What is Buffalo Pinball?

Buffalo Pinball celebrates all things pinball in the Greater Buffalo area. Established in 2013, the goal of Buffalo Pinball is to bring together all levels of pinball aficionados, from the casual player, to the collector, to those crazy enough to drive hours away to compete in tournaments.

Learn more about us on the About page.

Where can I play pinball in Buffalo?

Click on the Where to Play link on our website for a complete listing in the Buffalo area.

How can I join the pinball league?

Our pinball league runs from September – April, with playoffs in May. They are once a month, and typically are held the third Saturday of the month at 5 p.m.

The league is limited to 26 players as most of the nights are held in collectors’ homes. Sign-ups for league occur in August and are first-come, first-served basis for new members.  Current league members are automatically in for the following year, provided they pay their dues by August 1.

To find out when league sign-ups will be officially available, please sign up for our email list.

I’m new to pinball – should I wait to play in a tournament/league until I get better?

Nope! In fact, one of the best ways to get better is to play in a tournament or join our league. There you will have the benefit of learning from experienced pinball players. And don’t worry, we have a variety of skill levels at both our tournaments and league. Our league and tournaments have a causal/beginner division which is perfect for new players.

How can I get better at pinball?

Besides playing in tournaments and practicing, there are several resources available that will help you improve as a player:

• Professional and Amateur Pinball Association (PAPA) – Excellent website with videos that demonstrate basic pinball techniques as well as tutorials and competitive footage of many pinball machines.
• Pinball 101 – Pinball videos put out by top player Keith Elwin that will take your game to the next level.
• Buffalo Pinball Twitch Channel – Our live Twitch stream! Watch members of the Buffalo Pinball League demonstrate how to play games. We’ll also be including footage from our league, tournaments, and other fun events. Videos will be archived in case you miss the live stream.
• Buffalo Pinball YouTube Channel – Our YouTube channel! Carries archives of past Twitch broadcasts and more.

I want to buy a pinball machine – where should I look?

• Our Facebook page is a great starting point – post there and our members should be able to point you in the right direction.
• Craigslist is another good option.
• eBay is another option, but games there tend to be overpriced.
• If you are looking for a brand new game, post on our Facebook page and our members can recommend a distributor to contact (usually we can suggest one that is significantly less than MSRP).