Jason and Steve here, together this time.
Back to the dead bounce
Before we start something new, a few more things about the dead bounce from Edition 2.
Rubber color changes the bounce. Most people don't know this. Red has a strong bounce, white is even bouncier, and black is the deadest. Same move, different bounce, so check the color before you depend on it.
Sometimes it just won't bounce. Every so often the ball dies on the flipper instead of bouncing across. Find out before it costs you a ball! Before plunging, flip a few times and then check where each flipper comes to rest. If one doesn't settle all the way (it sits a little raised), you might not get a bounce.
Watch where it lands. If the ball comes down right between the flipper pivot and the metal guide, it can take a nose dive and follow your flipper straight down the middle. It doesn't happen often but it's nasty when it does. Just be aware.
Practice in the new "Zahler Pinball Dojo"! We're excited to announce a new space we've been working on to help you learn (and get comfortable with) pro moves! The first one goes with the dead bounce lessons from Editions 2 and 3 (this one). Play Dead Bounce Fighter absolutely free! And starting next edition, we're putting the top scores right here in the newsletter. Share it with your friends and help us promote the awesomeness of pinball!
 |  |
Dead Bounce Fighter: the White Belt (left) and a Black Belt boss fight (right). Play it here.
Okay, on to something new.
In the first edition we promised we'd get into saving balls that look unsaveable. Let's start with a question: what are your hands doing when you're not flipping?
Tip #3
Put your hands on the machine.
A lot of players treat the cabinet like it's made of glass. It isn't. Nudging is part of the game and tournament-legal, and the pros do it all the time.
Watch Jason's hands in the IFPA21 finals. During the Jack*Bot cash-in, with over a billion points on the line, his hands come off the corners of the cabinet and slap back down many times during the battle. One hand, both hands, short and sharp. You'd never notice it watching the playfield. Watch his hands instead!
Watch the edited clip on Instagram, or Facebook for the full-length clip.
Here's Jason explaining one of those saves: "I upward nudged when the ball was right above the left slingshot, and used the game's geometry of that area to push the ball higher up to get it up and out of the inlane/outlane area entirely to prevent what could have been a potential drain."
Here's what's going on:
A quick shove moves the playfield under the ball for a split second. That's enough to change how it comes off a post or a slingshot, or to keep it out of an outlane.
Nudge right as the ball hits something (a post, a slingshot, the tip of a flipper) rather than shoving aimlessly, which just puts you in danger of tilting.
Every machine has a tilt sensor, and most give you a warning or two before you lose the ball (and your bonus with it). Early in a game (or during practice), a few firm nudges tell you how much the machine will take. That's part of looking before you plunge (hello, Edition 1).
Try it next time: when the ball comes down toward the inlane/outlane area, give the cabinet a short upward nudge while the ball is right above the slingshot. Let the sling rubber do the work and send the ball higher, up and out of the inlane/outlane area entirely, before it can drain. You'll tilt a few balls learning how hard is too hard. That's fine!
Congrats corner
Friends of ours have been winning big, and they deserve a shout-out!
Jared August won PAPA 23. On September 13, Jared won the PAPA World Pinball Championships. A few of us took him out to Denny's that night to celebrate (the official victory dinner of pinball champions, obviously). Congrats, Jared!
Celebrating Jared's PAPA 23 win at Denny's (where else?). Clockwise from front left: Jason Werdrick, Jared August, Greg Poverelli, Alex Kelley, Jason Zahler, Steven Bowden, Noah Sicard, and Steve Zahler.
Viggo Löwgren won the European Pinball Championship. On September 27 in London, Viggo won the EPC. Congrats, Viggo!
Viggo Löwgren, European Pinball Champion 2026, with organizer Neil McRae. Photo: Koi Morris
Eric Stone won the UK Open. In London, Eric was crowned UK Open 2026 Grand Champion. For our readers, we asked what helped him win, and his answer was: trapping. And in his final game on Stern's Jaws, he had two balls trapped during multiball while passing the third one around. That's the dead bounce idea taken all the way: get the ball under control first, then decide what to do with it. Congrats, Eric!
Eric Stone, UK Open 2026 Grand Champion, with organizer Neil McRae. Photo: Koi Morris
Keep on flipping (and nudging),
Jason & Steve
P.S. Come hang out in the Zahler Pinball Community on Facebook, and follow along on Instagram. Earlier editions are on the site.
P.P.S. Can you reach Black Belt in Dead Bounce Fighter? It's our free game in the Zahler Pinball Dojo, and it teaches you the dead bounce while you play.