features a popular and exciting "poker" card theme. Shoot various targets and land the ball in saucers at the top of the playfield to light up the cards in your "hand" in the grid in the center of the playfield. Score a lit "pair" for 2X bonus, 3-of-a-kind and 4-of-a-kind for 3X and 4X bonus, and light all cards for 5X Super Bonus and wild Joker 10X scoring bonus!
This game not only features fast play and fun rules, but has lots of fun gadgets on the playfield to keep the action going, including a spinner target, kick-out lane, drop targets, three pop bumpers, and a giant rotating flipper at the top of the playfield that keeps ball action going all over the playfield!
This game was one of a few that were designed by Williams Pinball founder Harry Williams. Harry did design work for Stern Pinball after his retirement from Williams, and most of the titles he created for Stern were some of their best machines, including Flight 2000, Free Fall, Galaxy and Hot Hand.
Game play features fast action and electronic sound effects and scoring. All of these features combine to offer fast, fun play that will take you back to the arcades of years past. Great colors and classic Stern pinball artwork adorn the playfield and backglass and really make for a great, fun, pinball experience- for beginners and experts alike. Enough to really challenge the best of players, but still straightforward enough, and fun, for novice and "newbie" players, too. After a game or two, we think you'll agree!
Solenoid/regulator board has had a new 5-volt filter capacitor installed to smooth-out power and make it healthy and reliable again, and has also had upgrades/modifications done to it to modernize it and help it run better and more reliably.
MPU board has had a brand new remote-mount memory-backup battery kit installed, with quick-disconnect connector. This relocates the batteries from the original on-board mounting position, to an off-board location, and protects the valuable board against battery leakage damage which can occur should the batteries go neglected for a long period of time (a common cause of major problems in many electronic pinball games).
Sound board is present and fully functional with good quality audio- no static, interference, or other problems present.
Score displays are all original parts in great condition with no flickering numbers, missing digits, or any other problems- all bright and vibrant.
Main Cabinet: Main cabinet is also in very-good condition all around. Repainting and touch-up work was also done on the main cabinet sides- just like the backbox as mentioned above. Some signs of past handling/use are still present/visible on this previously-owned vintage game, as will be on any used/reconditioned game.
Rear of main cabinet was completely repainted in matching yellow enamel to match original finish, and brand new white nylon cabinet gliders have been installed to replace worn originals. New leg protector pads have been installed under each leg to help protect against wear/tear on the cabinet. Legs have been fully cleaned and new leg levelers have been installed. Cabinet interior has been fully cleaned out, and all wiring and components inside have also been cleaned.
Fuse/rectifier board in the main cabinet has been fully rebuilt including all new male & female connectors (heavy-duty type for added reliability) and all connector pins have had DeoxIt anti-oxidant compound applied to them, which both protects against oxidation and intermittent connection failures, as well as lubricates the connector pins to reduce stress and strain on the connectors and board when connectors are removed/installed for service. Brand new rectifiers have also been installed, including the hard-to-find small 10A type used for BR1 and BR2, and rectifier diodes used for display high voltage. The solenoid rectifier BR3 has been replaced with a heavy-duty 35 amp unit with heat sink for added reliability, and to supply adequate power to the upgraded flipper assemblies without overpowering the circuitry. All fuses have been checked and replaced as needed. We've also installed a brand new fuse and test-point label on top of the fuse/rectifier assembly for easy voltage and fuse value ID.
Coin door has also been overhauled, receiving a brand new fresh coat of silver "hammered finish" enamel, to match the original factory color and finish. Coin mechanisms, wiring, lamp sockets, and switches inside have been gone through and adjusted/repaired as needed and are fully functional. Door includes fully functional 25¢ coin mechanisms, so game can be operated by coins, if desired (game can also be run on "free play" as well).
Custom Modifications:
Remote-mount battery holder for MPU board added in backbox. Includes quick-disconnect for easy MPU board removal from the game, if ever needed.
Solenoid/regulator board upgraded with new heavy-duty 5v filter capacitor and modifications to help board run better and more reliably.
Fuse/rectifier board rebuilt and upgraded with heavy-duty components.
All-new modern flipper assemblies, coils, and flipper bats installed to replace old worn original/obsolete Stern parts. Adds performance, reliability, and makes future maintenance much easier and less costly.
New set of cabinet leg protector pads added under legs to protect game finish from unnecessary scatches and scrapes.
Playfield- overall view. Overhaul complete and fully reassembled.
Detail- lower playfield and score card holder ("apron") area.
Detail- center playfield area.
Detail- center playfield area- looking across at drop targets on right.
Note the new white nylon cap nuts installed on the playfield to hold the plastics to the posts- a nice finishing touch. All flat plastics on this game are original and in great condition with no cracks or breaks.
Detail- upper left corner area of playfield. Bumper caps are all original parts and in great shape, with brand new screws to secure them to the bumper bodies.
Detail- upper right corner of playfield. Note large rotating flipper seen here- this flipper clears balls that land in the saucers around it. All "button" assemblies in all of the saucers were fully removed, cleaned, overhauled, and reinstalled as part of the reconditioning process, so all work 100% and don't stick or get jammed like most used as-is games do.
Under-playfield view- overall. All assemblies seen here have been removed and rebuilt during the overhaul process. Slingshot bumpers mechanisms at top of picture have been rebuilt with a combination of modern Stern Pinball and Williams parts, as the old original Stern parts were worn out and not repairable, or available as new parts. These new units work better, are more reliable, and are easy to maintain and service.
Under-playfield view. Note the brand new upgraded flipper assemblies. Modern Bally/Williams flipper assemblies were installed in this game to replace the old obsolete Stern mechanisms which are no longer servicable due to parts inavailability. These new Bally/Williams units are inexpensive, reliable, work great, and are easy to maintain and service should they ever need it
Cabinet/Backbox:
Thumbnail (Click for larger view)
Description
Overall view.
Cabinet- left side. Cabinet on this game had a moderate amount of scratches and scuffs on it when we acquired it, and some partial-repainting work was done, including all of the red and black design art on both cabinet sides, and both backbox sides. Some touch-up was done to the solid yellow areas- some being done by a previous owner. So some signs of past use/handling are still present on this vintage game, but it has cleaned-up rather well, and overall it has a very nice bright appearance.
Detail- front portion of cabinet left side.
Detail- rear portion of cabinet left side.
Cabinet- right side. Metal cabinet side-rails and front lockdown bar have been cleaned/polished for a nice clean, smooth finish. Flipper buttons and button housings have also been removed, cleaned, reinstalled, and adjusted for proper operation.
Main cabinet- front, and coin door. Coin door has been fully removed, disassembled, parts cleaned, and entire front of door and door frame parts have been repainted with matching hammered-finish silver enamel, to match factory finish. Carriage bolts that hold door frame to cabinet have been cleaned and polished before being reinstalled.
Coin door tags are original parts and in great shape with no cracks or breaks. Door has fully working 25¢ coin mechanisms, so game can be run on coins if desired (can also be set up for "free play"). A new lock and keys have been installed, along with a brand new round credit button decal.
Some small nicks, scratches, and scuffs are/were present on the surrounding area of the cabinet front, most of which were touched-up during the reconditioning so they are not as obvious. Some signs of past use are still present on this previously-used game.
Main cabinet interior. Interior has been fully cleaned and washed out, removing dust and debris from past use. All wiring and parts inside cabinet have been cleaned up as well. Lockdown bar latch at front of cabinet has been removed, cleaned, and repainted for fresh clean look. Game manual and schematics (wiring diagrams) included with game.
Power supply unit in main cabinet has also been fully reconditioned and upgraded, including removal and refinishing of wood mounting panel, and full rebuild of fuse/rectifier board and wiring/connectors. New heavy-duty connector pins were used during the rebuilding of this board, and new components were installed including diodes, rectifiers, and a heavy-duty rectifier with heat-sink for the solenoid power supply circuit. A new fuse panel decal was installed on top of the unit which helps quickly I.D. voltage test points and fuse values for troubleshooting/replacement.
Close-up view of power supply area in main cabinet.
Backbox- left side. Front "surround" on the backbox has been repainted in matching yellow gloss enamel for a fresh, clean look. Some minor touch-up has been done on the sides to fix some small nicks & scratches from past use.
Backbox- right side. A few nicks have been touched up on this side as well.
Back side of game. Rear of main cabinet has been reconditioned and repainted in matching yellow enamel paint. "Neck" that supports backbox has been repainted in gloss black to match original design.
Brand new white nylon gliders have been installed on cabinet back to replace worn originals. And new leg protector pads have been installed behind all legs to protect cabinet finish.
Backbox insert panel. All light bulbs have been cleaned or replaced as required. New blinking #455 bulbs have been installed along top of panel, to add some lighting animation to the game's title on the backglass while game is running (most of these bulbs appear off in this shot). All score displays are original units in great condition- bright crisp numbers with no flickering or burned-out segments (some digits appear dim in this shot as they are out of sync with the camera lens).
Rear side of backglass. Backglass in this game is original and in very good. A few small nicks and scratches are present on the back side from normal use/handling over the years.
Backbox interior. All circuit boards have been removed and had solder reflowed on the backs of all connector pins. This repairs cracks in the original solder joints which can cause intermittent connections and operation failures. All connector pins have also had DeoxIt anti-oxidant compound applied to them which not only helps prevent oxidation problems that cause bad connections, but lubricates the connector pins and makes removal/installation of connectors much easier, and helps cut down on stress/strain on connectors and the PC boards themselves.
Solenoid/regulator board has had modification upgrades done to it to help it run more efficiently, and also has had a new 5-volt filter capacitor installed to smooth out power and make it run more reliably. A new clear plexiglass protector has been installed over the display high voltage regulator section for protection and good looks.
MPU board has had a new remote-mount memory backup battery kit installed (retains high scores & settings when power is off). This setup gets the batteries off the valuable MPU board so that they won't damage the board if they go neglected and leak (a very common problem in most original pinball games, due to neglect).
All score displays have been removed, cleaned, and had solder reflowed on the backs of all connector pins to repair hairline cracks and intermittent connections caused by vibrations and old age.
All of this work helps improve the health of the circuit boards, displays, and power supply circuits, and helps eliminate common issues that many of these games have when they are original/untouched, including mid-game reset issues and game "lock ups". Most original/untouched vintage games will suffer from these symptoms, but the new parts and modifications we do as part of our overhaul on these classic games helps eliminate these pesky issues.
Like all pinballs we sell, this machine also comes complete with instruction/operation manual and schematics, and fully functional coin door with all parts present and working. For our local customers, this game also includes a full warranty on parts and labor, at no additional charge. For out-of-town customers, we offer our limited warranty.
Pickup is available at our shop, or shipping/delivery are available at additional charge.
Pinball Machines for Sale
Game Video: