The Jersey Pinball Association: League Rules & Information

For league info, updates, and stats, go to the JPA website: http://thebreak.net/pinball.

 

I.      Introduction. 3

II.        League Nights / Attendance. 3

A.     General 3

B.     Games. 3

C.     Starting Time. 3

D.     Grace Period. 3

E.      Late Arrival 3

F.      Announced Lateness. 3

G.     No-Shows. 3

III.       Premakeups. 4

A.     Overview.. 4

B.      Obtaining and Using Premakeup Scores. 4

C.     Penalty. 5

D.     Premakeup Scores on New Games. 5

E.      Limit 6

IV.       Money / Prizes. 6

A.     Dues. 6

B.     Prizes. 6

C.     Games. 7

V.    Game Rules. 7

A.     Order of Play. 7

B.     Extra Balls. 7

C.     Malfunctions. 7

D.     Death Saves and Bang-Backs. 8

E.      Tilts. 8

F.      Slam Tilts. 8

VI.       Game Scoring. 9

A.     League Points. 9

B.     Three Player Games. 9

C.     Four Player Games. 9

D.     Two Player Games. 9

E.      Normalized Scores. 10

F.      Ties. 10

VII.     The Regular Season. 11

A.     Length. 11

B.     How Many Divisions?. 11

C.     Weekly Groupings. 11

D.     Missing a week. 12

E.      Special rules for 4-player groups. 12

F.      Game Selection. 12

G.     Qualifying for A and B divisions. 12

H.     Groupings and League Play After the 5th Week of the Season. 12

I.      Notes on Groupings. 12

VIII.        Match Bonus Points. 13

A.     Overview.. 13

B.     Points. 13

C.     Ties. 13

IX.       The Playoff Round(s) 14

A.     Qualifying. 14

B.     Lateness / Absence. 14

C.     Format 14

D.     Miscellaneous. 16

X.    Acknowledgments. 16

XI.       Further Information. 16

XII.     Document History. 16

 


 

I.       Introduction

This document gives the rules of and info about the Jersey Pinball Association Pinball League. League play takes place at 8 on the Break (8OTB) in Dunellen, New Jersey.  The Commissioner of the League will be the person in charge of running the league. The name of the current Commissioner is Koi Morris.

II.      League Nights / Attendance

A.            General

Every Wednesday night is league night.  For the ninth season of the league beginning on 3 September 2003, play will be held every Wednesday for 10 weeks. These 10 weeks consist of the regular season. Playoffs (one or two weeks depending on how many people are still in the league at the end of Week 5 of the regular season in question) will start the Wednesday immediately after the regular season ends.

B.            Games

Each week, league players will be broken into groups and each group will play five games to be determined just prior to game play.  The games will be a subset of the games available.  In general, a consensus will be informally taken to determine which games to play that week based on known malfunctions, etc.  The final decision for which games to play will be made by the Commissioner.

C.            Starting Time

Play begins at 7:30 PM.  At that time, all players are expected to be at 8OTB and have “checked in” with the league Commissioner.  The Commissioner expects players to be dedicated to playing.  The rules do allow for a player to miss games, but in general, all players should plan on being there promptly each week.

D.            Grace Period

There will be a 10-minute grace period for players arriving late due to unexpected circumstances.

E.             Late Arrival

If a player does not arrive by 7:40 PM, that player’s group will begin play without that player.  If the player arrives late, they may play in any games not yet started by their group.  Further, if the player’s group is currently on ball 1 of a game when the late player arrives, they may join the game in progress if possible.  The player currently playing is not required to go out of their way to allow the late player to “get in”, but if the playing player can catch the ball, or locks a ball and then has a ball sitting in the plunger, the playing player should use that opportunity to let the late player buy-in.

 

Players arriving later than 7:40 will have their premakeup scores (see Section III) used for games they miss with associated penalties.

F.             Announced Lateness

If a league player notifies the league Commissioner in advance (preferably before league night if possible) that the he or she will be late, the league Commissioner will use his discretion to either wait for the player or begin play. However, if a player must notify the Commissioner on the day of the League about being late, then the Commissioner must be notified by 3 PM (via my work e-mail address or work phone [see Section XI for my contact info]) otherwise the group that that player is to play in does not have to wait past 7:40 for that player to show up.

