Cellar Holes

A ramp or channel below the playfield surface, entered through a hole in the playfield, that routes the ball to a lower level before returning it to play. Unlike a simple Kick-Out Holes where the ball drops into a shallow saucer, a cellar hole sends the ball on a longer subterranean journey beneath the playing surface. The feature appeared on machines as early as Genco’s titles in 1934 and is cataloged on approximately 17 IPDB machines. Cellar holes added a dimension of mystery to early playfield design — the ball vanished from view and reappeared elsewhere, traveling paths the player could not see.