Best of 2001: Best Place To Pick Up Classic One-Armed Bandits

Olhausen Pool Tables
5620 Kearny Mesa Road, Kearny Mesa
800-570-7665

The law says you can't buy one-armed bandits that require coins unless they're genuine antiques, i.e., 1940 or earlier. No problem, says Sheila Roesink, the antique slot machine gal at Olhausen. She gets ancient machines from all over, including 1920s Chicago, completely mechanical models that take nickels or quarters, and, of course, have the lever that's so satisfying to pull. Al Capone himself may have yanked on this very arm. "I'm not saying he didn't," she says. The price for such a frisson? Four thousand six hundred and ninety-five dollars for the 1920s model she's got right now. Once it's yours, of course, you can adjust the payout odds on the machine.