Michigan Open Pinball Tournament

Official Rules

last updated 5/21/2010

The Tournament director is Parker Thomas.  The Event Coordinator is John Kosmal.   Tournament Directors and Event Coordinators are excluded from play.  Other tournament helpers are eligible to play in the tournament.

Tournament Overview

The majority of the tournament consists of qualifying rounds for singles players. During these rounds, each player may make as many qualifying attempts as they like, within a single division chosen according to skill. 

Each qualifying attempt consists of play on a machine the player selects from those available in the division. The player's performance on those machines is ranked and a composite score is determined. The highest composite scores within each division will advance to the final rounds.

In the final rounds, qualifying players play against each other in 2-player games.  Winners advance until a champion is determined.

Divisions of Play

• A Division - 

• B Division -
  

• Novice Division -                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
  1.) If you don't meet any of the above criteria listed for the A and B-Divisions , then you are a "Novice Division Player" unless you choose to participate
        in a higher Division. This division is intended for new and novice pinball players.
  

• Women's Division -

• Kids Division-
  

• Classics -
  

Fees

There is a 1 time registration fee of $10 for A and $5 for B Division.  There is no registration fee for the remaining divisions.  This money will go towards awards, tickets, and the cost of running the tournaments.

Players may enter in their chosen division(s) as many times as they like.  The entry fee for each entry is:

• A Division - $5 for 1 entry or $10 for 3 entries.
  
• B Division - $3 for 1 entry or $5 for 2 entries.
• Novice Division - $2 per entry or $5 for 3 entries.
  
• Women's - $2 per entry or $5 for 3 entries.
• Kids - $1 per entry.
• Classics - $3 for 1 entry or $5 for 2 entries.

Entry fees collected will be paid back to the winning players in the form of cash.  50 cents of each entry fee in A and B divisions and  25 cents of each entry in the remaining divisions will be placed in a pool that will be used to compensate people who provide games for the tournament.   The remaining amount will be distributed to the winners in the form of cash described below.  All entry fees will be paid back to the players or game providers.

The tournament features cash prizes.   The total amount of cash prizes for the winners is based upon the number of tournament entries.   The number of places that receive a cash prize may  be adjusted based upon the number of players that advance to the play-off brackets.   The cash prizes for the kids tournament are a fixed value as listed below.
 
Playoffs of losers will be used, if needed, to determine final positions for the top 4 places only.  Final positions of players for less than 4th place will be determined by seed position.

• A Division 
  
• 1st Place -  35% of prize pool (guaranteed $1000 minimum****).  First Place Trophy. 
  
• 2nd Place - 20%
  
• 3rd Place -  15%
  
• 4th Place -  10%
  
• 5th Place - 5%
  
• 6th Place - 5%
• 7th Place - 5%
• 8th Place - 5%

**** In the unlikely event that the prize pool is less than $2857, then 1st place will receive $1000 from the prize pool.  The remaining places will receive a percentage of what remains in the prize pool:  2nd-40%, 3rd-30%, 4th-10%, 5th thru 8th - 5%.

• B Division
  • 1st Place -  35% of prize pool.   First Place Trophy. 
  • 2nd Place - 20%
    
  • 3rd Place - 15%
    
  • 4th Place - 10%
  • 5th Place - 5%
  • 6th Place - 5%
  • 7th Place - 5%
  • 8th Place - 5%

• Novice Division
  • 1st Place - 35% of prize pool.   First Place Trophy. 
  • 2nd Place - 20%
    
  • 3rd Place -  15%
  • 4th Place - 10%
    
  • 5th Place - 5%
  • 6th Place - 5%
  • 7th Place - 5%
  • 8th Place - 5%
• Women's Division
  • 1st Place - 50% of prize pool.   First Place Trophy. 
  • 2nd Place - 25%
    
  • 3rd Place - 15%
  • 4th Place - 10%
    
• Kids division
• 1st Place -$100.   First Place Trophy. 
• 2nd Place - $50.
  
