# Concord Champ '25: Quarters, Game 2/4 on Volley by Gottlieb. Streamed from The Flipper Room

**Source:** DRI374  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2025-11-18  
**Duration:** 15m 27s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zps_jgACc6Q

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## Analysis

Tournament commentary from Concord Champ '25 quarters match featuring gameplay on Volley by Gottlieb at The Flipper Room arcade. Hosts provide detailed analysis of player strategy, plunge techniques, and scoring mechanics while maintaining casual banter about food and tournament procedures.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Volley has multiple plunge options (yellow, blue, green) that skilled players know how to execute — _Direct observation of gameplay and commentary about plunge strategy_
- [HIGH] Volley is a quarter-cost game, making practice more affordable than games like John Wick — _Host states 'Quarter versus a dollar' and notes practicing Volley is better than expensive games for frugal budgets_
- [HIGH] Everything lighting simultaneously in Volley creates a strategic decision point on whether to cash in or risk further play — _Multiple references to 'everything lit' situations and risk/reward commentary_
- [HIGH] Volley playfield design allows ball to go left or right in outlane, making it difficult to hit both standups in one flip — _Host commentary: 'when it can go left or right in lane, out lane. So, you can't technically take both standups in one flip'_

### Notable Quotes

> "It's as good as they say."
> — **Tournament participant**, Early commentary
> _Validation of Volley's reputation as a quality game worthy of tournament play_

> "You want to get up in those those colored lights and turn them off. rather than on."
> — **Host**, Plunge strategy discussion
> _Technical explanation of optimal plunge targets and lighting mechanics_

> "Ball four. 40 more than 40 away from Zach even with everything lit."
> — **Host**, Mid-game analysis
> _Example of how difficult it is to overcome score deficits even with favorable board state_

> "It's why they play the games. If you have a a frugal budget, practicing volley is is better than having to practice like, you know, John Wick or something."
> — **Host**, Strategic commentary
> _Economic comparison between games relevant to operator/player decision-making_

> "Remember your training, Lawrence."
> — **Host**, Late game pressure moment
> _Casual mentorship tone reflecting tournament culture_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Volley | game | Classic Gottlieb game featured in tournament quarters match; quarter-cost machine with plunge strategy focus |
| Concord Champ '25 | event | Pinball tournament with qualifying rounds and championship bracket; quarters match featured here |
| The Flipper Room | organization | Arcade venue hosting Concord Champ '25 tournament |
| Zach | person | Tournament player who set baseline score of 66,960 in opening match of quarters |
| Dan Dezy | person | Number one qualifier monitoring tournament stream, mentioned as providing quality assurance oversight |
| Lawrence | person | Tournament player attempting to beat baseline score; showed strong recovery play late in match |
| Michael | person | Tournament participant mentioned at end of commentary |
| Gottlieb | company | Manufacturer of Volley machine in tournament |
| Technology Connections | organization | YouTube channel referenced for technical/educational content; hosts mention creator's long-form explanatory videos about mechanical systems |
| Trader Joe's | organization | Retailer where pickle popcorn snack ('Popcorn in a Pickle') is available for under $3 |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Tournament mechanics and scoring strategy, Volley game design and plunge techniques
- **Secondary:** Player skill development and practice methods, Economic accessibility of pinball games (quarter vs dollar cost), Casual tournament atmosphere and venue hospitality

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.82) — Hosts display enthusiasm for Volley as a tournament game, appreciation for player skill, and relaxed, friendly commentary. Some minor frustration with game design elements (colored light orientation) but overall tone is celebratory of competitive pinball and player performance.

### Signals

- **[event_signal]** Tournament format includes spectator engagement, stream monitoring by top-ranked players, and casual venue experience (food, social atmosphere) (confidence: medium) — References to Dan Dezy monitoring stream, crowd engagement, casual food/beverage discussion, and relaxed host banter
- **[competitive_signal]** Volley tournament play focuses heavily on plunge precision with multiple viable target options (yellow/blue/green) requiring practice and skill differentiation (confidence: high) — Extended commentary on plunge strategy, discussion of skilled players knowing multiple plunge dialects, and emphasis on practicing plunge execution
- **[event_signal]** Concord Champ '25 tournament active with structured bracket play at The Flipper Room; using one-player games with practice balls before each match (confidence: high) — Live tournament commentary with baseline scoring, bracket progression through quarters, and organized practice protocols
- **[product_concern]** Volley regarded as high-quality tournament machine worthy of competitive play; players and commentators validate its reputation (confidence: high) — 'It's as good as they say' and extended detailed strategic gameplay discussion treating it as serious tournament title

