Sometimes the tournament doesn’t end with a trophy. Sometimes it ends with a few lessons learned, some quality practice, and a lot of fun watching friends succeed.
This month’s Chuy’s Bounty Knockout at Electric Bat Arcade brought out around 75 players for one of my favorite tournament formats. Everyone starts with a bounty chip, and once a player receives their fourth strike, the person responsible for eliminating them claims their bounty. It’s a fun format because you’re never completely out after one rough game—you always have another chance.
My day started off on Stars, where I finished second behind Alejandro Muro and avoided my first strike.
Round 2 sent me to Andromeda, where things got a little tougher and I picked up my first strike.
Round 3 was Solar Ride, a game I usually enjoy. I came up just a couple thousand points short of second place and earned strike number two. Looking back, I think the paper cut on my plunging finger may have cost me a few skill shots throughout the day. It wasn’t a major injury, but it was in exactly the wrong spot.
Then came Total Nuclear Annihilation.
Let’s just say Travis kept using all the reactor progress I had worked so hard to build. If you’ve played TNA, you know exactly how frustrating that can be! I picked up strike number three and knew my tournament life was getting short.
Fortunately, I bounced back on Sorcerer, where Andrew and I both managed to survive a three-player group. It ended up being one of my better Sorcerer games, and it kept me alive for another round.
My tournament finally ended on Viking. I missed advancing by roughly 25,000 points and took my fourth strike, finishing tied for 55th place.
Adam Horton was on Viking with us. He rolled the machine twice during his first ball and finished with over 2.5 million points even after tilting at the end of all 3 balls!🤯😵💫🤯
Even after I was eliminated, the day wasn’t over.
While Andrew continued his run all the way to Round 9, I wandered over to Twilight Zone for some practice. I had played it the day before at Starfighters and realized I was putting up decent scores without really understanding the deeper rules. Sometimes practice isn’t about chasing a high score—it’s about learning why the game works the way it does.
One of the highlights of the afternoon was cheering on six-year-old Millie Bizzi. One of my “Westside step stool kids” made an incredible run, surviving all the way to Round 8 against a field full of experienced adults.
Watching young players grow from needing a step stool to reach the flippers to making deep tournament runs is one of the best parts of being involved in Arizona pinball.
Andrew’s tournament ended in Round 9, making it a successful day for both of us. No trophies this time, but plenty of great games, good friends, and another opportunity to learn.
Incidental Exercise Receipts
As always, that’s one of the reasons I keep coming back.
Sometimes you win.
Sometimes you learn.
And sometimes you get to watch the next generation remind everyone that great pinball doesn’t care how tall you are.
Until next time…
Keep moving. Keep playing. And remember—every game still counts. Always. 🎮💜
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Incidental Exercise Receipts Hub