Before getting into advice on actual game play, since this directly connects to the game play, let's talk about toy position. When playing for a prize, you want to target a toy that is near the chute, so it is more likely to be dropped in the chute. So that means you have to locate a machine that has prizes near the chute to begin with. Plus, you want it close to the chute, but not too close to the wall so the claw can't reach it, or too close to the chute that the claw ends up closing around the chute edge. If you want to gauge how close the claw can go to the wall, look at the mechanism to see how far it moves over - it has a greater limit then you might think given the claw itself. There is like a bar part I believe that ends up hitting so the claw can't go right to the edge so keep that in mind. I forgot about that at one point and ended up not being able to move the claw over far enough so don't forget! :) BUT REALLY important thing - you can also ask the workers to reposition a prize for you! So if you want to play at a machine that doesn't have toys in a good spot you can ask a worker to reposition the prize and they'll put a few near the chute for you! Plus if you played at one and ended up flinging the toy away from the chute, many will automatically open it up and reposition it closer to the chute again for you. They are really nice that way so take advantage of it!