Just 21

Just 21 was a classic electro-mechanical pinball machine released by Gottlieb in 1963, during the golden age of mechanical pinball. The machine's theme centered around the popular card game Blackjack (21), reflecting the era's fascination with casino gaming and gambling themes in entertainment.

The playfield design was characteristic of early 1960s Gottlieb machines, featuring a relatively clean layout with pop bumpers, standing targets, and drop targets. The scoring system was themed around achieving card combinations adding up to 21, making it one of the earliest pinball machines to successfully incorporate playing card gameplay mechanics into a pinball format.

The machine stood out for its attractive backglass artwork depicting playing cards and casino imagery, typical of the period's artistic style. While not one of Gottlieb's most produced or well-known machines, Just 21 represents an important example of how pinball manufacturers of the era integrated popular gaming concepts into their designs. The machine helped establish a template for future card game-themed pinball tables that would become increasingly common in subsequent decades.