By Rob Carroll
After one pinball tournament, I can confidently say that there are at least five things I wish someone had told me before I started playing.
And even though we probably don’t know each other in real life, I still don’t want you to make the same mistakes as me.
Here are five things you absolutely need to know before playing in your first pinball tournament.
- There’s More Strategy To Pinball Than You Might Think
Until my first tournament, my only experience with pinball was playing a game here and there at a bar or bowling alley. It was always ancillary to the night’s activity and never the main reason why I had walked in the door.
Drop in some quarters, shoot the balls and press the buttons the activate the flippers. What else do you need to know?
Well, apparently, there is an entire process you need to follow for activating specific bonuses on each game. Some may even be started by the player before you, giving you the chance to earn them if they are unable to finish them to earn the bonus.
Seriously, in one game, I earned a multi-ball bonus not even 30 seconds after launching my ball and had no idea how it happened until someone explained it was started by the player before me.
Luckily, there are tons of walk-thru and strategy videos out there for you to study before your first tournament.
- Bad Players Can Have Good Days and Good Players Can Have Bad Days
The tournament I joined had seven rounds of head-to-head games leading up to the finals. I won two of the rounds.
Nearly every round that I lost, I thought I was playing one of the best to every step up to the game. To my surprise, the leaderboard showed I was the only person they had beaten in some cases.
The inverse also happened.
I beat people who I assumed might also be playing in their first pinball tournament. Turns out I may have just gotten lucky against some seasoned pinball vets.
That’s part of what made the tournament so fun. Sometimes things roll your way and other times they don’t. It happens to everyone, so there is always a chance to pull off a win against a decent player, even if you have zero experience.
- Be Prepared For Some Downtime
The tournament I entered had 32 players and seven different pinball machines. With the head-to-head format, that meant only 14 people could play at one time.
There was certainly some downtime between games when I needed to find something to keep myself occupied (and not thinking about how my last opponent nearly scored as much on one as I did the entire game).
The length between games varied depending on how quickly my game ended and how long the person the next machine lasted. You might be waiting a while if you’re behind a true pro who is lighting it up and spending a good 15-20 minutes playing each ball.
But the waiting was worth it because…
- There Was No Shortage of People Willing to Help a Beginner
I’m not just saying this to be nice: The other people in the tournament could not have been more friendly and helpful.
I showed up solo and had never met a single person in the room before the night started. Not even an hour into the gameplay, and I had already met multiple people who were willing to talk strategy.
Wait, weren’t we supposed to be opponents? It didn’t matter; everyone was super friendly and didn’t hesitate to introduce me to other people in their group.
It made me realize most of the crowd was there to enjoy a night of pinball rather than being overly competitive.
- Everyone Gets Into Pinball For Different Reasons
The main reason I signed up for the tournament was to meet different people in my city participating in a low-stakes (and low-cost) activity. I showed up expecting to be the only first-time player who would lose every round.
It took one game for me to learn I was far from the only rookie shooting that night.
Others had entered with little to no experience after being encouraged by a friend or their partner. Even some more seasoned players seemed to be just as much into the local pinball community as they were the actual gameplay.
I ended the night achieving exactly what I set out to do: Meet some different people while trying something new.
Unexpectedly winning two games was pretty good, too.
Ready to Learn More About Pinball?
If you’re getting into tournaments, you’ll probably want to dig deeper into the hobby. We’ve already covered a bunch of topics that will help you level up your game and get to know the scene a little better. Check out some of our other pinball posts, including where to play pinball near you, the best pinball machines for home use, and fun things for couples to do together. These will give you a better feel for the community, the machines, and how to get more involved in competitive play. If you’re in Illinois, be sure to check out a few of our favorite breweries and taprooms for playing pinball. And if you need a boost of energy before you hit the tournament, check out our list of our favorite coffee for pinballers to drink.
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