G.            No-Shows

 

If a league player does not show up at all during any league session without having notifying me (by e-mail: kmorristaftzww@mindspring.com (home) or morrisk@wyeth.com (work); by phone (732)-274-4091 before 4:00PM on weekdays (work); telling me in person beforehand; or calling the Break no later than 15 minutes of League start time on league night if necessary; I prefer that the player tell me in person (especially if he/she knows that he/she will be out in advance), call me (leaving a message if necessary), or send e-mail to my work address so I would be certain to receive his/her message before that he/she will be absent will be declared a No-Show. A player is allowed two No-Shows before automatically being dropped from the league. On a week where a player could have a third No-Show, which will occur after the affected player’s group starts their third game and the affected player can't get in before player 1's ball 2, if the player is not there before the player’s group starts their third game, that week will be considered the third No-Show and the person will not be allowed to play in the league for the rest of the season and will forfeit any and all monies paid to the league up to that point.

 

III.    Premakeups

A.            Overview

It is very important for league players to show up for all league nights.  However, emergencies do come up.  In the event that a player misses a week, the player’s premakeup scores will be used.  Early in the season (Week 1) or before the season starts, each player will play two official games on each machine. After the start of league play on Week 6 of the season, no league player will be allowed to obtain any premakeup scores on a game, unless it is on a game that was not there prior to Week 6 of the league. After this point, all premakeup scores not obtained on games existing at the Break prior to the start of league play on Week 6 will count as a zero.  A premakeup game must be played with at least one other player for it to be a valid premakeup score.

B.            Obtaining and Using Premakeup Scores

 

It is not required that a player obtain premakeup scores; but it is strongly recommended that a player obtains premakeup scores to avoid getting zeroes for any games that player’s group plays when he/she is not there. There will be three different scores for each game that will be used each time a player is allowed to use a premakeup score: Both scores obtained on the premakeup games played and an average of the two premakeup scores (using any zeroes if necessary), rounded to the nearest 10 points. So, for example, a player’s premakeup scores on The Addam's Family could be 20M (Game 1), 40M (game 2), and 30M (game 3; an average of the scores from games 1 and 2).  The score obtained on the first premakeup game played on a particular game will be the first premakeup score used for that game; the second premakeup score obtained on that game will be the second premakeup score used for that game and the third score will be the average of the first two. If a player only has one premakeup score on a particular game before the first premakeup score on the game in question is needed or in accordance with the deadline stated above, whichever comes first, then the only score the player has will be used for the first premakeup; if a second premakeup score on the game in question is not obtained in accordance with the deadline stated above or a second premakeup is needed for the game in question, whichever comes first, then a score of zero is used for that premakeup and the player may not obtain any more premakeup scores on that particular machine.

 

Example: Player A has only one premakeup score of 50M on TAF. He has used it already by the fifth week of the season, but has no second premakeup score. On week 6, he is absent and his group plays TAF. He has to use a premakeup score of 0 for that game and then the third premakeup score is automatically calculated as the average of these two premakeup scores: (50M + 0M)/2 = 25M. This would also be his ghost premakeup score should he need to have a premakeup score after the third absence (see Ghost Premakeup scores in Section C, below).

 

Whenever a player is absent on a given League Night, all premakeup scores in a given set will be considered to have been used even though no more than 5 games will be used from that set. That set then will be unavailable for use again during the season. Exception: If a player has to use one or two premakeup scores in a given set because he or she arrived late and that player's group already started playing, then the late player must use the rest of the games in that set as choices from which the NEXT set of premakeup scores are taken (subject to the 15 game limit of premakeup scores for a player).

 

If for some reason, all players in a group are not present, then the game choices will be done in this fashion. The premakeup games used will first be chosen from games that all of the players have, if possible. Then games will be chosen from games that more than one player has (for 3 and 4 player matches). If at this point, 5 games are not chosen, then games will be picked at random until 5 games have been chosen for the match. If necessary, ghost premakeup scores will be used here. As far as Total League Points goes, no bonus points of any kind will be given out in a match like this, but the match point scoring is otherwise as if at least one player had been present in the group (match point scoring and Total League Points is discussed later in this document).

