League Rules
League Nights
Seasons: We currently run 3 seasons per year consisting of 4 league nights each.
February – May, June to September and October to January.
Each season is followed by a playoff night.
Attendance: League nights are usually on Saturday every few weeks.
You need to attend at least 2 regular season league nights to be eligible for the end of season playoffs.
Double Shift Sessions: Over the years, turnout has increased.To accommodate as many players as possible, we are running 2 shifts of 20-28 people depending on venue:
Early shift - Doors open at 3:30pm, league play starts at 4:30pm
Late shift - Doors open at 7:00pm, league play starts at 8:00pm (times can vary, check your emails)
You will be given the chance to sign up for either early or late until the spots are filled.
Late policy If you show up late you will take a zero on any games that your group has already played. When you arrive please wait for a league executive to finish their game. After that you can pay the fee and get started.
Registration: At the beginning of each season we collect a $10 league registration fee. The league membership fees are put towards the LOPL fund for trophies and prizes for the end of season playoffs.
Sign In/Host Fee: Once you arrive, sign in with the treasurer or one of the LOPL execs and pay any fees. There is a $10 host fee for each league night. $65 out of the host fees collected each league night will be put into the LOPL fund. The rest will go to the host for snacks and refreshments and machine maintenance.
Groups: You will be assigned to a group of 3 or 4 and will be playing with this group for the night.
Scores: Once your group is done playing your game, write down your scores and go to the back of the line. You will be playing 1 game on each of the selected machines. All scores will be recorded and tracked here on LOPL. Your points for each machine will be totaled up for your final score for that night. You are competing with everyone's scores at league that night not just your group's scores. You are welcome to play non tournament machines while you are waiting. These scores will not be recorded.
Ranking: At the end of the evening, score sheets are collected by a league official. Scores will be entered into this web site where you can view your ranking and current standing. Your 2 best scoring nights are used to determine your ranking.
It is up to you to ensure your score is entered correctly for each machine. At the end of the evening, score sheets are collected by a league official.
Extra Balls: On all machines, extra balls must be plunged and not played normally. The player may touch the machine to set up a skill shot before launching the ball. Once the ball is set into motion, the player may shake or nudge the machine, and is allowed one single flip. The player may opt not to flip at all if they wish not to.
Cheating: This has never been an issue in LOPL but anyone caught cheating will be banned from any IFPA events and leagues in Canada for a period of one year. This ban has been exercised on a player in another league so as you can see cheating is not taken lightly.
No-Show/Cancellation: Please give us as much notice as possible if you're unable to make it to league night. This gives those on the wait list a chance to fill the spot. If you no-show without notice you will get put on the waiting list for the following league night and will only be able to play if there is space available.
New Members: New members must register on their first night and pay the $10 registration fee and the $10 host fee. If we have maxed out the number of available spots, pre-existing members will get priority and new members will only be allowed if there are any openings.
Playoffs
Eligibilty: Playoffs eligibilty will be determined by your standings at the end of the regular season.
Scores from your top 2 nights are averaged to determine your standings at the end of the regular season.
The top 50% or max of 24 in the standings from regular season play will automatically advance to the playoffs.
The remaining players that have attended at least 2 league nights may be asked to compete if anyone can not make the playoff date.
Players will compete against each other one on one on multiple machines picked at random by the software over multiple rounds. The top 8 players will then advance to A/B divisions for final 4 player 3 round competitions (1-4 play in A, 5-8 play in B).
Prizes: The top 8 from both playoffs and regular season will win prizes. Thanks to Julie, Steve and Mike for taking the time to collect match prizes from various vendors. Special thanks to Darrell for amazing work on the plaques and trophies in past seasons. Thanks to Jeff Teolis for getting the current lightup trophies.
More Pinball
In addition to all the league nights, we are going to try to add in a few funzie nights (with prizes) where we will do some different fun things like pingolf etc. We will also try to have a few stand alone tournaments to go towards our IFPA award points.
LOPL Etiquette
- Please be considerate as you are in someone’s home.
- When removing shoes, remember to place them on a rack or mat especially if it is wet out.
- If a machine is off please do not turn it on without the host’s permission. It is usually off for a reason.
- If you are part of the early shift, don’t stay after league play is over.
There is often not enough space for everyone and it can create a human traffic jam. - If you do not pay, you cannot play.
- Please pay fees before you start practicing.
- Keep profanity to a minimum.
- Don’t abuse the machines. While nudging is a part of pinball, slam-tilting and other unnecessary roughness is not.
- Hosts will not provide alcoholic beverages, but you are welcome to bring your own.
With that said we ask that you don’t over indulge, act responsibly and make sure you have a safe way home. We don’t want to see anyone hurt. - If there are any issues with the machines during play, please find one of the LOPL executives for assistance.
There will be at least two present during any shift at any league night. - No drinks where drinks should not be. Not on the floor or on pinball machines for example.
- If you have any questions or issues with machines try to find a league executive that is not currently in the middle of playing their ball.