Pinburgh is the world's largest annual competitive pinball tournament, held in Pittsburgh since 2011 and hosted at Replay FX/Pittsburgh Convention Center. Founded by Bowen Kerins, it attracts approximately 1,000 players competing in match-play format across 280+ machines, selling out in seconds. The event serves as a premier competitive benchmark in the pinball community, featuring game prototypes, multiple backup machines, and significant WPPR weighting (200% boost as part of Stern Pro Circuit).
No aliases
Pinburgh has been held continuously since 1998
Pinburgh historically had 1,000 players and sold out within one minute in its prime
Pinburgh is the largest pinball tournament in the world with approximately 1,000 players
Pinburgh 2024 sold out at 144 capacity (expanded from 120 previous capacity)
Major pinball tournament that Todd attended regularly
Formerly major pinball tournament, now discontinued; Martin notes INDISC is superior alternative
Former major annual pinball tournament; no longer exists; attracted ~1000 players; known for exceptional organization and social aspects; IFPA points decay made it less valuable for world rankings
Major pinball tournament that is the subject of this episode coverage
Pinball tournament where Taylor played single-player EMs and experienced tilting, DQ'd from classics tournament at York show
Match play tournament at ReplayFX with 685 registered players; 10 rounds of 4-game sets; uses group seeding system with A/B divisions
Expert: merged definition Expert: merged definition
No linked glossary terms
Pinburgh's historical success was driven not just by size but by having A, B, C, D divisions for skill-level grouping
Pinburgh 2024 should use a lottery system for ticket sales rather than F5 refresh method
Pinburgh's ticket sales accelerated from 43 minutes (2015-16) to 13 seconds (2019)
Pinburgh is/was the largest pinball tournament in the world
Pinburgh tournament grew from approximately 600 players to 1,100+ players over the years Cromwell attended
Winning the satellite tournament gives free entry to the main Pinburgh tournament on the 22nd.
Pinburgh has approximately 1,000 players attending the tournament
Pinburgh tickets sold out in approximately 2 seconds this year
Pinburgh capacity increased to approximately 1,200 attendees
Pinburgh tournament sells out with 1,000 participants in 10 seconds
Pinburgh is the longest-running pinball tournament in the world in its 34th year
Pinball tournament where Taylor met John Chad; Chad created original poster artwork for the event featuring castle, pinball machines, and wizards in Where's Waldo style
Annual pinball tournament at Papa's Pinball Palace, running from 2011-2024; featured match-play format in groups; first tournament in 2011 had ~164-174 participants; hosted competitive players seeking medallion achievement (12-0 record); now discontinued
Largest pinball tournament on the planet, 2024 edition sold out in under 5 seconds, located in Pittsburgh, PA
Major pinball tournament; Eric Stone competed and experienced disputed tilt ruling on Hot Tip that affected his seeding
Major annual pinball tournament in Pittsburgh; 2024 edition sold out at 144 capacity (expanded from 120)
1,000-player tournament held annually in Pittsburgh, runs under PAPA foundation
Major pinball tournament where Robert Byers plans to compete with family following
Major pinball tournament where Nicole competed in preliminary rounds
Major pinball tournament where Jurassic Park premium was revealed
Major pinball tournament; returning with reduced capacity (1000+ to smaller number); held satellite events (12-14); both Jeff and Marty attending
Historic competitive pinball tournament returning in 2024 as smaller 128-player intimate event; ticket sales via F5 refresh method (February 5th); hosts debate legitimacy and format
Tournament (Pittsburgh-based pinball tournament) that Keith Elwin enjoyed greatly; its closure around 2016 contributed to his reduced competitive participation.
