**Announcing the Allentown Certified Stern Pro Circuit Tournament - May 6-7, 2022**

Announcing the Allentown Certified Stern Pro Circuit Tournament - May 6-7, 2022

Greg “WPPRelli” Poverelli and “Crazy” Levi Nayman are proud to present the 2022 Allentown Pinfest IFPA Tournament, a Stern Pro Circuit and IFPA certified event with the 20 percent WPPR boost that provides the maximum possible competition value for pro pinball players on the circuit. With more WPPRs than ever, and a higher prize pool than ever, this tournament builds upon the successes of previous Pinfest tournaments to make it an even greater event. Pinfest 2022 is shaping up to be the boomiest Pinfest IFPA tournament ever! We are also delighted to announce that Backhand Pinball is on board to stream this event live, so eSports fans across the globe can view this top-level pinball competition as it unfolds.

Tournament format:

A $100 ticket enters competitors into the Main Open tournament and pays for all entries.

Qualifying time is limited to all day Friday, May 6, 12 noon to 9 pm, and it is a limited entry format. All competitors will play 12 entries on 12 different machines in a tournament bank of up to 20 machines, and all entries will count toward qualifying position. Finals, starting at 9:30 am on Saturday, May 7, will consist of the top 24 qualifiers in A Division. There will also be a B Division finals for the next 24 qualifiers ranked outside the top 100 IFPA rankings as of May 6, 2022. Please note, the B finals results will not affect the final IFPA submission and are for prizes and trophies only. All 48 finalists will win a cash payout.

Games will encompass all eras of pinball machines.

Finals will be PAPA style four-player group scoring, 4-2-1-0 scoring. Finals matches will be played on pre-selected banks encompassing all eras, ensuring a diverse and exciting finals experience for players and viewers watching on stream. Highest seed has choice of bank. The same bank cannot be selected twice by the same player, and banks may change between rounds. Payouts will be guaranteed to all finalists.

A guaranteed minimum payout of $1,000 will go to the A Division winner, with amounts for all other finalists to be determined by the total number of players entered into the tournament. A minimum of 60 percent of tournament income in entry fees are dedicated to cash payouts for finalists.

There is no pre-registration, and this event is cash only. Players are encouraged to arrive as close to the 12 pm kickoff as possible, to ensure that all players get their 12 entries in by the 9 pm cutoff.

The main event will also track standings for kids aged 15 and under, who will have a reduced entry fee of $40. The Kid’s finals will award trophies and non-cash prizes.

There will be an IFPA sanctioned Women’s tournament, $25 entry with trophies and full cash payout, with limited entry on a number of games to be determined. The finals for both will also be PAPA format with top 8 qualifiers. Please note due to time restrictions, anyone who qualifies in both the main as well as the women’s or kid’s finals might have to play both concurrently.

The PAPA / IFPA rule set will be in effect. All rulings made and decisions by the tournament directors are final.

Volunteers and Games:

The Tournament Directors are seeking volunteers for desk registration and scorekeeping assistance. There will be an exclusive hour of qualifying time available for these volunteers, 9:15 to 10:15 pm on Friday, May 6. Compensation will also be offered based on the number of hours volunteering.

The Tournament Directors are also seeking tournament-quality games encompassing all eras. Free entry to the show and to the tournament (a $140 value) is offered, along with possible other financial considerations for multiple games or people who aren’t playing in the tournament.
Please contact Greg at gpoverelli@yahoo.com or Levi at Levinayman@gmail.com for more information or to offer volunteer services, games, or explore sponsorship possibilities.
See more information about the Allentown Pinfest show, one of the Northeast’s longest running and premier pinball events, at http://www.pinfestival.com/

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I just wanted to share a brief note to thank @Funtorium and @gnyc621 for stepping up to run this year’s event. Unfortunately due to a personal conflict I am unable to tournament direct or attend this year, so I am very excited that Levi and Greg have picked up the mantle.

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Allentown Certified Stern Pro Circuit Tournament - May 6-7, 2022: Sponsors and Games Revealed!

Greg “WPPRelli” Poverelli, “Crazy” Levi Nayman, and Tim “Timballs” Sexton are proud to present the 2022 Allentown Pinfest IFPA Tournament, a Stern Pro Circuit and IFPA certified event with the 20 percent WPPR boost that provides the maximum possible competition value for pro pinball players on the circuit. With the top-flight production team complete and full IFPA certification, Pinfest 2022 is shaping up to be the boomiest Pinfest IFPA tournament ever!

