How to Win Something from a Claw Machine
Published on - June 1st, 2006 (Modified on - March 13th, 2009) (by J.D. Roth) And now for something completely different…
While waiting for my wife to finish an errand today, I found myself staring at a claw machine. You know the ones: brightly-lit cabinets filled with stuffed animals and a dangling claw to grab them. Though I’ve never used one, I began to wonder how you’d go about beating it.
The internet has an answer for everything.
Here’s an actual guide to winning something from a claw machine. Apparently there are two types of claws:
[A four-pronged] claw usually handles large stuffed animals. It is great for grabbing around the chest area of a stuffed animal. When you use this type of claw on a stuffed animal, try and maneuver the claw so that the four prongs are positioned above and below both arms and the central port of the claw close to the neck, or high chest area.
On the other hand:
[A three-pronged claw] usually handles small stuffed animals and small collectable basketballs. [...] Have the claw at an angle so that it covers the whole chest area of a stuffed animal; this is the best way to get things out of three pronged machines. To get a small collectible basketball, try and make sure a ball is not being surrounded by any other basketballs. [...] For best results, aim the center of the prongs in the radius center of the basketball. This technique draws a 60 to 70 percent chance of grabbing a basketball…
Did you know that there’s “no such thing as grease on a claw to make a toy slide off”? Now you do. And I love this warning:
CAUTION: Many of the managers who operate a claw machine usually pack the animals tightly such as tucking in a bear’s leg under other toys thus weighing it down so that if a perfect claw drop achieves a good grip point on the bear, it will easily slide off. DO NOT BE DECEIVED BY EASY LOOKING BEARS IN A CORNER ON A MOUNTAIN OF OTHER TOYS.
The author notes that it’s best to pick out your target toy before putting your money in the machine so that you don’t waste time deciding while the clock is running. But best of all, the entire guide wraps up with a sensible personal finance tip:
Do not overspend. Budget your money. It sometimes may be tempting to spend more than you want to play.
See? Sound money habits come in handy everywhere, even with claw machines. Just don’t get too carried away by all the neat toys you could win.
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[...] Get Rich Slowly looks at instructions for winning something from a claw machine. The prizes never look worth the effort and the quarter to me. [...]
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How to win a prize at the claw machine…
Many a claw machine has broken my will, but back then I didn’t have this eBay guide to nabbing that bright shiny toy beckoning you from beyond the glass wall. Tip one: make sure you don’t go for the……
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One of these was installed in a restaurant near us, and the manager was talking with the guy who installed it. The installer explained that the claw does not grab with the same strength each grab. Something like one out of four or five grabs will the claw actually grip with any strength to pick something up. So, while you can have a perfect grab, it has to be when the claw is set to give you a fair chance.
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this is not true!! you need to go for 2 softtoys that are side by side…. go for both of them @ the same time and you have a 95% chance of getting one…..
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I am a pro at it when i go to a store or restaraunt i always win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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In my experience, I sometimes find myself losing when trying to aim to grab all three claws on an item (centering the claw). When I move over to the side however, two claws will lift the item while the third one misses.
It’s usually unlikely that all three claws grab, so it is sometimes bets to aim off center so that two claws will pinch.
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I am always trying to find ways to make some easy money. When I saw the claw machine in a deserted back alley of a Wall-Mart I was determined. I lost some sleep over this thing thinking about how I will master and take all the products in one go with the claw and Re-sell them / wear them. It was Jewelry like watches and such. But I couldn’t do it and lost like all my money to it. I became addicted like crazy trying to grab the shiny gold watch. It was like crack. People were staring at me because I went there everyday. I felt that I was going to go homeless if i didn’t stop obsessing over it. I browsed the internet like crazy and found this guide. It really did clear a few things up for me. I haven,t hit the machine ever since But at least I will do it with some knowledge of the physiology of the machine. Thnkx !
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I noticed this poor man visiting the machine day after day. I worked across the street and his frantic energy always attracted attention and gave us something to talk about.