Major competitive pinball tournament; Raymond competed in rounds 6-10
Major pinball tournament with 300-400 machines, considered best-managed event in the community
Historic pinball tournament returning in 2024 after COVID hiatus; July 25-27 at Resonate Esports Facility in Bridgeville, PA; 150 initial players, $25,000 prize pool; historically sold 1,000+ tickets
Major pinball championship event; Intergalactic Pinball Championship is secondary tournament during Pinburgh
Described as "the capital" for finding excellent local players, known for quality competitors and vintage machines
Pinball tournament that George Fisher will not be attending this year
Major pinball tournament; format used as comparison point; associated with ReplayFX; more profitable than PAPA
The largest pinball tournament in the world, held in Pittsburgh, 3-day event with 72 banks of machines
The largest pinball tournament in the world, held annually in Pittsburgh with approximately 1,000 players and 128 women competitors in the WIP division. Central to pinball community culture.
World's largest pinball tournament held annually at Replay FX in Pittsburgh, with 1,000 players in 2019
Annual competitive pinball tournament operated by ReplayFX Foundation; grew from ~600 to 1,100+ players; known for diverse machine selection and welcoming community; now defunct
Major competitive pinball event organized by Replay Foundation, cancelled due to COVID/financial crisis
Major pinball tournament occurring this summer, Zoller is preparing to compete
Annual pinball tournament held in Pittsburgh, match-play format, grew from ~100 participants to 1,000+, part of Replay FX event, cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19
Major annual pinball tournament; potential Banning Museum expansion being compared to Pinburgh scale
Major annual pinball tournament in Pittsburgh held at David O. Lawrence Convention Center, 800 players, 328 games in 2024
Major pinball competition with approximately 400 games, referenced as benchmark for competitive pinball landscape
Legendary pinball tournament held in Pittsburgh by Replay Brewing Foundation; approximately 1,000 players in final years; format widely emulated but no longer active after Replay Brewing Foundation dissolution
Major pinball tournament in Pittsburgh attended by Adam Keisler in 2013; inspired him to establish competitive pinball scene in Montreal
Flagship pinball tournament organized by ReplayFX; being discontinued as physical event; major loss for pinball community
Major annual pinball tournament where Ryan played The Simpsons Pinball Party and was defeated by Buffalo Pinball's Kevin
Major pinball tournament with multiple satellite qualifiers including Ontario Open; Orby attended last iteration
Major annual pinball tournament featuring 1,000+ competitors; multi-era tournament format (EM, early solid state, System 11, modern); Ryan's best community experience; Spring timing
World's largest annual competitive pinball tournament with approximately 1,000 players; referenced as the biggest tournament most players attend
Major pinball tournament referenced as benchmark for competitive player skill assessment
Major pinball tournament in Pittsburgh that Orby has attended; met Greg Pavarelli and others at Degenerates after-party there
Major annual pinball tournament recently returned. Featured innovative mechanical back glass designs like Super Soccer ball interaction mechanism.
Major annual pinball tournament; winners and qualifying players from satellite events gain entry or passes.
Major pinball tournament in Pittsburgh; hosted multiple A, B, E divisions; featured games like Medieval Madness, Congo, The Rolling Stones; Keith Elwin won A Division
Major pinball tournament with multiple game banks; Steve Bowden will livestream all 288 games (72 banks × 4 games) on July 14th starting at 10 a.m. Eastern
Major 700-person pinball tournament held Thursday-Sunday at FreePlayFX in Pittsburgh (formerly at Papa); expanded significantly from original ~300 players
Major pinball tournament; described as 'the championship' / 'the big one'; held annually; Bart qualified for A Division; Audrey plans to attend next year
Major annual pinball tournament; referenced as location of Scott Ian's transformative competitive mindset shift
Major pinball tournament; three of the four finalists are previous Pinburgh champions
Major pinball tournament referenced as inspiration for other events; famous for match play format and medallion collectibles; popular among competitive players
Largest pinball tournament in the world; sells out with 1,000 participants in 10 seconds; held Women's International tournament; streamed on Papa Duke's YouTube channel