 

To make it easier to obtain premakeup scores, I will allow any league player to play premakeup games when I'm not around to take the scores that day they're played (normally this has been on Friday nights and League nights). If players are going to play premakeup games when not in my presence, they must either do A) or B) described below.

 

a)       Play the games with at least one other League player with all players keeping AND sending me a copy of each player's scores for each game played via e-mail (if you have e-mail) (or giving me a copy if the scores were obtained within a day of the next League meeting) by the next League meeting after which said scores were obtained. For those players who don't have e-mail, you must show me the scores at the next League meeting after the scores were obtained so I can check them against what the other players have given me. In order for the premakeup score to count, all of the scores given to me for that particular game by all players must be identical; otherwise the game will be declared invalid and must be replayed. Example: Players A, B, and C (all league players) play TAF on a Tuesday night (when I'm normally not at 8OTB). Player A gets 20M, Player B gets 50M, and Player C gets 200M. They also play Monopoly; Player A gets 5M, Player B gets 30M, and Player C gets 3M. On Wednesday night, Players A, B, and C would give me a piece of paper that has the scores obtained by each player for both games. Once I verify that each player's record of the obtained scores are identical, the premakeup scores will be official.

 

b)       Play the games against a non-league player, but with a League player not involved in the premakeup game present to verify the premakeup scores obtained and that the games played were legal. The League player will then give me a copy of the scores at (or send to me via e-mail by) the next League meeting after said scores were obtained by the players who did the premakeup games.

 

WARNING!!! If at any time I find that players are abusing this to their advantage (e.g. playing more than one extra ball in a game, playing a game alone, or submitting unusually high scores (for a particular player's skill level) for a particular game), then this option will be terminated and all premakeup scores would have to be done in my presence in the future.

C.            Penalty

Later in this document, game scoring is discussed.  For any single game, first place earns three points with the potential for a 4th point if the first place player beats the 2nd and 3rd place players combined.  When a pre-makeup score is used, the player cannot get the 4th point even if the score would otherwise warrant it. If a player is absent in a given week or shows up late after that player’s group has finished playing a given game and has no pre-makeup score for the game that his or her group is playing that week, then that player receives zero points for that game that week (this is called the Zero Point Rule).

 

If for some reason, a player doesn’t have any premakeup scores for a particular game to be played that week, a ghost premakeup score equal to the normalized score for the game will be used, and that absent player (Player A) is part of a two-player match, the opponent (Player B) will automatically receive four points for that game, unless Player B’s score for the game is less than the normalized score for the game in question in which case nobody receives the extra bonus point. Player A will receive an official score of 0 for the game. For games that Player A has premakeup scores for, the scoring (for a two player match) for Player B is the same as if Player A was present. For three and four player matches, the ghost premakeup score equal to the normalized score for the game will also be used, and if there are two or more players who are using the same score, then for purposes of calculating the place of the other players, the absent players will be ranked according to their place in the league at the moment with the top ranked of the absent players coming in ahead of the other player(s).

 

A player who shows up late on a League night and that player's group is past ball 1 on game 2 (meaning the late player can't get in on game 2) at the time the late player arrives, then the scoring for the late player that night will be treated as if he or she didn't show up at all and the player's premakeup scores or ghost premakeup scores, as appropriate, for the games not played will be used.

 

Notes regarding players who miss more than three weeks of or uses 15 premakeup games, whichever comes first, during the season (and therefore can’t use any more premakeup scores):

 

“Ghost” Premakeup scores will be used. The ghost score will be the average of all three premakeup scores (including any zeroes) obtained by a player on one game. So a player who only obtained one premakeup score on a game (say 30M on Monster Bash) will have as a ghost premakeup score (30M + 0 + 15M)/3 = 15M. The player got a zero for not getting a second premakeup score on the game. The official score for the missed game for that player will be zero, but the ghost score will be used as if the person were there and a three-player match with one or two ghost premakeup scores will be treated as a three player match as if all parties were there. The same goes for four player and two player matches: if any absent players in the match are using ghost premakeup scores, they will get an official score of zero, but their ghost premakeup score will be used as the player were actually there.