• 3rd Place - $30. 
  
• 4th Place - $20.
• Classics division (per day that tournament runs)
  
  • 1st Place - 50% of prize pool for Classics Division.  First Place Trophy
    
  • 2nd Place - 25% of prize pool. 
    
  • 3rd Place - 15% of prize pool.  
  • 4th Place - 10% of prize pool.
    

The winner of the A Division will also receive the title "Michigan Pinball Champion".

Qualifying Rounds

Purchasing entries and playing entries.

Entry tickets can be purchased at the table selling entries located to the left of the tournament games.

When a player is ready to play a qualifying round entry, he or she approaches the table and informs the scorekeeper that they would like to play an entry.  If this is their first entry they must register at this time.  The player must tell the scorekeeper which game they will be playing for this entry.  If the machine is available for play the entrant may then proceed directly to the machine and play a SINGLE game.  If the machine is in use, the entrant will be placed in the line waiting for that machine.  It is the responsibility of entrants to be available for play when they are at the front of the line. 

Players may select a different machines for each qualifying entry. 

At the end of each game, the player will request that the scorekeeper record his or her score before leaving the machine. It is the player's responsibility to ensure that the scorekeeper takes down the score, and to double check the recorded score for correctness.  If the score is not in the top 8 scores for that machine/division it will not score any points and does not need to be recorded.

Any entry left unplayed or uncompleted at the end of qualifying rounds will be voided and refunded. Entries that are intentionally unplayed or otherwise left incomplete through no fault of the tournament will not necessarily be refunded.

All scores posted on a particular machine are maintained in a ranking. Point values are assigned to each position in this ranking. The overall score of a player is the total of the point values assigned to its ranked scores across all the tournament machines. Because the rankings will change as new scores are posted on each machine, the overall score of each entry may change as the tournament progresses.

Scores cannot be compared across divisions. Only the highest entry score for each game for each player will be recorded.  As the qualifying rounds progress, players may wish to adjust their choice of qualifying machines according to the scores already posted, as well as their personal skills and preferences.

The rank of the player's result on each machine contributes the following points to the score for that player.

1st - 100 points
2nd - 95 points
3rd - 92 points
4th - 90 points
5th - 89 points
6th - 88 points
7th - 87 points
8th - 86 point.
...and so on...


Tournament officials will endeavor to provide up-to-date scores and rankings at all times.

Scoring Examples

There are five games in the A division.  A given player, at the end of qualifying has placed 1st on game A, 4th on game B, 7th on game C,  8th on game D, and 11th on game E.  This player receives a total of 446 points -
100 points (game A) 
  90 points (game B)
  87 points (game C) 
  86 points (game D)
  83 points (game E)

Final Rounds

Advancing to Finals

When qualifying rounds have been completed, a final calculation of entry scores will be made. Those scores will be ranked, and the top players in each division will advance to the final rounds. Only the highest entry score for each game for each player will be considered.

The number of qualifying slots which will advance to the final rounds is dependent upon the number of players competing.

• At a minimum, each division will take the top 4 qualifiers to the final rounds.
• If there are at least 15 unique players that have entered and played at least one game in a division then the top 7 will advance to the finals.
• If there are at least 20 unique players that have entered and played at least one game in a division then the top 12 will advance to the finals.
• If there are at least 25 unique players that have entered and played at least one game in a division then the top 16 will advance to the finals.  

Finals will be single elimination bracket play.  For A, B, Novice and Classics division each round will be best 2 of 3 games.  For Women's and Kids each round will be a 1 game match.  The higher seeded player will choose the game to be played or order- the lower seeded player makes the remaining choice.  In each round, the same machine may not be chosen more than once (unless there are less than 3 games in the finals).  Game 3 will only be played if necessary.