Major annual pinball tournament in Pittsburgh; streamer played Jurassic Park at this event when it was first announced and thought it was good
Major pinball tournament that recently occurred (last weekend relative to episode); apparently used extreme machine setup modifications with posts removed entirely; previously had five divisions (A-E) with ~1000 total players
Major pinball tournament in Pittsburgh; features bank of four EMs; commonly referenced in competitive scene
Major annual pinball tournament; referenced as 'the Stanley Cup' of pinball events
Major pinball tournament where Orby met Marty Robbins; described as 'the very last Pinburgh' in Orby's narrative
International pinball tournament held the week prior to Beast 2025; attended by many top players including Paul Englert and Jason Zoller
Major pinball tournament mentioned for comparison
Historic pinball tournament; INDUS being compared to as potential successor destination tournament; no longer exists
Major pinball tournament event in Pennsylvania; tournament entry costs $150, competition passes sold February 22nd
Major annual pinball tournament in Pittsburgh; host unable to attend while streaming Circus Voltaire
Upcoming pinball tournament/event that Dialed In viewer mentioned attending
Tournament where George played Deep Root Pinball's game and found it enjoyable
Major tournament event in Pittsburgh; Scorebit will not be available there; targeted for future deployment after additional development time
Largest pinball competition; MPT securing ticket to compete in D division while also providing lighting services
Pinball tournament that Loser Kid references wishing he had attended
Major pinball tournament with 1,000 ticket cap; George and Christine planning to attend
Pinball tournament/event referenced multiple times in conversation as context point
Pinball tournament in Pittsburgh; location where Schmitty and Zach had machines serviced at the Replay arcade
Pittsburgh-based pinball tournament; historically world's largest; featured EM machines; recently restarted after COVID/flood disruption
Major pinball championship tournament; held at Replay FX; Colin's proudest tournament victory; uses favorite tournament format
Major pinball tournament that expanded capacity by testing logistics first; cited as model for TPF expansion
Major tournament where Raymond Davidson has achieved high placements (mentioned as 'second at Pinburg')
World Championship pinball tournament where Jack Danger placed 20th out of 700 players.
Major competitive pinball tournament with ~700 players, very difficult to get into
Pinball tournament/gathering where DeadFlip community meetup is planned
Major pinball tournament; Dead Flip and friends registering with 25 alarms; incident of players not making it into event last year
Referenced tournament format used for Dead Flip's scoring system (first place 2 points, second 1 point, third 0 points)
Pinball tournament mentioned; host had interest in playing Full Throttle there
Major pinball tournament referenced; crew discusses possibility of community members attending
Major annual pinball tournament; positioned as premier competitive pinball event; approximately $253 entry cost; uses qualifying/finals bracket system (A/B/C/D divisions)
Major pinball tournament where Jake Peterson won C-bracket; mentioned as significant competitive event
Pinball tournament/event with 700 limited tickets, $30.50 pinball entry and $20.50 building admission
Major pinball tournament/gathering in Chicago that content creators plan travel around
Major pinball tournament in Pittsburgh, nearly 700 competitors, draws elite players
Major pinball tournament referenced as location where Dead Flip team attended
PAPA (Professional Amateur Pinball Association) championship tournament; being merged with arcade content for ReplayFX
Major pinball tournament with ~700 players; Jack competed and placed 20th overall; recent event prior to this stream
Major pinball tournament that Jack mentions planning to compete in next year while managing commentary duties
Major pinball tournament event held annually in Pittsburgh, 2015 edition featured finals
Major annual pinball tournament with ~1,000 players in match-play format; described as largest in world, attended by Sam Keogh in 2022
Major pinball tournament that Colin McAlpine won in the past
Major pinball tournament held during ReplayFX; considered prestigious alongside InDisc; includes Intergalactic side tournament
Largest annual pinball tournament in the world (approximately 1,000 players); recently announced return; owned by Replay Organization alongside PAPA
Major pinball tournament in Fox Cities; hosts A, B, C divisions with approximately 69, 65, 59 player allocations