D.            Premakeup Scores on New Games

 

Several things may occur as a result of a new game (Game X) being brought into the Break during the League season. I'll list them and what is to be done to resolve the issue.

 

a)       A player fails to complete the first set of premakeups before Game X replaces one of the games the player has gotten a premakeup on already (Game Y): The player obtains a premakeup score on Game X and that score replaces the score obtained on the game that was removed.

b)       A player has completed one set but failed to complete the second set of premakeups before Game X replaces Game Y: If the first set of premakeups was used before Game X appeared at the Break, then for the second set the player plays two games on Game X and the higher of the two scores will be the second premakeup score for Game X and the score for the third set will be the average of the two scores.  If the first set of premakeups wasn't used before Game X appeared at the Break, then the player must obtain a premakeup score on Game X to replace the premakeup score on Game Y for the first set. The second premakeup game on Game X will then go toward the second set and the score for the third set is the average of the two scores.

c)       A player has completed both sets of premakeup scores before Game X appeared at the Break: If a player hasn't used any of the premakeup sets yet, then the player must obtain premakeup scores on Game X for the two sets to replace Game Y. If the first set of premakeups was used before Game X appeared at the Break, then for the second set the player plays two games on Game X and the higher of the two scores will be the second premakeup score for Game X and the score for the third set will be the average of the two scores. If a player has used the first and second sets of premakeups before Game X appeared at the Break then the player will play one game on Game X and the score obtained on that game will be the premakeup score for Game X for the third set.

 

If any new game(s) comes to the Break on or before Week 4 of the season, then a player must get premakeup scores on those games before the start of league play on Week 6 of the season otherwise a zero is recorded as the score for the game(s) in question. If the game(s) come after Week 4, then a player has two weeks to get premakeup scores on those games otherwise the player gets a zero score for the game(s) in question.

E.             Limit

The maximum number of premakeup scores a player can use during the season is 15. After this, ghost premakeup scores will be used (see Note above in Section C).

IV.     Money / Prizes

A.            Dues

Every week during the regular season, players will each pay $6.00 that will be used exclusively for prizes.

B.            Prizes

Prizes will consist of weekly payouts and end of league trophies and cash for the top three overall winners in each division (more on that later). The dues will first go toward weekly payouts (50%) and the remaining 50% plus money (if any) donated by the League Commissioner or another third party(ies) will go toward the trophies and end of season cash prizes. The end of season cash prizes will be awarded in this way:

 

Place                                                       A Division                             B Division

 

First                                                        45%                                        15%

 

Second                                                   35%                                          5%

 

Third                                                      *                                              **

 

* as a consolation prize, 20% of the amount that the winner of Second Place of A Division gets.

** as a consolation prize, 50% of the amount that the winner of Second Place of B Division gets.

 

These End Of Season Prizes (number given out and the amount of the cash awards given out) are subject to change, depending on how many people participate in the league in a given season.

 

Weekly payouts (the total sum of all weekly payouts equals 50% of the dues collected that week) will be as follows: Total League Points (TLP) for the winner of each group for that week will be compared. The two or three people with the highest TLP will share the prize pot for that week. If there are two groups in the league, then the weekly prize pot is split as follows: 75% goes to the group winner that has the highest TLP and the rest goes to the other group winner. If both people have the same TLP then those winners will play a tiebreaker game (discussed later in this document) to determine the top winner. If the league has three or more groups, then the weekly prize pot is split up in the following fashion: the group winner with the highest TLP will get 65%, the group winner with the second highest TLP gets 25%, and the group winner with the third highest TLP scorer gets 10%. Any ties that occur among these three players will be broken by a tiebreaker game (to be discussed later in this document) to determine who comes in first, second, and third.

 

Note on Weekly Payouts and Absent Players: An absent player forfeits any cash prize that he or she might have won in a given week even though his/her TLP is one of the top two for the week. In this case, then the person in the group from which the absent player was supposed to play who has the next highest TLP will be declared the winner of the group that week for payout purposes.

