DS28 and I are freakishly good at claw machines. We team up to decide which prize would be the best target and check all the angles while setting the claw to get the best grab. If a machine isn't "fixed" we can win over and over. However, many claw machines seem to be set to keep the claw loose the majority of the time. You can set up the perfect grab, taking into account the size and weight distribution of the prize. Then the claw will either not even pick it up, or drop it on the way to the prize shoot. After about 20 tries, it might actually let you win the prize. A few months ago, I watched a mom and two young kids try to win a stuffed rainbow llama at an arcade. They tried over and over and were getting decent grabs, only to have the claw drop it before the reaching the shoot. The mom finally decided they'd spent enough and walked away with two very sad kids. So I stepped up and won the llama in 3 tries. I think the machine was just ready to pay off. The last thing I need is a stuffed rainbow llama, so I found the family and gave it to them. The mom was very appreciative and the kids were thrilled.
