The Professional and Amateur Pinball Association (PAPA) is an organization supporting the game of pinball

Pinball

Pinball is a type of arcade game, usually coin-operated, where a player attempts to score points by manipulating one or more metal balls on a playfield inside a glass-covered case called a pinball machine. The primary objective of the game is to score as many points as possible...

 as a recreational and competitive sport

Sport

A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...

. PAPA is currently owned and operated by Kevin Martin and is based in Scott Township, Pennsylvania

Scott Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania

Scott Township is a township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 17,024 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Scott Township is located at ....

, just outside of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...

.

The main activity of the organization is hosting the annual World Pinball Championships, which brings hundreds of serious pinball players from around the world to compete for a number of large cash prizes. The tournament

Tournament

A tournament is a competition involving a relatively large number of competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:...

 runs for four days and allows competitors to register in any of five different divisions in order to accommodate beginners and skilled players alike. Each occurrence of the annual tournament has been denoted by a number; for example, the 2010 tournament is known as PAPA 13.

History

PAPA was originally created by Steve Epstein, owner of the former Broadway Arcade in Manhattan

Manhattan

Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...

. PAPA 6 was the last tournament organized under his tenure. The PAPA organization was resurrected in 2003 and its moniker applied to the pinball tournaments formerly held under the name of Pinburgh; PAPA 7 was the first of these, held in 2004.

In September 2004, shortly after PAPA 7, the remnants of Hurricane Ivan

Hurricane Ivan

Hurricane Ivan was a large, long-lived, Cape Verde-type hurricane that caused widespread damage in the Caribbean and United States. The cyclone was the ninth named storm, the sixth hurricane and the fourth major hurricane of the active 2004 Atlantic hurricane season...

 flooded the tournament area, ruining more than 200 games. However, the organizers managed to restock and rebuild in time to host PAPA 8 in 2005.

More recently, PAPA has added online archives of the Flipside magazine from the early 90's, as well as launching the PAPA Advanced Rating System (PARS), which employs the Glicko rating system

Glicko rating system

The Glicko rating system and the Glicko-2 rating system are chess rating systems similar to the Elo rating system: a method for assessing a player's strength in games of skill such as chess. It was invented by Mark Glickman as an improvement of the Elo rating system...

 to mathematically analyze the results of competitive pinball play.

Tournament format

The format of the PAPA tournaments has changed over time. In the current format, players declare a division (A, B, or C, with A being the most skilled) and may enter as many times as they like, paying entry fees each time they choose to play. During an entry, a player will choose and play a certain number of games from a predetermined bank of machines (for example, five out of a possible nine machines). Each game score is assigned a point value based on how it compares to all of the other entries on that same machine: 100 points for the highest score, down to 1 point for 88th place, and 0 points for all lower scores. Interestingly, this point value may decrease over time as more games are played by everyone. An entry's overall score is the sum of these point values; thus, it too can decrease over time.

A player's best entry over the course of the qualifying period determines the player's qualifying score, and the qualifying scores are used to determine the rank of each player. A player's rank may go up or down, even without continuing to play more entries. There is a fair amount of strategy

Strategy

Strategy, a word of military origin, refers to a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. In military usage strategy is distinct from tactics, which are concerned with the conduct of an engagement, while strategy is concerned with how different engagements are linked...

 that can be employed to deal with this.

At the end of the qualifying period (typically several days), the top-ranked players in each division (the actual number varies) compete in a head-to-head, bracketed format to determine the winners.

The tournament also includes a Juniors division (16 years or younger), a Seniors division (50 years or older), and a Classics division that runs on two separate days of the event. In 2011 a third Classics event was added due to the event's popularity.

Tournament machine configurations

If possible, the game software of each machine is put into tournament mode. Typically, this means that the rules will avoid
giving random awards, so that scores reflect mostly skill and not luck. Also, extra balls are disabled in most competitions
if the software supports it.

The physical setup of the machines is also configured to make things as challenging as possible. This can be done in a number of ways, for example:

• Adjusting or removing outlane posts, which make the side drain gaps larger.
• Increasing the playfield angle (by adjusting the legs on the cabinet). This increases ball speed and makes it more difficult to make shots in the back of the playfield.
• Making the "tilt" mechanism more strict, allowing less nudging and shaking of the machine.

List of tournament winners

A Division

• PAPA 1 - Joey Cartegena (USA) - (2/2/91 - held at the Lone Star Roadhouse, New York, NY)
• PAPA 2 - Rick Stetta (USA) - (February 1–2, 1992 - Lone Star Roadhouse, New York, NY)
• PAPA 3 - Lyman Sheats (USA) - (2/13/1993 - Omni Park Central Hotel, New York, NY)
• PAPA 4 - Bowen Kerins (USA) - (2/8/1994 - Omni Park Central Hotel, New York, NY)
• PAPA 5 - Paul Madison (USA) - (February 3–5, 1995 - Omni Park Central Hotel, New York, NY)
• PAPA 6 - Keith Elwin (USA) - (2/8/1998 - Sahara Hotel, Las Vegas, NV)
• PAPA 7 - Lyman Sheats (USA) - (9/12/2004 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 8 - Bowen Kerins (USA) - (8/14/2005 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 9 - Lyman Sheats (USA) - (8/20/2006 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 10 - Jorian Engelbrektsson (SWE) - (10/14/2007 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 11 - Keith Elwin (USA) - (8/17/2008 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 12 - Keith Elwin (USA) - (8/16/2009 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 13 - Keith Elwin (USA) - (8/15/2010 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 14 - Andrei Massenkoff (USA) - (8/14/2011 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)