2022 Allentown Pinfest IFPA Tournament team:

Greg Poverelli: Tournament Director

Tim Sexton: Tournament Assistant Director

Levi Nayman: Executive Producer

Backhand Pinball: Official Streamer

Tournament format:

A $100 ticket enters competitors into the Main Open tournament and pays for all entries. There is no pre-registration, and this event is cash only. Players are encouraged to arrive as close to the 12 pm kickoff as possible, to ensure that all players get their 12 entries in by the 9 pm cutoff.

Qualifying time is limited to all day Friday, May 6, 12 noon to 9 pm, and it is a limited entry format. All competitors will play 12 entries on 12 different machines in a tournament bank of up to 20 machines, and all entries will count toward qualifying position. Finals, starting at 9:30 am on Saturday, May 7, will consist of the top 24 qualifiers in A Division. There will also be a B Division finals for the next 24 qualifiers ranked outside the top 100 IFPA rankings as of May 6, 2022. Please note, the B finals results will not affect the final IFPA submission and are for prizes and trophies only. All 48 finalists will win a cash payout.

Finals will be PAPA style four-player group scoring, 4-2-1-0 scoring. Finals matches will be played on pre-selected banks encompassing all eras, ensuring a diverse and exciting finals experience for players and viewers watching on stream. Highest seed has choice of bank. The same bank cannot be selected twice by the same player, and banks may change between rounds. Payouts will be guaranteed to all finalists.

A guaranteed minimum payout of $1,000 will go to the A Division winner, with amounts for all other finalists to be determined by the total number of players entered into the tournament. A minimum of 60 percent of tournament income in entry fees are dedicated to cash payouts for finalists.

The main event will also track standings for kids aged 15 and under, who will have a reduced entry fee of $40. The Kid’s finals will award trophies and non-cash prizes.

There will be an IFPA sanctioned Women’s tournament with a dedicated 4-game bank, $25 entry with trophies and full cash payout, with limited entry on a number of games to be determined. The finals for both will also be PAPA format with top 8 qualifiers. Please note due to time restrictions, anyone who qualifies in both the main as well as the women’s or kid’s finals might have to play both concurrently.
The PAPA / IFPA rule set will be in effect. All rulings made and decisions by the tournament directors are final.

Sponsors:

The 2022 Allentown Pinfest IFPA Tournament is proud to announce the following sponsors for their support: Platinum Sponsor Comet Pinball, American Pinball, Stern Pinball, Spooky Pinball, Pinballstar, Cointaker, The World Famous Rock Fantasy Rock and Pinball shop, Brooklyn’s own Jackbar, Pingraffix, Project Pinball, and Backhand Pinball. Thanks to all our awesome sponsors for their support and prize contributions!

T-Shirts:

An awesome original event t-shirt for the tournament has been designed. Shirts will be $20 when purchased along with tournament entry, or $25 when purchased as a standalone item.

Volunteers – Scorekeeping and Pinball Mahcines:

The Tournament Directors are seeking volunteers for desk registration and scorekeeping assistance. There will be an exclusive hour of qualifying time available for these volunteers, 9:15 to 10:15 pm on Friday, May 6. Compensation will also be offered based on the number of hours volunteering.

The Tournament Directors are also seeking a couple more tournament-quality games encompassing all eras. Free entry to the show and to the tournament (a $140 value) is offered, along with possible other financial considerations for multiple games or for people who aren’t playing in the tournament.

Preliminary Game List:

Thanks also to our awesome game volunteers, who are bringing an amazing group of games for our tournaments. List is subject to change, and the final banks (both Main and Women’s) will be announced closer to the event.

Dolly Parton

Whirlwind

Space Station

Shadow

Count-Down

Star Trek Pro

Walking Dead Pro

X Men Pro

Game of Thrones pro

Stern Galaxy

Aztec

WWF Royal Rumble

Gottlieb’s 300

Harlem Globetrotters

Flash Gordon

Dragonfist

Star Wars Pro

Gottlieb’s Volley

Avengers Infinity Quest Pro

BK Sword of Rage Pro

Led Zeppelin Pro

Contact info:
Please contact Greg at gpoverelli@yahoo.com or Levi at Levinayman@gmail.com for more information or to offer volunteer services or pinball games for the tournament.
See more information about the Allentown Pinfest show, one of the Northeast’s longest running and premier pinball events, at www.pinfestival.com .

2 Likes

Brutal! 12 entries, 12 games, all 12 count? Brutal!