Final rounds will be played in the order of highest seeding to lowest.   In the event a qualifying player is not available when their match is ready to be played, tournament officials will make a specific announcement for that player, allowing 5 minutes for that player to appear.  If the player is still not available to play then they will forfeit the match.  During a round, players are expected to be ready to play when it is their turn.  Tournament officials may warn players that take more than 60 seconds to start their turn.  After a warning is received a player taking longer than 60 seconds to start their turn may have their ball plunged by tournament officials. 

The finals bracket for A and B division will be similar to the following.  Note that higher seeded players will have a significant advantage.

The finals for Novice, Women's, Kids, and Classics division will be a standard single elimination bracket.  Any necessary byes will be awarded to the highest seeded players.

If two or more players are tied in points for seeding then a tiebreaker will be used as follows:
- Most 1st places on qualifying games.
- Most 2nd places on qualifying games.
......
- Most 8th places on qualifying games.

Finally, in the unlikely event this does not break the tie, a coin flip will be used to determine the qualifier.

Machines Chosen

The machines used for final rounds in each division will be designated before the beginning of the final rounds of play. This designation will be determined solely by tournament officials.   The tournament officials will give preference to machines in the following order:

1. In proper working order.
2. Used in qualifying.
3. Suitable for tournament play.

If necessary, a machine not previously utilized in the tournament may be used.  

Winners.

Winners will receive prizes as cash or check during an awards ceremony shortly following the conclusion of all final rounds. Winners need not be present to receive prizes; prizes will be supplied via postal mail if necessary. All taxes are the sole responsibility of winners.  All decisions by tournament officials regarding winners and prizes are final.

The winner in the A Division will receive the title "Michigan Pinball Champion". This title remains in effect until the next annual Michigan Pinball Championships Tournament, or will expire after two years if tournaments are discontinued.

Malfunctions and Rulings

The Nature of Pinball

The unique charm of pinball lies, in large part, in the physical nature of the game. Unfortunately, this means that unusual events and outright malfunctions cannot be prevented, nor can they be perfectly compensated for. The Michigan Open attempts to strike a balance between compensating for malfunctions and accepting the physical nature of the game.

In certain cases, malfunctions will be dealt with more strictly during finals rounds than during qualifying rounds, at the discretion of tournament officials.

Minor Malfunctions

A minor malfunction is any incident without external cause which deviates from the normal course of game play, without directly causing a player's loss of turn and without providing any player a significant advantage over others. A minor malfunction is considered part of normal play. Tournament officials shall determine what constitutes a significant advantage; in the event that such an advantage is obtained, refer to "Beneficial Malfunctions".

A minor malfunction that occurs repeatedly, to the extent that it is markedly affecting play of the machine, may be considered a major malfunction at the sole discretion of tournament officials.

Major Malfunctions

A major malfunction is a game play problem with a machine that results in the premature loss of ball in play in a fashion that is not a normal feature of the machine's game play. These may be unusual one-time events, or they may indicate a recurring problem that will need to be addressed by technicians.

Examples of major malfunctions include:

• The bonus count begins while the ball is still in play. This can happen if, for example, the machine loses track of how many balls are in the drain trough.
• A lit kickback fails to return the ball to play, ending the player's turn. This does not apply to other ball saving devices such as timed ball savers, ball traps, gates, or "virtual" kickbacks.

Any malfunction that results in the loss of one or more balls during multi ball play, without losing all balls so as to end the player's turn, will only be considered a minor malfunction. Loss of Tilt warnings, without loss of ball, shall not be considered a major malfunction. Loss of any lit feature, running mode, or other game play specifics, shall not be considered a major malfunction.

When a major malfunction occurs, it is the player's responsibility to notify a tournament official, calmly and promptly.  If the official(s) agree that the incident is a major malfunction, the player will be provided with one additional ball of play at the beginning of a new game, after the current game has been completed. No attempt will be made to re-establish the state of the machine at the time of the major malfunction. The player's total score on the additional ball of play will be added to his or her previous score, and the new game will be terminated.

If a major malfunction occurs early in the play of the first ball by the first player, tournament officials may rule that the current game is voided. Players will then restart the game.