C.            Games

League members will pay for the games played on league nights.  When replays are awarded during league games, the replays are considered the “community property” of the league.  The next group to play on that machine can use the credit.  It is up to the players in the group to decide who gets the credit, or if it can be split between two players by each of them putting in one coin.  The winner of the replay does have the first right to use the replay when possible.  For example, if a group is playing two games on a particular machine and a player gets a replay on the first game, the player gets to use that credit on the second game. 

V.      Game Rules

A.            Order of Play

For the first game of the night, the highest ranked player in each group goes last, the 2nd highest ranked player goes next to last (or first in a two player group), the 3rd highest ranked player goes first (or second if in a four player group), and in a four player group, the lowest ranked player would go first. For each subsequent game that night, the order in which position is chosen is based on the order of finish of the previous game.  The winner of the previous game goes last; the 2nd place player goes next to last, etc.

 

If a player inadvertently starts a one-player game (say because the start button was pressed only once if the required amount of credits were in the machine or if there weren’t enough credits in the game to begin with), then if any of the other players catch this mistake before ball 1 of the first player is over, they can put in their credits (or press start the required number of times), as the case may be, to bring up the proper number of players in the game without penalty to the player who made the error. However, if nobody catches the error before the first player begins ball 2 (meaning the other players haven’t played their ball 1 yet), then the offending player shall abort the current game as soon as the mistake is caught and a new game begun with the proper number of players.

B.            Extra Balls

A player may play one and only one extra ball per game.  Any other extra balls that are earned must be drained.  The player can, however, try for the skill shot.  If the skill shot requires a flipper shot, this CANNOT be attempted (for example, the Super Skill Shot in Attack From Mars); however you may lane change before the ball gets through the rollovers in games that use them for their skill shot (e.g. AFM), then you must let go of the flipper buttons. It is up to the players in a group to keep track of whether a player has played their extra ball.

C.            Malfunctions

If a serious malfunction occurs, the player affected by the malfunction has the right to replay the game, alone, after the other players finish.  The player must decide immediately after the ball during which the malfunction occurred.  If the player allows the game to continue, the assumption is that the player is going to use the current game and not play a makeup.  It is up to the player to make sure this decision is made before allowing the game to continue.  If the player decides to replay the game, the score for this make-up game is used as if it were played with the other players, whether or not it is higher then the player’s score on the original game.

 

Examples of serious malfunctions:

 

·         Player is forced to tilt the ball away to dislodge a stuck ball

·         A turn ends prematurely (bonus count starts with ball in play).  This includes the situation where a machine kicks out two balls to start and the turn ends after the first ball drains.

·         A lit kickback fails to kick the ball into play.  (Note: In Theater of Magic, the Hocus-Pocus magnets are not designed to be 100% effective and thus their failure is not considered a major malfunction.  The ball-save in Tales of the Arabian Nights is a similar example).

 

Examples of minor malfunctions:

 

·          Player tilts a ball that is stuck without waiting for ball searches

·          A multiball round ends prematurely but current ball continues

·          A ball goes airborne and down the drain

·          A switch fails to register but doesn't result in loss of turn

·          A lit kickback fails to work during multiball but doesn't end turn

 

If a malfunction is serious enough to prevent all players from continuing the game, the entire game is replayed, possibly on another machine.  If a malfunction gives significant advantage to any one player, and there is no way to avoid it, everyone replays their game (possibly on a new machine) and takes the new result.  If it is discovered and can be avoided, and players do not take advantage of it, play can continue.

 

If a problem is encountered in a game, and no mention is made during a match, no retroactive changes are made.  If a problem is noticed but it is decided to play anyway, it is considered part of the game.

 

D.            Death Saves and Bang-Backs

Neither death saves nor bang-backs are allowed in League play.  If a ball bounces back on its own, no penalties are invoked.  If a death save or bang-back is performed, that player's score is set to zero.

E.             Tilts

If a player tilts away the ball of another player, the offending player must buy a credit to be used by the offended player to buy-in the extra ball at the end of the game, if possible.  If no buy-in is possible, the offended player has the option of taking the game as-is or replaying the entire game (with the offending player paying for the replayed game), taking the higher of the two games.

 

If a player tilts another player’s ball a second time on a particular night, the offending player automatically gets a score of zero points for that second game.  The offended player has the same options as above.

