Noah Crable on His Surprise Run to the 2026 IFPA National Championship Final

Kineticist·article·analyzed·Mar 20, 2026

Analysis

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TL;DR

Noah Crable reflects on his surprise 2026 IFPA Nationals runner-up finish and approach to competitive pinball.

Summary

Noah Crable, a competitive pinball player from the Boston area, discusses his unexpected runner-up finish at the 2026 IFPA National Championship. The interview covers his entry into pinball through digital games (Pinball Hall of Fame, Pinball Arcade), his approach to learning rules and mastering machines, his tournament preparation strategy, and his observations about regional pinball scenes and competitive play styles. Crable credits his success to location practice, rules guides, and learning from stronger opponents.

Key Claims

Noah Crable finished second at the 2026 IFPA National Championship
high confidence · Matt Owen opening statement: 'Congratulations on your second-place finish in the 2026 IFPA Nationals!'
Crable was introduced to pinball at age 6 through Pinball Hall of Fame: The Gottlieb Collection on Nintendo GameCube
high confidence · Noah Crable: 'I first discovered pinball at around age 6. I was big into video games and got the Nintendo GameCube port of Pinball Hall of Fame: The Gottlieb Collection as a birthday present one year.'
The Boston pinball scene has improved significantly over the past 10 years
high confidence · Noah Crable: 'The Boston area is thankfully a gold mine when it comes to pinball, especially compared to about 10 years ago when I first started.'
A Boston location gained new ownership in 2024 and operates as a Stern showroom
high confidence · Noah Crable: '[Location] after years of being a fairly ignored location, gained new ownership in 2024, serving as a Stern showroom and has a lot of their newest releases.'
Crable played States tournament in New Hampshire at Funspot rather than Massachusetts
high confidence · Noah Crable: 'I played States at in New Hampshire against quite a few incredible players from the New England area'
Crable won his final match (for the States tournament) on Black Knight (1987) by using inlane passing/shatzing techniques
high confidence · Noah Crable: 'The final match was insane! I went 3-3 against my opponent and got to choose the final machine, (Williams, 1987)... I had learned that shatzing/alley passing the inlanes could result in massive scores.'
The Chicago pinball scene features more dedicated/serious players compared to Boston
high confidence · Noah Crable: 'Up in Boston, a lot of the players that I encounter are players who might put one game on a machine and leave, while in Chicago, the players seem way more dedicated.'
Crable creates rules guides published on Kineticist

Notable Quotes

“I was especially entranced by Victory (Gottlieb, 1987) and Tee'd Off (Gottlieb, 1993) with the goals of having to hit shots in a certain order to progress through the game.”
Noah Crable — Explains the foundational appeal that drew him into pinball—structured shot progression mechanics from his early digital experience.
“if I were to approach physical pinball the same way I do digital pinball, I would need to retain as much rules knowledge as I could.”
Noah Crable — Articulates his core methodology: translating video game rules mastery into physical pinball competence.
“The main mistake I make in tournaments is feeling that I've mastered flipper skills on a game and ignore them when I really shouldn't.”
Noah Crable — Candid self-assessment of competitive weaknesses; reveals the importance of continuous mechanical improvement.
“I feel that pinball audio goes really underappreciated and helps with my enjoyment of the game.”
Noah Crable — Highlights sensory/design elements of pinball often overlooked by newer or casual players.
“I was frankly shocked to learn that I had won - though I looked quiet on the outside, I was thinking to myself, 'Oh man, what's next?! I can't believe I did it!'”
Noah Crable — Reveals his emotional reaction to winning States—an unexpected breakthrough moment in his competitive trajectory.
“having played on such difficult copies, it was like I had an advantage when I joined the tournament.”
Noah Crable — Underscores how machine condition and difficulty variance across locations affects tournament performance.
“They also have a much more aggressive play style on average compared to myself, and that's something I'm still trying to learn, being able to nudge a game without risking a tilt and knowing at all times where the ball might be heading.”
Noah Crable — Identifies a key skill gap he's working to close—aggressive nudge control and spatial ball awareness.
“Jason was able to beat the 15 million point score I managed on just 3 balls! That was a lot of fun and just plain impressive to watch.”

Entities

Noah CrablepersonMatt OwenpersonPinball Hall of Fame: The Gottlieb CollectionproductPinball ArcadeproductPinball FXproductGame of Thronesgame Godzillagame Twilight Zonegame

Signals

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competitive_signal: Noah Crable's unexpected runner-up finish at 2026 IFPA Nationals signals emergence of new competitive talent; his progression from States to Nationals in same season indicates rapid competitive development.
high · Crable: 'I was frankly shocked to learn that I had won' (States); interview title indicates 'Surprise Run to the 2026 IFPA National Championship Final'
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venue_signal: Boston-area pinball venues have experienced significant growth and improvement over past 10 years, with new ownership and Stern showroom model creating better infrastructure for competitive play.
high · Crable: 'The Boston area is thankfully a gold mine when it comes to pinball, especially compared to about 10 years ago' and '[Location] gained new ownership in 2024, serving as a Stern showroom'
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community_signal: Rules guides and tutorials are emerging as critical learning infrastructure in competitive pinball community; Crable and others creating detailed documentation to help players master complex rule sets.
high · Crable: 'part of the reason why I write the guides on and Kineticist is so that I can write them down and understand the intended progression of the game.'
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community_signal: Significant cultural differences exist between Boston and Chicago pinball scenes; Chicago appears to have more dedicated, serious competitive players while Boston has more casual/transient players.
high · Crable: 'Up in Boston, a lot of the players that I encounter are players who might put one game on a machine and leave, while in Chicago, the players seem way more dedicated.'
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Topics

