Air Hockey – A Fun Table Game For Reaction and Skill

Air hockey is a fun game that tests reaction and skill. It can be played at home, in an arcade or office break room. It’s a great way to spend time with friends.

Many people enjoy playing air hockey for fun, and it is also a good source of revenue for businesses. Commercial tables are fitted with coin mechs that accept coins in exchange for credits. Some even offer contactless payment systems.

Gameplay

Invented by Brunswick engineers in 1969, air hockey is a tabletop game that uses two hand-held pucks and a table with raised edges. The table’s smooth surface reduces friction by suspending the puck on a cushion of air emitted from tiny holes built into the surface. The resulting motion simulates the gliding of an ice hockey puck on a smooth rink.

The game has a circular playing area with raised sides to prevent the puck from leaving the table and slots in the rail at each end that serve as goals. The pucks are pushed by strikers (paddles) that are mounted on the ends of the table’s rails. The table’s surface is designed to minimize friction, and the striking surfaces are typically covered in a plastic laminate.

Featuring LED lighting on legs, playfield and corner LEDs to brighten your game room. This high quality Taiwan made coin operated 4 player air hockey machine is a must have for every arcade center. It will bring excitement and skill testing to your players.

Rules

The fast-paced game of air hockey is a classic in arcades and bowling alleys, where the trademark ping of pucks ricocheting across a cushion of air creates a high-energy atmosphere. The rules are simple: players use paddles to hit the puck into their opponent’s goal. There are also specific rules to maintain fair play and avoid interference.

First, players must flip a coin to decide which side of the table they will start on. The winner of the coin flip gets to serve first. Once a player scores, the puck air hockey coin operated must be returned to center before play resumes. Play continues until one player reaches seven goals or time runs out, in which case whichever player has more points wins.

To maximize your performance, it is important to learn how to grip the paddle. Most beginners grip the center knob of the striker with their fingers, but most pro players place their fingers in the ridge of the striker, which allows them to control the mallet with a smaller surface area. This gives them more dexterity as they defend and attack.

Equipment

The equipment used in air hockey consists of a large table with a smooth surface designed to minimize friction, surrounding rails that prevent the puck and strikers (paddles) from leaving the table, a slot in the rail at each end for goals, and one or more powerful blowers to push the puck across the surface. The pucks are made of plastic and have a small magnetic field that repels it away from metal, allowing the game to be played in close proximity to other machines without interference.

The game was invented by Brunswick employees in 1969, but it took a while for it to become popular in the arcades. A team led by Phil Crossman, Bob Kenrick and Bob Lemieux improved the original design with a blower that increased the speed of play and added a scoring system.

The FIRE STORM Air Hockey is the big brother to our successful Hot Flash Hockey and is a great revenue earner for FECs. It features full motion LED lighting on the playfield, rails and legs to attract players. It also has exciting heroic gameplay music and action sound effects when the puck hits the edges of the table.

Variations

Air hockey is one of the fastest and most exciting table games around. Its trademark ping of pucks air hockey coin operated ricocheting on a cushion of forced air has been the soundtrack to arcades and bowling alleys for decades. The game is simple to learn and can be enjoyed by players of all ages. It requires little maintenance, apart from the occasional wipe-down with an off-the-shelf surface cleaner. However, care should be taken not to spray cleaner into the tiny perforations on the table’s playfield. This can block the airflow and cause friction.

There are many variations of air hockey coin operated on the market, from home tables to commercial models. The table you choose should depend on your intended use and available space. Home tables are often smaller than their commercial counterparts and can be positioned lengthways against a wall, saving space.

Commercial tables are built to a higher standard than home models and are generally designed for high-volume usage in public venues such as bars or cafes. They are fitted with coin mechs to accept coins in exchange for game credits and are typically constructed from robust ply, with stainless steel rails.

Regulations

While air hockey is a fun and exciting game for all players, there are some specific rules that must be followed in order to play competitively. These regulations include penalties and fouls, such as distracting the opponent or intentionally touching the puck. In addition, the USAA has created rules that must be followed when playing in a sanctioned tournament.

In general, the game of air hockey involves hitting a plastic disc-shaped puck into your opponent’s goal. The first player to score seven points wins the game. However, in some cases, games may end in a tie, depending on the number of periods and the players’ preference.

Air hockey tables typically have a smooth surface designed to minimize friction, a surrounding rail to prevent the puck and strikers (paddles) from leaving the table, and slots on either side of the table that serve as goals. There is also a blower that provides compressed air to the table’s surface. This air can create a slight magnetism in the puck, which can repel it from metal and cause it to slow or change direction.