F.             Slam Tilts

Slam tilts fall into three categories: intentional, accidental and malfunction. The slam tilt is considered a malfunction only if the coin door is loose, or some other problem with the machine makes it prone to slamming under normal shaking/nudging conditions.

 

Intentional slam tilts are caused by players hitting the coin door, attempting bang-backs, or hard shoving of the machine after a drain.  If it is clear that the ball had already drained and the shove served no useful play purpose, the slam tilt is considered intentional.  If the slam occurred during a legitimate save attempt, it is considered accidental. Whether intentional or accidental, the slamming player receives a score of zero for the game.  Scores for the other players are noted, if possible. The match is then replayed without the slamming player.  If the slam was deemed a malfunction, then all players who have finished their game will have their scores recorded, if possible. The player whose game the slam occurred on will replay the game and if it is not possible to record the scores of the other players in the match, then they will also replay the game and each player (including the player in which the malfunction occurred) will keep the scores obtained on that game.

 

An intentional slam tilt is considered unsportmanlike conduct and repeated offenses are grounds for the player’s expulsion from the league at the Commissioner’s discretion.

VI.     Game Scoring

A.            League Points

All league standings are based not on actual game scores, but on league points.  League points are awarded based on 1st, 2nd 3rd and 4th place in individual games, with additional league points awarded based on actual scores as follows:

B.            Three Player Games

In a three-player game (which will likely comprise the majority of league games), league points are awarded as follows:

 

1st Place: 3 points

2nd Place:                2 points

3rd Place:                0 points

 

One additional point is awarded either to the 1st place player or the 3rd place player.  If the 1st place player scores more than the 2nd and 3rd place players combined, the 1st place player gets the extra point.  Otherwise, the 3rd place player gets the point.  Thus, in a 3-player game, the points awarded are either 4-2-0 or 3-2-1.

 

The idea here is that a player is rewarded for a decisive win or for keeping it close.

 

Special Sweep Bonus Points: If a player gets at least 3 points on each game in a match (for a minimum of 15 points), then that player will also get an extra 5 bonus points, termed Sweep Bonus Points, for doing so well in the match, added to his or her point total.

C.            Four Player Games

In a four-player game the points are awarded like this:

 

1st Place: 3 points

2nd Place:                2 points

3rd Place:                1 point

4th Place: 0 points

 

Two additional points are awarded in four player games.  One point goes to either 1st place or 3rd place and the other point goes to either 2nd place or 4th place.  As in the three player game, the 1st place player gets the extra point for beating 2nd and 3rd combined, otherwise the 3rd place player gets the point.  The 2nd place player gets the point for beating 3rd and 4th place combined, otherwise the 4th place player gets it.

 

Special Sweep Bonus Points: If one player in the match has a point total greater than the sum of the other three players combined, then that player will get an extra 5 bonus points, termed Sweep Bonus Points, added to his or her point total.

D.            Two Player Games

In a two-player game, the points are awarded like this:

 

1st Place: 3 points

2nd Place:                2 points if the score in the game is more than half of the 1st place player's score otherwise 1 point

 

One additional bonus point is awarded to the 1st place player for at least tripling the score of the 2nd place player; otherwise, the 2nd place player gets the point.

 

Special Sweep Bonus Points: If one player in the match has at least triple the score of the other player in each game (meaning the first place player would have a total of 15 regular + 5 bonus points = 20 points and the second place player would have 5 points), then the first place player shall receive 5 bonus points added to his or her point total, termed Sweep Bonus Points.

E.             Normalized Scores

 

Normalizing scores are a way of comparing scores obtained by players on different machines. Each game used in the league will have a normalizing score associated with it. To calculate a player’s normalized score on a given machine, you have to divide the player’s score on the game in question by the normalizer. For example, a score of 1 Billion in Attack from Mars could be equal to a normalized score of 1 Million points and a player who scored 3 Billion would have as a normalized score: 3B/1B = 3.0 Million; a score of 50 Million on The Addam’s Family could be equal to a normalized score of 1 Million points and a player whose TAF score is 75 Million has a normalized score of 75M/50M = 1.5 Million. Every player in the league will have a Total Normalized Score (TNS) (the sum of all the normalized scores on the games played that night) each week and an Average Normalized Score (ANS) (the average of all weekly TNS’s since the beginning of the season). The ANS is used to break any ties in the weekly standings during the season.