Digital-to-Physical Pinball TransitionprimaryRules Knowledge and Learning MethodologyprimaryCompetitive Tournament Strategy and TacticsprimaryRegional Pinball Venue Quality and Community CultureprimaryMachine Condition and Difficulty Variance ImpactsecondaryAggressive Play Style DevelopmentsecondaryCompetitive Scene Dynamics (Boston vs. Chicago)secondaryFlipper Skill and Mechanical Masterysecondary

Sentiment

neutral(0)

Transcript

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Like what you're reading? Get pinball news, analysis, and deep dives delivered to your inbox. Get pinball news, analysis, and deep dives delivered to your inbox. Note: This interview has been edited for content, clarity, and length. Matt Owen: First off, congratulations on your second-place finish in the 2026 IFPA Nationals! Let's start with your introduction to pinball. How long have you been playing pinball, and what first made you interested in it? Noah Crable: I first discovered pinball at around age 6. I was big into video games and got the Nintendo GameCube port of Pinball Hall of Fame: The Gottlieb Collection as a birthday present one year. I was especially entranced by Victory (Gottlieb, 1987) and Tee’d Off (Gottlieb, 1993) with the goals of having to hit shots in a certain order to progress through the game. A few years later, I learned by chance that the developer of that game planned to do an updated version that accounted for tables from other manufacturers, as well as the older Gottlieb ones. The Pinball Arcade was what fully got me into pinball and especially learning how each machine worked, with Twilight Zone (Bally, 1993) and Star Trek: The Next Generation (Williams, 1993) being the machines that fully got me into the hobby. Though The Pinball Arcade isn’t available for purchase anymore, Pinball FX still releases digital versions of a lot of the Williams machines and I hope to see people get into pinball through that game. As for real-life pinball, my earliest memories of playing physical pinball with the mindset I do now were at the launch parties for Game of Thrones (Stern, 2015) and (Stern, 2016) at a now-closed location called . Both games were at a new level of complexity to me and taught me that if I were to approach physical pinball the same way I do digital pinball, I would need to retain as much rules knowledge as I could.Noah: It depends on the machine. On a lot of older tables, rules knowledge is a very low priority for me outside of knowing what results in the highest ratio of points per minute (ie, shooting a lit spinner, and how to light that spinner). Newer tables are more comparable to a video game in that they offer lots of ways to get a potentially high score, or on some machines, offer a few options and encourage the player to create their own, which assumes that the player is willing to learn the rules anyway. For instance, Godzilla (Stern, 2021) has a fairly straightforward early game (light a battle at the ramps and then start it at the scoop), but later in the game, you get deeper into the rules, having to travel to different cities to progress to the next battle and find ways to boost your powerup meter. The main mistake I make in tournaments is feeling that I’ve mastered flipper skills on a game and ignore them when I really shouldn’t.For the record, I love both old and new machines about equally, it just depends on what I’m in the mood for. (Bally, 1980) and (Bally, 1981) are two of my favorite older games and they feel quite a bit different from each other, with the former being a standard knock down the drop targets and rip the spinner game, and the latter having quite a few shots that require accuracy and timing as well as a 2x/3x playfield rule that can greatly impact scoring.Noah: I just approached States/Nationals the same way I always do with any other tournament: by playing on location. However, I also love watching tutorials, especially for the older machines that I’m not as familiar with. taught me how to play some of these machines long before I ever actually encountered them, and recently I’ve been using the to learn rules for older machines and ones that don’t have guides already. And of course, part of the reason why I write the guides on and Kineticist is so that I can write them down and understand the intended progression of the game.Noah: The Boston area is thankfully a gold mine when it comes to pinball, especially compared to about 10 years ago when I first started. I enjoy locations where I can hear the machine at a good volume, as I feel that pinball audio goes really underappreciated and helps with my enjoyment of the game. Lately, my #1 location has been , which, after years of being a fairly ignored location, gained new ownership in 2024, serving as a Stern showroom and has a lot of their newest releases. I also play at both of the locations which specialize in older machines (and are incredibly well maintained), as well as and which have a mix of old and new machines.Noah: Well, there’s , of course. But outside of that, I feel that there is a physicality to pinball that is unmatched by other video games or game-adjacent hobbies. Even when I first started out playing digital pinball, I always wondered how the machines worked and was fascinated by what their designers intended to accomplish with the game mechanics. I distinctly remember being absolutely hyped a few years ago when (Stern, 2023) released, seeing the playfield design and especially the right orbit shot, as someone who loves some of the more experimental pinball layouts. Every game that releases is another chance to learn new rules, new strategies, and new shots to make (or recover from).Noah: I played States at in New Hampshire against quite a few incredible players from the New Robert Englunds area, not because I found New Hampshire to be “easier” (it’s States, it’s