The tension in the room peaked during Round 4 on the brand-new Pokémon (Pro) machine, released just months prior in 2026. The rankings heavily favored Ben Zatz, who held a massive 25,293-spot advantage on the IFPA ladder over his opponent, Dylan jones. Zatz had been on an absolute tear recently, gaining almost three thousand ranking spots in his single year of active play and snagging three podium finishes in his last five events. But competitive pinball is a game of gravity, geometry, and guts, not just historical numbers. After 27 grueling minutes of four-player group knockout action, jones orchestrated a stunning upset. He captured the win, relegating Grant Holdren to second, Randy Pierce to third, and the highly favored Zatz to fourth.
It was the kind of unpredictable outcome that defines group knockout tournaments. That single, shocking game on Pokémon rippled through the rest of the evening, proving that nobody was truly safe in this deep, talented field.
The Colfax Crucible
The 1up Arcade Bar – Colfax provided a chaotic, vibrant backdrop for the April showdown in Denver. Known for its sprawling collection of classic arcade cabinets and an impressive lineup of dozens of pinball machines, the bar hummed with the energy of a dedicated Sunday crowd taking advantage of all-day drink specials. The trendy but relaxed atmosphere, complete with live music and highly praised pizza, creates a space where intense tournament stakes meet casual weekend fun.
The venue’s tournament arena featured 22 different machines, spanning a massive era of pinball history from 1984 all the way to 2026. The field of 36 players that descended on the venue was deep enough to guarantee dramatic bracket matchups, yet intimate enough that the local heavyweights all knew each other’s tendencies. Of the total participants, 30 carried an active IFPA ranking. The tournament featured serious national talent, highlighted by Helena Walter Higgins, who held the strongest national rank in the building at #430.
On a regional level, the competition was a brutal gauntlet for the local regulars. The 30 state-ranked Colorado players boasted an average state rank of #149. The draw included three players from the state’s top 10 and eight from the top 25, meaning almost every grouping was a clash of proven champions.
A Marathon on the Open Water
As the knockout rounds progressed and strikes accumulated, the true contenders began to separate from the pack. Round 5 delivered a grueling 40-minute test of endurance on JAWS (Premium), a 2024 Stern release. The four-player group featured Griffin Carr and Marshall Weasel, two competitors who have been rocketing up the IFPA ladder all year.
Weasel has climbed 286 spots over the past twelve months to reach #1342, while Carr has surged an impressive 703 places to hit #2935. Their head-to-head record sits at a dead heat of two wins apiece across four matches, making every tournament encounter a chance to break the tie and claim bragging rights.
On the treacherous JAWS playfield, where players must repeatedly shoot the chum bucket to attach a harpoon and start multiballs, the tension was palpable. Carr managed to outlast the talented group, securing first place and keeping his strike count low for the round. Weasel claimed second, while seasoned veteran Adam Higgins—ranked #600 nationally—and Leigh Kiser took third and fourth, respectively.
Altermatt Sweeps the Floor
While others battled through lengthy wars of attrition, Ryan Altermatt quietly and efficiently dismantled the competition. Altermatt, currently the number two ranked player in the Colorado NACS standings, came into the event as a frequent winner with two victories in his last five outings.
His performance at The 1up was nothing short of an offensive masterclass. Across the nine rounds of group knockout play, Altermatt secured the absolute top score on five of the nine machines he played. He completely locked down the first-place position in his group during Rounds 3, 5, 7, 8, and the decisive Round 9.
Whether he was navigating the tight orbits of The Addams Family—the most played machine of the tournament—or surviving the varied shot layouts of the modern Sterns, Altermatt’s consistency was unshakeable. His focused execution kept him out of the elimination zone and firmly in control of his own destiny as the field thinned out in the later hours of the evening.
Settling a Heavyweight Bracket
When the flippers finally cooled after 300 minutes of competition, Ryan Altermatt stood alone at the top of the podium, capturing the overall victory. Marshall Weasel’s relentless consistency and momentum earned him a hard-fought second place. Justin Hinman, Colorado’s number one ranked player who entered with three wins in his last five events, tied for third place alongside the surging Griffin Carr.
The April clash at The 1up Colfax was a testament to the sheer depth of the local competitive scene. With 36 players in the mix, a national top-500 talent in the building, and a dense concentration of top-tier state players, there were simply no easy draws from Round 1 to Round 9. Every round was a grind against seasoned veterans capable of capitalizing on a single missed shot. In a standard competitive field where an unranked newcomer can take down a top-3,000 player on any given Sunday, the competitive context in Denver has truly never looked stronger.
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