State of Origin - How Does your State Stack Up in the Australian Championship Series

The Australian Championship Series for the 2016 season is upon us. Almost all of the 32 invitees will be arriving in Melbourne tomorrow, Thursday the 9th, to play some side tournaments and - more importantly - get a feel for the machines for the main event that starts on the Saturday.

Jack Hutchinson show's us how they save a ball up there in Brisbane. Photo by Matthew Venables photography http://mvenables.com

Who's going to win is one question, but Australia has four states being represented in the championship too, and which one do you think is going to perform better? Well one measure that could be used is which state will have the most top 10 finishers by the end, and the answer to that is not as cut dry and one might expect!

Let's have a quick look at some of the numbers and run some analysis:

Players Attending:

• VIC - 13
• NSW - 8
• QLD - 8
• SA - 2

Players Ranked in the Australian Top 20

• NSW - 7
• VIC - 4
• QLD - 4
• SA - 2

Historically Highest World Ranked Player

• SA - Robert Macauley

Pinball 'Majors'* Tournament Champions

• NSW - 2 (Paul Jones 2016 Brisbane Masters champion, Marc Bell 2015 Batcave Masters champion)
• VIC - 1 (Jordan Tredaway 2016 Melbourne Matchplay Championship champion)

* Pinball circuit majors are considered as tournaments that adhere most stringently to IFPA rules of structure for qualifying as well as finals, entry requirements and adjudicating. The following are considered to be in this list: Brisbane Masters, Batcave Masters, Australian Pinball Championship, Pinball Expo, Queensland Pinball Open, and Melbourne Matchplay Championship.

So Victoria might have the home town advantage, as well as the most amount of players competing. Meanwhile NSW has a larger contingent of highly ranked and accomplished players, and South Australia the most experienced and decorated player. Unfortunately, Queensland can't even take the prize for travelling the furthest - New Zealand's number one ranked player David Peck would have something to say about that, and I'm sure will be happy to throw a spanner in the works and take the Australian Championship Series trophy across the ditch!

It's going to be very interesting to see how the tournament plays out over the coming days, and you will be sure to hear the news here first as it comes to hand. And remember, whatever state does eventually come out on top, it doesn't matter as long as we beat - as long as we beat - as long as we beat New Zealand!

See the Top 3 that Smashed the Coogee Pinball Flip Frenzy Just Hours Ago!

* Update as of 27th Jan - Full results added

The Coogee Flip Frenzy was held tonight at Coogee Diggers and attracted both a tough and diverse field - with the usual competitive suspects as well as a good number of female and younger players which is very welcome to see. A testament to how much work tournament director Norbert Snicer has toiled and put into his Pinball HQ League, growing the pinball sport across Australia and demographics.

Paul must be getting tired of holding up trophies and posing for cameras...

Paul Jones takes the win and yet another trophy to add to the mantel. Whilst newcomer - at least to these pages - Paul Higginbotham takes 2nd place and a very welcome return from David Loewy taking 3rd.

David Loewy 3rd (left trophy), Paul Jones 1st (centre) and Paul Higginbotham (right trophy) 2nd.

Congratulations to all players who came along for the night and showed what pinball competitions are best at - getting a goup of people together, enjoying each others company and the chaos of the silver ball!

The 5 Best Players to Watch in the IFPA Australian Championship Series in February

The IFPA Championship Series finals are taking place all over the world in February, and Australia's top 32 champions will fight it out in Melbourne to see who claims the title in 2017. Previously held in Sydney in 2015 and Brisbane in 2016, now it's Melbourne's turn to show the world Australia's best.

This picture was taken at the 2016 Batcave Masters - where many picked up a majority of World Ranking Points going toward their ACS seeding this year. Photo by Matthew Venables Photography http://mvenables.com

Here Game the System lays down the facts and figures - and boldy predicts the top 5 players most likely to stand above the rest and hold aloft the cup!

Jordan Tredaway - Here taking 1st place at the 2016 PAX Australia Pinball Championship.