Under certain specific conditions, a major malfunction may be declined by the player. This must be approved by the tournament official, and must not result in a situation which provides an unfair advantage to the player.

Known Malfunctions

Any malfunction or unusual behavior that is determined to be relatively minor but unusual enough to merit comment may, at the discretion of tournament officials, be posted for players to be aware of before playing the affected machine. Players who have played the machine before this notice is provided will not be allowed to replay the machine nor to replace it with play of another machine. The occurrence of any posted malfunction will be treated as a minor malfunction unless it worsens or interacts with another feature to yield a major malfunction.

Catastrophic Malfunctions

A catastrophic malfunction is any event, not caused by a player, which immediately ends play for all players on the machine.

Examples of catastrophic malfunctions include:

• The game system crashes and/or resets due to a software error or component failure.
• Power is lost or interrupted.
• A new game starts.
• A major malfunction repeatedly recurs in spite of attempts to repair the machine.

Any event caused by a player, intentionally or unintentionally, including Slam Tilts, is covered under "Player Errors" below.

When a catastrophic malfunction occurs, the current scores of the player(s) will be recorded, if possible, and the game terminated. Once the machine has been repaired, players will be provided additional ball(s) of play on a new game, as necessary to provide the correct number of balls of play for each player. Alternatively, tournament officials may choose to allow the affected player(s) to replay the game from scratch, and the higher score for each player will be recorded as his or her official score, except in any case where the original score was unfairly improved by the malfunction or was significantly increased during attempts to investigate or cure the malfunction.

If a machine affected by catastrophic malfunction cannot be repaired in order to continue play, it is considered disabled; please see "Disabled Machines".

Beneficial Malfunctions

Any malfunction which provides at least one player with a significant advantage over any other player competing on that machine is known as a beneficial malfunction. Tournament officials shall determine what constitutes a significant advantage.

Any beneficial malfunction which results in a player being able to continue play of a ball that normally should have ended is normally allowed once per game. Examples of this would include an unexpected software ball save, a ball that bounces back into play without player action, or a ball that comes to rest on an unlit kickback in the out lane. Any such behavior shall not be allowed if it repeats, meaning that tournament officials may require players to allow the repeatedly-saved ball to drain, or play on the machine may be terminated in accordance with catastrophic malfunction rules, at which point repairs may be attempted.

Any beneficial malfunction which provides one or more players with a significant scoring or strategic advantage in a way that is not part of normal game play will void the score of the affected player(s), unless all immediately-affected players and tournament officials can agree on a suitable adjustment of the score or other elimination of the advantage. If the beneficial malfunction has been specifically avoided by the player, it is unlikely that a penalty is necessary. If any player score(s) are voided, the affected player(s) may then replay the game after the other players have finished, and the new score(s) are used for the affected player(s).

Examples of beneficial malfunctions would include a jackpot switch that registers when a different target is hit, a valuable switch that scores repeatedly without the ball contacting it, a failed Tilt sensor, or a ball stuck during multi ball. See also "Stuck Balls".

Any situation which indicates the presence of a beneficial malfunction should be brought to the attention of the scorekeeper promptly, who will alert tournament officials. Any player who intentionally takes advantage of a significant beneficial malfunction may be given a warning and/or have his or her affected entry interrupted and disqualified by tournament officials.

Stuck Balls

During the course of play, it is possible for one or more balls to become stuck on a playfield feature. If this happens during single ball play, the player must wait for automatic ball searches to occur. The expiration of any timed feature during this period is not considered a malfunction.

If the stuck ball has not been freed after four such searches, or if the machine is not performing searches for some reason, the player must alert the scorekeeper, and a tournament official will be brought to the machine. The player must remain alert and at the machine, as he or she is responsible for the ball if it becomes freed at any point. Where possible, machines will be configured with "chase" features disabled, so that additional balls will not be released into play as a result of ball searches. However, in the event this occurs, the player is responsible for continuing play, and a suitable malfunction will only be ruled if the machine is unable to function normally from this point forward.

