I always tell 'em to come over to my house and try their luck against me. They usually wind up shooting pool in about ten minutes.

There is, of course, much luck involved in pinball, and it's the Great Leveler in the game. Doesn't matter how good you are--if the stars aren't aligned, and you have a few mistimed bad bounces, you could be in for a very long day in a tournament. Likewise, complete idiots like me can have one epic ball that gets you a high score. Doesn't mean you're good by any stretch of the imagination--just lucky that one time.

They don't. Skill will get you to the top ten. A little luck gets you to #1.

My point exactly. Everything has to come together for you to win. It's not just skill. I think all of these guys are on the same basic level, but it comes down to who had a good day and who didn't...and a lot of times when you're talking about that, you're talking about luck and chance. Has nothing to do with somebody's skill suddenly evaporating at one tournament. We all have those days when you know it's a pinball day or it's not. It doesn't mean you suck one day and you're great the next. When it's not your day, it's not your day.