1. Jordan Tredaway - Australian Rank: 5th out of 1673 players

Location: Melbourne VIC

IFPA ACS Seed: 1st

Jordan is the youngest competitor in this years ACS and one of the newest competitors on the scene. He hasn't let time get in the way of clawing to the top of Australian pinball however - he's seeded 1st out of the 32 players, and has had a habit of winning just about every tournament he enters. His first major tournament win being the 2016 Melbourne Matchplay Championship, he also won the Melbourne Matchplay Flip Frenzy and the 2016 PAX Australia Championship. You will be sure all players will be dreading being matched up with Jordan in the ACS - even those that have been playing for over 30 years!

Paul Jones - Last years ACS Champion.

2. Paul Jones - Australian Rank: 6th out of 1673 players

Location: Wollongong NSW

IFPA ACS Seed: 5th

Not much needs to be said about Paul that hasn't already been said very recently - including news that he is one of two players representing Australia this year in the IFPA World Pinball Championships in Denmark (check post below this one), and that he's the defending champion having won the previous Australian Championship Series in Brisbane last year. The only other thing to be said is to try and avoid playing against him, and be sure to watch him if you're not!

Brett Goodwin (right) - Powered by caffeine...

3. Brett Goodwin - Australian Rank: 4th out of 1673 players

Location: Lake Macquarie NSW

IFPA ACS Seed: 6th

Brett is the type of player that effortlessly steam rolls opponents and doesn't break a sweat doing it. He's represented Australia in the PAPA World Pinball Championships and IFPA World Pinball Championships last year in the USA. He also happens to be the Australian Championship Series champion of 2015 which was held in Sydney. A very friendly and approachable guy, but just watch out if you're playing him - he's got a serious streak that won't let you get away with any funny business!

Robert Macauley (right) - Pinball and video game champion.

4. Robert Macauley - Australian Rank: 3rd out of 1673 players

Location: Adelaide SA

IFPA ACS Seed: 13th

This is a guy you need to keep an eye on... His outward calm and quiet demeanor is an interesting contrast (or perhaps compliment) to the level of skill he posesses with not just pinball, but all of gaming - his many world record scores on Twin Galaxies will attest to that! He was also one of the two Australian representatives for last years PAPA World Pinball Championships and IFPA World Pinball Championships in the USA along with Brett Goodwin. There's always been an air of unmatched skill in the top 4 ranked Australian pinballers, and Rob is the only one of those 4 attending the ACS this year. Don't underestimate this guy just based on his ACS seed this year...

Matthew Venables (right) practicing his other art - photography.

5. Matthew Venables - Australian Rank: 15th out of 1673 players

Location: Sydney NSW

IFPA ACS Seed: 17th

You want a dark horse for this years ACS? Those who know Matthew will tell you he's certainly not a dark horse at all, but he has yet to take a major championship and therefore might fly under the rader of general recognition. He's always up there though, finishing in the top 5 of just about everything he enters. And he keeps getting better, and he keeps smashing every grand champion score that's around. At some point he's going to crack that 1st spot in a major - and it could be this time.

Interestingly, this years ACS may be remembered for the players who aren't competing rather than who is. All 3 of the players who have previously held the spot of Australian Rank number 1, and top 100 in the world, are unable to make it this time around for various reasons (even though each one did qualify). Peter Watt (Australian Rank 1st), Richard Rhodes (Australian Rank 2nd), and Steven Edwards (Australian Rank 8th). You can be sure many of players competing will be breathing a sigh of relief for that!

Peter Watt - Australia's current number 1, is unable to attend this year.

Here's the full list of 32 players and their seed for this years ACS. Any one of them can take the win on the day.