Major pinball tournament; happening same day as episode recording; finals streaming on Fox Cities; games less challenging than prior year
Pinball tournament featured in Wizard Mode documentary
Major pinball match-play championship tournament featured in the documentary
Major annual pinball tournament held in Pittsburgh; started 1998 as Steel City Pinball Association event, relaunched 2011 as match-play format at PAPA facility
Tournament series with satellite events; Portal Pinball Arcade is one of 8 US hosting locations
Annual pinball tournament/gathering in Pittsburgh where Dan Burfield exhibited an Audrey Hepburn 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' piece that received positive reception
World's largest pinball tournament; permanently cancelled in 2020; Bowen Kerins served as tournament director; Colin MacAlpine won in 2017
Professional & Amateur Pinball Association tournament; described as the largest (or among the largest) pinball tournaments in the world; held as part of Replay FX; ended due to COVID-19
Major annual pinball tournament; recently doubled in size; compared to INDISC as premier tournament event
Major pinball tournament where code v0.85 is expected to be close to the version in use; referenced for potential updates between July 23rd and tournament date
Largest annual pinball tournament (~1,000 players); formerly held at David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh; relocated to Resid Sports venue in 2024 with significant format and logistics changes
Major pinball tournament returning; Scott Kuthais attended first iteration in 2011; Nick attended first time solo in 2011 and met Scott there
Replay Foundation tournament; sells out in ~2 seconds; capacity ~1,200 attendees; highest-rated pinball tournament per community consensus; neither Josh nor Scott attending 2025.
Major pinball tournament with stadium lighting; mentioned as venue where Stranger Things projector may face challenges due to bright lighting environment
Annual major pinball tournament in Pittsburgh; tickets going on sale February 5th at noon; Josh will be attending; mention of potential child attendee
Major pinball tournament; RPC sponsoring entry fee for one random Stomp participant; tickets going on sale March 1 or 3; pre-pay drawing for entry refund
Major annual pinball tournament in Pittsburgh; summer event drawing competitive players globally
Major pinball tournament; 2.0 reincarnation featured top-16 playoff cutoff, more restrictive than PAPA 21's 72
Major pinball tournament mentioned as being postponed in 2020 due to COVID-19; has banner honoring Whipped Championship winners
Major annual pinball tournament; highly competitive entry with fast sell-out; Erik plans to attend
Major Pittsburgh pinball tournament in early July; influences Amazing Race 4 scheduling
Major annual Pittsburgh pinball tournament with ~1,000 players; lottery-style registration; Colin missed for first time in five years
Major international pinball tournament that has concluded; last tournament attended by Helen de Haan; final featured Keith Alwani vs Daniele (Italian player)
Referenced as comparison point for tournament format/game banks. Uses banks of four games (EM, classic 90s Williams DMD, solid state, EM).
Major competitive pinball tournament; Eric placed 4th in Division pre-pandemic
Competitive pinball tournament; referenced as highly selective registration (concert ticket model); humbling competitive environment for players
Major pinball tournament where hosts played multiple games and attended seminars; Keith Elwin spoke on licensing process
Major tournament event where Joe met Martin last year. Referenced as significant WPPR circuit event Joe is competing in.
1,000-player tournament that inspired Sam Keogh to pursue competitive pinball; largest tournament in world at the time
Major pinball tournament that is now defunct/canceled; created a void in major tournament opportunities
Annual pinball tournament returning in scaled-down format with 120 entrants (down from original 1,000); same organizers as original; tickets Feb 5; location 5-10 min from original Papa warehouse facility (outside Pittsburgh)
Largest annual pinball tournament in the world, held in Pittsburgh at David L. Lawrence Convention Center, grew from 615 (2015) to 1,000 participants (2019), now permanently closed
Largest annual pinball tournament in the world; ticket sales held on February 22, 2020 with over 1,500 people competing online to secure spots
Legendary pinball tournament that influenced modern tournament design; Elizabeth references it as model for Match Play format adoption
Major international pinball tournament/event attended by Jeff and Dan in 2015.
Major multi-day tournament mentioned as benchmark for certified event structure and value in ranking calculations.