Eventually his look became disheveled and he was no longer simply an attraction, no longer just a break in the monotony. His addiction was evident in every move he made, ever bead of sweat dripping off his brow, and every new wrinkle on his face.
His clothes never changed and his schedule was like clockwork. I’d noticed he lost some weight in the past few days and wondered if he’d been eating. Every morning before my shift at Sbarro, I swiped a pepperoni slice and left it at the machine. I’d watch him eat it. Never questioning its origins. Then he’d be back at it… throwing whatever money he scrounged up into the machine that was surely killing him.
One morning, after a slice of mushroom, the claws of the machine caught on a purple bunny rabbit.
End of Chapter 1.
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ya i was at a bowling alley and the machine was calling me to play it and i had to. me and my friend played it well i did i won 5 stuffed toys including 2 beanie babies oh an i spent 2 dollars
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After working for 8 hours doing volunteer work at the Great American Ball park, I saw the claw machine. I went over and put in a dollar. I got two chances to win something and on my first try I won a cute pink elephant, but I failed miserably on my second try. I wanted a bear, but it had other toys at the bottom of it so I guess that’s why I didn’t get it. In the end, I spent all my tip money
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[...] walking inside the store I couldn’t help but notice the large group of people standing around the Claw machine. It was like a mother and about 4 or 5 kids. A teenage girl was in position of Claw [...]
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you guys have no idea how to go about winning on theses machines do you. your telling people where to aim for? what if the prize in the box hasnt got arms?? exactly. these machines go by the weight of the item and how much money has been put in. the value of the prize must be by law, %30 of the total amount need in order to dispense that prize. for example, the value of the prize in £30, then you need £100 total before the crane has enough strengh to pick up that prize and carry it all the way to the box. every time you put more money in the machine, it strenghens the grip of the claw.
The best techqniqu that i can give you guys to win, is to not try and pick up the prizes, but look for a machine where the prizes are stacked around the drop box but higher than the drop box, and try to drag them closer and closer until it lands in!
how do i know this?? – I used to own one of the biggest Arcades in the United Kingdom!!
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Hello,
I happen to own a FEC… which is a route of vending machines and I can tell you that I make about $800 a week. I have 3 Claw Machines, 1 at Wal-Mart, 1 at a Giant food store, and 1 at Perkins. Most machines are operated off of percentages. 1 in 10 grabs typically gets the job done but it can be changed by the vendor at any time depending on how busy or “slow” a location is. If a location is slow you usually have a better chance at winning, if busy obviously lower. If a vendor wanted to be a real pric, he could set the machine to have strong grab once in 99 plays. Provided thats 50 cents a turn thats $50 dollars per win! My toys that I buy only cost 8 cents a piece… If you guys want to make any money, stop putting it in the machines and start saving to buy one of theses machines!
Hope I Helped!
DJ BROWN
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The Claw machines are pprogramed just like a slot machine. They can pay every 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 60 th coin inserted.
There is no magic in these machines just rich operators
Keep you money buy mum some roses
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Just read this, It’s pretty good for beginners. I used to suck at them until one day I got lucky and since then I got really good at them, me and my sister cleaned out almost every stuff animal in one of the claw machines I play at a local place. It was a good day to walk out with 20+ stuffed animals (Not that we needed them, became dog toys) but they are a lot of fun once you master them. I have won watches, necklaces, an iPad 2,etc. One thing I would like to add is spend a good minute or so trying to understand how they are packed in there. Look for one that doesn’t have a tucked in leg, As well be careful some stockers will have prizes with wooden rods and or sand inside the animals to weight them down.) Once you get one you will most likely free more.
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1.Use your angles, if possible look at the front & side
2.dont your waste money! dont spend five dollars on a teddy bear you could buy for a couple bucks at walmart!
3.i have found that holding down the drop button helps grip the toy
4.dont go for ANYTHING that is buried at all
5.dont hold up the machine with $20 in your pocket! others want to play
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