King of Diamonds, a 1967 classic from the golden age of Gottlieb, stands as a masterclass in minimalist design by the legendary Ed Krynski. Built around a gambling and card-playing theme, this four-player EM machine captures the tension of a high-stakes poker game using nothing but steel, glass, and relays. The centerpiece of the playfield is the iconic five-bank roto-target carousel, a mechanical marvel that challenges players to complete specific card hands. Art Stenholm’s period-accurate backglass art perfectly complements the experience, featuring a mechanical animation where playing cards physically drop down to track your progress, turning the backbox into a living scoreboard of your luck at the table.
Gameplay on this machine is deceptively simple but requires a disciplined touch to master. While it’s tempting to take aggressive shots at the center of the roto-target, experienced players know that center-mass hits often invite a brutal drain straight down the middle, while errant shots to the periphery frequently find the outlanes. Instead, the smart money is on the upper playfield; keeping the ball circulating through the trio of pop bumpers—surrounded by 50-point standup targets—and hitting the top rollovers is the most consistent way to rack up a winning score.
With 3,200 units produced, King of Diamonds remains a staple for collectors who appreciate the tactile satisfaction of a well-tuned EM. It eschews the frantic multiball chaos of modern pins in favor of precision and rhythm. If you find yourself at the helm, resist the siren call of the spinning target whenever possible and focus on the steady accumulation of points through the upper rollovers. It is a game that demands respect for its geometry; play it with patience, and you might just walk away from the table with a high score.