Jim Dorman

We all take talking pinball machines for granted these days.  In fact, I find them to be very helpful since I can listen for what’s going on rather than being distracted by flashing indicators.  But there was a time when that idea was new.  I can’t believe it’s been 45 years! Enter Gorgar, the first commerically-released

You never forget your first… The year was 1975. Two important events happened that year–I learned to bowl, and I played my first table. Both of these things would play significant roles in my life. The table was King Tut, an electro-mechanical table located at Astro Lanes (now Park Lanes) in Hillsboro, Oregon. My dad

I have no idea if Carl Sagan played pinball. But if he did, he’d surely have loved this machine. The Machine: Bride of Pin-Bot This table was the first pinball ever to feature a 1 billion point shot (if you don’t get the Carl Sagan reference yet, do some homework). It was a major event

Today we celebrate a significant milestone in pinball history: the first solid-state 1-million point shot. That was Comet, released in 1985 by Williams.  This was the first of a set of three roller-coaster themed games: Comet, Cyclone, and Hurricane.  The latter two each featured easier-to-hit 1-million point shots, as well as some multi-million point ones.

Here’s a glossary of common and not-so-common pinball terms. Study up so you can talk pinball like a pro while you work on actually becoming a pro. Pinball Glossary

Here’s a collection of fun & fasincating facts about pinball. Read up and be ready to sound like an expert at the tournament! Learn & enjoy!

Many people have never heard of a pinball tournament. If you’re one of them, this article will help fill in some of the gaps so you’ll be ready for our Project Pinball Charity benefit! Competitive Pinball 101