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## Transcript

I got to give it a try.
I mean, I have given it a try,
but I can confirm it. It's as good as they say.
I'm going to turn off the sound on the game because it's straight is right behind us. We get a lot of weird echoes. So,
Mhm.
All right. So, whoever uh comes in last gets to pick where they want to be. As a one player game, going last can be a big advantage, but also Zach could just take everyone's heart. Oh, this is practice.
So, everyone can practice for 30 seconds. Uh, I wouldn't be surprised to see most people practicing this because also a very important thing is getting the plunge right. You want to get up in those those colored lights and turn them off. rather than on. I kind of think it would be prettier and it would match the uh how they light up at the bottom when you have done it, but at the top they turn off. How about they start turned off?
You go through and it lights up in both places. Maybe someone can do a custom ROM hack for that.
ROM.
Somebody have the wires on relays or whatever they're called.
I do not know how any of that stuff works. There's some guy on YouTube uh who has like hours long video explaining it. Uh he's like very nerdy about uh technical stuff and it's really cool. But I tried to watch it. I was like I think he has like a 3 hours showing how an Aztec machine works and it was like way over my head.
But my engineering friend really dug it.
Yeah. Yeah. I'll bet. I'll bet.
All right.
So I guess Yeah. What ball number are we on? This is ball two. We have begun.
So,
I think we have begun. Yes.
Yeah. They're doing practice. Whoever is playing practices right before their turn rather than all at once. These are one player games. Zach is going to set the bar.
Will it be high enough that the others cannot reach it? You got your pick pickle popcorn?
Oh, yeah. Would you like between games?
Yeah.
Yeah. I'm No, no. I mean, you can eat it. It's fine. I'm I'm not [laughter]
Have you had it?
No.
You got to the people are going nuts for it.
But I know eating on stream is negative.
Yeah, it's going to be a long day. It's going to be eating and drinking and everything. Oh,
Raymond, you got to try this pickle popcorn. I think it's less than three bucks at Trader Joe's. [laughter]
It's called uh popcorn in a pickle. And you know, this is Zach. He might be in a pickle. Uh this is ball five. He only has 27.
So, let's see what he can do. He does have everything lit. So, it's time to cash in and get out of this pickle.
How did he get everything lit so quick? That's uh that's amazing.
Well, ball five is about as as late as you can get.
Yeah.
Quickness. But uh
Yeah. Yeah. But I mean the thing it like time
Yeah. Yeah. Time wise it just like
went from house ball to house ball. Okay. We got we got some scores here.
66,960.
You know, honestly, uh better than it looked like it was going to go. 66
960.
Oh, technology connections. That's must be the name of that channel. Yes. Very neat. Watch that if you want to learn how things work. I'm just glad they do. And I don't want to. Oh, look. Are you standing where you're standing so they can't see your butt?
68.
Oh, is it is it 68?
Oh, I said 66, too. Look at that. Yeah. Oh, John Youssi there's a little bit of glare.
Yeah. Yeah.
It's taking out that line.
Dan Dezy is not only number one qualifier, he's monitoring the stream.
Yeah.
Quality assurance.
Here we go. Is this practice? Is this for reals? I'm feel like it was suspicion this is practice.
Yeah. One group I followed put their phones on the on the games. You can kind of see all right this is this is not the reals.
That is good. And you can uh keep track of time that way too. I think I think everybody are
there's good faith here. They're not. There's probably no one with a stopwatch getting ready to like tackle him away from the machine once it hits 31.
That'd be kind of interesting. So, he is a plunge machine. Now, I found the yellow plunge on this, which feels like the most important, but I have a feeling that the people are really good. They might know the blue punch, the yellow plunge, and the green plunge.
Yeah. I'm I'm just happy when I see the ball kind of just touching any of the
the rollover post. is just like all right that
and there can also maybe it's all the same plunge where it goes bounce bounce and hits a post and then with their nudging they can make it go where they want. Let's see.
I like uh that he he got the green. To me that's better than the yellow cuz
Yeah. You don't want
I know where the yellow is. Oh, you don't? Well, I want the yellow.
I mean it's dangerous to shoot for. That's
Huh.
the yellow bang.
Oh, I see. Yeah. often, you know, those will be bank shots from the green or the blue uh up the middle. Wow. Okay. Nice recovery. [laughter]
So, he's already taken out three yellows, but they are worth, you know, whatever.
500. Yeah.
Oh, arked perfectly over it. Oh, there you go.
Up and down if you can up and down. Oh, look. Everything is late.
And then this is where a lesser player might go, I got it made like I am going to destroy this and then not.
Yeah,
I don't think he'll be thinking that way. But this is a a good situation. Ball two, everything is
available.
But yeah, you don't you don't count those colonels before they popped. So, do the center kind of roll top roll over lit once you've downed all the banks once or do you know
if you clear the banks after you've already lit each of the top ones can light for something else.
Oh, okay. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Each of Okay, you got specials on the side here.
And I have no idea if special is worth Maybe someone in chat
knows. All right.
And see, look, this is the situation.
Ball four. 40 more than 40 away from Zach even with everything lit. Now the blue one has a bunch of drop targets.
Green one has one.
We might as well just collect two house balls here because this is volley.
