Not having any criteria to judge by I set myself up for accomplished.

I added some of my own for fun.

Beginner: You hit the buttons as fast as you can even before you press "Start."
Intermediate: You are better than your friends who don't play pinball.
Accomplished: You think you are good enough to win a tournament, until you actually go to one. You are Grand Champ on all your own pins.
Advanced: You can beat most people in the local tournaments. Your are the Grand Champ on all the pins at 7-11 and Vinny's Pizzaria. People still don't know, (or care) who you are.
Professional: When you walk into an arcade pinheads know your name and buy you beer. Though this is primarily to lower your skill level so they have a chance to beat you.

Funny stuff, SC!

In reality, is there really such a thing as a "Professional" player? It's not like Keith Elwin is earning his living playing pinball.

This is me 100 percent haha

Accomplished: You think you are good enough to win a tournament, until you actually go to one. You are Grand Champ on all your own pins.

I went to the Seattle show the last few years, got to watch guy's like Elwin, Cayle, Eden, Gagno, Sharpe bro's, etc. Once you see them play, you'll really know how bad you are hahaha...they are amazing.

Ummmm ... I think my skills go from overly rating mine to begin with and drop down to drunken/drugged flipper button pushing

I am surprised that more people are not in advanced group.

You think you are good enough to win a tournament, until you actually go to one. You are Grand Champ on all your own pins.

Well that is definitely me. Gave me a good laugh too

When you walk into an arcade pinheads know your name and buy you beer.

Is this just a joke or can you buy beer in your arcades? If it's true then state your rough location in the world give me about 3 months to sell everything up and then I'm moving there!!

I don't normally use smilies but I just used the "shocked" face and it comes up as . I have always used 80 (zero not O) to send to people who have instant messaged me smilies and told them "mine is wearing a balaclava and robbing your smilie, not so happy now is he!"

OOh no I don't where to put my vote.

This sounds like me

Advanced: You can beat most people in the local tournaments. Your are the Grand Champ on all the pins at 7-11 and Vinny's Pizzaria. People still don't know, (or care) who you are.

Definitely not a Pro. I just came back from the EPC competition in France and saw some of them in action. I'm one of those guys that make up the numbers and has fun.

I just played at pinburgh, Keith won again another 3,750 bucks in his pocket. So he has made at least $23,500 I think in just those 3 tournaments. I ended up making it to "A" division where I faced some of the best players in the world, Lyman Sheats, Jorian, Trent Augenstein and a bunch of others.

Ended up 53rd out of 174 so I feel ok with that I guess that puts me in the advanced skills or accomplished.

If you ever get a chance goto a papa or pinburgh event - it will change your pinball life.

Keith just dominates - hopefully they post his video of first ball on avatar, guy is unstoppable

"mine is wearing a balaclava and robbing your smiley ..."

What a crazy coincidence. I was reading the second Harry Potter book to my kids last night and there was a part where the character of Hagrid was described as wearing a "balaclava". I consider myself to have a rather encompassing vocabulary, but I had to look this particular word up. Turns out it's just a fancy name for a ski mask.

Keith just dominates - hopefully they post his video of first ball on avatar, guy is unstoppable

He makes it look so effortless. You have to be born with that level of skill. I don't think it's something you can learn. It's a shame Keith wasn't alive in a time where pinball was more popular. He's probably the best player in the world, and barely anyone knows who he is. It just goes to show how much times have changed.

On a side note, I have a friend who is addicted to Starcraft. Apparantly, the game is so huge in Korea that they actually have several TV channels dedicated to covering it. Over there, the best players are worshiped the way professional athletes are here. Kind of crazy.

I don't think you can call yourself an advanced player until your willing to practice. In golf you go to the driving and putting range in pinball you have to be willing to take the glass off and hand place the ball to practice shots over and over and over.

I still have trouble hitting the delta ramp though.

I don't think you can call yourself an advanced player until your willing to practice.

I would agree with this. I play a ton of pinball every day, but it's mostly for fun. I generally do not make a conscious effort to improve my skills.

I practice but you can set up shots all day long and shoot the delta ramp, the problem is in serious tournaments the games are set up way different then most people have at their homes.

They take rubbers off the posts or remove the posts all together, change the rules to the hardest, no extra balls, remove wire forms on certain games, no ball saver, tilt super tight etc etc - you think your good till you play one setup papa style. totally kicks your butt and you feel like an idiot.

I guess I would be between advanced and accomplished. I've won an SPL tourney and an MVP when Seattle played against Vancouver. On the other hand, coming in 49th out of 58 players at the Slabtown competition last month was depressing. I practice daily (at least a couple of games a day, except some Fridays where I'm at it all evening).

SealClubber: That's a great start for the criteria list!

SonOfZombie: Shorty's in Seattle. 17 pins. At least 18 taps and the incredibly talented mixologist and fellow pinhead Jawn Wakefield behind the bar in The Trophy Room. Once you're known you get invited to pinball parties around the area, most of which my wife and I never get home from before 3AM. I think that's more the scene you're looking for?
Ground Kontrol in Portland sells beer, but only after 5PM. 20+ pins + 20+ old-school videogames.
Dorky's in Tacoma will be serving beer very soon. Their license application just went in. 13 pins + 20+ old-school videogames.
In Georgetown there is a lot of beer and pinball joints.