This year we will have a main tournament as well as a women’s tournament, again hosted in its own building with extended hours on Friday morning. Please see the tournament location on the map provided.

We are also offering kids tournaments all weekend long in the main GSPF hall!

The main tournament will consist of two separate and independent qualifying sessions: one on Friday and one on Saturday. You may sign up for ONLY ONE session (either Friday or Saturday, but not both) for your qualifying attempt.

Qualifying sessions will be target match-play style. This format is great for new and experienced players alike! During each round, you will be paired with players performing at your same level, which makes for a fun and always competitive experience.

Women’s tournament registration is now open!

WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT REGISTRATION

Registration is now full for both main qualifying sessions, but you may still register for the wait lists.

FRIDAY QUALIFYING – WAIT LIST
SATURDAY QUALIFYING – WAIT LIST

Streaming Info!

Thanks to the efforts and commitment of Rick Deml from Elk Grove Pinball, we are planning to stream both qualifying and finals!

Coverage will include some or all of both qualifying sessions depending on his schedule, and the entirety of finals on Sunday.

Elk Grove Pinball on twitch.tv

Main Tournament

IFPA Sanctioned, Target Match-play Qualifying, Group Match-play Finals, Festival admission required

FRIDAY QUALIFYING – WAIT LIST SATURDAY QUALIFYING – WAIT LIST
  • IFPA Sanctioned
  • $40 entry per player
  • Registration wait lists are now open
  • Two separate qualifying sessions of target match-play
  • Players can only choose ONE session
  • Group match-play finals on Sunday
  • Each qualifying session limited to 64 players

All details are subject to change up until the start of the event!

  • $40 entry per player – CASH ONLY
  • Two qualifying sessions; one on Friday, one on Saturday
  • Players may only participate in ONE qualifying session
  • Players may only sign up for ONE qualifying session
  • 64 players per qualifying session
  • Registration is full but you may still sign up for the wait list
  • Wait list available for each session after 64 registrations
  • Friday’s waitlist DOES NOT carry over to Saturday’s qualifying session
  • In the event of no-shows at the start time, players from the wait list will be added
  • You are not allowed to sell or transfer your registration to another player
  • Target of 25 points with 3-2-1-0 scoring (3/2/1 for 3 player groups) 
  • Play continues until 16 players reach the target score OR max rounds reached
  • 12 rounds maximum
  • Automatic tie breakers applied when possible; most 1st, 2nd, 3rd places
  • Seeding for first round by IFPA rank, swiss pairings remainder of event
  • Top 16 from each qualifying session advance to finals, 32 players total
  • Group match-play finals, no byes, 3-game rounds, 4/2/1/0 scoring
  • Cash prizes for all 32 finals positions, trophies for top 4 finishers
  • Rulings will adhere to the PAPA/IFPA Tournament Rules as closely as possible
  • By buying an entry and playing in the tournament, you agree to abide by the IFPA Player Conduct Rules
  • IFPA Sanctioned Event
Qualifying
  • Friday SESSION #1
  • 10:00am-finish
  • 64 Players
  • top 16 Advance
  • Saturday SESSION #2
  • 10:00am-FINISH
  • 64 Players
  • top 16 Advance
Finals
  • SUNDAY – Group Match-play
  • 10:00am-FINISH
  • 32 Players
  • top 16/qualifying session
Games List (All games subject to change without notice.)
  • TBD
Awards & Prizes
1st place25% of prize pool + Trophy
2nd place13% of prize pool + Trophy
3rd place8% of prize pool + Trophy
4th place6% of prize pool + Trophy
5th-8th places4% of prize pool
9th-16th places2% of prize pool
17th-32nd places1% of prize pool

100% of entries go towards prize pool, minus IFPA fees. Actual values determined at conclusion of the event and may be rounded to the nearest $1-$10 increments.

Women’s Tournament

IFPA Sanctioned, Group Match-play Qualifying, Group Match-play Finals, Festival admission required

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN
  • IFPA Sanctioned
  • $20 entry per player
  • Registration is open!
  • 5 rounds of group matchplay qualifying
  • Top 4 advance to finals
  • Cash and prizes for top 4

All details are subject to change up until the start of the event!

