Living the life of luxury has never been more entertaining. That’s because Buffalo Pinball is set to host the Buffalo Pinball Summer Open ’18 at the Sandy Beach Yacht Club. The spectacular showstopper tournament will not only feature top competitors from across the U.S. and Canada, it will also be aired live on the Buffalo Pinball Twitch channel and the PAPA YouTube channel.
The game of pinball has made a major league comeback over the last few years. Just take a look at all of the machines popping up around Buffalo, from Misuta Chow’s to Thin Man to Joe’s Deli (on Elmwood). Pinball machines are everywhere, as are various other arcade games from a bygone era. The return of pinball has enthusiasts of all ages flipping for fun, and for competition. Buffalo Pinball has led the way locally, by offering the competitive resources for this city to compete with the best of them. The Buffalo Pinball Summer Open ’18 is yet another amazing opportunity for skilled players to show that they have what it takes to compete for cash prizes, trophies, and points toward the annual Stern Pro Circuit standings, and World Pinball Player Ranking points in this International Flipper Pinball Association (IFPA)-endorsed event.
More than 100 local, national and international competitive pinball players, including:
- Adam Becker, former champion of Pinburgh, the largest pinball tournament in the world, and host of the 2018 IFPA World Pinball Championships (see story)
- Jack Tadman, 2018 New York State IFPA Pinball Champion
- Gretchen Kamke, Buffalo resident who took 4th place in the inaugural Women’s International Pinball Tournament on July 29.
- Nick Lane and Kevin Manne, co-founders of Buffalo Pinball
- Representatives from PAPA, the Professional and Amateur Pinball Association
Players of all skill levels will engage in four tournaments:
- A single, main tournament (qualifying Friday and Saturday, finals Sunday)
- Two classics tournaments (one Friday, one Saturday)
- A women’s tournament (Sunday – new this year)
Guests to the tournament are also invited to hop aboard a sunset cruise from Niagara River Cruises from 6pm to 8:30 pm on Friday. Anderson’s food truck will also be on hand from 4pm to 8 pm on Saturday. There will be lawn games, and a complimentary virtual reality gaming station by GameOn LAN, from 10 am to 8 pm on Saturday.
Outbound: Buffalo Pinball Summer Open ’18
10 am to midnight on Aug. 17
9 am to midnight Aug. 18
10:30 am to approximately 6 pm Aug. 19
In addition: A pre-tournament will take place on Aug. 16 – 5 p.m. to approximately 10 p.m., featuring a contest for the players with the best yacht outfit
Sandy Beach Yacht Club, 1851 Winter Rd., Grand Island, NY
The Stern Pro Circuit, presented by the Replay Foundation and the IFPA, is a series of 20 high-level pinball tournaments held throughout each season, starting with the 2018 season. At the end of the season, the top 40 qualifiers from throughout the circuit will be invited to the Stern Pro Circuit Final in Chicago, IL.
For more information, visit buffalopinball.com/summeropen.