Emporium Pinball League - About

Sign-ups for the current season can be found here. You can also just stop in on a regular league night and register then.

League meets at Emporium New Orleans every Tuesday at 7pm, except during winter and Mardi Gras break. At each meeting, players will play 5 rounds of group matchplay. The Match Play Events software will be used to run the league.

Players earn points on each game played. The winner of each machine gets 7 points, second place gets 5 points, third place gets 3 points and fourth place gets 1 point. Occasionally three-player groups are necessary. In three-player groups the scoring is 7/4/1.

The league standings is determined by the sum of points earned each meeting. The best 4 out of 6 results make up your total score.

All machines will be on free play beginning at 6:30pm to test for any problems. Issues should be reported to the Tournament Director or Emporium staff.

The league is limited to 32 fully paid-up members. Players can choose to drop in for a night for $1, or $5 for the 6-week season.

Finals will be on the Wednesday following the last session of the season.

Finals format will depend on # of players. If 16+ players in the league, it’ll be top 8 semifinals, players will be placed in 2 groups and play a 3 game bank; top 2 players from each group move on to finals, played on another 3 game bank. The top seed in each group will have a choice of game or player order, and they can’t pick games more than once throughout the playoffs.

General Rules

The combined PAPA/IFPA rules are used to resolve disputes and game issues. In addition the following house rules apply.

Player conduct

All players are expected to conduct themselves in a sportsmanlike manner. Conduct including but not limited to: distracting other players by yelling, slamming and/or moving the machine outside of a competitive context is something that will not be tolerated. We want a positive atmosphere at the tournament!

Any player who behaves rudely or in an inappropriate manner towards any player, scorekeeper, or tournament official may be warned, disqualified, and/or ejected from the facility.

Should a player not adhere to these guidelines, they may be warned, disqualified, and banned from participating in future events.

1st offense: Warning
2nd offense: Suspension from two future league rounds
3rd offense: Expulsion from the league

Examples of offenses: A player yells profanities/uses offensive language at an official/player. A player has a stuck ball, and instead of calling an official over, he finds a key to the game and removes the glass and subsequently the ball from its stuck position. A player who is waiting her turn to play is interfering with an active player by talking to them against their will. A player abuses the machine by kicking it.

Should someone display such egregious behavior that a warning is insufficient punishment, the tournament director may instead issue a suspension or expulsion right away.

Be ready to play

Whenever a match starts, the players are expected to be in the vicinity of the machine that is being played. It creates unnecessary delays and irritation when players leave their match to attend to personal business. Should this happen, it is the responsibility of the other players in the match to notify tournament officials, who will then take action. The official may plunge the offender’s ball, give a warning, or disqualify the player from the match/tournament for repeated offenses.

Any player who has an emergency should notify a tournament official, so that accommodations may be made.

Abuse of machines

Tilt sensors are employed to determine what constitutes unduly rough handling of each machine, within the parameters of normal play. Abusive handling such as punching, kicking, lifting, tipping, or rocking a machine, or hitting the glass in any way, is grounds for a warning and possible disqualification of game or ejection from the tournament, at the discretion of tournament officials.

Interference, Collusion, and Cheating

Any player who knowingly interferes with tournament play or otherwise disrupts the tournament setting will be warned and/or ejected from the tournament, at the discretion of tournament officials.

Any form of cheating, including game restarts, tampering with games, tampering with recorded results, scorekeeper intimidation or collusion, or anything else not covered here, will be addressed by tournament officials as appropriate, including disqualification and/or ejection from the tournament.

Death Saves & Bangbacks

Techniques known as “Death Saves” and “Bangbacks” are sometimes employed by players. These techniques are banned from tournament play. In the event that a drained ball bounces back into play without deliberate or significant player action, the ball may be played if it happens once. This may require a ruling from tournament officials if there appears to be abusive force employed by the player.

Extra Balls

If a player gets an extra ball, they must plunge the extra ball without playing. They may use the flipper buttons to lane change before plunging.

Playing out of turn

A player who plays out of turn, plays an extra ball, and/or does something else to earn him/herself a disqualification will receive a game score of zero and one point for that machine. If two or more players are disqualified on the same game, they will be tied for last. Always make sure it’s your turn before you plunge!