Largest annual pinball tournament with approximately 1,000 players, held at David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh.
Major pinball tournament, returned in 2025 for first time in several years; one of five IFPA majors
Major annual pinball tournament; rescheduled from 2020 to August 12-15, 2021
Referenced as example of large Papa-style tournament with multi-tier divisions accommodating wide skill ranges
Major pinball tournament; referenced regarding Wolverine movie timing and cosplay
Largest annual pinball tournament in world with ~1,000 players, held in Pittsburgh, part of Replay FX
Major European pinball championship; Jim Belsito has competed multiple times; referenced as established major tournament
Major annual pinball tournament; highlights community gathering aspect of pinball; Mike Primo participates in streaming and production
Premier pinball tournament returning July 24-28, 2024 in Pittsburgh area after 5-year pandemic hiatus; includes World Match Play Championship, WIPP, Strikes tournament, and Bash at the Berg
Annual pinball championship; Colin McAlpine won last year's event
Major annual pinball tournament in Pittsburgh; host venue for the Trash Talker Invitational
World's largest pinball tournament held in Pittsburgh with 843 players in 2018
Major pinball tournament where Mike competed; he did not qualify for playoffs and was relegated to D division, citing poor performance
Major annual pinball tournament in Pittsburgh; Jack finished 11th; Jack plays Intergalactic at the event
Major annual pinball tournament that Josh Sharp competes in; historically his strongest tournament performance venue
Pinball tournament/event where Teolis appeared while injured; poor performance noted
Major pinball tournament event; Joe hopes to attend; traditionally replaces Papa tournament in his schedule.
World's largest pinball tournament, expanding to 1,000 players in 2019 (up from 840); held at Pittsburgh convention center; features era-specific game banks and competitive divisions
Major pinball tournament that Mike Weichester attended after discovering Yagpin.
Largest pinball tournament with 840+ players; held in Pittsburgh; match play format; extensive game setup testing (5,000+ test games Jan-June); serves as template for other TDs running events.
World's largest pinball tournament with 1,000 players competing, held in Pittsburgh, requires year-round preparation and 100+ volunteers
International pinball tournament/festival referenced as upcoming event where Jeff and Ian plan to attend in coming days.
Major pinball tournament, Josh Sharp won 2019 edition
Annual pinball tournament in Pittsburgh with approximately 1,000 players; described as 'greatest tournament on earth'; 2024 edition featured Women's International Pinball Tournament debut
Large pinball tournament where Jeff met Scott in August 2024 behind stage to discuss World Tour sponsorship
Pinball convention/event where Jeff previously met Beck and Matt
Major annual tournament (~400+ players, 87+ game banks); Steve prepares by maintaining spreadsheet of every game in rotation
Major annual pinball tournament in Switzerland; Ryan qualified A Division five consecutive years; 1,000 player field; Ryan finished 51st in 2019
Major annual pinball tournament where Kate met Jessica DiNardo, referenced as comparative event
Major pinball tournament in Pittsburgh where Mrs. Pin will compete for the first time. She will participate in Trash Talker Invitational (TTI). Jeff Teolis will emcee finals.
Major pinball tournament where two JJP games (including Dialed In) were selected for finals competition
Major annual pinball tournament in Pittsburgh; Davidson finished 2nd and 4th in consecutive years
Major annual pinball tournament; Elwin's favorite and highest-priority tournament; defending champion from previous year
Major pinball tournament event that Miller is attending for first time; scheduled same weekend as California Extreme; features international attendance and online streaming
Major pinball tournament where DeAngelo achieved second-place finish and back-to-back top-six finishes; DeAngelo's favorite tournament due to match play format
Major pinball tournament where Steve Bowden was featured for ESPN magazine article
World's largest pinball tournament founded by Bowen in 2011, grew from 173 to 700+ players by 2016, relocated to Pittsburgh Convention Center, uses 280 different machines, now the largest format match-play pinball tournament
Major IFPA tournament (status currently inactive); would receive 200% event value boost if restarted; Sharp expresses skepticism about return due to game requirements
Major tournament featuring games across all eras (EM through modern); referenced nostalgically as unique multi-era competitive format no longer replicated
Largest annual pinball tournament; sells out in seconds; approximately 1,000 competing spots nationwide
Major pinball tournament event; Josh Sharp and other community members compete; post-Pinburgh hiatus mentioned
Major annual pinball tournament in Pittsburgh; Keith Elwin won this event same week Jurassic Park released; Martin Robbins attended and played Jurassic Park extensively at event
World's largest pinball tournament featuring 388 machines, 1,000+ players, match play format with 10 backup games per type. Uses preparatory 'fight clubs' (mini weeklies) and technician team (Steve Eckert, Dan Hall, Nick Chiquet) to maintain reliability.