But let's see if we can get some. There's a blue there.
Skimmed it. Okay,
the yellow
and he's going to be trying to reset as well.
That's gone.
Okay, it's doing good work here.
Okay, big ball here. This is crunch time.
Yeah,
for Dan. and me. I can't get over this.
People were right about this popcorn pickle stuff.
Addict addicted. Addictive.
It's a healthy addiction.
All right. Okay. So, he's got to handle this. And he did. That's really one of the hardest things about Voli is uh when it can go left or right in lane, out lane. So, you can't technically take both standups in one flip here. Let's do it. [laughter]
That would be interesting.
All right. Can he handle it again?
Oh,
but 5k just under Zach.
63820.
All right. Yeah. You know, if earlier in the match we had taken bets once he was on ball two with everything lit.
Probably gonna take but that goes to show.
It's why they play the games. If you have a a frugal budget,
practicing volley is is better than having to practice like, you know, John Wick or something. Quarter versus a dollar.
Yeah. You always you just want to dial your plunge here. Really?
Yeah.
Which is what we're seeing now. Does he have more than one plunge dial?
That was the green. Oh, that's
Well, that was that's the blue. It's like skipped merrily along the top.
Yeah,
like a a school girl or boy.
Oh, okay. And now he's doing the yellow.
Nah.
Oh, near close.
Look at him crossing his hand just like sternly considering the sit the game.
The eye of Lawrence is a pond volley.
When I was doing practice on The Walking Dead, they had to give me an extension cuz I plunged and it was in the pops for like 30 seconds. Oh
How is that even possible?
It was like that long. I We weren't timing, but it was just like, "All right, all right. This is the one time I don't want you to do this.
All right." He's kind of doing like maestroesque things with his hands, his arms.
Yeah,
it's a pinball mister. All right. He's giving us the thumbs up.
Yeah. Yeah. All the LW fans in chat, let's let's hear you cheer for our man,
the uncanny Lawrence. So, he's got the green.
Hit everything but green.
And that happens. Look. Oh, he's like, whatever, whatever. It's cool. It's cool.
I only need one ball. 68,000.
Yeah, technically possible. Oh, no. I have to leave. Maybe I'll see the end of this. I got to do this pinolf thing. I got to start before one, apparently.
Oh, right. All right.
It's going to be so sad I have to leave you, but I'll I'll be watching. I'll be rooting for you, Michael. Okay, blue. Very nice. Let's see what it And that's down the middle. All right. So, before he was like, "Ah, whatever. Whatever." Both for 5,000 points.
Yeah. This is This is not a good place to be in.
It is not. And yet whatever he can do it. He might not, but it's in the realm of possibility. So he's uh he's going just to get something cuz he's got green and blue.
And look how quickly. 20k more 30 30k.
It is interesting to see the yellow is the one not gotten. I feel like that's the least common one to uh stay, you know, uncaptured. my armrest.
Look at that sniper.
Yeah, he's just clipped them.
And he's up to 37. But still
a long hike.
Nice there for him.
Oh, mountain. All right. Last time he needs a little over 32k to to take first. And of course, that's only first for now. Oh, close one there.
Remember your training, Lawrence. Uh
oh.
That's a bummer.
So, what does that
090?
Yeah, I'll stay for the end. I got to see how it plays out.
This just go straight forward. No practice. No practice.
No practice.
No practice.
Yeah,
I can do this with one hand.
That'd be interesting. All right.
All right. Look at this. This guy, he's playing for the crowd, and the crowd is eating it up like a certain snack.
He's like, I don't care. I don't care. Mhm. But then we'll see if if it keeps happening. At what point does he get? Maybe never. Yeah, it's trying to get up there again.
I couldn't tell. Yeah, I thought it was to go up.
Yeah,
I think the uh the rule the rule of thumb is you want at least two. I uh
I should have had that thumb. That's Oh,
shut my mouth.
Now he can pick off two. I think that was not a shot up top cuz the with the green and the yellow one good hit is pretty good chance you're going to get two.
Mhm.
Cuz almost, you know, many of the targets are still available.
Oh, look at that.
And another three.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
All right. So, 25.
Yeah. Lawrence isn't feeling great, but Well, I hope he is emotionally. He's got them all.
The ball two situation we saw with Dan
right now. He's just staying alive. You know, he's not hitting things, but he's also not losing the ball.
All right,
yellow is down.
And now you got that laying the yellow at the top. That was a shove and he got away with it.
Yeah, they have it set that you can actually move it a little. Not one of the crazy tournaments. And a 5k on the way out. He's pass Lawrence.
He's dancing cuz he's got three balls
to do two drops
more or less. Yeah, especially if he can get some. Look, if that's really a thousand, just
Oh. Oh, look at that. Look at that. Remember [laughter] remember when Echer won his first world championship on Jungle Queen? It was like that.
Yeah.
And he is Okay. Just don't shove the machine. Oh, look at this. Hands free.
Yeah. Oh, he wants to Yeah, he needs to flip.
Yeah. He's like, "Okay, maybe maybe I need hands." [laughter]
You would deserve it. You would deserve it if this doesn't
Oh, he had one. He had one more ball. I think
I know. I know. I know.
What is going to happen? He only has two drops available. Oh, that's going down.
Oh, what? He got 5k on that. 74. Nice win.
You [laughter] almost.
All right, that was awesome. All right, enjoy the rest of the day.
All right, thank you for jumping on.
My pleasure.
Yeah, see you. Study here.

_(Acquisition: youtube_auto_sub, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 25c0df1e-54b5-4fd1-a5d6-706f5889634e*