1. Jordan Tredaway - Aus Rank 5th - VIC
2. Greg Gee - Aus Rank 13th - NSW
3. Luke Marburg - Aus Rank 9th - VIC
4. Martin Robbins - Aus Rank 12th - VIC
5. Paul Jones - Aus Rank 6th - NSW
6. Brett Goodwin - Aus Rank 4th - NSW
7. Jason Lambert - Aus Rank 7th - QLD
8. Gavin Drogemuller - Aus Rank 31st - QLD
9. Stuart Thornton - Aus Rank 21st - VIC
10. Johnny Crabtree - Aus Rank 14th - VIC
11. Pat Nichols - Aus Rank 18th - NSW
12. Paul Reid - Aus Rank 23rd - NSW
13. Robert Macauley - Aus Rank 3rd - SA
14. John Hutchinson - Aus Rank 11th - QLD
15. Greg Siegele - Aus Rank 10th - SA
16. Rob Singh - Aus Rank 17th - QLD
17. Matthew Venables - Aus Rank 15th - NSW
18. Brian Schleibs - Aus Rank 25th - VIC
19. Michi Henning - Aus Rank 46th - QLD
20. Stacey Borg - Aus Rank 35th - VIC
21. Jasen Mouritsen - Aus Rank 29th - QLD
22. Andrew Ferguson - Aus Rank 19th - NSW
23. Wal Dickie - Aus Rank 39th - VIC
24. Geoff Wills - Aus Rank 49th - VIC
25. Grant Quinn - Aus Rank 33rd - QLD
26. Marcus Sezonov - Aus Rank 41st - VIC
27. Marc Bell - Aus Rank 20th - NSW
28. Nick Hamhougias - Aus Rank 32nd - VIC
29. Chris Wade - Aus Rank 61st - QLD
30. Alex Nunn - Aus Rank 43rd - VIC
31. John Ebejer - Aus Rank 37th - VIC
32. David Peck - NZ Rank 1st - Auckland NZ

The Australian Championship Series will kick off on the 10th February at the Thornbury Bowls Club, Melbourne Victoria.

Breaking! Meet the 2 Aussies that will Represent the Country in the World Pinball Championships

* Updated 18th Jan - Luke Marburg response added

News just to hand is that the two Australian players that will represent the country in the IFPA World Pinball Championships this June in Denmark has just been decided! Confirmed to attend - and now I'm sure quickly putting together travel plans - is Paul Jones from Wollongong NSW, and Luke Marburg from Melbourne Victoria!

Paul Jones. No stranger to readers of this site. He has a habit of winning - well - everything!

Paul Jones has amassed a tournament record in a few short years that veterans would be jealous of - finishing 1st in pinball majors such as the 2016 Brisbane Masters, 2016 ACT Pinball Championship, and the 2015 IFPA Australian Championship Series. Paul was also Game the System's first ever Player Feature and you can learn more just by heading over to the People section of the site!

We contacted Paul and asked his thoughts on being invited to what would be just a dream for most:

"Obviously honoured mate to represent your country at anything - especially something that I am so passionate about. Can't wait to get over there amongst the best in the world and hopefully do my fellow Aussie pinheads proud. Really looking forward to it as it will be a great experience."

A rare site indeed - usually Luke is running the tournament, not playing in it!

Luke Marburg has been a driving force in the resurgence of leagues and pinball tournaments in Victoria. This pro-active and motivated attitude toward the sport has been recognised by the IFPA world body as he was recently asked - and subsequently accepted - the role of Australian IFPA Country Director. He has also racked up an impressive record especially in the many Victorian pinball leagues, with no less than ten 1st place finishers.

We contacted Luke and this is what he had to say:

"I'm really excited. Getting an invite to the IFPA World Championships is a dream come true, and quite possibly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It's a rare chance to meet and test my skills against the world's best. Glad to be heading over to Denmark with Paul; I'm sure we'll have a blast."

Congratulations goes to both players who are not only two of the very best players in Australia, but are also two of the nicest guys you could meet. I could not think of two better people to show the world how we drink beer - I mean play pinball and be ambassadors for the nation.

The 6 Huge Pinball Tournaments You Have to Watch

If you thought 2016 was packed full of major events, 2017 has swaggered in and said 'hold my beer' - there's 6 huge tournaments on the calendar and it's not even the end of January yet!

The 2016 Brisbane Masters was one of many major tournaments held last year. Photo by Matthew Venables Photography http://mvenables.com

The 6 tournaments not to miss! Click on the links to see further information and location details.

Coogee Flip Frenzy - 26th January - Sydney

Now in it's second year, the Coogee Flip Frenzy is set to unleash chaos on pinball players once more! An absolutely frenetic style of tournament and a hell of a lot of fun, get ready to flip fast and meet a lot of people - very quickly!

