New Pinball Dictionary: Round Zero

Round Zero

Although this term was coined for the Pinburgh Match Play Championship, it can refer to the online registration period for a popular pinball tournament with limited spots. A “Round Zero” happens because the number of Players who want to compete far outnumbers the number of spots, so they are available for only a short time, possibly only a few seconds.
- Pinburgh’s “Round Zero” is held on February 5th, named “F5 Day” to signify the amount of screen refreshing that will occur
Obtaining a paid ticket officially advances a Player through Round Zero. Then they can make travel arrangements to attend round one of the tournament later in the year.
Factors that determine whether a Player advances beyond Round Zero include but are not limited to:
- When The Player clicks the refresh button or refreshes the registration screen, and how close it is to the exact moment that tickets are available
- The speed of The Player’s internet provider (bandwidth/throughput)
- How quickly The Player can click the correct buttons to put a ticket in their cart (if there is a cart)
- Whether The Player’s payment method was accepted (credit card, debit card, etc.)
  - If payment is denied or time in the cart runs out, the ticket is released back into the pool and can be scooped up by another Player.
  - Because of the possibility of failed registrations, Round Zero does not end until the event is officially sold out.