Annual pinball tournament; Keith Elwin was 2024 champion; defending champions don't receive priority seating
Major pinball tournament (not extensively discussed but potentially referenced in context of modern competitive pinball culture)
Major pinball tournament where Dune is expected to be available
Major annual pinball tournament in Pittsburgh; Kevin attended at Replay FX location where he learned about P3 from Jerry
Referenced indirectly; Expo tournament mentioned where Star Wars was played competitively
Major tournament with 200% WPPR boost as part of Stern Pro Circuit; part of 'big three' major events
Major tournament referenced in context of Winchester's positive reception after initial skepticism
Lost some participants due to opt-outs from IFPA points tracking; first major tournament to deal with suppression/opt-out mechanism
World's largest pinball tournament; Pinsteps and Pinshades major sponsors
Mentioned in passing context of previous venue visits
Major pinball tournament; Raymond Davidson achieved fourth place; context for competitive player significance
Pinball tournament where Albert met Jack Danger and Keith Elwin
Major pinball tournament introduced to Robert through Special When Lit documentary; prompted awareness of competitive pinball culture
Mentioned implicitly as major tournament that Don references attending or being aware of
Major pinball tournament mentioned as one Keith Elwin won; described as attracting approximately 1,000 players
Major tournament occurring this weekend; mentioned in context of community commentary
Major pinball tournament mentioned in context of hardcore competitive play expectations
Major pinball tournament (~1000 players, Pittsburgh-based) that Tom streams.
Major pinball tournament/gathering; location where Joe Lemaire met Head2Head hosts.
Major annual pinball tournament (~1000 players), referenced as competitive benchmark and timing reference for Australian events
Referenced in context of meeting John (Jack Bar owner) last year
Major annual tournament (Pittsburgh); used as example of tournament-specific WPPR variance compared to other events like Toronto
Upcoming tournament Keith plans to return to competitive play at
Implied as major tournament venue in competitive pinball ecosystem
Major annual tournament where Joe placed 87th last year, described as 'probably the hardest tournament that there is'
Mentioned contextually as major pinball tournament
Major annual tournament mentioned in context of industry events
Major annual pinball tournament mentioned in glossary context
Major annual pinball tournament in Pittsburgh, occurring in approximately two weeks from episode recording; Colin won in 2017
Tournament where Jurassic Park prototypes were displayed, showing ball hang-up issues in the truck area
PAPA tournament in Pittsburgh with 1,000 competitor spots that sell out in ~6 seconds; 500+ waitlist
Referenced implicitly through tournament/competitive context
Annual pinball tournament in Pittsburgh with 840 participants in 2024, sells out in 45 seconds, considered the premier tournament by competitive players
Major tournament referenced indirectly; hosts discuss tournament-focused player perspective on game design
Major annual tournament mentioned contextually in pinball industry discussion
Major pinball tournament hosted at Replay FX event center in Pittsburgh; featured prototype Jurassic Park machines (6 Pro, 1 Premium).
Annual competitive tournament in Pittsburgh; ~1000 players (2019 capacity), sold out VIP immediately, major community gathering
Mentioned as a major competitive pinball event (Pittsburgh tournament)