[League Rules]

Each week the Pacific Pinball League features a different format. It can be a little confusing at first, but the rules for each are reviewed before play starts. If you have questions, ask!

Each league night is worth up to 35 points towards your season ranking and you’ll get an automatic 5 points for participating. You must attend a minimum of 3 league nights to qualify to play in the Finals (5 nights for players restricted to A Division).

Match Play

In Match Play, players compete either head-to-head or in groups of 3 or 4 in multiple rounds of play.

In head-to-head play, a win earns 1 point.

In group play, 1st: 7points, 2nd: 5 points, 3rd: 3 points, 4th: 1 point. (for 3-player groups: 7/4/1).

In regular Match Play, the highest score wins. In Target Match play, a target score is set and the player who reaches it first is the winner.

Extra balls are not played.

3 Strikes and 5 Strikes

In 3 strikes, head-to-head matches are played in Rounds and the loser gets a strike. If a player gets 3 strikes, they’re knocked out of the tournament. Round play continues until only one player is left.

5 strikes is played the same way except in 4 player groups. The winner of the group gets no strikes. 2nd and 3rd get 1 strike. 4th gets 2 strikes. (3 player groups are 0/1/2).

If time requires, a final match will be played and the results are decided on strikes remaining.

Time Attack

In Time Attack 2 players are assigned to a game in each round. Games are played single player and each player has 2.5 minutes to put up their best score. 10 rounds are played.

Extra balls may be played.

Restarts are allowed within the 2.5 minute match duration, however, that voids the game in progress. Whatever score shows on the game at the end of 2.5 minutes is the one that counts. As for why you may wish to restart, if you’re playing a game and you lose your first 2 balls quickly with a lot of time remaining, you might restart to try for a better score.

Flipper Frenzy

In Flipper Frenzy (aka Flip Frenzy), continuous matches are played for a set duration, typically 2 hours. As soon as a player completes a match, they go back into a queue of players waiting for the next available machine. The player with the best Win/Loss record at the end of the 2 hour session is the winner.

Pin Golf

In Pin Golf, “Achievements” are set on each machine (or ‘Hole’).  For example, score 3 Million points on Scared Stiff, or complete the FILM letters on Creature from the Black Lagoon.  The player attempts to complete the Achievement on each Hole with the fewest number of pinballs (like strokes in golf).  The lower your score, the better.

Achievements are posted on the games and explained to players. If you want tips on how to reach the achievement, you’re free to ask.

6 holes are played and the stroke limit is 6.  If you don’t complete the Achievement by the end of your 5th ball, you get an automatic 6.

Once a player completes the Achievement on a Hole, they discontinue play. Any remaining balls are plunged out when their turn is up.

Extra balls can be played, and don’t count against your stroke count.  So if you get an extra ball on your first ball, but drain, and then go on to complete the Achievement on your Extra Ball, you still get a hole-in-one.

Player order increments each game, so if you’re Player 1 on Game 2, you’ll be Player 2, and so on.

The best possible score is ‘6’ (6 hole-in-ones).  The worst possible is 36.

Finals

The Finals is a Target Match Play event. There are two groups for Finals, A and B.
Players are seeded by their total points during the season. Higher seed always gets choice of order. Bonus points are awarded for good attendance. Each Round of play will focus on a different era: Electro-Mechanical, Solid State and Modern. 

The top 16 players based on their total qualifying points play in the A Division. Some players are  additionally restricted to A Division because either 1) they won the B Division in a previous season, 2) their Match Play or IFPA rank is too high, 3) at the discretion of the organizer, they are required to play in A Division. Players competing in A Division must attend a minimum of 5 qualifying nights. 

Side Challenges

Some league nights feature side challenges for a chance to win prizes like T Shirts and Movie Passes. Formats include playing 1-handed, scoring as many points as possible in 1 minute, or trying to get as close to a target score without going over (aka “Price is Right”).

Side challenges are optional and don’t affect league ranking. Players can retry as many times as they want to try and improve their rank. The top 4 scores play off for the prize.