‘It’s my stupid human trick’: Secrets of Hersheypark’s best carnival game player

HERSHEYPARK, Pa. – On a summer Saturday, with two giant stuffed sloths and a dragon tucked under his arms, Lawrence Ho is speeding through a crowd smelling of chocolate and sunscreen.

And we are in pursuit.

We are desperate to know his story. Amusement park games are not meant to be won, but to separate families from their money. How did you beat the system?

“It’s my stupid human trick,” Ho said when we finally made it, sweating from the effort.

A long-time season pass holder who lives nearby, Ho can win almost any carnival game there is; he skillfully throws rings, throws Wiffle balls and knocks over bottles. His talents delight his two children, ages 8 and 11, and they have filled a closet at home with 50 stuffed animals that he is under strict orders not to discard.

It turns out that the 44-year-old benefits from steady, excellent hands during his career as an eye surgeon. And he’s an avid athlete – soccer, tennis, snowboarding, pickleball, mountain biking and more.

Today, Ho is fresh off three wins in Can Do, a game with a deceptively optimistic name. It requires you to place a soft ball into the opening of a large milk jug, a feat so difficult in practice that one successful shot is all you need to win the grand prize.

We decide to try it ourselves. At the booth near the bumper cars, a bucket of 10 balls cost $10. Several times, we hit sluggers that hung frustratingly close to the target, or watched the ball hit the rim of the bowl and fall to the floor.

Ho had bought two buckets of balls and won three large stuffed animals. We bought two buckets and won zero.

What is his secret? He said you have to resist the urge to throw the softball. Instead, start with the back of your hand facing the buckets and throw the ball with a flick of the wrist. A gentle bounce off the back edge of the bowl and the ball is set in place.

Well, at least that’s how it works when he does it.

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