Gainesville Pinball League Rules Summary

Rules Summary

Seasons

A season has 8 weeks of regular match play.
At the end of the season the top 50% of players in each division compete in finals night. The GPL will offer a separate tournament format for non-qualifiers so everyone can still participate that night.

Each meet will have four rounds. Players will be grouped into 3- or 4-player groups. Each group will play one randomly assigned pinball machine together per round.
Players will be shuffled between each round and play with four different sets of opponents each night.
A thorough attempt will be made to pair players with random opponents they haven’t faced before. However, there are no guarantees and some players may end up with repeat opponents.

Players will be sorted into finals divisions based on the number of total entrants. Division qualifiers will have match play on finals, and non-qualifiers will be offered a separate tournament so everyone plays that night.

7/5/3/1 for 4-player groups; 7/4/1 for 3-player group.
The lowest two meet results of the regular season will be dropped when calculating total league points.
League results at the end of the regular season on week 8 will be turned in to the IFPA. Finals night is playing for trophies, prizes and bragging rights.

League pinball is more fun when all players participate regularly!
Two of your lowest meet results are dropped for occasions when it’s just impossible to attend league night.
If you forfeit 4 meets (50%) in a season you cannot qualify for finals.

To provide an opportunity for players of all skill levels to participate in finals, the league is separated into divisions based on league size.
Within each division, players with the highest league point totals for the season qualify for the finals competition. Roughly 50% of players will qualify for finals.
Members who do not qualify are still encouraged to come to finals – we will offer another format so everyone still plays that night!

On machines set to 3-ball play, you may play 1 earned extra ball; on machines set to 5-ball play, you may not play any extra balls.
Any extra balls earned above these limits must be plunged.
You may not flip or otherwise touch the machine once the extra ball is in motion. If the machine gives you a “ball save” on the extra ball you must plunge that away too.
If possible, machines will be set to tournament mode and will not award extra balls.

Above all, respect other players as well as the machines! We are here for fun and friendly competition.
Players must follow the IFPA Conduct Code and IFPA Inclusion Code. All players are expected to conduct themselves in a courteous manner and to contribute to a safe and welcoming play environment.
Do not touch a machine when it’s someone else’s turn.
Be ready to play when your turn comes up.
If you need to step away for a moment, let your group know where you are and when you’ll be back.
Please be on time. If you are more than 15 minutes late your group may decide to begin play without you.