Pinball was once outlawed, Prohibition-style, as a gambling game. The New York City police commissioner went around bashing pinball machines for photo ops. And if you play it the amateur way, only trying to keep the ball from falling off the board, then you might also think pinball is a random game that gets boring after a few plays. But if you play it how the pros play it—even if you’re really bad at it—you’ll have a lot more fun.