IFPA Australian Championship Series Final - 9th - 12th February - Melbourne

The event that a lot of people have been waiting a whole year for - mainly to see if they qualify! Unlike other tournaments, this calculates every tournament and the participants results for an entire year, and the best of the best (top 32 IFPA World Pinball Player Ranking point tallies) gets a special little golden ticket - or perhaps just an email - into this invite only event! This is not just an event that happens in Australia but all over the world!

2017 Pinball HQ Marathon - 20th - 26th February - Sydney

This annual event has been a staple on the calendar for a number of years now. And as the title suggests - it is a bit of a marathon or at least, it can be if you plan to qualify! Allowing an entire week for the qualification period and as many games as you care to do so. This can be very tough as only the largest scores will possibly compete with some of Australia's top players. And this year, like others, the Pinball HQ Marathon will play host to France's number 1 (and ranked 56th in the world) Franck Bona who attends once more.

New Zealand Kiwi Pincade - 2nd - 5th March - Auckland

Arguably the greatest pinball and game room tour in the world, the 2017 New Zealand Kiwi Pincade is on again and celebrating it's 10th anniversary! Don't take our word for it - just ask Gary Stern - CEO of Stern Pinball - who came along last year. Rumour has it some other Stern people may come along to this one too!

2017 Australian Women's Pinball Championship - 31st March - Gold Coast

The first of its kind! We are all very excited that this has been organised after many years of speculation. You can read all about this inaugural event in the blog post below this one!

Timezone Cooly Pinball Classic - 31st March - 2nd April - Gold Coast

There are no less than 5 pinball tournament events planned for this massive 3 days in the Gold Coast - including the Australian Women's Championships. If you are a tournament pinball player chasing those world ranking points, you would not want to miss out on this one!

It's on! See Australia's First Women's Pinball Championship

After years of hope, discussion and speculation that a Women's Pinball Championship could be organised in Australia, we finally receive word that yes, it's on, and it's on soon!

Naiomi Goodwin - current number 1 Australian women's pinball player.

Announced via the popular Aussie Arcade forum, Jason Lambert - one of Australia's greatest pinball players and tournament organisers - has detailed the inaugural tournament structure:

Introducing the FIRST EVER Australian Women's Pinball Championship.
This event will be a part of the 2017 TZ Cooly Pinball Classic, to be held at Timezone Coolangatta on Friday 31st March.

AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP

Players will be able to pre-register or register on the night from 6pm.
Qualifying will start from 6.30pm, and we may consider late arrivals to join in until around 7pm.

Qualifying:
* All players will play 10 games (5 machines, 2 games on each), with scoring on each machine to be ranked highest to lowest.
* Points will be awarded for each game 100/99/98... etc.
* The top 4 points winners will advance to the finals (may go to Top 8 depending number of entrants)
* Ties for 4th place will be broken by a single game playoff on a machine chosen at random

Finals: (if Top 4)
* Top 4 players will play all 5 machines in a group of 4. IFPA Match play points will be awarded for each game (7/5/3/1)
* The winner will be the player with the most points won during finals. Ties for any placings will be broken by a single game playoff on a machine chosen at random.

Finals: (if Top 8)
* Top 8 players will be split into 2 groups of 4 according to their qualifying placing. Groups will be split as follows - seeds 1,2,7,8 and seeds 3,4,5,6.
* Each group will play 3 games using the IFPA Match Play scoring (7/5/3/1). Top 2 point scorers in each group will advance to the next round.
* Final group of 4 players will play a further 5 games together, continuing with the IFPA Match Play scoring. Points will NOT carry over.
* The winner will be the player with the most points during the final round of 5 games. Ties for any placings will be broken by a single playoff on a machine chosen at random.

Cost: $20 per player

As mentioned, players can pre-register and supply payment through the banking details to be listed above soon.

We have been looking at running this event for some time now, and we are pleased and very excited that this Women's Championship is coming to life. We all hope to see the best of Women's pinball on the Gold Coast at the end of March and see who will become Australia's first Women's Pinball Champion 

You can register here, via PM or via email dj_j2008@hotmail.com

Cheers,
Peter, Hollie & Lambo

Game the System is a keen supporter of diversity in pinball and would like to thank Jason, Peter and Hollie for taking the initiative and putting in the work to make this championship a reality. Just recently Game the System made a contribution to the 2017 IFPA Women's World Pinball Championships scheduled for March 16th in Texas USA. We also look forward to providing as much support as possible for the first Australian Women's Championship.

We contacted Naiomi Goodwin - Australia's current women's number 1 pinball player - and asked her thoughts on this exciting development;

"I think it's a pretty exciting opportunity to encourage women to play competitive pinball and I'm pumped to go head to head with the best ladies in the country.  I also appreciate that the male dominant nature of pinball can be intimidating for some women and an event like this may encourage more women to give it a go and hopefully eventually feel comfortable enough to transition into main comps. Personally I love playing against the guys but I'd also love to see more women in pinball and if an event like this can coax more women into pinball then I'm all for it!"

I would suggest going to the Aussie Arcade forum here to keep track of any announcement or up to date information. There is also information in the same forum regarding the other tournaments scheduled for the same time, with a total of five tournaments held over the three days!

Get to Know Paul Reid - Stunning Game the System Player Feature!

It was only a few days ago that Paul Reid won the Pinball HQ Grand Final, winning himself not only the prestige of being the 2016 champion, but taking home a Stern Galaxy pinball machine as the prize!

Click the image above to visit the Player Feature.

In Game the System's latest Player Feature, Paul tells his story of how he found pinball, what drives him to compete, as well as his background in career and home life. It's a great story accompanied by some stunning photos of Paul and the game room he built himself, under his house! You also get to hear the story of why his friends call him DOG...

Click through to the Player Feature for an enormous 10 slides - an xmas and new years gift from us to you! We hope you enjoy.

Paul Reid Wins Pinball HQ Grand Final!

Paul Reid survives a very tough finals round to take the win and a Galaxy pinball machine!​

The games were tough with many house balls and some blow up games. But ultimately Paul survived to take the grand final amongst a very tough field.​

​Greg McMahon took 2nd place, Reon Seeny 3rd, and Pat Nichols 3rd.

Stay tuned for a full player feature on Paul Reid coming soon!​

The 6 People to Follow in Pinball HQ Grand Final!

The culmination of a years worth of competition at the Pinball HQ at Coogee Diggers Club in Sydney is coming to a close. The grand prize: a beautiful pinball machine called Galaxy, made in 1980 by Stern. A collectors piece to some, a league finals trophy to others!

Image from the Pinball HQ Facebook page. Click through to visit and get involved! https://www.facebook.com/PinballHQ/

The years worth of events have qualified a number of players to the finals rounds which have taken place over the December period. After 9 rounds of finals played on Galaxy, there are only 6 players left who can take home the prize - and we will see who that is tonight!

Big names that have been knocked out of tonight's grand final in previous rounds include the highest rated player in the competition Brett Goodwin (Australian rank 4th). And last years Pinball HQ Champion Greg G (Australian rank 14th).

The elite few who still survive are;

1. Pat Nichols - Australian rank 17th
2. Paul Reid - Australian rank 24th
3. Reon Seeny - Australian rank 34th
4. Greg McMahon - Australian rank 56th
5. Martin Snicer - Australian rank 57th
6. Aaron Crichton - Australian rank 227th

Game the System will be providing live results as they happen in the comments section of this post. Follow along and see who takes home the (very heavy) prize!

Coming Soon - More Pinball Player Features!

Readers of Game the System would be aware that every few months we post an exclusive Player Feature. A window into the lives of some of the most interesting people involved in the hobby across Australia.

Click on the image above to visit the full slides from each player.

Since the site launched in February of 2016, we have featured three people - Paul Jones of Wollongong, Naiomi Goodwin of Lake Macquarie, and Andrew Ferguson of Sydney. The great news is that this momentum will continue as we close out 2016 and into 2017 with another four people currently in top secret negotiations! And don't hold us to it, but we are even hoping to give everyone a little Xmas and New Years gift with a feature posted towards the end of December (but maybe we are being a bit ambitious on that one, let's see).

Will we see player features from people across far away states? Will our small team of creatives manage to overcome the logistical nightmare of flying very large equipment across the border(s)? Perhaps soon... Keep an eye on the site for more tidbits and news as soon as we can share them.