Don’t get me started… :roll_eyes:

Too late, already brainstorming…

Could there be a hypothetical format with 6 games, play each one twice and add your scores together? And still be certified since none of your 12 games are being “thrown out”? Does that feel somehow less harsh? Maybe?
EDIT: I think I would be just as terrified at that hypothetical format as well…

OK, so I’m not going so not trying to change anyone’s mind. I get that the 12 meaningful games is needed for Certified status. I also get that time is a limiting factor for qualifying. As we know, players tend to hang back and risk not using all their entries. Too bad for them. Queue up and play.
It would be so much better if each player got 15 attempts. It would give the opportunity to “mulligan” your 3 worst games, or try other games after your poor picks of Aztec and FG! :laughing:

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I guess I missed the fact that there are 20 games so that makes a little more palatable that you can choose to not play certain ones

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I see two guys who have won major tournaments in the last few months bellyaching about a lil’ ole limited entry pinball, and I’m having trouble understanding why!!! You guys are GOOD at pinball last I checked.

Sack up, gents!!! I think you guys can handle this!

It is a challenging format, but Allentown has ALWAYS been limited format due to the very limited qualifying time constraints so we tried to come up with the best compromise. In past Allentown tournaments, games have been bastardized with ripped out posts and rubber and hard settings to keep games short - I’ve personally never liked stepping up to a new Stern game and getting a handful of flips because there’s no ball save and no outlane posts.

These games will be PLAYABLE. Ball saves will be on, and games will be factory settings or close to it (expect a few minor tweaks here and there, like competition settings on some newer Sterns, no free ball 3 multiball on WWF, stuff like that). Tilts will be fair.

We toyed around with offering another half dozen or so “do-overs” but we just decided it wasn’t worth it when you consider that in the past lines have been an issue at Allentown. We can assure you this will NOT happen in 2022 with everybody playing only 12 games. Limited entry will also keep the tournament affordable for everybody, with all players paying $100 and no more (That’s less than you’d spend on previous Allentowns if you bought your max entry “mulligans.”)

We are modeling this after the European Pinball Championships, which are always limited entry like this, with playable machines. I’ve played in two of those, and qualified both times, despite laying a handful of eggs in qualifying. Just try to sprinkle in your beef, rather than going with the whole enchilada and going beef supreme.

It’s really not as “Brutal” as it sounds. You guys have played pinball tournaments before; just try to be consistent, and don’t suck on too many games. Everybody else is playing the same format as you, and nobody is gonna play 12 ace games. You can do it…whether or not you are a lowly scrub on the 13th floor like me, or the #1 player in the world!

Don’t be afraid of this tournament format. It’ll be fun, It’ll be challenging, and you won’t have to worry about ridiculous lines, and you’ll have plenty of time to enjoy the rest of the show and wolf down food over at the Farmer’s Market.

And if it turns out to be a total disaster, well, it was all Greg Poverelli’s idea!!!

Seeya there!

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I’m sure it will be great. Maybe not as great as seeing a whale giving birth, but great none-the-less. I’ll be watching the stream. Marc does a fantastic job with streaming.

PS, I just noticed Levi, The Executive Producer, LOL. :heart_eyes:

Personally, I love the format of this tournament and I’m super excited about it because of that. 12 games is enough to make it not seem arbitrary, and I feel like someone like me (IFPA rank ~1000) can go in with a realistic shot at making finals. I can see how it’s frustrating for top 50-100 players who expect to be pretty much guaranteed to qualify for finals in any tournament they’ve travelled for if they just buy enough entries. For everyone else though, I think it will be a great format, thanks to the organizers.

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If it helps, pretend you are playing 12 rounds of matchplay, but you get to pick your games.

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That’s the spirit!!!

OK, we are bowing to public pressure and panic, and drastically altering the tournament format:

WWF will be factory, with ball 3 multiball lit intact!!!

You’re welcome!

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I blame @pinwizj he is killing pinball!

Only one way to earn this shirt! :smile:

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The T Shirts are in!

$20 with entry to tournament
$25 standalone

Limited availability so buy 'em early!



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It was fun listening to you and Greg on Loserkid!

Doing a Hail Mary here…

Wasn’t planning on going but noticed that last minute flights to Newark (EWR) are only $200. Problem is the Uber ride would be $200 each way LOL or rent a car for around $250 for two days.

If anyone is coming to Allentown from the New York/Jersey metro area Friday morning and going back there either Saturday or Sunday and could plan something to pick me up let me know!

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