# Pinball Expo 2024 Recap [ 01 / 08 ] - Sterling Plays Pinball, #38 Player in the World

**Source:** In Before the Lock  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2024-10-31  
**Duration:** 1m 26s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3VkQjHbgG4

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## Analysis

Jon interviews Sterling, a professional pinball player ranked 38th in the world, at Pinball Expo 2024. Sterling discusses his tournament strategy, including hopes to play Deadpool (Premium) and X-Men, and shares his preferred gameplay approach for Deadpool involving Field X, T-Rex, and Ninja modes before attempting the Mr. Sinister battle.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Sterling is ranked approximately 38th in the world in competitive pinball — _Sterling confirms ranking in direct response to Jon's question_
- [HIGH] Sterling scored 33 billion on a machine at Expo, taking the high score — _Jon and Sterling discuss the score achievement; Jon notes no one else cracked 10 billion on first game_
- [HIGH] Sterling beat Attack from Mars and Venom earlier in the day — _Sterling states he 'just beat Attack from Mars, and I just beat Venom over there'_
- [MEDIUM] Deadpool (Premium) has an 'easy setup' at the tournament — _Sterling explains his game selection reasoning_

### Notable Quotes

> "I'm probably going to pick Deadpool (Premium), because that one's set up pretty easy. Then I'm also probably going to hope to play X-Men."
> — **Sterling**
> _Reveals tournament game selection strategy and preference for machines with accessible setups_

> "I just go play Field X, T-Rex, Ninja. After that, I just try and do the Mr. Sinister battle."
> — **Sterling**
> _Outlines specific gameplay strategy and mode progression on Deadpool (Premium)_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Sterling | person | Professional pinball player, ranked ~38th in the world, content creator on Facebook under 'Sterling Plays Pinball' |
| Jon | person | Host of 'In Before the Lock' interview series at Pinball Expo 2024 |
| Deadpool (Premium) | game | Pinball machine at Expo; Sterling's preferred tournament pick due to accessible setup |
| X-Men | game | Pinball machine Sterling hopes to play in tournament finals |
| Attack from Mars | game | Machine Sterling beat during Expo |
| Venom | game | Machine Sterling beat during Expo |
| Pinball Expo 2024 | event | Event where this interview took place; Sterling participated in tournament |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Tournament strategy and game selection, Professional pinball rankings and competitive play, Deadpool (Premium) gameplay and setup, Pinball Expo 2024 competition

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.85) — Friendly, encouraging interview tone. Sterling expresses confidence in his performance. Jon offers encouragement for tournament finals.

### Signals

- **[competitive_signal]** Sterling's tournament strategy involves selecting Deadpool (Premium) due to favorable setup, then attempting X-Men, indicating game difficulty/setup quality influences competitive game selection at tournaments (confidence: high) — Sterling explains 'I'm probably going to pick Deadpool (Premium), because that one's set up pretty easy'

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## Transcript

Hey, what's up, guys? We're here with Sterling. He just posted, what, 33 bill? We've been playing this all day. No one's, I think, cracked like 10 in your first game. 33, took the high score. Sterling, you play professionally, right? Yeah. Yeah, you're 38th in the world right now? About there, yeah. Yeah, how's today going for you? Pretty good. I'm not going to have to play in finals pretty much all of today. Yeah. And I put up some pretty good scores. I just beat Attack from Mars, and I just beat Venom over there. Yeah, so you got any games you're hoping you're going to get put on, or is there so many? Anything in particular? In the tournament? Yeah, yeah. I'm pretty sure I'm going to get to pick my games. Okay, okay. I'm probably going to pick Deadpool, because that one's set up pretty easy. Then I'm also probably going to hope to play X-Men. What's your Deadpool set up? I just go play Field X, T-Rex, Ninja. Okay, and cycle through that, or move on to something else after that? After that, I just try and do the Mr. Sinister battle. Nice. So you're on Facebook, right? Yeah. Sterling Plays Pinball? Yeah. Awesome. And what would I find there if I follow you? You just find my pinball stuff. You can find how I finish in tournaments and just stuff like that. Awesome, man. Well, good luck. We hope you kill it. All right. Take care.

_(Acquisition: youtube_groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: d4aafaf0-6992-422a-bdc5-6e4a5969ee18*