A tournament official may initially choose to try to free the stuck ball through judicious nudging, tapping, etc. The player must remain ready to resume play at the machine during this attempt. If actions by the official result in a Tilt, this will be treated as a major malfunction (not the fault of the player). If the official frees the ball but the player does not successfully continue play, this is normal play (the fault of the player). Loss of Tilt warnings due to tournament official nudging is considered normal play.

If the tournament official is unable to free the stuck ball, the machine will be opened, and the stuck ball freed and placed either in the plunger lane or on the upraised flipper of the player's choice, with the flipper button held by the player. In the event this is not possible, the official may select another location or feature where the ball can be placed safely while the machine is being closed in order to resume normal play. If more than one ball is stuck, all freed balls will be placed on the flipper(s) of the player's choice before play resumes, or in the plunger lane if the flippers are inactive while the machine is open.

If the ball is inadvertently freed while the machine is open and drains without the player regaining complete control (stopped on a flipper), this will be treated as a major malfunction. If the machine cannot be opened successfully, or if opening or closing the machine terminates the game(s) in progress for any reason, this will be treated as a catastrophic malfunction. If the ball is freed and the machine closed without the player's loss of ball, play continues as normal. If the game is in multi ball play and one or more balls are lost as a result of freeing stuck balls, possibly ending multi ball but not ending the ball in play, this will be considered no worse than a minor malfunction. If any feature or mode that is lit or active times out while one or more balls are stuck, this will not be considered a malfunction.

Any player who chooses to shake or bump the machine in order to free a stuck ball does so at his or her own risk. No allowance will be made for a player who tilts while attempting to free a stuck ball, whether or not tournament officials are present.

If a ball becomes stuck during a multi ball mode, the player should attempt to trap the other ball(s) in play and request assistance. A stuck ball during multi ball often represents a significant beneficial malfunction, and intentionally taking advantage may result in a penalty. Please note specifically that a ball ending up in the plunger lane during multiball on a machine where there is no auto plunger (or where the auto plunger for some reason refuses to fire) counts as a stuck ball. See "Beneficial Malfunctions" for further details.

Any player who misuses a game feature in order to intentionally trap a ball during a multi ball mode, such as defeating an auto plunger, may be given a warning and/or have his or her affected entry interrupted and disqualified by tournament officials.

In situations where a ball is trapped in a way that it can be released through player action other than shaking or bumping - for example, a ball at rest underneath a flipper which the player controls - this is not deemed to be a stuck ball. Balls trapped in this fashion during multi ball modes are not generally considered to be a rules violation, although the ruling will depend on the exact machine and situation.

Disabled Machines

Any tournament machine that breaks down during play will be attended to by technicians as promptly as possible. In the event that a breakdown is severe and cannot be repaired promptly, the machine may be taken out of service temporarily or permanently. During qualifying rounds, players in the affected division must choose an alternate machine in place of a temporarily disabled machine. A permanently disabled machine will be replaced with a designated substitute by tournament officials. During finals rounds, tournament officials will designate an alternate machine; the game in progress on the disabled machine, if any, will be discarded, and play will continue on the newly designated machine.

Any machine that is temporarily disabled for more than two hours will normally be considered permanently disabled.

During qualifying rounds, a permanently disabled machine presents a unique problem, as it is no longer possible for new qualifying entries to compete against ranked scores on that machine. If the machine in question is disabled before 5 PM on Saturday, all scores recorded on the disabled machine up to that point will be voided. A substitute machine may be added to the division, which will have its own independent ranking of scores from that point forward.   Any player who has previously posted a qualifying score on the disabled machine will be eligible to play ONE free make-up game on the substitute machine.

In the event that a machine is disabled during qualifying rounds at any time after 5 PM Saturday, the scores and ranking up to that point shall stand. In this case, a substitute machine will not be added to the division, and no entries will be eligible for make-up games.

