Blue Ridge, GA
Quoted from robm:This is one thing i think is not in the best interest of the running of the tournament as a whole. It can really drag out time for the event. A few years ago at a major Aussie event (150ish players), with 7 x 3 game rounds, practice easily added an hour plus to the day. Its not just 30 seconds per player.... its the ball saves from playing the game out, rounding up the 4 people (in the middle of 150 other people), someone wanting an extra 5 seconds so starting a new game, then plunging the other balls out.
Part of the challenge i reckon, having a little bit of mystery around the small nuances of an individual game. In my tournaments, if i have long playing game set up with tight tilts - i put a sign on the game to advise this so everyone is on the same page.
Yes theoretically it could add an hour to an event that large, but it never does. I don't use the full 30 seconds, I just test the skill shot, tilt sensitivity and sometimes the flippers or a key shot. Other than that you aren't going to pick up nuances. Many people don't even use the time and if you are playing the same game more than once, it's polite to pass.
The rule was developed for big tournaments like Pinburgh that had 800 machines and very limited practice time. It that case it was highly unlikely you would have any time on the machines you are playing. Their tilts were so tight and set up so hard, it was really important to get a few shots on the machine.
If you are running a tournament, provide plenty of practice time and don't use the rule.
