A Match Sequence is a Pinball game mechanic where, at the end of a game, the last two digits of the players' scores (which will always be a multiple of 10) is compared against a random two-digit number (also a multiple of 10). If a player's digits match the game's, a free game is awarded (indicated with the infamous knocker sound). The match bonus was first introduced in 1957, using the single digit of the scores; score inflation eventually elevated the match to the last two digits.
Not too surprisingly, matches occur fairly infrequently. Older games had the chance of getting the free game set at around 10%, up to 50%, but newer games will either dynamically adjust the frequency of matches, or follow a level set by the operator, from at max, 10%, to a standard 7% to a paltry 1%, at worse at 0%.
Back when pinball was a controversial subject, this feature was often banned, as it was considered a form of gambling. While it's probably not that bad, the feature is specifically designed to get more money out of players: it has a disproportionately higher chance of giving a player a match if two have just played, so the other player will deposit money and they will both play again.
Older electro-mechanical pinballs used either light-up digits (for single-digit matches) or score reels (for two digits). The arrival of alphanumeric LEDs and, later, dot-matrix displays allowed match sequences to become more and more elaborate, often animated or otherwise specialized to the game's theme. Less creative machines simply show the number being generated, a practice that has all but fallen out of grace today.
open/close all folders
Notable Match Sequences using alphanumeric LED displays
- In Pulp Fiction, the players' scores are shot repeatedly, leaving only the second digit. One final gunshot reveals the match number.
- Back to the Future starts with a weatherman reporting a severe thunderstorm headed for Hill Valley, then shows the lightning flying across the digit counters, then finally strikes a number.
- Taxi shows a taxicab zipping across the display, pulling a pair of spinning boxes behind it. The boxes eventually settle down to form a pair of match digits.
- In Space Shuttle, a pair of rapidly-changing digits chase each other across the various score displays, eventually settling down inside the "Match" display field.
- The Simpsons (Data East) brands its Match Sequence as "Homer's Lucky Scratch-N-Match", where several digits are scratched off one by one until two remain.
- In Black Knight 2000, two lightning bolts strike each other, and the digits roll, and stops at the matching digit. The Choir of Angels sing "YEAH!" if any of the digits match.
- In Dr. Dude, a magnet pulls the word "match" and the last two digits of the players' scores, smushing them together. The magnet then reverses polarity to repel them, with "match" now forming the match number.
- For The Phantom of the Opera, a set of musical notes follows along as a song plays, while two digits cycle through different values. The value when the song ends is the match number.
- In FunHouse (1990), various numbers are shot at in a shooting gallery, the last one not shot as the match number.
- Cyclone has a similar match sequence to FunHouse, except that the numbers come in from the right and with different sounds.
Notable Match Sequences using dot matrix displays
- South Park's match sequence is (unsurprisingly) Toilet Humor-based: Terrance and Phillip fart out several numbers (contained within bubbles... somehow), one eventually popping. On tamer settings, they burp the bubbles instead.
- White Water ends with Bigfoot bowling, with the pins being replaced by digits. When he rolls the ball, he knocks away all but two, which forms the match.
- 24 replicates the original series' Title Sequence, with several segments of a digital display lighting up and eventually revealing a two digit number — but instead of settling on 24, it settles on the match number.
- Big Buck Hunter Pro, reusing an animation from elsewhere in the game, shows
a cow excreting twice. The Player Character quickly shoots the cow pies to reveal the two digits of the match number.
- The Simpsons Pinball Party has Disco Stu dancing for a few seconds before the disco ball falls on him, breaking in half to reveal the digits.
- Attack from Mars has several numbers flashing until a Martian ship comes and shoots it with a laser, stopping it on the match. If the numbers match, a crowd also cheers.
- Creature from the Black Lagoon shows the Player Character and his date driving out of the Drive-In Theater (with the car's license plate fittingly reading "THE END"). Afterward, two changing digits appear on the horizon and move closer to the camera, settling on the match number after a couple of seconds.
- Star Wars pinballs:
- The Data East game has the Jawas walk up to R2-D2, pulling out digits from him, and eventually leaving nothing but the final match.
- Sega Pinball's Star Wars Trilogy similarly ends with a tube being lowered over R2 and sucking him up, leaving a number behind.
- Doctor Who has a piston in the TARDIS repeatedly push up a number, eventually settling on one; afterwards, the background dissipates.
- Super Mario Bros. simply has the two digits come together.
- Terminator pinballs:
- Terminator 2: Judgment Day shows a pair of walls closing together, repeatedly mashing a pair of digits between them to form the match.
- Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines has the word "match" shatter into pieces, and the pieces then melt and reform into the final number.
- In Medieval Madness, a pair of numbers quickly flash by, then an arrow is fired from off-screen, skewering a roasted marshmallow and stopping the numbers.
- Transformers has the word "MATCH" appears on the display before transforming into the match number.
- Later software revisions of No Fear: Dangerous Sports implement the "dice roll" match feature, in additional to the standard match sequence.
- In The Addams Family, Thing drags a wagon carrying a bag of numbers, and when the wagon hits a bump, two numbers fall off the wagon and form the match. On the "Gold Edtion", he's carrying a sack of gold instead.
- High Roller Casino has the number revealed behind a curtain.
- In Twilight Zone, one of the Invaders fires its laser gun to reveal the two numbers, and any non-matching scores instantly vaporize.
- Jurassic Park pinballs:
- Jurassic Park (Data East) has the T-Rex lift up the car with its mouth, slamming it back down to reveal the number, then roaring while staring straight at you.
- The Lost World: Jurassic Park has a long-tailed dinosaur smash down a stone pillar saying "match" on it, slowly revealing the number.
- Black Rose pulls an interesting twist on this: your score's last two digits will appear... but there are three numbers in all, and they appear on bombs which ignite as soon as all three are shown. One of the fuses is a fake: the other two aren't.
- Monopoly has Uncle Pennybags slamming his fist on the table, causing two nearby dice to pop up and display the number.
- Pinball Magic does a "woman sawed in half" trick . When the halves separated they reveal the number.
- No Good Gofers has Buzz kicking the golf ball down a field where it lands on a yard stick. Interestingly the ball has an odd habit of suddenly rolling away from the intended number.
- Scared Stiff has Elvira flipping through TV channels displaying different numbers (which also doubles as a shout out as the phrases heard are from previous Williams pinball games). After five clicks, if none of the numbers match, she says "Oh, poo" and turns off the TV.
- Theatre of Magic has the magician produce two doves from her hands, which fly together and produce the number.
- Breakshot (1996) has a cue ball that bounces off the table, hits a glass, and knocks a lemon that lands between the brunette's breasts to reveal the match number.
- World Cup Soccer has Striker lighting a rocket, which spirals off and explodes, revealing the number.
- Star Trek: The Next Generation has a surprisingly generic one: the number is chosen on a space background.
- TRON: Legacy has a lightcycle drive towards the camera, ending with a flash of light and the number being revealed.
- Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure has Indy walking by several boxes, pushing a cart with more boxes on it, with one of them opening to reveal the number.
- In The Shadow, a flashlight shines on a brick wall, with a match number in the center. As it sweeps left and right, the number changes, and The Shadow appears and laughs if a match occurs.
- The Avengers (Stern) has the Hulk (offscreen) smash the number into some sort of surface.
- The Family Guy sequence has Brian the dog eating from the garbage bin, then blowing a bubble gum bubble from his butt, which pops to reveal the number.
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Data East) has three regular turtles enter the screen, flipping their shells to reveal a number, changing several times before one eventually reveals the final number.
- Stern Pinball's Harley Davidson has the match number being tattooed on a woman's back.
- In Cirqus Voltaire, a clown walks across the display and gets knocked down by a pie, with the splatter forming the match digits. The clown also gives a thumbs up if there is a match.
- Big Bang Bar has a drunk martian barfing up the match number.
- In Monster Bash, Dracula plays a guitar riff while it's plugged into a shaking speaker, which eventually explodes to reveal the match number.
- In The Champion Pub, the Kid punches the small bag several times, two changing digits behind it, before knocking it down and revealing the final number.
- Iron Man (Stern) shows Tony Stark landing (and crashing) into his garage, then getting sprayed by one of his household robots. The match number appears in the firefighting foam.
- NASCAR has a car racing past a sign, which spins to reveal the match number.