B Division

• PAPA 3 - A.J. Fried (USA) - (2/13/1993 - Omni Park Central Hotel, New York, NY)
• PAPA 4 - Kevin Kulek (USA) - (2/8/1994 - Omni Park Central Hotel, New York, NY)
• PAPA 6 - Tim Morse (USA) - (2/8/1998 - Sahara Hotel, Las Vegas, NV)
• PAPA 7 - Andrei Massenkoff (USA) - (9/12/2004 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 8 - Helena Walter (SWE) - (8/14/2005 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 9 - Darren Kamnitzer (USA) - (8/20/2006 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 10 - Adam Becker (CAN) - (10/14/2007 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 11 - Maurice Pelletier (CAN) - (8/17/2008 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 12 - Ed Zeltmann (USA) - (8/16/2009 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 13 - Joshua Henderson (USA) - (8/15/2010 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 14 - Dave Hegge (USA) - (8/14/2011 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)

C Division

• PAPA 4 - Sam Ryan (USA) - (2/8/1994 - Omni Park Central Hotel, New York, NY)
• PAPA 5 - Steve Walker (USA) - (February 3–5, 1995 - Omni Park Central Hotel, New York, NY)
• PAPA 6 - Steve Marsh (USA) - (2/8/1998 - Sahara Hotel, Las Vegas, NV)
• PAPA 7 - Russ Wallis (USA) - (9/12/2004 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 8 - Jory Rabinovitz (USA) - (8/14/2005 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 9 - Mark Salas (USA) - (8/20/2006 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 10 - Johnny Modica (USA) - (10/14/2007 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 11 - Mike Clinton (CAN) - (8/17/2008 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 12 - Blair Love (USA) - (8/16/2009 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 13 - Seth Lettofsky (USA) - (8/15/2010 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 14 - Chuck Jackson (USA) - (8/14/2011 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)

Junior Division

• PAPA 6 - Zachary Sharpe (USA) - (2/8/1998 - Sahara Hotel, Las Vegas, NV)
• PAPA 7 - Jake Prince (USA) - (9/12/2004 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 8 - Matt Hogue (USA) - (8/14/2005 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 9 - Ethan Blonder (USA) - (8/20/2006 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 10 - Ethan Blonder (USA) - (10/14/2007 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 11 - Ethan Blonder (USA) - (8/17/2008 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 12 - Justin Ortscheid (USA) - (8/16/2009 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 13 - Justin Ortscheid (USA) - (8/15/2010 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 14 - Escher Lefkoff (USA) - (8/14/2011 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)

Senior Division

• PAPA 7 - Ed Hershey (USA) - (9/12/2004 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 8 - Ed Hershey (USA) - (8/14/2004 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 9 - Rick Prince (USA) - (8/20/2006 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 10 - John Reuter (USA) - (10/14/2007 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 11 - Ed Hershey (USA) - (8/17/2008 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 12 - Rick Prince (USA) - (8/16/2009 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 13 - Rick Prince (USA) - (8/15/2010 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 14 - Dave Hegge (USA) - (8/14/2011 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)

Classics Division

• PAPA 7 - Classics 1 - Keith Elwin (USA) - (9/10/2004 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 7 - Classics 2 - Steven Epstein (USA) - (9/11/2004 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 8 - Classics 1 - Ed Hershey (USA) - (8/12/2005 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 8 - Classics 2 - Keith Elwin (USA) - (8/13/2005 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 9 - Classics 1 - Neil Shatz (USA) - (8/18/2006 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 9 - Classics 2 - Keith Elwin (USA) - (8/19/2006 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 10 - Classics 1 - Rick Prince (USA) - (10/12/2007 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 10 - Classics 2 - Bowen Kerins (USA) - (10/13/2007 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 11 - Classics 1 - Neil Shatz (USA) - (8/15/2008 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 11 - Classics 2 - Adam Lefkoff (USA) - (8/16/2008 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 12 - Classics 1 - Bowen Kerins (USA) - (8/14/2009 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 12 - Classics 2 - Keith Johnson (USA) - (8/15/2009 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 13 - Classics 1 - Dave Hegge (USA) - (8/13/2010 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 13 - Classics 2 - Josh Sharpe (USA) - (8/14/2010 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 14 - Classics 1 - Trent Augenstein (USA) - (8/12/2011 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 14 - Classics 2 - Robert Gagno (CAN) - (8/13/2011 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)
• PAPA 14 - Classics 3 - Keith Elwin (USA) - (8/14/2011 - PAPA World Headquarters, Scott Township, PA)