The Pinball League at 8 On The Break is held twice a year, once in the spring (starting early to mid March) and once in the fall (starting the first Wednesday after Labor Day in September). League nights are normally Wednesdays with game time starting around 7:40 PM. The next season will begin 03 September 2008 at 8OTB in Dunellen, NJ.
A league season consists of 10 weeks of regular league play followed by 1 or 2 weeks of playoffs (depending on how many players there are in the league) with trophies/plaques and cash prizes to the winners of the league. If there are at least 8 players in the league by the 5th week of a season, then on the 6th week of that season the league gets divided up into an A and a B division with the better players in the league going into the A division and all other players going to the B division.
Dues are $6 each week with half of all dues collected each week going toward weekly cash prizes and the other half being saved for end of season cash prizes and to help pay for the trophies/plaques. Players who are absent in a given week don't pay dues for that week, but are not eligible for a cash prize that week either.
The players in the league are placed in groups of 3 or 4 and play 5 games each week with each player getting league points based on how their score on a particular game ranks among the other players in their group who played that game. The person who has the most league points in their group at the conclusion of league play that week is the winner of their group for that week. The top four group winners (for four or more groups in the league; if there are only three groups in the league then the three group winners) for the week wins a cash prize for that week.
There is no definite signup period for the league; people can sign up to play in a particular season anytime they wish but no one is allowed to join a league that's in progress after the second week of the season. It's best if one signs up for or joins a particular season no later than the first week of that season, otherwise that player will get zeroes for the one week missed (as discussed in the Premakeup section of the rules). I normally send out an e-mail about the league asking people to respond if they are planning on being in the league, put signs up about the league in 8OTB itself, and put a signup sheet at the counter in 8OTB about one month before the scheduled start of the league. People can just show up on the first night of the league to join if they so choose.
For more detailed info/rules download a copy of the rules here.