Milk Jug Toss Throwing Strategies to Win Tickets at the Arcade

Milk Jug Toss is a ticket redemption game that can be found at most arcades; including Dave and Buster’s.

To win the jackpot you will need to shoot 5 out of 5 balls into the milk jug. Sounds easy…but it is far from being a breeze. It takes a steady hand and muscle memory to consistently win the jackpot.

I will freely give the top tips and tricks on Milk Jug Toss so that you have the best shot of winning the most tickets.

Milk Jug Toss Arcade Game Scoring Information

Different arcade locations can change the settings on the Milk Jug Toss machine so numbers may vary.

Dave and Buster’s Chip Price: 6.8 chips per play; 5 balls per play

Jackpot: 5/5 balls scored, 500 tickets

Milk Jug Toss Points

Each ball made in the jug: 1000 points

There are holes the ball can land in if you miss that vary from 50-300 points.

Page 36 of the Milk Jug Toss Manual shows the number of tickets you can win based on your score. It can have four variations depending on arcade location.

milk jug toss arcade manual ticket values

Use the manual to see exact scores of holes and the different settings that can differ based on arcade location.

How to Win Milk Jug Toss: Two Common Throwing Strategies

Underhand Backboard Shot

Start by leaning in with your throwing hand inside the cage of the Milk Jug Toss machine.

Be careful – the machine has a tilt sensor that will go off if you swing part of your hand too far into the machine. You will get used to the distance by practicing.

Hold yourself steady with your non-throwing hand. Put this hand, or your chest, on the left side of the cage to hold yourself still to help keep your throw consistent.

For the underhand strategy, you will want to hang your throwing hand down. Try not to rotate your hand. Swing your hand like a pendulum and underhand toss the ball with a little backspin or no spin.

Milk Jug Toss has a picture of a man with a tophat on the back wall of the machine; above the milk jug that you have to score into.

You should aim your underhand shot at this cartoon man’s open mouth to bounce the ball off of the back wall and into the jug.

A higher arc shot is better than a line drive. You are trying to get the ball to land softly and closer to straight down into the hole in the top of the jug.

Underhand Spin Bounce

This Milk Jug Toss throw is a bit more complex, so I recommend trying the backboard strategy first.

Throw the ball underhand and aim for the back right corner of the floor.

Make sure to have enough loft so the ball can bounce off the floor and up above the jug.

You will also need to give the ball a spin to the left so that when it bounces it will curve up into the jug.

It can take a bit of practice to the right amount of loft and curve. Once you dial down the perfect throw you can get pretty consistent wins for the jackpot.

Here is a video explaining this Milk Jug Toss throwing method in detail:

Final Milk Jug Toss Tip

Of course, even with these tips and tricks for Milk Jug Toss, it will still take a lot of practice and coordination. So the last tip is to practice as much as you can and always try to make little improvements to your shot.

Relax and do not get upset with missed shots. Milk Jug Toss is a skill-based arcade game but it is still designed for the average player to not make it into the milk jug consistently. It is also just an arcade game after all; have fun with it!

Milk Jug Toss Arcade Review Score

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

Skill Rating: 9

Milk Jug Toss is one game at the arcade that takes a lot of skill to beat. It is extremely difficult to become proficient at it but it definitely can be won consistently with a lot of practice and determination.

I would say that a tad bit of luck is involved with how the ball bounces. Milk Jug Toss is designed so that the ball barely fits in the jug and usually bounces off the top. It takes just the right angle and power to get it in. Sometimes the ball bounces just how you want. Other times it seems like you do everything right and still bounces out.

Also, if you do miss the jug, luck can come into play with whether or not the ball falls into a hole with a higher score. This helps you get slightly more tickets even if you fail to get it into the jug.

Fun Rating: 7

I love all the carnival-like throwing games at the arcade. They have a high skill-cap but are still accessible and fun for beginners.

Milk Jug Toss is a simpler ball-toss arcade game. With your only main objective to throw the ball into the milk jug. This makes it easy to pick up for first time players, but more complex games could be more enjoyable for the arcade regulars.

Try not to abuse these arcade tips. Use arcade advantage player etiquette found here. It is most important to have fun at the arcade.

For the easy ways to save money at Dave and Buster’s, read this article. The tips really help in giving you more chips for your buck. More chips = more plays = more tickets!!