Car Hop pinball rules and strategy
The Strategy
In Car Hop, shoot the center loop and settle its return on the left flipper. From there, shoot the right orbit through the single drop target, then use the upper-right flipper for the upper-left spinner. Settle the spinner rebound before repeating the sequence.
The goal
Repeat the center loop, right orbit, and upper-left spinner while the center-loop return and spinner rebound remain controlled.
Settle the center-loop return
Shoot the center loop and settle its fast return on the left flipper.
Shoot the upper-left spinner
From the left flipper, shoot the right orbit through the single drop target. When the return reaches the upper-right flipper, shoot the upper-left spinner.
Repeat the sequence
Repeat the center loop, right orbit, and upper-left spinner while both returns remain controlled.
Need to know
- Primary scoring sequence
- The right orbit's single drop into the upper-left spinner is Car Hop's largest reliable scoring sequence.
- ICE POPS
- Complete the popsicle drop targets shared across the left and right sides to collect the flashing ICE POP award.
- Stock Ketchup
- On ball 3 in multiplayer, Ketchup can raise a trailing player's score to the leader's score; tournaments should use single-player unless Ketchup is disabled.
In stock Car Hop, the center loop feeds the left flipper, the right orbit feeds the upper-right flipper, and the upper-left spinner completes the main repeatable scoring sequence. Settle each return before continuing. Complete the shared popsicle targets for ICE POPS only when their rebounds remain controlled.
The goal
Repeat the center loop, right orbit, and upper-left spinner sequence while the center-loop return and spinner rebound remain controlled.
- Shoot the center loop and settle its fast return on the left flipper.
- From the left flipper, shoot the right orbit through the single drop target.
- Let the right-orbit return reach the upper-right flipper, then shoot the upper-left spinner.
- Settle the spinner rebound on either lower flipper. If the spinner rejects the shot, regain control before restarting the sequence.
- Repeat the center loop, right orbit, and upper-left spinner while both returns remain controlled.
Top-player proof
- At INDISC 2023, Cayle George repeatedly returned to the right-orbit drop and upper-left spinner; one clean spinner rip scored about ten million points.
- At INDISC 2023 Classics II, Cayle George, Andy Bagwell, Eric Stone, and Colin MacAlpine repeatedly returned to the spinner; the random Ketchup award repeatedly changed match position.