Marc Bell Wins Second ZBall Pinball League Final

Sydney was threatened with storms just as the second ZBall Pinball League final was kicking off at the Lord Raglan Hotel in Redfern. Wether the storms actually happened or not I don't think anyone noticed - the beer and laughs were free flowing and the conditions outside were of little concern.

Marc playing in the first ZBall final at the Courhouse Hotel Newtown - Photo courtesy Matthew Venables Photography http://mvenables.com

In a fitting twist to the original format, the 'modern' machine meant for the second final was swapped with a classic, seeing as the classic set for the first final had to be switched with a modern... If you follow me. So the machine for the night was Wild Life - a great electro mechanical pinball machine that honestly converted a few people to the EM play style on the night. It was that popular with the competitors.

Same rules as normal - three games per player with their score averaged and then compared against everyone else. The lead switched a number of times and was held on occasion by Tim Chapman, Dana Pepcak, and Brian Grant, who all seemed likely to take the big prize at the end. However, with three rounds of 'buyins' (where players are invited to buy an extra game for - wait for it - $20!), Dana was holding on to the lead until the second last game of the night, where Marc Bell (hey that's me!) snatches the lead in a massive game! As fate would have it, Dana had the very last game of the night to play and so it was all on the line, but unfortunately she was unable to better her previous scores and Marc walked away with the win!

The action at the Lord Raglan Hotel. Special shout outs to Sam (far background) who said his goodbyes to the Sydney crowd as he moves far out west shortly - Photo courtesy Matthew Venables Photography http://mvenables.com

With a choice of either Diner or Doctor Who as the prize, after a small amount of consideration I decided to take Doctor Who which I will happily welcome to the collection.

A great night had by all, and ZBall continues into 2017 for competition 13 - still the longest running pinball tournament in Australia!

Major eSports Network (ESPN) Highlights Pinball

Earlier this year I found myself in the Colorado rockies USA eating a fantastic meal at a bar, situated at the base of beautiful snow capped mountains. Imagine my shock and - after I picked up my jaw off the floor - utter joy, to look up at the television behind the bar to see the EVO Street Fighter V video game tournament being broadcast live. The largest fighting game tournament in the world - and it has to be repeated: being live broadcast, nationally across the USA. I expected Baseball.

Image from http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/page/enterprise-gagno161110/how-robert-gagno-became-one-best-pinball-players-world

I looked around at the crowd gathered at the bar. I couldn't be the only person to perceive the obvious contrast of this location and what is currently being beamed into the faces of grizzled bar-flies and visiting tourists. Enjoying their meals and conversation, and enjoying the folk music being played by the band in the corner. I wondered what these people thought of such a thing, and somewhat expected a more inebriated person to yell at the staff to 'change the fucking channel'. Well the fact is, some people seemed to be watching on in bemusement, but most were either quietly confused or just didn’t seem to care.

This is an ESPN broadcast, and more specifically eSports at ESPN. And while I’m not completely up to speed with the professional eSports coverage situation worldwide, the fact is ESPN is mainstream media as much as any is, and is pushing eSports in a big, big way. Street Fighter, Counter Strike, Overwatch, the players of these games earn millions and attract thousands of fans. And yes, also enjoy national broadcast coverage. It might have taken a decade longer than enthusiasts thought it would, but eSports is now big and your mum and dad (if they live in the USA at least) has probably seen it on the tube.

This is why when ESPN gives coverage to competitive pinball, it’s big news.

Image from http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/page/enterprise-gagno161110/how-robert-gagno-became-one-best-pinball-players-world

Link: ESPN Magazine - The Charmer - By Chris Koentges

The print magazine version of this article went to stores a little while ago, but this week the article is also now up on their website for all to enjoy. A fantastic article on the tale of Robert Gagno, the Canadian pinball sensation and now world pinball champion. He’s had a feature documentary made about him (Wizard Mode which is now available world wide), and has attracted a very large amount of attention particularly in his home country and the states. And it’s not just because he has a really interesting story to tell about growing up with autism and the challenges he and his family face every day. It’s also because he provides a lens with which the spectator can easily approach and comprehend competitive pinball play and the nuance and quirkiness of the world pinball community. How better to introduce such a niche subject, than frame it from the eyes of a person who has difficulty relating, understanding and moving amongst social cliques and complex rules. The viewer learns along with Robert and can empathise with his triumphs as a result.

