Down the Clown: How to Win the Jackpot (Strategy Guide)

Down the Clown is one of the few arcade games that require more skill than luck. That’s why it can be so much fun to play!

It may seem difficult at first but you should be winning the 500 ticket jackpot in no time if you practice and follow the tips in this Down the Clown strategy guide.

Tips for How to Win Down the Clown

Be Familiar With the Settings and Score you Need to Beat

The Down the Clown machine starts out requiring a score of 500 points to win the 500 ticket jackpot.

This 500 point requirement goes down by 1 each time someone plays and does not win the jackpot. So it will be easier to win the jackpot if lots of people play and do not win the 500 ticket jackpot.

If someone beats the jackpot then this score jumps up 50 more points to make it harder for the next person to win a jackpot.

Look at what the score you need to beat is on the Down the Clown machine that you want to play. There are usually two Down the Clown machines next to one another at every arcade location so you can try to win the jackpot on both if the scores are achievable.

A score of 600 or higher will be very difficult to win. If it is this high it would be a good idea to come back and play at a different time. The default score of 500 is winnable pretty consistently if you practice and know what you are doing.

The chip cost for Down the Clown at Dave and Buster’s is 6.8. It costs 3.4 chips on Half-off Wednesday. If you are new, consider playing on this day to save money while you practice your skills.

There are ticket values awarded for scoring points from 100 – 200, 200 – 300, 300 – 400, and 400 – 490. So even if you miss the bonus jackpot score you should still receive a decent amount of tickets. At most Dave and Buster’s locations, Down the Clown will give 100 tickets for scoring above 400 points without breaking the jackpot score. 100 tickets for one play is still a good return on investment for what you spent on chips, especially if you play on Half-off Wednesday. And with enough practice getting at least 400 points is not difficult.

Down the Clown should have 12 red balls per machine. But most of the time there will be a little less because people will take them out and lose them. You can always ask the arcade technician if you see there are too few balls and they might be able to add more to the machine.

You have 20 seconds to knock down as many clowns as you can.

Be aware that the numbers listed above could vary depending on arcade location. Most of the time these default numbers will be correct. Refer to the Down the Clown manual for what these numbers could be set at.

The Winning Sequence of Clowns to Hit

Don’t just throw willy-nilly! There is more strategy to it than that.

There are three clowns on the top row, worth 30 points each. Four clowns on the middle row, worth 20 points each. Five clowns on the bottom row, worth 10 points each.

You want to hit as many of the 30 point top row clowns as you can. They are also bigger than the other clowns, making them easier to hit.

When you clear two full rows of clowns then the row that you hit first will pop back up so that you can hit them again. It takes a second or two for the clowns to pop up again and you can only score points on them when they light up. So it is a good idea to throw a ball while you wait for them to light up because you will be waiting a second or two anyway.

Here is the best throwing sequence to get the highest score:

Start by clearing the three clowns on the top row.

Clear the four clowns in the middle row.

While you wait for the top row to pop back up, throw one ball at a clown in the very bottom row. (Sometimes a bottom row clown will light up red and it will be worth 20 points instead of 10. If you can aim for this clown to get more points.)

Hit the three clowns on the top row again.

While you wait for the middle row to pop back up, try to hit one clown on the bottom row again.

Repeat this pattern until the end of the game.

Sometimes you will be able to clear the entire bottom row in the middle of this sequence. If this makes the 30 point clowns on top come back earlier then you should go for these top clowns instead of the 20 point clowns in the middle.

There is a video at the bottom of the next tips section you can watch that explains this sequence if you need help visualizing it.

The Best Throwing Strategy

The best way to throw the balls to be most accurate is to throw overhand. Almost push the ball towards the target. Do not pull the ball behind your head like a normal baseball throw.

Keep the ball in front of your body.

Throw with accuracy instead of power.

It helps to aim your elbow at the clown you want to hit and just use your elbow as a hinge to throw; like a catapult.

Check out the video below to help you see what this throw looks like. The video also shows the sequence of what clowns to hit in what order mentioned above so that you have the best shot to win Down the Clown.

More Helpful Tips and Tricks

One potential tip to help you win is possible if there are balls left on the bottom of the machine before you start a game. Pick up some of these balls and knock down 3 out of the 4 clowns in the middle row.

This will help set up the game so you can hit more 30 point clowns on the top because then you only have to hit one clown on the middle row to reset the top row. Then just continue the winning sequence as normal.

If there are extra balls at the bottom of the Down the Clown machine, grab two in your non-dominant hand and one in your dominant hand before you start the game to be ready quicker without having to wait for the balls to drop.

Hacks and Cheats

I do not condone cheating or “hacking” arcade games. This Down the Clown hack is already well-known and I am only including it in the article because most people do not know that it is cheating and not allowed.

This “hack” is to throw with multiple people at the same Down the Clown machine. Do not do this. This makes getting a jackpot score of 500 pretty easy and a score of 700 or more possible. This hurts the normal player because it runs up the jackpot so they have no chance of winning.

If you see someone doing this you can try to alert the arcade tech or manager and they may talk to the people cheating and tell them to stop. The arcade tech may also reset the jackpot score if they see this because it is unfairly increasing the score needed to win.

Down the Clown Review Score

Score is out of 10, with 1 being all luck to win and 10 being all skill.

Skill Rating: 9

Down the Clown is one of the most skill-based arcade games. You should be able to win the jackpot consistently with a good amount of concentration and practice. Some days might be better than others but if you miss a clown then there is no one to blame but yourself.

A tiny bit of luck is involved when it comes to what the score to beat is. The time that you decide to play Down the Clown can just happen to be bad. That particular machine could have the required jackpot score run up too high and you won’t have a chance to win the jackpot that day. Of course you could always go to Dave and Buster’s right when it opens so that you have the best shot to play the machine after it refreshes the score from the night before.

Fun Rating: 8

Down the Clown reminds me of a carnival game. The arcade game challenges your throwing skills without being an easy win. It attracts new players with the idea that they have the aim and speed to beat it. Then they lose by a few hundred points and want to try again and again. It can be quite addicting.

If you liked this guide on Down the Clown then check out other ball throwing/dropping games at the arcade: