Building the Oasis: Sam's Hideaway Joins the Map

Originally published in The Monthly Multiball, March 2026.

This month we added Sam’s Hideaway in Florida City as a new stop on the map. We first installed a jukebox while waiting on our order of the first Pop-A-Shot in South Florida. It’s actually the first game south of Orlando and only the third in Florida. We are excited to also launch a Pop-A-Shot at Duffy’s this month as well.

We’ve already launched pinball at Sam’s with Dungeons & Dragons, and we will be expanding to at least one more machine there this month.

“We are all chasing the same thing: beating our last score.”

Pin Pimps made a special visit to our February tournament, with Carmen and Edda joining us. Carlos Porta has also made a comeback to the competitive pinball scene, and we could not be happier that he is making Duffy’s his home turf. Not only did he win the tournament, but he has also been joining us for Get on the Leaderboard Wednesdays.

As many of you know, my youngest son has special needs. So it meant a lot to me to see Carlos willingly give up his game and the credit he had earned so an autistic young boy could be introduced to pinball on a machine with a theme that resonated with him. Carlos not only left him a credit, but he also walked him through the basics of the machine.

Moments like that are a big part of why I started Pinball Passport. Not because I was a collector or a long-time pinhead who needed to own every machine, but because once I got hooked and eventually bought my first machine, I saw the power of playing pinball with other people.

We are all chasing the same thing: beating our last score. Getting a little better every time. The goal isn’t to win just because you knew the ruleset better than the other competitor. We want everyone to get better so that we all get better.

That same spirit shows up among operators here in South Florida. Pin Pimps, Vice City Amusements, and Pinball Passport are technically competitors, but in reality we are all trying to raise the tide so every boat rises and there is more, and better, pinball for everyone.

Whether it’s Neil’s obsessive maintenance standards, Carmen’s incredible machine customizations where he truly “pimps out” his games, or my approach of shopping every machine and building detailed operating procedures so we can consistently deliver a top-tier player experience.

This is where Pinball Passport is today. While only two stops on the map right now, working alongside Neil and Carmen it feels like together we are building something much bigger than any of us could accomplish ourselves.

Editor's note, September 2026: Calle Ocho Sports Bar and Grill in Little Havana has since joined the map.

Speaking of what’s next, our Pokémon machine just went on location for its first get on the leaderboard night this Wednesday. Keep an eye on our social media to be in on the fun as it officially goes on location at Duffy’s.

It’s happening. Together, we are turning this desert into the Oasis we all know it should be.

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May your shots be dialed in and your flippers strong,

Jose