Play the odds — Bally’s 1973 Odds & Evens is an electromechanical single-player built around a cards-and-gambling theme, designed by the prolific Jim Patla with art by the incomparable Dave Christensen, whose bold, psychedelic style gave early-’70s Bally machines their unmistakable, eye-popping look. With a confirmed run of 2,570 and reel scoring, it’s a handsome woodrail-era piece bursting with the color and character of its period.
The playfield has some genuinely interesting features for its era: two flippers, three pop bumpers, a pair of mushroom bumpers, two slingshots, two kick-out holes, and a full ten mini-rollover buttons, plus upper and lower gates and an up-post between the flippers. That center up-post is a lovely touch, giving a player a bit of a fighting chance against the drain, while all those rollover buttons and the dual gates create a busy, engaging field of scoring opportunities. The end-of-ball bonus rounds it out, rewarding a player who works the playfield to build up their haul before the ball drains.
Odds & Evens is a terrific showcase of Bally’s early-’70s electromechanical craft, pairing Patla’s solid design with Christensen’s showstopping artwork to create a machine that’s a feast for the eyes and a pleasure to play. The gambling theme was a reliable draw in these years, and that up-post and the array of rollovers give the game real texture. For the collector who loves the vibrant heyday of EM pinball and the artists who made it glow, this is a gem. Work the rollovers, pop that center post, and build your bonus. It’s classic Bally cool from a golden age of playfield art.