Little Joe pinball rules and strategy

The Strategy

In Little Joe, shoot the upper-right saucer repeatedly: it scores 3,000 unlit and 5,000 when the white and yellow dice total 7 or 11. The plunge chooses the white die, while the yellow mushroom bumper advances the yellow die. A total of 6 opens the center gate, 8 opens the lower-gate route, and 4 can light Extra Ball.

The goal

Treat the dice as a way to improve the saucer, not a reason to abandon it. Shoot the upper-right saucer whether lit or not. Use convenient plunges or bumper hits to reach 7 or 11, and the center post to prepare another controlled shot.

  1. Plunge a white-die lane that puts the combined total near 7 or 11.

  2. Use yellow mushroom-bumper hits to advance the yellow die toward 7 or 11.

  3. Shoot the upper-right saucer from the left flipper for 5,000 lit or 3,000 unlit.

  4. Repeat the saucer shot instead of forcing a lower-value dice feature.

  5. If the center post is raised, settle the ball against it and use microflips to prepare another left-flipper saucer shot.

Need to know
Upper-right saucer
Score 3,000 unlit or 5,000 with a total of 7 or 11.
White die
Set it with the top lane reached on a plunge or gate return.
Yellow die
Advance it one step with each yellow mushroom-bumper hit.

Machine setup

  • Confirm three- or five-ball play, whether Extra Ball is enabled at dice total 4, gate behavior, and that the white and yellow dice indicators agree with their physical switches.
  • Test all six white-die lanes, yellow mushroom bumper and step unit, upper-right saucer and lamp, center and lower gates, indicated stand-up, scoring gate, center-post rollover and post, and shooter-return feed.
Sources and references3 source links and outbound references.
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Playbooks

Little Joe playfield

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