Tournament strategy, the numbers behind competitive pinball, and what is new on Tilt Stats.
One guide for each of the 25 machines that Minnesota tournament players are drawn on most. What to shoot, what to leave alone, where the ball drains, and what 15,000 tracked games say about who wins on each.
·5 min read·Tilt Stats
On some machines the lower-rated player wins 46% of the time. On others it is 27%. We ranked every machine with enough tournament games to compare, and the pattern is clear: old and short favors the underdog, new and long favors the favorite.
·6 min read·Tilt Stats
Every player has heard that going last is an advantage. We checked 21,331 four-player tournament games. The player who goes first wins a little more often than anyone else, the player who goes last wins a little less, and the whole effect is small next to the choice of machine.
·5 min read·Tilt Stats
The three most-played tournament machines in Minnesota were all built by 1985. Older games are short, unforgiving and scored at the end of the ball. Eight habits that carry from one to the next, with links to a guide for each machine.
·6 min read·Tilt Stats
The most-played tournament machine in Minnesota is won at the end of the ball. How to work the drop targets, the 8 ball, the left orbit and the inline drops, what to ask about the saucer before you start, and what 990 tracked games say.
·6 min read·Tilt Stats
Comet is the second most-played tournament machine in Minnesota, and one shot on the last ball can outscore the two balls before it. How to plunge, what to light, where the ball drains, and what 877 tracked games say about picking it.
·6 min read·Tilt Stats
Paragon is a four-flipper widebody where most of the playfield is a distraction. The inline drops, the 5x saucer and the 20,000 bonus mark decide games. How to shoot them, how to survive the Beast's Lair, and what 860 tracked games say.
·5 min read·Tilt Stats
More tournaments in Minnesota have used Jurassic Park than any other machine. How paddocks work, how to start Raptor Tri-Ball and T-Rex Multiball, which to stack on what, and what 762 tracked games say about who wins on it.
·6 min read·Tilt Stats
JAWS runs longer than any other game in our top 25, and it rewards the player who finishes what they start. How shark encounters and bounty hunts score, where multiball fits, how the life ring works, and what 724 tracked games say.
·6 min read·Tilt Stats
