Barber Cut Lite is a very popular prize redemption arcade game. The prizes you can win often include high value items such as Apple Airpods, Apple Watches, Apple Ipods, Funko Pop figures, Amazon Echo Dots, Kindle Fires, and $100 gift cards.
This scissor cutting arcade game looks simple enough to win, but it is a lot harder to win than you might think. That is how it tricks players into spending money to try and win a big prize.
I have come up with a comprehensive strategy guide for Barber Cut. These tips and tricks will give you a much better idea of when you can win prizes and how to do it.
Is the Barber Cut Arcade Game Rigged?
Short answer: yes.
Most high value prize redemption arcade games are rigged. They need to be in order for the arcade location to make money off of it. If the game was as easy as it seems and players can win Apple Airpods for a couple bucks then the arcade would lose a ton of money and go out of business.
Barber Cut tricks players into thinking all they have to do is have enough skill to position the scissors to cut the string and then they win. In reality, the machine only allows a win if it hits its payout amount.
If Barber Cut is not ready to payout a win then the scissors will move past the string every time. It knows the location of the string and will move forward even if you hit the button perfectly, deliberately missing the string.
It is only skill-based when enough money has been paid into the machine. Even when it is ready, it takes more cuts than you think to cut down the prize.
Here is a quote from the Barber Cut manual explaining how the arcade can change the payout settings:
“For a 28.5% payout with $100 mix and $1 game fee (default), a prize should be dispensed after 350 plays.”
“After reaching the set number of plays, the game enters 100% skill mode. The machine remains in this condition until a player obtains a prize.”
In this example from the Barber Cuts manual, the machine will need to get $350 dollars worth of plays before it will allow a win.
Whether you think this payout system is deceiving, unfair, or illegal (especially when it’s like gambling for kids, but that’s another topic), it ensures that the owner of the Barber Cut Lite makes a profit.
If Barber Cut is rigged, then how are there any tips to beat it? Let me explain more…
How to Cut the String and Win Prizes
1. Know the Barber Cut Machine Settings
Usually the payout settings are changed for different prizes within the same Barber Cut Lite machine. This will make it more difficult or take a lot longer to win the more expensive prizes.
You can tell which prizes will need more money put into the machine before it is ready to allow a win based on a couple things:
- Determine what prizes cost more than the rest. These will take longer to be ready to win. It should be pretty obvious which prizes cost more. Usually the cheaper prizes are Funko Pop figures. The more expensive prizes will be the ones that draw your attention. These are usually high end Apple products.
- The prizes are grouped based on what the payout settings are. The two prizes on the left have one payout rate, the middle two prizes have a different payout rate, and the right two prizes have yet another payout rate. Most of the time, the expensive prizes will be in the middle group so you know these two will take longer to be ready to win.
This information is important because it tells you that it is a higher chance that the cheaper prizes will be ready to win.
But also remember that more players will be spending money and going for the expensive prizes. This could mean that these big prizes are ready to drop.
How do you know if the payout amount is reached and a prize is ready to be won? Read the next tip to find out!
2. Know When a Prize is “Allowed” to be Won
Based on the rigged payout system, you can only win certain prizes when enough money has been spent on the Barber Cut arcade machine. Like I said before, the scissors will move past the string if it is not ready to payout. You’ll want to test to see if the machine is ready to let you win.
You can check if it is ready by playing just once. If you perfectly hit the button at the right time but the scissors keeps moving after you let go of the button then this shows you that the prize you are going for is impossible to win until enough money is put in.
Another way to check is to wait until someone else plays the game. Try to see if the scissors keeps moving past the string for them.
It might be hard to tell with a stranger playing the game to really know if they hit the button with the correct timing or not. Try not to be creepy and stand over a random player’s shoulder while they play!
It will be a lot easier to see if the scissors goes on the string when someone else plays. This shows you the machine is ready to payout. The other player might not know this because it will usually take multiple cuts of the string to drop a prize. They might give up after a couple times of playing. Then you can go in to cut the string enough times to drop the prize.