- In Fish Tales, a fish is dropped onto a scale, with the weight as the match.
- Gilligan's Island has the Skipper think of a match number, which appears inside a Thought Bubble.
- In Avatar, a clip of Eywa seeds surrounding Jake is shown, with the match number superimposed on it.
- For Indianapolis 500, assorted Indy cars past and present flash on the display, each sporting a different number. The final car's number forms the match.
- In Corvette, a mechanic examines a car engine, using a magnifying glass to read the serial numbers. The final magnified digits form the match number.
Mechanic: "Hey, wait a minute — these numbers don't match!"
- The Party Zone shows Captain B. Zarr flying through space in his rocket, and the exhaust smoke forms the match number.
- AC/DC has video of Angus Young playing on-stage, during his infamous "mooning the audience" antic. He has his hand up to his ear, listening for the audience's cheers, then turns around and drops his shorts, mooning them. The numbers are on his butt.
- On Metallica, the Snake gets an unpleasant expression, then vomits on the display, leaving the Match Number behind.
- In Demolition Man, four monitors rotate, with possible numbers shown on each display, and the monitor with the matching number stops rotating.
- Stern Pinball's Mustang has a car driving donuts around an open field, and writes out a multiple of 10 as skid marks.
- In Star Trek (Stern), a Gorn steps into a turbolift, the doors close, then open again to reveal the match number.
- The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends features Aesop chiseling the word "Match" on a wall. His Son then enters from stage left with a jackhammer to carve the match number.
- In Baywatch, the camera pans down a line of female lifeguards, each holding a card with a two-digit number. The last woman's number is the match number. An operator configuration even enables jiggling breasts.
- Data East's Hook shows two sword-welding hands Flynning; the number at the end of the fight is the match.
- For Stern's X-Men, Colossus holds up the robot head of a Sentinel, then throws it towards the player. It explodes, leaving behind a few parts that spell the match number.
- In Stern's The Walking Dead, the match sequence shows two zombies feeding on a victim. As they pull away entrails, the match number shows up within the guts.
- Cactus Canyon was supposed to have one where six beer bottles are shot at and shattered, with the number appearing in the center- but, like many aspects of the table, it wasn't included because the table was rushed, and so we get a rather bland match sequence as a result.
- In Maverick The Movie, the dealer cuts the deck, revealing the match number on the bottom of the top half.
- Tales of the Arabian Nights has the player's jinn disappear in a puff of Super Smoke, leaving the match number behind.
- Starship Troopers has the Brain Bug think of several items until he is shot. The match number appears in his carcass.
- For Last Action Hero, action hero Jack Slater plays Hamlet and throws Claudius through a stained-glass window. The match number appears in the hole.
Slater: "To be or not to be? ... Not to be."
- In NBA, a player spins a basketball on his finger, then stops it to reveal the match number on the surface.
- Space Jam has the Tasmanian Devil devour the word "Match", only to get hit by a basketball and falls down. The match digits then rise into view.
- Jack*Bot has an Invader from Twilight Zone crank a device to form the match number.
- Safe Cracker has a safe door cycle through some numbers. The last one that shows up is the match number.
- The Getaway: High Speed II has your not-Lamborghini and Car 504 drive by, with the number showing up in 504's dust. If you fail to get a match or high score, 504 pulls you over offscreen. He then starts reading your rights, getting through the first part ("You have the right to remain silent") before the theme music kicks in.
- In Stern's KISS, Gene Simmons waggles his tongue while a pair of digits flash to his right. He then turns and breathes fire, igniting them to reveal the match number.
- For Game of Thrones, the word "Match" appears on the screen as a bell tolls. A flock of ravens swarm over the word, picking pieces away until the number remains.
- The X-Files shows a crowded bee hive; the bees disperse to show “MATCH”, then re-group and disperse again, revealing the final number.
- NBA Fastbreak shows several race cars making a lap around a track; one car in particular stops to display its number on the side, doubling as the match number.
- Godzilla (Sega) depicts the titular character stomping through New York before ducking out of the way of two missiles launched toward him. They instead destroy two buildings behind him, revealing the match digits.
- Bram Stoker's Dracula depicts a pool of blood draining, revealing the match number.