guaranteed to be difficult!) but just because it was easier for me to access than the Massachusetts location. Funspot has made some exceptional strides in pinball over the past year or so and the game list for finals proved that: I put a lot of faith into (Williams, 1993) and of course Star Trek: The Next Generation for my mid-aged picks, and used King Kong: Myth of Terror Island (Stern, 2025) as the ace up my sleeve in case anything went wrong.The final match was insane! I went 3-3 against my opponent and got to choose the final machine, (Williams, 1987), a slightly less common game that I had practiced on during the hour before the tournament began. I had learned that shatzing/alley passing the inlanes could result in massive scores and progress, and used that rule knowledge to win the game. I was frankly shocked to learn that I had won - though I looked quiet on the outside, I was thinking to myself, “Oh man, what’s next?! I can’t believe I did it!” But I don’t think I would’ve won if it weren’t for the help of all the people I’ve played against in the past, including those whom I won against during States (quite a few of which also had to result in tiebreakers).Noah: The trip to Chicago was also my very first time travelling by myself, so it was a little stressful, but the stress quickly faded once I learned how everything worked. Chicago was fairly comparable to the Boston area from what I saw of it, but the pinball scene felt very different down there from what it was like in Boston. Up in Boston, a lot of the players that I encounter are players who might put one game on a machine and leave, while in Chicago, the players seem way more dedicated. Interestingly, I noticed quite a few of the games in Chicago felt easier to play than the machines I’ve played up here in Massachusetts, but having played on such difficult copies, it was like I had an advantage when I joined the tournament. I enjoyed my trip a lot and wouldn’t mind travelling to play in tournaments more often.Noah: I was dreading having to play against , , and . All three are amazing players and great friends who have inspired my play style in a few different ways and I knew that if I were paired up against any of them, it would be incredibly difficult to beat them. They also have a much more aggressive play style on average compared to myself, and that’s something I’m still trying to learn, being able to nudge a game without risking a tilt and knowing at all times where the ball might be heading. Noah: NBA Fastbreak (Bally, 1997) helped me win a match against Eric Stone but it was a hard-earned fight, one that started with a house ball and ended once I found the timing on the left orbit and ramp shots. But against Jason Zahler things went quite differently; I hadn’t found the timing of the midtown ramp on The Uncanny X-Men (Stern, 2024), which seemed to change over the course of the day, and some of his choices were ones I lacked experience with (Eight Ball Deluxe (Bally 1981) was truly vile, with the bumpers providing two house balls for me in a row). It was amazing being able to play against Jason, though, especially for the final match, and especially during that round on Bad Girls (Gottlieb, 1988) where Jason was able to beat the 15 million point score I managed on just 3 balls! That was a lot of fun and just plain impressive to watch, and shows that even that late in the day, Jason played well in spite of fatigue, something I still need to learn how to control myself. Matt: When it comes to choosing games during playoffs or finals for a tournament, what's your strategy? Do you think it's better to choose a game that you're comfortable with, or one that you think your opponent will do poorly on? Noah: It depends on the opponent but I generally prioritize the former, and if I think my opponent will do lousy on it then that’s an added bonus. During the North American Championship, I picked The Uncanny X-Men in every group, partly because I had a good round of it during practice and partly because I knew that a lot of people struggled with that machine and finding ways to score points effectively on it. For older games, I instead picked the games that I was most comfortable with which often resulted in choosing Mata Hari (Bally, 1978) and Bad Girls. I picked (Gottlieb, 1986) once, but after a first game on it that went well, the machine took pleasure in making me look like a horrible player for the rest of the weekend.Noah: My only other hobby is collecting and archiving VHS tapes. Not very related to pinball, but archiving the contents and print dates of these tapes is pretty comparable to how I create my rules guides, and like with pinball designs, I always found some of the decisions on these VHS tapes to be fascinating. And Williams did release promos for their pinball machines on VHS at one point! I heard Data East might have done some too, but those haven’t seen the light of day yet; hopefully soon.Noah: , (Stern, 2024), and . Sorry, (Bally, 1994), I love you too, don’t worry!Thanks again for Noah for taking the time to answer my questions and for the length and care he put into his responses. Based on his performance in competition over the past few months and his desire to travel more, I hope to see him on the Stern Pro Circuit soon! Regardless, I'm sure that he'll continue to whip up excellent rulesheets and tutorials for the latest pinball machines, so be sure to check back here whenever a new Stern drops so you can check out his latest guide. Matt Owen is a lifelong gamer and overall media fiend. He can often be found playing endless hours of games or watching an absurd amount of movies and television: action, horror, mystery, and sci-fi in particular. When he's not bingeing entertainment media, Matt enjoys reading and writing fiction, playing pinball, broadcasting, and attempting to cook.