So while the article is about Robert Gagno, the fact that ESPN is using this as a vehicle to discuss competitive pinball is massive for the sport. The fact that they have also featured former NBA player Todd MacCulloch is clearly no accident - it’s another wink and a nudge to say ‘hey, this stuff is serious guys, pay attention'.

Where will it all go from here? Who knows really, but I can’t help myself thinking this could be the start of ESPN + IFPA or something equally exciting. But I’ve been known to dream a little too enthusiastically before… Feel free to pull me back to reality every now and again, regardless the evidence of magic once materialised still captured on my phone.

Andrew Winter Wins ZBall Pinball League Final

Winners are grinners! Andrew Winter, long time ZBall member and multiple ZBall league champion, picks up another trophy for the mantle - another pinball machine!

Andrew Winter knows his Champion Pub - and everyone else walked away knowing a lot more about the game afterward! Photo courtesy Matthew Venables Photography - http://mvenables.com

Andrew got to choose between taking home a Diner or a Black Rose pinball machine. As of wrapping up, that decision was still being mulled over. I don't think you can go wrong with either machine in my opinion...

The final wasn't quite as expected - with the machine to be played in the final originally planned as a wood rail. Unfortunately, due to circumstances out of Roger Z's control, this became unavailable on the day and he had to scurry around for another solution. The backup plan of Firepower also getting scuttled at the last moment, Roger ended up grabbing the only thing left in transportable distance - Champion Pub. Not much of a 'classic' in the true sense of the word, but as Roger pointed out - it is 20 years old! We can't fault him on that logic.

Beer, pinball and laughs - I think this photo captures the essence of ZBall quite well. Photo by Paul Kaczorek.

The format was every player has three games on the machine and their scores averaged across the three games. Andrew absolutely blew the game up on his first game and no one really ever threatened his lead from there. John Pansini (finishing 2nd place) gave it a good go, and Mark Tibbits (I think 3rd place?) almost got close too. In fact, Mark quite possibly could have passed it if he didn't drain before cashing in a giant jackpot, handily slam tilting the machine for it's troubles (much to the amusement of all on lookers).

It was a great night. If you want to take part or watch on, don't forget the second ZBall final is on next week, 23rd November at the Lord Raglan Hotel in Redfern. Hope to see you there!

ZBall Pinball League Finals 15th and 23rd

The ZBall Pinball League finals are on. Now! 

Roger Z - the owner and organiser of ZBall - is not just content with the longest running Pinball competition in Australia (I'm reasonably confident no one else has been going for 12 years consecutively...) . He's stepped it up considerably this year with running two finals, and as a result giving away two pinball machines!

The first final is tonight, Tuesday 15th November at the Courthouse Hotel Newtown. This one will be (if history shows) played on a classic game from the 70s or early 80s, with each player getting three attempts to put up the highest score. The competition is held in the front bar so all and sundry can watch on and marvel at the crazy pinheads. 

The second final is on Wednesday 23rd November at the Lord Raglan Hotel in Redfern. This is - as far as I understand - to be played on a modern game but with a similar format to the first final. 

Always a fun and social League and just as much social final, all are encouraged to come along and join in on the banter and - let's be honest - multitude of alcoholic beverages. You can even participate in the final if you've got cash burning a hole in your wallet: Roger has made available tickets that can be purchased if you either haven't been participating in the league to qualify, or if you didn't manage to qualify. These don't come cheap though, at between $150 to $200 a pop... Still, if you're a gambling man and like your chances at a pinball machine for winning...

I'll try and post results in the comments, but I get the feeling the results may not be well understood until way into the night. We will see how things go.

New Australian IFPA Pinball Country Director

Meet your new country director...

L C M

A.K.A. Luke Marburg

On Tuesday night it was announced that Luke has been appointed as the second country director for Australia.

What does this mean?! Is Dan out of the job?

No. Luke will be assisting Dan with assessment and submission of all new Australian tournaments from now. This means that Dan will be still solely handling any tournaments that have been already submitted.

So who’s this Luke guy...?

