Australian Pinball Open

25/05/2026

Alex and I catch up and I chat with David about what's happening at Barrels with game production. We also talk about his visit to Australia for the Adelaide Pinball Expo, and what's the latest with planning for the Brisbane Masters week.

18/04/2026

Emily and Dr John recently headed over to the USA to attend the Texas Pinball Festival and the Women's World Championships in Colorado. We hear about her success in Texas, the latest games on show there and our visit to the Barrels of Fun Factory in Houston. We also chat about the Women's Worlds hel...

26/02/2026

A quick chat about our trip up to Townsville for the Queensland State Champs and the paradise that is Jason's Empire Arcade and Level 1 facilities.

04/01/2026

Alex and I chat with Escher about his tournament playing and how he got to be the number one player in the world. He shares his top tournament memories, memorable wins, and whether he still enjoys just playing for fun. The links to watch some of his highlights are: First World Championship Win in Ju...

23/12/2025

Alex and Dr John chat with Doctor Curlytek about the Melbourne Pinball scene. Stacy is mainly into competitive pinball, but we chat about his favorite games, his experiences at Melbourne Pinball Expo and why some University Degrees are more useful than others. You can catch Stacy on most Twitch stre...

09/12/2025

This episode we chat about what goes into running a large pinball event. The Australian Pinball Open attracted over 110 players from around Australia to compete for large cash prizes. We pass on how we went about it, without actually talking about tournament pinball!

05/10/2024

Time to announce the surprise game that will be at the Open this year!

30/11/2023

29/11/2023

A nice look at the complexities of "Card Based" comps.

Also known as “PAPA-Style Qualifying,” Card-Based Qualifying is similar to the Best Game format but depends more on consistent play. Like the Best Game format, you’ll play a series of games as single-player games. Likewise, your scores will be compared to everyone else’s scores, with each score being worth a certain number of points based on how it ranks up. There are two major differences: first, all scores are ranked, even if they’re not your best. More importantly, your scores are tied together in groups called “cards” rather than being independent scores.

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Each card you play will usually come with its own entrance fee and will have you play some number of games. You get to pick the games you play, but the scores you put up will be tied to the card you just played rather than you as a player. So, if you put up the best score of the day on one machine, that score will only matter for the card you’re playing. If the rest of the card is pretty poor, then that best score won’t really help you qualify. In case this sounds like it’s “pay-to-win,” it isn’t. One good entry will beat a dozen bad ones!

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This is arguably one of the most difficult pinball tournaments to wrap one's head around. While it might seem like it makes sense to repeatedly try the same games, as you’ll get more practice, it also means you're competing against yourself. If you beat a score you put up on an earlier entry, you just reduced a previous entry's value. So, it's probably best to divvy up your entries and play different games. If you're comfortable at one game and feel you can be consistently good at it, it's not a bad idea to keep trying that one; just remember that you don't want to devalue earlier entries by beating them (that is, unless you devalue it with a significantly better ticket).

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It should also be noted that this kind of qualifying is significantly more competitive than others. It’s very conducive to multi-day events, so it tends to attract larger pools of players to compete with. Plus, you don't necessarily know what you're shooting for score-wise (since subsequent scores can dethrone you), and there's likely to be some waiting around for your turn on a table (especially if the bank is small and the player pool is large). But there's no harm in giving it one or two entries. After all, it might take a couple of top-10 scores on a game to lock a seat in the finals!

https://www.kineticist.co/post/pinball-tournament-formats?fbclid=IwAR2XLfm6Vu4iZU7LnkBnwg6CPxycy9UNyl1m8rzfTYrAeIYwxjhfUhhNRb0

Check out this comprehensive guide to pinball tournament formats! From Best Game to Card-Based Qualifying to Pingolf, and so much more.

26/11/2023

Less than 1 week to go until the Pinball Open!
Don't forget to bring your bathers and sunscreen - there is a pool right next to the game room!