Bally’s Flip Flop, released in 1976, has one of the most playfully literal names in pinball — and a gimmick to match. This Western-themed electromechanical is built around a set of four “flip flag” targets that you flip and flop back and forth, and the game positively delights in the wordplay: flip the floppers at the Flip Flop targets to flip the flops. It’s a charming, interactive hook that gives an otherwise straightforward mid-70s table a distinctive personality.
The strategy revolves around that flipping mechanic and a four-flipper layout. Once you’ve flipped all four targets — or flopped all four — in the same direction, hitting the left or right posts beside the target bank cashes in the achievement. A genuinely player-friendly feature rounds things out: bounce-back outlanes give you the chance to nudge a draining ball back into play, a welcome bit of mercy that rewards a skilled, attentive nudger and keeps games alive longer than you’d expect.
Lighthearted, interactive, and a touch quirky, Flip Flop is a fun example of Bally finding fresh ideas within the electromechanical format. For collectors who enjoy a novel gimmick and a forgiving, nudge-friendly layout, it’s a likeable and characterful Western classic.