Line up the break — Williams’ 1984 Laser Cue is a billiards-in-space fantasy four-player designed by Edward Tomaszewski with Pam Erickson art, and a confirmed run of 2,800 puts a healthy number of these pool-themed machines in collectors’ hands. Four flippers, ten standups, a five-bank of drops, and a spinner give it a busy, skill-rewarding layout where patient, controlled play pays off handsomely.
The strategy demands precision and order. Spelling B-A-L-L spots the lit ball and lights the spinner for a thousand, while completing the P-O-O-L lanes multiplies your bonus up to a hefty twenty-times. The drop targets are the heart of the challenge — balls one through five must be shot in order, or you go backwards in the sequence, so careful, deliberate shooting is essential until you advance to six and lock in safety. Collect the lit pool balls in order to complete racks, each adding fifteen thousand bonus, and completing a rack lights an extra ball collected at the far-top-left 8-ball standup. The veterans preach patience here: let balls bounce and settle for controlled shots, take the safer drop-target approach from the upper right, and once you’ve banked a rack or two, favor the POOL multiplier lanes over the riskier hunt for more racks.
Laser Cue is a connoisseur’s machine, the kind of demanding, order-dependent layout that rewards flipper control and shot discipline over wild flailing. Watch out for the popular tournament mod that removes the wall beneath the right flippers to make the game harder. Complete your racks, build that twenty-times multiplier, and play the patient, precise game this table demands. Run the table, and the points rack up like a perfect break.