Luke Marburg is currently ranked 8th in Australia and 305th in the world according to the IFPA rankings. For perspective, 8th in Australia is one above Jack Hutch, and one below Greg Siegele. Luke has been running local comps in Melbourne for roughly 3 years, and coming from a poker background, he has a real knack for tournament mechanics.

Martin Robbins, a local of Melbourne had this to say:

“​This is great news for the Competitive Pinball community. Luke is not only a great guy but is the most knowledgeable person I know when it comes to tournament rules, formats, rulings and overall knowledge of the global pinball scene. With so many more tournaments now in Australia the amount of work required by Dan to keep on top of things must be huge and Luke coming on board only helps us now but enables more clubs, leagues and one off tournaments to be supported.

Further, Luke is crazy when it comes to numbers, calculating chances of success and keeping everyone informed of their progress during comps - he is the go to person at most Melbourne comps especially as he attends all of them regularly - he is absolutely the most committed person to the Melbourne competitive pinball community.”

— M. Robbins

We did get a chance to speak to Luke at the PAX gaming convention this past weekend and he told us that he fell into the role. Luke had been helping Dan with some of the more complicated aspects of pinball tournament rules and gradually over time became an obvious choice. All that was left was Dan’s recommendation to the IFPA for the official appointment.

Luke’s enthusiasm for the role appeared tentative, and I suspect this is due to the amount of responsibility. However, during the PAX IFPA pinball competition he was very clear in explaining formats and when called on to make a ruling it was done quickly and without hesitation. Already he has taken up the role like a veteran.

The position of country director fills an essential function without which competitive pinball could not operate. Dan and Luke receive nothing in return for the effort they put in, and so we have to praise Luke for stepping up and taking on this role.

There is now an official contact email for the Australian country directors that can be used for tournament and score submissions. ausifpa@gmail.com

Author: John Pansini

Jordan Tredaway wins PAX Pinball Tournament

One of Melbourne's youngest pinball competitors has once again taken out a tournament with a very tough field. This time at PAX Australia 2016! 

Jordan is amassing a trophy cabinet that would be the envy of any player - be it Pinball or any other game. A big congratulations to him and all the competitors, organisers and tournament officials. 

Wal Dickie took 2nd place, and Geoff Wills 3rd. 

Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) Pinball Tournament on Now!

The IFPA sanctioned pinball tournament at PAX 2016 is on as we speak, with players trying to qualify for the finals happening at 4:30pm. 

We will attempt to post live updates in the comments as the finals progress, so stay tuned... 

PAX Australia Announces Pinball Tournament

Today the much anticipated schedule for the Australian Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) - taking place just a few short weeks away on November 4th-6th in Melbourne - has finally been released. The list is gargantuan, and if you plan on attending a lot of the sessions you will be one tired little gamer!

This expo is big. REAL big.

Amongst the many events occurring over the three days is a very welcome surprise - an IFPA sanctioned pinball tournament!

The format of the competition is as below (copy and paste from pinballscore.com):

• PAX AUS PINBALL TOURNAMENT
• November 5, 2016
• Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
• 1 Convention Centre Place, South Wharf VIC 3006
• Get the top score in any one of the four qualifying sessions on any of the five competition machines to qualify for the final at 6:00pm.
• Qualifying sessions:
• 12:30pm-1:30pm
• 1:30pm-2:30pm
• 2:30pm-3:30pm
• 3:30pm-4:30pm
• Three-strike finals commence 6:00pm.
• Each round, each player is randomly assigned an opponent.
• Players are eliminated after losing three matches.
• Last player standing wins.

There will also be a number of pinball attractions to see and take part in, with beginner player lessons, couples tournaments, and more! Be sure to check out the full schedule on the PAX Australia website at: http://www.paxaustralia.com.au/schedule

Richard Rhodes Wins the Pinball HQ Flip Frenzy

A great day at Coogee Diggers was had with Richard taking 1st place, Brett Goodwin taking 2nd, Greg Jones 3rd and Paul Reid 4th. 

Pinball HQ Flip Frenzy - On Now!

The Pinball HQ Flip Frenzy starts in about 30 minutes, and is Sydney's first using this new format! Fast paced and chaotic, it's fun to see the tournament directors handle of the situation, let alone the players... 

The announcements begin with Norbert Snicer.