N.S., N.B. pinball champions head to North American tournament

When Albert Agar moved to Nova Scotia from Ontario five years ago, he was primarily looking for a change of pace for his family. However, a small part of him also wanted to come to the Maritime province for one particular reason: pinball.

Agar stepped into the world of competitive pinball eight years ago, entering numerous Ontario tournaments but never securing a spot in a provincial bracket. His move to the Maritimes allowed him to test his mettle in New Brunswick tournaments through the Fundy Flippers Pinball League.

“Much like golf, the same way every hole is different, every machine is different,” Agar said. “On any given day, because there’s some luck involved, a mediocre player like myself could play against a pro and have a shot whereas in hockey against Wayne Gretzky, I could play 100 times and never have a shot.”

Agar’s luck held true earlier this month when he won the New Brunswick Provincial Pinball Championship, earning accolades and a spot in the International Flipper Pinball Association North American Pinball Championship in Wisconsin on March 7.

“It felt surreal,” Agar said. “It was my 147th tournament. I’ve bought and sold 15 pinball machines.”

Agar and his son both entered the tournament and wound up facing each other in the finals, which made the experience all the more special.

“Once I knew it was me or my son that would win, the pressure was gone,” Agar said. “It’s a fun thing young people and old people can get into.”

Agar won’t be the only Maritimer heading to Wisconsin this year. Riley MacDonald won the Nova Scotia Provincial Championship this month, taking home the trophy for the first time after he was “bit by the (pinball) bug.”

“Once you start playing, you start to get addicted to it,” MacDonald said.

MacDonald said the competition at the North American Championship is going to be fierce and Agar, who is currently ranked 6,285th on the World Pinball Player Rankings, said he’ll be facing someone from the top 150 in his first round.

“I’ll be watching lots of videos and reading lots of tutorials,” said Agar, who also hosts the Pinball Nerds podcast. “It’s not lost on me how incredibly awesome this is.”

MacDonald, who is ranked 2,891st, has simple advice for anyone who wants to step up to the pinball machine and try their luck with the flippers.

“Flip less is my advice,” he said. “More control, less wild flaying.”

“I would recommend looking in your local area to see where the best machines are,” Agar said. “A good pinball machine is one that has several different tactics to beat it. There are older pinball machines where there’s really only one clear path to beat it.

“You’ve got to get out there and try. We’re very welcoming to new players.”