The rules for season 12 will be as follows.

• $30 buy in for league and this covers all games for the entire season.

• NO EXTRA BALLS.  Any extra ball can be skillfully plunged but no flipper action can be used.  Please look out for everyone and don't let anyone get DQed for using an extra ball.

• All games will have a working tilt bobber or will not be used in league play.

• Practicing games?  You will not know what game you are playing next during league play so if you want to get some extra play time in, please do so!

• Practice at each location will begin at 7pm and league play begins at 8pm.  Of course if you are running late just let me know and we will accommodate.  

• Once league play is done (meaning all groups have finished playing) league will be over.  If the host does not mind letting you play longer after league play, that will be up to them for extended practice time beyond league play.  I know some hosts have work in the morning and I want to be respectful of that.

• If there are any questions please see myself or the host and we will make a ruling as best we can based on IFPA rule sets.  

• If there is a slam tilt on any game, the game will restart and the slam tilter will be DQed for that game.  2 Slam tilts in one night by the same person will result in DQ for the night for all 4 games.

• If there is a tie for either 1st place, 2nd place or 3rd place at the end of league play a full 3 ball game on a random (wheel of destiny through google) will be chosen for a face off.  A coin flip will decide who gets to choose position.

1v1 League Rules & Format

🎯 League Overview

The 1v1 League is a head-to-head pinball competition played over 6 rounds.

Each round:

• Players compete in one match
  
  

• The winner earns 4 points
  
  

• The loser earns 1 point
  
  

• If there is an odd number of players, one player receives a bye
  
  

The goal is to earn the most total points across all six rounds.

Maximum Points: 24 (6 wins)
Minimum Points: 6 (6 losses)

📊 Scoring System

Result

Points

Description

Win

4 points

Awarded for defeating your opponent

Loss

1 point

Participation points

Bye

4 points

Automatic win when player count is odd

🔄 Round Structure & Pairings

The league alternates between random rounds and ranked rounds to balance fairness and competition.

Round

Pairing Type

Description

1

Random

All players randomly paired

2

Ranked

Winners play winners, losers play losers

3

Random

Random pairings again

4

Ranked

Based on current standings

5

Random

Random pairings

6

Ranked

Final round based on standings

🎲 Round Details

Round 1 — Random Start

• Players are paired randomly.
  
  

• If there is an odd number of players, one random player receives a bye.
  
  

• This round establishes the first set of standings.
  
  

Round 2 — Winners vs Winners

Players are grouped based on their Round 1 results.

• Winners play winners
  
  

• Losers play losers
  
  

Bye Priority (Round 2)

If a bye is required, priority goes to:

1. Winner not in the top 4 and no previous bye
   
   

2. Winner not in the top 4
   
   

3. Winner without a previous bye
   
   

4. Any winner
   
   

Rounds 4 & 6 — Ranked Pairings

Players are paired based on current league standings.

Pairing process:

1. Players are sorted by total points
   
   

2. Ties are randomized
   
   

3. Players are grouped in sets of four
   
   

Example structure:

• Top 4 players → randomly paired
  
  

• Next 4 players → randomly paired
  
  

• Continue until all players are paired
  
  

If the final group has two players, they play each other.

🎲 Bye System

When an odd number of players exists, a bye is assigned.

Ranked Rounds

• The lowest ranked player receives the bye
  
  

• The system tries to avoid giving byes to Top 4 players
  
  

• Previous byes are tracked to keep distribution fair