  • $20 entry per player – CASH ONLY
  • Full tournament on Saturday, 8:00pm-FINISH
  • Qualifying should last about 2.5 hours
  • 40 players max
  • Registration is now open
  • 5 rounds of group match-play qualifying
  • Balanced pairings, balanced game assignments
  • Top 4 from qualifying advance to finals
  • Group match-play finals
  • Cash and prizes for top 4 finals positions
  • Rulings will adhere to the PAPA/IFPA Tournament Rules as closely as possible
  • By buying an entry and playing in the tournament, you agree to abide by the IFPA Player Conduct Rules
  • IFPA Sanctioned Event
Qualifying
  • Saturday
  • 8:00Pm-finish
  • 40 Players Max
  • top 4 Advance
Finals
  • saturday
  • CONclusion of Qualifying
  • 4 Players
Games List (All games subject to change without notice.)
  • TBD
Awards & Prizes
1st place50% of prize pool + Trophy
2nd place25% of prize pool + Trophy
3rd place15% of prize pool + Trophy
4th place10% of prize pool + Trophy

100% of entries go towards prize pool, minus IFPA fees. Actual values determined at conclusion of the event and may be rounded to the nearest $1-$10 increments.

Kid’s Tournaments – ALL WEEKEND

THREE tournaments available for children ages 5-12 years old, one tournament each day of the show!

  • FREE to enter
  • Ages 5-12 years old
  • Check in at The Little Flippers booth in the main hall
  • Individual high-score challenge on 3 games
  • Each game will have a winner declared
  • The player with the highest score on a game will be declared the winner for that game
  • Players can play all three games between 1:00pm-4:00pm
  • Winners of each game will be announced at 4:00pm
Friday
  • START TIME
  • 1:00pm
  • WINNERS
  • 4:00pm
  • Kids Flip Frenzy!
  • Sign up by 1:00pm
  • Play starts at 1:30pm for all players
  • Play ends after the finals matches are done at 3:00pm.
  • Winner will be announced after the completion of the event
Saturday
  • SIGN-Ups
  • 1:00pm
  • Start Time
  • 1:30pm
  • END TIME
  • ~3:00pm
  • COMBINED high-score challenge on 3 games
  • Each player will play all three games and earn points based on their score relative to all other players
  • One winner will be declared based on their overall ranking from all three games
  • Players can play all three games between 11:00am-3:00pm
  • Winner will be announced at 3:00pm
Sunday
  • Start Time
  • 11:00Am
  • WINNERS
  • 3:00PM
Frequently Asked Questions

If you encounter a stuck ball or other issue while playing, raise your hand and wait for a scorekeeper or tournament official to come assist you.

DO NOT leave your game unattended and please trap the ball up as necessary until you are assisted.

During qualifying, you can expect around 45 minutes per round. The number of rounds could vary depending on player performance and the points they are accumulating each round. Qualifying ends once 16 players reach the target score.

During Finals, each round takes approximately 2 hours. Depending on how far into the finals you advance, be mindful that it could take a majority of your Sunday during show hours.

Qualifying will be split into two sessions of target match-play; one session Friday and one session on Saturday.

Target match-play consists of playing in a group of 4 (or 3 if necessary) each round. At the end of your round, you will receive points corresponding to your finishing position in that round. You accumulate points until you reach a target score. Once the target score is reached, your qualifying is complete.

If you are one of the first 16 players in a qualifying session to reach the target score, you will qualifying for finals on Sunday.

If you are not ready to play your game in a given round, your balls will be plunged by the tournament director! If you miss an entire round, you will be removed from the tournament.

Once you complete your game, stay at the machine, raise your hand, and wait for a scorekeeper to come record your scores.

If you encounter a stuck ball or other issue while playing, raise your hand and wait for a scorekeeper or tournament official to come assist you.

The top 16 players from EACH qualifying session will advance to the finals, for a total field of 32 players.

Finals will be played in a match-play format with 3 games per round and 4-2-1-0 scoring.

In each round, groups of 4 players will play a 4-game match. After each match, the top score on a machine will receive 4 points, 2nd place 2 points, 3rd place 1 point, and last place zero points.

At the end of the match, the two players with the most points will advance to the next round and the bottom two will be eliminated. In case two or more players in the same group finish with the same amount of points and two players haven’t advanced from that group (i.e., there is a tie-break to advance), a tie-breaking game will be played on a random machine selected by the software.

Final rankings will be determined by the number of points obtained in the round that the player was eliminated, plus the result of the advancing tie-breaker, and non-advancing ties will not be broken.

Yes! Details are here.