Notable Match Sequences using LCD displays
- In Jersey Jack Pinball's The Wizard of Oz, the tornado throws debris around, one of which is a single match digit that hits the screen. If it's a match, the screen shatters.
- Revenge from Mars has the same match sequence as in Attack from Mars, but the animation is improved, and it has more colors, along with more information.
- Star Wars Episode I shows a droid getting sucked through a pod racer engine, with the match number spewed out the other end along with the debris.
- Batman '66 shows the "Bat Score-Match Analyzer" generating a random match number and beeping all the while.
- Aerosmith shows Jacky digging through his toy box, throwing various "toys" (false match numbers) out, until revealing a bomb that explodes in his face, leaving the real match number in its place.
- Stern's Star Wars shows the Death Star charging up its superlaser and destroying Alderaan. The match number is formed out of the debris.
- Guardians of the Galaxy (2017) shows a machine unlocking the two halves of the Orb, revealing the match number within it.
- Elvira's House of Horrors simply depicts pairs of numbers appearing and disappearing on the various windows of the titular mansion, eventually settling on one pair for the match.
- Deadpool has a wheel with various pairs of digits (along with a few oddball joke numbers) spin, eventually settling on one while Deadpool reacts. (This animation is also used for the Mystery award.)
- Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory displays several Oompa-Loompas contorted in the shape of the match number.
- Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast shows Eddie, piloting a plane, getting shot down by enemy forces; the bullet holes form the match number.
- Jurassic Park (Stern) depicts a mechanical appendage turning over a dinosaur egg to reveal the match number printed on it.
- Stranger Things shows a die rolling the match number.
- The Munsters displays an old television (playing a clip from the original series) turning its dial to different stations, eventually settling on one (the match number).
- Rick and Morty plays a scene from "Rick Potion #9" where alternate versions of Rick and Morty die in a lab accident; the match number pops up immediately after their demise.
- The Beatles shows an animation of the band practicing guitar, with the final note causing the match number to emerge from the speaker.
- Dialed In!: The Quantum Theater projects lights into the sky, Bat Signal style, to show various pairs of numbers in the clouds. They eventually settle on one for the match number.
- Pirates of the Caribbean (Jersey Jack) forgoes using an actual match number in favor of the player's chosen character, displaying a wheel spinning through the entire roster before landing on one.
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Stern) shows the turtles grabbing every slice of a pizza, revealing the match number underneath it.
- Guns N' Roses (Jersey Jack) shows a post-apocalyptic highway. A massive tank drives into the word "MATCH", leaving behind a single digit for the match number (and electrocutes a nearby road sign).
- Avengers: Infinity Quest shows the Hulk leaping and smashing the ground, with the match number appearing on the screen afterwards.
- Led Zeppelin presents the cover of Physical Graffiti, with the doors on the front opening and shutting repeatedly to reveal potential match digits. Eventually, the actual record exits the sleeve to reveal the final number.
- The Mandalorian plays a scene from "The Marshal" where a Krayt Dragon attacks and sinks into the sand, with the match number being overlaid on the screen afterwards.
- Godzilla (Stern) plays a short sequence from Son of Godzilla where Minillanote attempts to emulate Godzilla's Atomic Breath. He can only cough up a single ring of smoke (representing a 0), which is paired with another digit to form the final match number.
- Rush (2022): The two-digit number cycles between different multiples of 10 before a snowy owl (based on the cover art of Fly by Night) flies into it, knocking it into place to reveal the final result.
- FunHouse: Rudy's Nightmare shows an animation of Rudy holding his stopwatch as one hand spins around rapidly, eventually stopping on the match number.
- Toy Story 4 (2022): In a machine packed full of alien toys, a claw reaches down and lifts the match number out of the crowd.
- Foo Fighters (2023) displays an old TV that switches between various channels (each displaying a potential match number), eventually settling on one before turning off.
Other
- James Bond 007 (Stern) consists of two separate games, both of which have different match sequences owing to their differing hardware.
- The cornerstone models use their main LCD screen to show a roulette table — the ball bounces and eventually settles on the match number.
- The 60th Anniversary Limited Edition uses four old-timey scoring reels, so its sequence starts with all four of them rapidly spinning, with each one independently stopping in place like a slot machine to reveal the match number (the last digit).