3. Check for Damage to the String
Because it takes multiple cuts of the string to drop the prize, you will usually see damage to a string if the scissors has landed on it. The string will look frayed.
This is a sign that the prize under the worn string is ready to be won. It shows that someone tried to win it but failed to cut the string enough times.
Note: Be careful with this tip because I have heard of instances where arcade owners fray the strings on purpose to entice people to play even when the machine is not ready to payout on that prize. You can easily check this by playing once and if the scissors moves past the frayed string then you know it is not ready yet.
4. Be Persistent When you Know it is Ready to Give a Prize
The string will need to be cut a lot more times than you think to drop the prize. It is not uncommon to have to spend $10-20 dollars on a $1 Barber Cut game to cut the string completely.
The string in Barber Cut is special because it has many layers. Even if one layer is cut through, the prize will not drop because the other layers hold it up. This does make it easier to see when the string is frayed, though.
Just watch ArcadeMatt’s video below to see just how many times it could take even when the prize is ready to be won. This also shows you the damaged string to look out for.
5. Push The Scissors Forward if You Accidentally Miss
Watch the video above to see this tip in action.
If you accidentally miss the string on the first button press, do not fret!
Just let the scissor move as forward as it can for the second button press. This can push the string with the plastic guards on the side of the scissors.
This swings the string upward, putting stress on the string and makes the prize come down with some force. Hopefully this helps break or loosen the weak part of the string to win the prize or win it sooner.
Another thing this trick can do is what happened in the previous video. The outer layer of the string can get caught in the plastic and help unravel the string. This will help you cut the thinner inner layer of the string easier the next time you play.
It might be worth it to try this trick on purpose if the string is really weak already from previous cuts. See the Claw Craziness video below for another example showing off this tip.
6. Heavier Prizes Are Easier to Win
…that is if these prizes are ready to payout. Remember that knowing the payout is the most important thing.
A heavier prize will take less cuts to drop than a lighter one. Usually these are also the more valuable prizes like an Ipad or Beats Headphones.
Sometimes Barber Cut machines will be filled with gift cards. Be aware that these are harder to win if they are ready. It will take a lot more money to cut the string enough to drop one of them.
7. Practice Timing the Button Hits
It will take a few times of playing to get the timing down for Barber Cut. This is really important. You need to get the scissors as close to the middle of the string as possible to get the best cuts.
A huge tip for lining up the first position moving left to right is to close one eye.
Another tip for this first position is to look at the black belt at the top of the scissors and line it up with the screw of the prize you want to win.
For the second position (the one that moves toward you), it is a helpful trick to either squat down so your vision is below it or try to get above it. If your vision is directly on the same level as the scissors you will not be able to see the depth.
The second position timing is a lot more difficult than the first. It will take some getting used to. This timing is quick, especially for a prize that is in the furthest back row.
Watch the videos in this article before you play so you know what to expect in regards to the timing you need to win.
Barber Cut Laser Hack
One trick that used to work was using a laser to cut the strings from the outside of the glass. Do not do this.
People would use powerful laser pointers to cut the strings from the outside of the Barber Cut Lite machines. This allowed people to cheat and win all the prizes without even playing the game.
This is obviously wrong and a very scummy thing to do.
This hack does not work anymore. It worked on the orange strings that they used to use. Now most Barber Cut machines use a white string that seems to be tougher than the old one. The white does not absorb the heat from the laser as much as the old orange one did.
Summary
The most important thing to know to win Barber Cut Lite: The game is ready to let you win a prize if you see that the scissor can go directly on the string (you can tell either through playing the game first yourself or seeing that the string is frayed).
It still might take a decent amount of cuts once you know this, but it might be worth your money to spend if the prize is worth more in cash!
I hope you enjoyed this in-depth guide to Barber Cut at the arcade.
Check out more tips and tricks for coin pushers and more: