Andreas Haugstrup Pedersen reports: “There were 6-8 of us at the hearing tonight to support Matt (first time I have spoken at a hearing of any kind!). The commissioners were really cool and only had questions about whether or not the games they remember from the 70s/80s were on location at FGW. The permit was approved unanimously.”

Stephen Kleckner and the EBPL Present: The Battle Royale.

One team of three will face off against another team of three. Games are coined up for two players, with one team representing player 1 and the other team representing player 2 on the DMD. Members of each team are allowed to play only one ball! The team with the highest score wins the game. Matches are best 2-out-of-3 games, with the loser of a match gaining a strike. Three strikes and your team is out of the tournament!

Go HERE to get more info and sign up your team.

Here are the results of the Pacific Pinball Open.  Thanks to all the volunteers and to those who brought a potluck dish.  The beer was especially appreciated.

My laptop had the official sign-in sheet and unfortunately it’s out of commission and out for repair.  I rebuilt everything from the score sheets and while it’s mostly complete there are a handful of qualifying names that are still unknown.  The most important is Matt S, who finished 4th.  I think this is Matt from SF League.  (EDIT: It’s been confirmed that Matt S is Matt Sarnoff of SFPD – note, I will send in the correction to IFPA once I have all the names recovered, or as many as possible)  If you know who they are, please post in the comments.  That or as soon as my laptop is repaired I’ll send a correction to IFPA.

MAIN Tournament:

SIDE

(EDIT: For clarification, a number of people have implied or stated that I created the image/poster in this post – presumably to mock the event. I did not create it. It was sent to me by the organizers.)

This Sunday, Echa Schneider (Belles and Chimes) and Jessica Rogers are hosting a womens’ tournament at Free Gold Watch.  Registration is at 1 PM and the tournament starts at 2 PM.

Even if you don’t pack the requisite equipment to participate, Free Gold Watch has over 30 pinball games including Wizard of Oz, so it’s a good excuse to go perv some chicks play some pinball.

Free Gold Watch is located at 1767 Waller Street.  To get there via public trans from the east bay take the BART to Embarcadero and then take the N-Judah Muni train to the Carl/Cole stop.  Walk three blocks north on Cole then turn left on Waller for two blocks.

If driving, don’t park long term in the McDonalds or Whole Foods lots.  You WILL get towed.

If you have questions about the tournament email bellesandchimespinball@gmail.com

A “pop-up” arcade art concept.  Keep your eyes peeled for some stuff from Tilt Warning Customs.

DID YOU KNOW the average tax rate in Denmark is 49%?  It’s true!  The money goes to pay for Denmark’s world renowned heath care and social subsidy programs.  In their “No Pinballer Left Behind” program, citizens who find themselves down on their luck or otherwise unable to pay for pinball games are guaranteed emergency access to pinball to stave off the shakes of withdrawal.  After an initial period on the usual Williams games, players are put on a strict diet of Bagatelle, and then video pinball games are used as a methadone-like replacement.  Unfortunately, the program has had limited success, and recidivism is near 100%.

On Saturday January 11, there will a Danish Culture Festival* at the Pacific Pinball Museum.  Mads Kristensen and Mikkel Sjolin will be on hand to answer all your Danish Culture Questions.  Come learn more interesting facts, and ask questions about Denmark.  For example, “Aren’t those wooden shoes uncomfortable?” and “How do you make those cool pocket knives” and “Why did you name your country after a breed of dog?”  Afterward, Mads and Mikkel will don their speedos and sun bathe topless on the Alameda Beach, according to Danish custom.

Also there will be a pinball tournament.  Entry to the tournament is FREE with Museum admission.  This is a fun, friendly format perfect for first-timers and seasoned competitors alike.  If you’ve ever been curious, this is a great event to give it a try.

When: Saturday 1/11/2014, 2PM Start Time

Where: Pacific Pinball Museum, 1510 Webster Street (By BART, exit 12th Street and take the 58A Bus to the Santa Clara Street stop.

How Much: Entry to the main tournament is FREE with regular Museum admission ($15 for adults).  Please no Groupons for this event.  Annual Memberships and Club Cards are okay.  There will also be a side tournament for a small additional fee.

Games: To be announced the day of the tournament, however, they will consist of Electro-mechanical (EM), solid state (SS) and dot matrix display (DMD) game eras.

Format: Players will be assigned a bank of three games and will play each game one time each.  The top score on each game will automatically advance to the playoffs.  The next 6 – 18 players (depending on total attendance) will qualify for the playoffs.  There will also be a special novice playoff for those who qualify**

The side tournament is top secret and will be described at the event (meaning uh… we haven’t worked out all the details yet!)

Prizes: Our good friends at STERN pinball are donating some prizes.  Plaques will go to the top 3 players in the Open division and to the winner of the Novice division.  Cash prizes will be paid out to Side Tournament winners as follows: 1st: 40% of total pot, 2nd: 30%, 3rd, 20%, 4th, 10%.

WPPRs: This tournament will award full World Pinball Player Ranking points, as well as half-WPPRs for the Side Tournament. Win or lose, by the end of the night you will be a world-ranked pinball player.

Food: Potluck!  If you bring something to share you get free entry into the side tournament, but no worries if you can’t. If nothing shows up we’ll order pizza.

*Limited to Danish Pinball Culture only

**Novice – 1) You have never finished top 3 in an open division pinball tournament that awarded full WPPR points. 2) You have never won a novice tournament. 3) You have an IFPA rank no better than 300 4)  You have never finished top 3 in a bay area pinball league that awarded WPPR points.

Nina G once again hosts comedy night in PPM’s new Gala room.  Last time it was a packed house, standing room only so get there early and play some pinball!

The Pinball Wizard was a DC Comics villain.  He didn’t last very long, only one issue of The Green Arrow.  His back-story is hilariously classic: he was a pinball manufacturer put out of business by video games, and along with two other guys who were put out of business by advancing technology, they decided to put on funny costumes and cause bad stuff.

Shafts and balls

“Unemployed, broke, and hungry, radio DJ Larry Hoefling used pinball skills to get fed and stay off his sister’s couch.”

http://thislandpress.com/12/16/2013/the-pinball-king-of-stillwater/

( Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images / February 25, 2013 )

Premier Guitar: “Your chops sound as sharp as ever. How do you maintain them?”

Brian Setzer: “I shoot a lot of pinball [laughs]. That actually makes things bad—don’t do that, because it gives you a tennis elbow or a carpal [tunnel] type of thing. Seriously, I maintain my chops simply by playing. After all these years, I don’t think a day goes by when I don’t pick up the guitar. Even if I’m playing something I learned when I was 15 years old, it’s really still a thrill just to sit down and play the thing.”

– http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/Brian_Setzer_The_Thrill_Is_Anything_But_Gone?page=4

http://www.realtor.com/news/brian-setzer-apartment/#.UsVK_GRDsR4