About Dayton Underground Pinball League

Competitive Pinball. Great People. No Experience Required.

Dayton Underground Pinball League (DUPL) was created with a pretty simple idea: get people together, play some pinball, compete, and have a good time doing it.

What started as a small group of local pinball players has grown into a community that brings together players of all skill levels from across the Dayton area. We've played everywhere from local businesses to private collections, giving our members the opportunity to compete on an incredible variety of machines while meeting some equally incredible people along the way.

How It Started

DUPL's roots go back to 2018 at DK Effect, where the earliest version of pinball league began with the Silver Ballers.

Over the years, the league moved through different locations and continued to evolve. Amazing leagues like Gem City Pinball and Canal Street Arcade & Deli helped keep competitive pinball growing in Dayton.

Eventually, the league expanded beyond playing at a single location.

Through the friendships built in the local pinball community, players and collectors began opening their private collections to league nights. Hosts including Dave Vanderburgh, Dana Studebaker, Mike Harris, Rob, and others have allowed DUPL players to compete on machines they might otherwise never get the opportunity to play.

That rotating-location format became a huge part of what makes DUPL what it is today.

What Is DUPL?

DUPL is an IFPA-sanctioned competitive pinball league, but you absolutely do not need to be a tournament-level player to join.

Some of our players have been playing competitive pinball for years. Others walked into their first DUPL night barely knowing what a skill shot was.

That's exactly how we like it.

You'll compete, you'll learn new machines, you'll probably have a few terrible balls, you'll occasionally have a game you'll talk about for months, and somewhere along the way you'll become a better pinball player.

The competition is real, but the community comes first.

Anyone Can Win

One of the best things about pinball is that rankings don't play the game — you do.

Every match starts at 0.

We've watched experienced players dominate one week and struggle the next. We've watched newer players knock off league veterans. We've seen championship races come down to the final games of the season.

That's what keeps DUPL interesting.

On any given Thursday night, anything can happen.

More Than a Pinball League

Over the years, DUPL has become about much more than standings and trophies.

It's the trash talk before a match.

It's everyone gathering around when somebody is having the game of their life.

It's someone teaching another player a rule or strategy five minutes before they end up playing against each other.

It's traveling to different collections, discovering machines you've never played before, and spending Thursday nights with people who love pinball as much as you do.

Most importantly, it's the friendships that have developed because a bunch of people decided to get together and play pinball.

Want to Play?

Whether you're chasing IFPA points, trying to win a DUPL championship, looking to improve your game, or you've simply discovered that pinball is a lot more fun than you remembered as a kid — you're welcome here.

You don't have to be great.

You don't have to know every rule.

You just have to show up and play.

Welcome to the Dayton Underground Pinball League.

Now plunge the ball.