The BEAST! Buffalo Extravaganza Annual Summer Tournaments

I’m going to challenge The BEAST in Buffalo, New York! Will you take on the challenge?

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POCKETEER BILLIARDS, BUFFALO, NY – March 6, 2023

Pinball competitors take notice! THE BEAST is coming to Buffalo, NY, for the weekend of August 4-6, 2023. THE BEAST is presented in part by American Pinball and Pinball Profile.

There are 4 pinball tournaments (Main, Classics, Women’s, 3 strikes), with big cash, prizes, trophies from ULEKstore and IFPA sanctioned action at its best.

THE BEAST will be held at the incredible Pocketeer Billiards, 2444 Clinton St., in Buffalo, NY. Pocketeer Billiards is home to over 80 pinball machines, including all the latest titles. Barry and Cindy Gluckstein are thrilled to be hosting THE BEAST at their massive venue. All tournament games will be on free play! The pinball action can be viewed on Twitch thanks to The Casselmans on their Twitch channel The Pinballers at www.twitch.tv/pinballers

“I love the facility at Pocketeer Billiards. I’ve been there several times including when I held a Pinball Profile “Played In America” tour event there last summer. I thought we must come back again…and bigger! So THE BEAST will be coming this August. Players of all skill levels and ages are invited.” said tournament creator Jeff Teolis of Pinball Profile.

Weekend passes for THE BEAST are $80 and go on sale on Saturday, April 15 at 10am ET online at www.pinballprofile.com/thebeast. Limited to the first 120 players. Confirmation and payment option will be sent once registration form is completed. A wait list will be taken for those not in the first 120 registered. Payment (via Venmo or PayPal) will be required by Monday, April 17th at 6pm ET for those registered online, otherwise your reservation for THE BEAST will be removed. Those who pay before Monday, April 17th at 6pm ET will receive an early bird bonus of 7 free game entries (a $20 value)! This registration fee covers usage of pinball machines (turned to free play), IFPA fees, trophies, and other tournament expenses.

For THE BEAST Main, Classics, and Women’s Tournaments players can purchase unlimited tickets to play individual games on their respective tournament machines (Herb style format). Each player’s best score on each machine is tracked and those scores are ranked against the other competitor’s scores on that machine using the Never Drains software. Players receive an aggregate of their machine rankings on their required number of games in each tournament to determine their overall qualifying position. Tickets are priced at 3 for $10, and 7 for $20 (cash sales only at the Event). All money from paid tickets goes into the prize pools. All playoff finalists for THE BEAST Main, Classics and Women’s receive cash prizes based on their finishing position. Additional prizes are given to the top 4 from their respective tournament sponsors. Final payouts are determined by their tournament’s prize pools based on paid entries, which will be updated in real time on Never Drains software on Day 2. There will also be random prize draws throughout THE BEAST.

THE BEAST Main Tournament presented in part by PinShades features up to 14 LCD, DMD, and solid state pinball machines. Qualifying happens all day both Friday and Saturday. Your top scores on 7 different machines determine your ranking. At the end of qualifying Saturday night, the top 24 players will play in the playoffs to be held Sunday, August 6. Cash prizes for top 24, and trophies for top 4. This IFPA Certified Main tournament is scheduled for 200% TGP.

THE BEAST Classics Tournament presented in part by LTC Pinball features up to 10 solid state and EM pinball machines. Qualifying happens all day Friday and until 4pm on Saturday. Your top scores on 6 different machines determine your ranking. At the end of qualifying Saturday at 4pm, the top 24 players will play in the playoffs to be held later that Saturday afternoon. Cash prizes for top 24, and trophies for top 4. This IFPA Certified Classics tournament is scheduled for 190% TGP.

THE BEAST Women’s Tournament presented in part by 4evertheflip features up to 8 pinball machines. Qualifying happens all day Friday until midnight. Your top scores on 5 different machines determine your ranking. At the end of qualifying Friday night at midnight, (*up to) the top 12 players will play in the Finals to be held Saturday morning, August 5. (*based on 24 or more players in the Women’s Tournament as per IFPA playoff rules). Cash prizes for each playoff player, and trophies for top 4.

THE BEAST 3 Strikes Tournament is Sunday morning at 11am. Cost is $20 (cash sales only). Sign up for this event is Sunday morning at 10am, first come, first serve. Maximum number of players is 56. Machines to be used will consist of the machines used in the earlier Classics & Women’s Tournaments. Players will play in a 4 (or 3) player group each round. In a 4 player group, the last 2 places will receive a strike. In a 3 player group, only the player in 3rd place will receive a strike. When a player has 3 total strikes, they are eliminated from the tournament. Top 4 finishers will receive cash prizes* of 1st – $400 + trophy, 2nd – $300, 3rd – $200, and 4th – $100 (*based on 56 players)

Assisting with THE BEAST will be tournament directors Adam Becker and Jeff Teolis. Helping from the tech side will be Adam Becker, David Fix, Shane Jackson, and Bruce Nightingale. A volunteer schedule and shift availability will be made later. Volunteers will receive a set number of free entries for each shift they volunteer. They will be allowed to participate in the volunteer only qualifying period Saturday, Aug. 5 from 9-10am, in which they can use their entries for the Main and Classics tournaments.

Refund policy:
Once your $80 registration is paid, if you need to withdraw from THE BEAST, you can receive a 100% refund up until Mon., May 15. From May 16-June 15, you can receive a 75% refund. From June 16-July 15, you can receive a 50% refund. No refunds will be given beyond July 15.

For more info and/or to join the email/update list, please contact thebeastpinball@gmail.com. Visit: www.pinballprofile.com/thebeast. Follow @thebeastpinball (Instagram)

Sponsors:

Pocketeer Billiards: https://www.pocketeerbilliardsandbar.com/

American Pinball: https://www.american-pinball.com/

Pinball Profile: https://www.pinballprofile.com/

PinShades: https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1238-pinshades

LTC Pinball: https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/LTCPinball

4evertheflip: https://www.4evertheflip.com/

ULEKstore: https://www.ulekstore.com/

The Pinballers: https://www.twitch.tv/pinballers