If you kick any machine at events I run you get kicked out of the venue, no refund.

Drinks on the glass is stupid but it won’t get you thrown out the first time.

You seem and admit to being pretty physical on the pins (gently kicking, etc). I wouldn't take that well at all if it were on my pins at home or on route.
Be as competitive as you wish but respect other people's property.

In our pin league, only the owners can man handle the merchandise. And drinks on a pin is totally taboo. You would be warned, and not invited back after the second reminder. Pretty standard in private tournaments.

Yeah...you're telling this story in a light most favorable to yourself and it still doesn't sound good.

So worst case scenario, that cleans easier ?

LTG : )

You sound like a pompous diva that disrespected the hosts equipment and are whining like a child over $35.
I think you're going to quickly find out how small the hobby is since noone is going to want to associate with you with your disrespectful attitude in the future.

Nudges are fine. I don't care if you slide slave, death save, whatever.

Don't kick the games.
Don't put your drinks on the glass.
Don't hit the machines/glass.

Don't blame other people for your actions.

Ok pinlord

I think the owner TD should’ve made rules known to all players before the tournament began, but all the issues you had are very standard no nos in pinball tournaments.

If you kicked a game in my tournament, the first would be a warning. The next, would be ejection.

Don’t touch the machine unless actively trying to save the ball from draining, or you’re still playing your ball.

Definitely seems like you and Trevor don’t mix. I suggest trying to find common ground or to avoid each other in the future.

Sprite doesn’t matter. Never put a drink on a game you don’t own.

This had to be a troll post, right?! Surely this guy knows he's 100% in the wrong with actions, right? Right?!

This right here says a lot. If a drink, of any color, spills on top of the glass, it's gonna be a shitty cleanup and could cause a short if it drips onto any electronics.

So you're defending yourself doing something disrespectful and rude. That's okay if you didn't realize it's not a generally accepted behavior, but don't defend it like it's okay. Nobody who owns these machines is gonna be your friend if you treat the machines without respect.

Nudging, shaking, and slap saving is part of the game. Slamming or kicking with the intent to release some aggression is considered rude and may get you scolded or removed depending on how bad you do it.

I don’t think this tournament was poorly run at all fr what you’ve told me. Sounds like it had a player you didn’t like and a TD that had rules they enforced.

Never, ever, ever, put your drink on a pinball machine. Never, ever. Be an asshole on the internet, sure, but don't put your drink on a pinball machine. Even I know that.

If you were playing my game at a tournament or show and had a drink on the glass
and/or were manhandling my game, you would not like my reaction at all!
Some people seem to think because they paid a lot to get into a show or enter
a tourney they can treat machines however they want. Nope.
Someone either restored or paid a bunch of money for that game AND was nice
enough to bring it for others to enjoy.

You need to respect that!

Boy, you got a frigging lot to learn on a subject that has a very shallow learning curve. Try that drink on glass trick at your next tournament and see how that plays out for you.

You were wrong about more than just the drink.

And you were wrong to hit/kick the games out of frustration too. No matter how minor. To avoid future conflict, eliminate that from your behavior.

...and gloating when you win.

I agree, you never put drinks on the glass, it is a royal pain to clean up.

And why in the world would you kick a machine. You know how much they cost. Would you be ok if the owner kicked your car but said "don't worry, I didn't kick it that hard"?

Still. Just get into the habit of not touching the game unless you’re actively playing a ball or trying to save a ball. Outside of that, express frustration in another way.

I am in

Your entire premise of this being a bad situation starts in your head when you say you got "alarm bells ringing" because another player was watching you.

Is it possible you just were a bit nervous or paranoid being a new social situation? Maybe you just read Trevor's vibe wrong and then it cascaded into tension as you were doing things like putting the drink on the glass and pissing him off for real.

Also it can take a while to get comfortable being competitive with different people. Some players get real serious, others are casual and carefree. Some people you wont mix well with, and others might become best buddies. Pinball players are a diverse and fun group!

It doesn't matter, you don't abuse someone else's property. If you can't control yourself, find a different hobby.

Someone is nice enough to open their house, provide food and drinks and make their collection available for a tournament and you treat them like that? Sure you say it was wrong to put a drink on the glass but who does that in the first place? What if it was a $300 piece of Invisaglass? When I am in someone's home, I treat their games with the ultimate respect. Nudging a game is surely acceptable, even if you tilt trying to save the ball. Intentionally tilting, hitting or kicking the game no matter how hard is simply not acceptable. To me the combination of the drink and one hit or kick would have send you out the door never to return.

This is most likely a troll thread and the OP has surely never run a tournament at his house.

I usually go with a big loud "FUCK!" when I forget myself at a tourney. But when I keep my head on straight, it usually ends up as a call out to our favorite savior, the one, the only, straight from the right hand of God, ladies and gentlemen, please give a big warm welcome to "Jesus F'ing Christ!"

Why not take the high road and let your play do the talking? Those people aren’t worth it. Trust me.

Yep, based on your review, I'm sure he was threatened by your instant popularity at the pinball tournament.

Are you twelve?

Taken advantage financially? Haha. Sorry but it was $35. Take the L and move on. But unless you take some of the advice here, I don’t think this will be the last poorly run tournament that you experience.

You too?

Join the club baby! We all rich up in here!

Lol,
Op comes off to me as a cockasaurus rex.

He may not be chronologically but he certainly appears to be emotionally.