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The weekly pinball league is back!

When: Regular season Monday nights at 7 pm. Regular meets 2025 February 10, 17, 24; March 3, 10, 24; Playoffs, March 31 at 7 pm (some dates subject to change)
Where: Little Dipper Lounge, 304 Main Street, Houston, TX
What: League utilizing the Max Matchplay/”Roundless Robin” format. Six games per meeting, final standings based on best five weeks of six. Playoffs will be group matchplay format with 4-2-1-0 scoring as detailed in the rulebook.
Who: Anyone of any pinball skill level 21 or older.
How much: $20 for league dues, payable on the third week attended via Zelle (preferred) or cash.

Just a quick note that events are in the works for the end of the year and 2025. Stay tuned. –Shawn

In case you might have missed it, signups for the Texas Pinball Festival Wizards tournament will open this Saturday, November 2, at noon (12 pm). This tournament is held alongside the Texas Pinball Festival in Frisco, TX (about 25-30 miles north of Dallas). The cost is $200 including the weekend pass for the festival (the tournament entry fee is $112 of that).

Full details are available at the Texas Pinball Festival website.

This Sunday (August 4) I posted the new mission statement to a page. This statement is repeated below for reference:

The Bayou City Pinball League was founded to:

• offer fun and engaging pinball events for the greater Houston area, both competitive and non-competitive;
• offer safe events for pinball players to meet, with a particular emphasis on maintaining a violence-free and crime-free environment;
• welcome all pinball players regardless of age, race, national origin, beliefs, gender, sexual orientation, or pinball skill level, specifically including marginalized groups such as LGBTQ+ individuals, neurodivergent individuals, the furry fandom, and the vampire community; and
• help lift the reputation of pinball players as a group by upholding a high standard of player conduct, as well as giving back to the local community through volunteering and donations, both within the pinball and classic arcade communities and in more broadly relevant organizations throughout the community.

To this effect, I will be announcing new events shortly, some competitive (and IFPA rated), some non-competitive.

Looking forward to a great fall and winter of 2024 and beyond!

Shawn K. Quinn
Commissioner, Bayou City Pinball League

As most of you may have heard or even experienced firsthand, the greater Houston area was hit by Hurricane Beryl causing widespread damages and power outages this past Monday morning (2024-07-08). First and foremost, please stay safe during this difficult time if you are in the area. Various officials have made important safety announcements in the past few days; please heed them.

To say the least, the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl has complicated any attempts to organize future events on the previously announced timeline. It is possible there won’t be any IFPA sanctioned events until well into September or possibly even October (in which case they would likely be after Houston Arcade Expo). To fill the gap I may try to throw together something informal and/or aimed at players brand new to competitive pinball.

To directly refute any possible rumors along these lines: I am not giving up on the Bayou City Pinball League or competitive pinball in the Houston area. Stay safe, stay in touch, and we’ll get through this together.

Shawn K. Quinn
Commissioner, Bayou City Pinball League