F.             Ties

After the conclusion of the match and the points are tallied up for each player (before any Sweep Bonus Points or Match Bonus Points are awarded), two or more players (Players A and B (two player matches) and/or C (three player matches) and/or D (four player matches)) may be tied for total points. Any ties are resolved in the following manner.

 

For cases where two players are tied, the tied players will play against each other in one tiebreaker game. The winner of the tiebreaker game will be declared the winner of the tie (or of the match if it is a two player match).

 

When three or four players are tied, then the tied players will play one three- or four-player tiebreaker game. The winner of the game will be declared the winner of the tie. The other players will be ranked according to their scores in the game: the second highest score gets the next highest rank, the third highest score gets the third highest rank, and the fourth highest score (for four player matches) gets the lowest ranking.

 

The tiebreaker game will be determined as follows.

 

If 5 pins are operational (meaning the game is working with no problems that would prevent the game from being played), then one of the games used in the match will be played again with the choice of the game going to the player among the tied players who had the highest score in the 5th game played in the match. So if Players A, B, and C are tied in a 4 player match and of these three players, Player C had the highest score in game 5, then he or she gets to choose the tiebreaker game. If the highest scoring player doesn't want to make a choice, then the next highest scorer makes the choice. If no player wants to make the choice, then the League Commissioner will pick the tiebreaker game.

 

If 6 pins are operational, then the game that wasn't played in the match will be used as the tiebreaker game.

 

If more than 6 pins are operational, then one of the operational games not used in the match will be played with the choice of the game going to the player among the tied players who had the highest score in the 5th game played in the match. So if Players A, B, and C are tied in a 4 player match and of these three players, Player C had the highest score in game 5, then he or she gets to choose the tiebreaker game. If the highest scoring player doesn't want to make a choice, then the next highest scorer makes the choice. If no player wants to make the choice, then the League Commissioner will pick the tiebreaker game.

 

There may also be multiple players tied for the first place or second place (and/or third place if enough people are in the league) weekly prize money. If two or more players have the same point total for first or second (and/or third) place for the night then the tiebreaker game among the tied players is determined in this manner.

 

If there was a working game that all of the tied players didn't play in their respective groups, then the tiebreaker game will be used on that game. If more than one game exists, then the League Commissioner will pick one of those games at random. If no one game was not played by all the tied players, then if there was a game not used by more than one of the tied players then that game will be used. If more than one such game exists, then the League Commissioner will pick one of them at random to be used. If there are no games in common that two or more players in the tiebreaker match didn't use, then from the games that weren't used among the groups from which the players came the League Commissioner will pick a game at random to be used.

 

If only 5 games were available that night, then the League Commissioner will pick one of the five games at random. With fewer than 5 games available that night, the League Commissioner will pick a game at random from one of the games that wasn't played twice.

 

The order of play in the match is in order according to the number of raw points, from lowest to highest, each player obtained in the match. So the player with the lowest number of raw points goes first and the player with the highest number of raw points goes last.

 

Highest score in the game wins, next highest is second, and so on.

 

If it turns out that among any players in a match who are using premakeup scores are tied with other players in that match, then the persons who are tied are ranked according to the number of raw points they obtained in the night's match, with the person having the most raw points the winner of the tie, the person with the second-highest raw point total the runner-up, etc. If two or more of the players in question have an equal number of raw points, then they will be ranked based on their current standings in the League with the person higher in the standings being the winner of the tie.

VII.   The Regular Season

A.            Length

As noted earlier, the regular season will consist of ten league nights, one per week, on Wednesdays.  In general, national holidays will be skipped.  Other weeks may be skipped based on weather, or other circumstances, at the Commissioner’s discretion. No person may join the current season after the second week of the season has passed.

B.            How Many Divisions?

If there are fewer than 8 players competing during a League season, all players will compete in a single division.  If there are more than 7 players, then there will be two divisions, an A and a B.