Claw (amusement) machines

[bcla]

I generally don't play these things, but I was on a short trip with my family and was at a place with a bunch of these, as well as several ticket redemption and midway style games.

I've read about these things before and have seen them in action. Some look like they can be won, but only if everything is perfect - a precise alignment with nothing holding down whatever toy is the intended target. I've also seen it where everything was lined up properly, the toy was centered perfectly in the claw, the toy was actually lifted up, and it fell through. And people just kept on coming back for that one.

I finally gave in to my kid and tried one of these things out after the person in front of us got one (with a perfect alignment with the claw). It was a small toy, but something my kid really wanted. I managed to get it, but with a lot of luck. One of the claw arms happened to snag on a piece of fabric that was sewn onto the toy. My kid wanted a different toy from the same machine, and I looked at where it was. I thought it was going to miss when it wasn't perfectly aligned, but it just barely held on. I was worried that it was going to drop before it reached the door.

I guess there's a strategy for these things. One is to see something that's sitting there on an "island" almost and not held down by anything else. Another is to look for toys that have appendages. I saw someone get one because the claw went under an arm on the toy.

 

[lsyorke]

Yes, these can be rigged(must most are strongly regulated and monitored), but people must also recognize that they are not vending machines. They are a game of chance, which inherently means that it's not going to be easy.

 

[BrinkofSunshine]

I'm weirdly good at claw machines. I impressed some friends one night by winning them toys in succession! As a kid my dad and I would play these religiously... I remember once we walked out of a restaurant with 13 plush toys! We would literally draw a crowd.

I always just go for whatever looks most grabbable and loose from the other toys. I also check all my angles to make sure it has the best shot.

 

[kimblebee]

We had a claw machine at the corner store we used to shop at. My daughter was extremely good at it and won a huge pile of various stuffed animals (not all at once).

 

[Disney_traveler]

If you go to the Inn of the Mountain Gods casino in Ruidoso, New Mexico and go in the Broken Arrow Tap House restaurant, they have a claw game where for $2 a try you can catch a lobster. They will cook it for you if you catch one, but not sure if there are extra costs. I saw people catch one at least once a day we were there.

 

[bcla]

I always just go for whatever looks most grabbable and loose from the other toys. I also check all my angles to make sure it has the best shot.

Yeah. I've seen some people look at it like "I have to get that one" even if it's buried.

There are claims that the employees who stock these things are instructed on how to pack them. Maybe they'll make sure that a couple of items are left for easy access, while the majority are packed tightly. They want people to see that one can get something, but maybe not to the point where they get cleaned out. They probably also get them at a price that's so cheap they could still make a profit if everyone landed one.

 

[bcla]

If you go to the Inn of the Mountain Gods casino in Ruidoso, New Mexico and go in the Broken Arrow Tap House restaurant, they have a claw game where for $2 a try you can catch a lobster. They will cook it for you if you catch one, but not sure if there are extra costs. I saw people catch one at least once a day we were there.

What happens if the lobster clamps onto the claw? Or are the lobster's claws secured with rubber bands?

 

[Disney_traveler]

What happens if the lobster clamps onto the claw? Or are the lobster's claws secured with rubber bands?

They are rubber banded. It says on the machine you aren't supposed to pick them up by claws but I don't know that anyone watches.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

My brother-in-law won a Wii out of a claw machine. Took an awful lot of five dollar bills, though.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

I always think of the Sponge Bob episode when Squidward became obsessed with the Claw machine Mr. Crabs installed at the Krusty Krab.

 

[Uncranky Donald]

There is indeed a strategy and skill to these machines. My brother and I both worked at a local fast food chain for our first jobs as teenagers. There was a claw machine there, and ever the video gamer, he played that thing every single break for years. He would wipe.it.out!! There are STILL BAGS of trashy stuffed animals in my parent's attic that he will not let them throw away cuz he sees them as trophies This past summer he grabbed 3000+ tickets (5 different bundles) from a claw machine as well as an iPhone case from a claw machine at a local amusement park. Give him a claw machine and he can get ANYthing you want, lol, it's the most profound yet useless skill a person could have, but alas he has it!!

 

[Skippy918]

There are settings in the machine that can be adjusted as far as claw strength and payouts. The claw machines that have rubber balls in them are the easiest.

 

[Katie Dawn]

Yes, I watched something that explained that the machine can be set as to how opened or closed the claw is when it closes and also how tightly thr arms stay in place (so it might grab an object but immediately release the item once you lift it and weight is applied to the claw.) At a local movie theater there's an arcade section and for 50 cents you are guaranteed to win a small rubber ducky. The settings on that one are very different than most because my young daughter successfully has gotten a duck after one or 2 tries a few times now.

 

[bcla]

They are rubber banded. It says on the machine you aren't supposed to pick them up by claws but I don't know that anyone watches.

The problem I imagine is that a lobster is likely to squirm.

 

[elphaba91]

Yes, I watched something that explained that the machine can be set as to how opened or closed the claw is when it closes and also how tightly thr arms stay in place (so it might grab an object but immediately release the item once you lift it and weight is applied to the claw.) At a local movie theater there's an arcade section and for 50 cents you are guaranteed to win a small rubber ducky. The settings on that one are very different than most because my young daughter successfully has gotten a duck after one or 2 tries a few times now.

There's one of those at a cinema somewhere near Disney World as my sister and one of her roommates amassed quite a collection when they went to the movies recently!

 

[Katie Dawn]

There's one of those at a cinema somewhere near Disney World as my sister and one of her roommates amassed quite a collection when they went to the movies recently!
View attachment 228904

Yeah, they're definitely cute! And I like that she actually wins something!

 

[kmb584]

Has anyone else encountered the "play until you win" claw machines yet? My daughter and I went to Friendly's for lunch about a month ago and they had replaced their old claw machine with this. $1 and 45 minutes later... I was ready to bribe her with $5 just so we could leave, but she finally grabbed onto a stuffed bear.

 

[bcla]

Has anyone else encountered the "play until you win" claw machines yet? My daughter and I went to Friendly's for lunch about a month ago and they had replaced their old claw machine with this. $1 and 45 minutes later... I was ready to bribe her with $5 just so we could leave, but she finally grabbed onto a stuffed bear.

Not a claw, but a steam shovel like game stocked with candy. The one time I tried one all I landed was one piece for 50 cents.