When joining the world of competitive pinball, there are a few terms you might hear thrown around about types of competitions: tournaments, series, and leagues. What is the difference between them? What makes the most sense for you? Let’s dig into each to better understand them.
Tournaments:
Tournaments are the easiest to understand, and the most common of the three. Tournaments can be defined as a standalone competition. Arcade Galactic Monthlies? Tournaments. SBSC at Quarters? Tournaments. Wasatch Women’s events? Tournaments. Even if they have the same name, tournaments are also defined by being different formats each time they are held. They are open to anyone to attend, although some might have pre-registration requirements.
Most of the events listed on our tournaments page are, well, tournaments.
Series:
Series are similar to tournaments, but they are defined by being the exact same format each time they are held. The Kiitos tournaments are a great example of this: events that are held weekly for a period of time, usually a few months, that are the exact same format each time they are held. Like tournaments, most series are open to anyone to attend each time the event is held. You are also not usually required to attend every event in the series, unless that is a requirement for a finals event.
Playing in a series doesn’t change the points (or wpprs) you will get from participating in that event as opposed to a tournament. It’s an easier way for a Tournament Director to submit them to the IFPA for sanctioning and an easier way as a player to know what to expect from a specific event.
Leagues:
Leagues are different from the other three in that they are a consistent group of people that meets for a set number of weeks before participating in a finals format. There is always pre-registration required to participate in leagues, and the cap on the league is dependent on who is running it and/or the location(s) the league will be at.
In Utah there are (as of this writing) two leagues that are run: Ballers League and The L.A.B. League. Both require pre-registration and a buy-in to join the league. Both of them usually run for eight weeks, and then culminate in a finals format. One of the key differences between the two is that Ballers League changes locations each week and prioritizes private locations, and The L..A.B. League plays at The L.A.B. every week.
When pre-registration begins for a league, they are usually posted publicly in either the SLAP Facebook Group or on the Utah Pinball Tournaments Instagram account.
Which is better?
Whether a tournament, series, or league is better for you depends wildly on your available time and what you want to get out of the experience.
For more casual players, tournaments and series would probably be better. They are one off events that are pretty easy to track, and it’s totally up to you whether or not you attend. You’ll likely see and meet a wider variety of people since it is open to whoever wants to attend.
For people that have more time they want to commit, or for people that want to get to know people on a deeper level, leagues might make more sense. While there is usually a larger buy-in for a league as opposed to a tournament, you’ll be playing with more or less the same people for a series of weeks. This provides an opportunity to bond with folks in a different way.
There are certainly people in pinball that participate in all three events. There are also some that prefer the flexibility of tournaments, some that prefer the set expectation of league, and some people that fall between those. You have to make the best decision for you, your needs, and your time. Ultimately, if the decision is to play pinball in any capacity, is it ever the wrong one?