Qualifying entries played before 5 PM Saturday therefore enjoy an advantage in the event of machine failures. 

Player Errors

A player error is any player action, purposeful or accidental, which affects the normal play or outcome of a game in progress.

Any player who tilts his or her ball in play will not receive any penalty other than the normal loss of ball. Note that some older machines may penalize the player with loss of game; this is equivalent to tilting all remaining balls in order. Abuse of machines is covered under "Player Conduct". Any player who tilts the ball of another player, either through interference or by tilting his or her ball so roughly that the next player's ball is affected before play continues, will receive a score of zero for that game, unless tournament officials grant an exception based on the behavior of the machine in question.

Any player who slam tilts a machine, thereby ending play for all players, will receive a score of zero for that game. The slam tilt is treated as a catastrophic failure for any other player(s) who have not completed their game(s) in progress; they will be allowed to replay a new game and choose the higher score. If a tournament official rules that the slam tilt sensor is not functioning properly, the slam tilt will be treated as a catastrophic failure for all players.

Any player who deliberately tilts or slam tilts a machine in order to derive some benefit to his or her own play, or the play of others, under these rules, may be ejected from the tournament.

Any player who deliberately interferes with the play of another player, through distraction, touching the machine or player, or disrupting tournament procedures, will receive a score of zero for the game. Any repeated offense under this rule will result in ejection of the player from the tournament. Any non-player, or tournament participant not playing in the game in progress, who deliberately interferes with the play of any tournament game, will be given one warning. On the second offense, the offender will be ejected from the facility.

Accidental interference is regrettable but can happen. Any player or non-player who accidentally interferes with the play of any tournament game will be warned. If the interference was sufficient to cause the loss of ball, this will be treated as a major malfunction. If the interference terminated play for all players (for example, tripping over a power cord and pulling it from the wall), this will be treated as a catastrophic malfunction.

A player who plays out of turn in a multi player game will receive a score of zero. The affected player may choose to take over the ball in play, if possible, or they may choose to have the incident treated as a major malfunction. In the event the player takes over, he or she shall be deemed "in control" after declaring his or her intent, taking his or her position at the table, and making contact with the ball via the flippers. The affected player may not change his or her mind once he or she is "in control". Any player who plays out of turn deliberately in order to employ this rule will be disqualified. 

In qualifying rounds, any player who starts a multi player game will only be allowed to complete the "player one" game, regardless of when they noticed the error. Any player who restarts a qualifying game, rather than completing it and allowing it be recorded, will have that entire entry disqualified. Repeated offenses will lead to ejection from the tournament.

Because the tournament divisions consist solely of singles play, coaching of any player during a game, in any round, is not allowed. While not actively playing, players are of course free to discuss features and strategies as much as they like, including between balls during a game.

Tournament officials will be the sole determiners of what constitutes interference and whether or not it is accidental or deliberate. 

Rulings

Rulings shall be made by tournament officials, which includes event coordinators and any person(s) designated as officials by the coordinators. Designated officials may have restrictions on the breadth of rulings, and may be overridden by tournament officials. Any designated official or event coordinator is excluded from ruling on any play situation that directly affects his or her actual or potential standing as a player. Such persons may also be excluded where their decision affects a close friend or family member, at the discretion of other tournament officials. Final authority for any ruling resides with the Tournament Director.

Machine Settings

Software Settings

In general, the software settings of each machine will be adjusted to best accommodate tournament play. The following settings will be employed on any machine that supports them:

• Tournament Mode
• Free Play
• 3 Balls
• Extra Balls disabled
• Buy-In or Continues disable.
• Game Restart disabled.
• Coin Door ball saver enabled.
  
• 2 Tilt Warnings (may be 0 on older machines)
• Flipper Auto Launch disabled
• Timed Auto Launch disabled
• Standard Factory Settings for Ball Savers, Difficulty, Timers, etc
• Specific Difficulty Settings as determined by tournament officials
• Automatic Reflexing Features disabled
• Replays disabled (no score or Extra Ball awarded)

These settings may vary according to division, at the discretion of tournament officials. 

