[TeMPOraL]

There are those holes that briefly hold your ball, and then something may or may not happen, like getting the ball back with extra kick, getting multiple balls, or having the ball launched on a precise trajectory that makes it fly exactly between your paddles. There is a decision point there, and the decision is made by a program (software or purely hardware). That program is a system that could force defeat.

[chrismcb]

Yeah... No... You are correct in that there are rules on whether you get an extra ball it a multi ball. But those rules are known and don't happen randomly. Yes there are occasionally a random event, but those are rare. As far as launching the ball, that is generally also a known factor. There are other variables in play, but none have to do with the game deciding to defeat you or not.

[soupfordummies]

It may feel that way to you but that's 100% not true :)