Hit me on twenty — Williams’ 21 is a classic electromechanical single-player built around the timeless thrill of the blackjack table, designed by the pioneering Harry Mabs, a genuine giant of early pinball whose innovations helped shape the flipper game itself. With light-based scoring, a wedgehead cabinet, and that irresistible cards-and-gambling theme, it’s a wonderful woodrail-era artifact from the formative days of the modern pinball machine.
The layout is a fascinating window into early design: two flippers, three pop bumpers, a pair of passive bumpers, two slingshots, three kick-out holes, two standup targets, and — a delicious period detail — a gobble hole, that classic (and cruel) feature that swallows the ball for an award, a hallmark of the era’s high-risk, high-reward design philosophy. Those passive bumpers and the gobble hole give the game an unpredictable, distinctly vintage character, the kind of playfield that demands active nudging and a bit of nerve. It’s pinball from a time when the rules were still being written, and every machine felt like an experiment.
For the collector who treasures the deep roots of the hobby, 21 is a delight — a Harry Mabs creation that pairs the universal appeal of blackjack with the chiming, mechanical charm of the electromechanical age. The gambling theme was a perennial favorite in these years, and this machine captures it with the clean, honest simplicity that makes early EM pinball so beloved. Chase that magic number, brave the gobble hole, and feel the history in every relay click. This is where the modern game came from, and it still deals a fun hand.