Hardware Settings

Machines used for tournament play will be prepared and kept in good working order to the greatest extent possible. Each machine will be properly leveled left-to-right and inclined front-to-back.

Any player with a complaint or question about the hardware setup of a machine should make his or her inquiry in between games, or in between balls, if urgent.

Machine-Specific Settings

In order to best suit tournament play, certain machines may be subject to specific settings or rules adjustments, at the discretion of tournament officials. These adjustments will be made before tournament play begins, and will be documented if possible. The intent is to eliminate features which can be abused by skilled players, or which arbitrarily extend play time to a degree that would hinder the smooth progress of the tournament.

Player Conduct

Facility

The Michigan Pinball Championship facility is private property and must be treated with respect. The Michigan Pinball Expo reserves the right to refuse play to anyone at any time, as well as to remove anyone from the property at any time. Any person(s) may be banned from the property at the discretion of the Show Organizer, Tournament Officials, or property owners. Banned persons will be prosecuted for trespass if necessary.

The tournament facility and playing areas must be kept clean.  

All areas inside the building are strictly non-smoking. Smoking is restricted to designated areas outside the building. Violation of this and/or other rules may lead to ejection from the tournament.

The Michigan Pinball Championship is held at a public pinball show.   Swearing or other behavior that negatively affects the other patrons is not allowed.

The Michigan Pinball Expo facility employs a video monitoring system that records all activity in and near the facility.  The video data may be used by tournament officials to aid in any necessary rulings.

Personal Conduct

All players are expected to conduct themselves in a polite and sensitive manner. Outbursts, especially those including indecent language, are unacceptable. A wide variety of players and observers will be present, including media, and these types of outbursts do nothing to promote pinball as a sport and is considered bad sportsmanship.

Any express or implied threats or actions of violence are grounds for immediate ejection from the facility, and authorities will be contacted. Other possible grounds for ejection include but are not limited to fraud, theft, illegal activity, harassment, inappropriate behavior, public drunkenness, etc.

Any person ejected from the facility are banned and may not return to the property without permission from the Show Organizer. Banned persons will be prosecuted for trespass if necessary.

Oakland University has Campus security guards that patrol the school grounds 24/7.

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 and Show Organizer.

Interference & Cheating

Any player who intentionally 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.

Delay

Any player who delays the progress of his or her game for more than 30 seconds, for any reason other than to await a ruling or resolution of a temporary inconvenience, will be given a warning.

Temporary inconvenience is defined as any condition which can reasonably be expected to be resolved quickly, such as unusual noise, lighting problems, etc. 

If the player is choosing to let a game mode time out, the total delay must be less than 60 seconds. Delay is defined as time during which the ball is left in the plunger lane, or held on a flipper by the player. Stuck balls do not count as intentional delays. If delays are repeated or willful, tournament officials may terminate the game in progress and record a score of zero for that player.

Death Saves, Bang backs, etc

Techniques known as "Death Saves" and "Bangbacks" are sometimes practiced by certain advanced players. Because the effectiveness of these techniques varies from machine to machine, and because of the risk of injury to either player or machine, these 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. This may require a ruling from tournament officials if there appears to be abusive force employed by the player.

The facility provides wireless Internet access service, at no charge. This is provided to our players and guests as a courtesy and we expect proper behavior. Any abuse or misuse of the service may result in ejection from the tournament and/or facility.

Miscellaneous

Special Score Handling

a. Any player who reaches the maximum possible score on a machine that has such, will receive that score as their total. For example, Guns n Roses stops scoring at 9,999,999,990 points.
b. Any player whose machine "rolls over" to a zero score is responsible for immediately advising the scorekeeper, both when this is imminent, as well as when it happens. The score keeper will then make a note to record the appropriately increased score. If the player fails to notify the scorekeeper, he or she may not receive the increased score.

Rules adapted from the PAPA rules.