I’m an arcade pro and there is a trick to always winning on the grabbing machines – you’ll never waste your money again
WINNING a teddy on a crane machine is a famously tough challenge.
But that bitter disappointment is about to be banished thanks to one expert hack.
Gone are the days of wasting all your twenty pence pieces and coming home empty-handed – a TikTok page called Arcade Friends has revealed an easy two-step method to bag a cuddly toy.
According to the experts, timing is key to stop the slippery claw dropping your prize.
The video, which has over 250,000 views, begins with a view of a popular grabbing machine.
The text reads: “Some people don’t know the secret about double tapping the claw machine.
“Watch my hand to see how I double tap…”
First, the cameraman is seen tapping the button once to lower the claw over his chosen prize.
As the claw closes over the little pink bear’s head, he double taps the button.
“This gives the claw a strong grip and keeps it from rotating too far,” he writes.
The claw is seen lifting the teddy by its head and gliding across the top of the glass box before dropping the prize into the bucket.
It’s a revelation for arcade game fans, who can end up spending tens or even hundreds of pounds trying in vain to win a cuddly toy.
Usually, gamers find that the claw loosens its grip and can’t lift the toy more than a few inches.
But with this hack, we could all be in with a chance of winning.
TikTok users have gushed over the revelation, with one exclaiming: “BEST TIP! Doesn’t guarantee a win but def ups your chances.”
A second gushed: “Really this works.”
And a third replied: “I did this when I was younger then got a plushie by its tag.”
This isn’t the only crane machine hack on the TikTok user’s profile.
Arcade Friends boasts hundreds of video tips to help gamers win big on every try.
In one clip, they show the ‘tag trick’ – aiming one of the claw’s three pincers to hook a teddy’s tag – and according to the expert, it works every time.
Another video tells gamers to aim for the far corner of a round teddy instead of the middle, as there’s more chance of moving it where there’s thinner material.
An appreciative viewer replied to this clip: “That’s why you’re the best claw machine/UFO catcher account.
“You have real techniques and skill rather than just getting lucky on claw machine apps.”