Rivera Triumphs at What’s Brewing

Rivera Takes Belles & Chimes A Finals in a Four-Player Crucible

Sona Rivera captured first place at the A Finals for Belles & Chimes SATX – Summer 2026 #3 on July 12, outlasting a small but formidable field of competitors. Taking the victory at What’s Brewing Coffee Roasters in San Antonio, Rivera navigated a tidy 171-minute tournament that demanded constant execution. She finished the single-round group bracket with top placements on both Joker Poker and High Speed, securing enough points to keep runner-up LaRain Pyle at bay. Destiny Moreno took home third place to round out the podium, while tournament organizer Christina Cheeseman finished fourth.

Getting to that final podium required surviving a group bracket format with absolutely no breathing room. With just four players in the bracket, the math was strict and the matchups were constant. Every single participant was actively ranked by the IFPA, bringing the field’s national average rank to 15,709. Even more telling was their local standing; three of the four women held positions in the top 250 of the Texas state rankings, possessing an average state rank of 211 out of 1,122 ranked Texan players. In a field this concentrated, there were no easy rounds and nowhere to hide from top-tier competition.

Moreno and Cheeseman Renew Their 16-Event Standoff

The tension of a four-player group bracket guarantees that existing rivalries are forced onto the glass immediately. Destiny Moreno, the tournament’s top seed and the strongest ranked player in the room at IFPA #5,994, brought an extensive resume of 292 career tournaments to the floor. She and Christina Cheeseman entered the evening intimately familiar with each other’s play styles, having competed in 16 prior tournaments together. Before Sunday, their ongoing contest was effectively a coin-flip, with two tied finishes complicating their long history.

Across four shared games this tournament, they proved incredibly evenly matched once again. Cheeseman, bringing her own deep experience of 282 career tournaments, battled Moreno game for game. Each woman managed to finish ahead of the other exactly two times over the course of the evening. Ultimately, Moreno took third place overall to Cheeseman’s fourth, officially evening out their long-standing rivalry.

Meanwhile, Sona Rivera and Destiny Moreno also brought a 14-tournament shared history to the flippers. Rivera, carrying a state rank of 163, came in holding a slight edge over Moreno across their past meetings. That advantage stretched further during this event. Rivera managed to finish ahead of Moreno in all three of the four-player games they shared, establishing clear control of their personal matchup for the night.

Rivera Sweeps the Card Suits on Joker Poker

The structural core of the evening arrived during a 21-minute four-player match on Joker Poker. The 1978 Gottlieb classic, designed by Ed Krynski with iconic card-themed art by Gordon Morison, demands precise drop target execution from its players. Competitors are rewarded for completing sets of drop targets to build bonus points. The scoring scales up steadily based on the face cards: 1,000 points for the 10s, 2,000 for the Jacks, 3,000 for the Queens, 4,000 for the Kings, and a valuable 5,000 points for the Aces and Joker combination.

Rivera claimed four points and the top position on the solid-state machine. Moreno secured the second spot to earn two points, while Pyle took third for a single point, leaving Cheeseman in fourth with zero points. Taking first on Joker Poker was a crucial step for Rivera, demonstrating total control over the older, less forgiving target geometry.

Rivera maintained that exact momentum on High Speed, Williams’ beloved 1986 release. In a 31-minute four-player clash, she once again walked away with the maximum four points. This time, Pyle followed her in second place for two points, Cheeseman took third for one point, and Moreno landed in fourth. Across these two older titles, Rivera laid the unshakable foundation for her overall victory.

Pyle Upends the Ratings on John Wick

LaRain Pyle entered the tournament as the fourth seed of four competitors, but she consistently punched above her ranking. Pyle’s standout moment happened on Stern’s brand-new 2024 release, John Wick (Pro). Designed by Elliot Eismin with software by Tim Sexton, Joshua Henderson, and Mike Vinikour, the modern table offers distinct tactical choices right off the plunge. A soft plunge that completely avoids both rollovers grants the Baba Yaga skill shot, immediately starting the player at 1.5 million points.

The match on John Wick stretched into a 42-minute marathon, marking the longest single game of the bracket. In a true upset, Pyle outmaneuvered Rivera, taking the first-place finish and a critical four points. Rivera was relegated to second place for two points, while Cheeseman finished third and Moreno took fourth.

Pyle’s deep run from the back of the bracket was entirely defined by this strong performance. She finished ahead of Cheeseman in all three games they shared, and finished ahead of Moreno in two out of three. Earning top points on a complex modern rule set proved that the bottom seed was a serious threat on the glass.

A Swift Finish at the Roasters

The tournament wrapped up under broken clouds and a heavy 93-degree Texas heat that felt closer to 104 degrees outside. Inside the dedicated pinball room at What’s Brewing Coffee Roasters, physically separated from the main cafe area, the local community concluded another competitive Sunday. The venue, celebrated by locals for its family-owned gourmet coffee and quarter-operated game area, provided a welcoming atmosphere for the tightly contested bracket. The night ended on a brief tiebreaker game of High Speed, where Moreno secured a half-point over Cheeseman to finalize the middle standings.

Rivera’s steady performance across the classics proved too resilient to overcome, giving her the undisputed tournament win. Pyle’s marathon upset on John Wick cemented her Cinderella run from the bottom seed to second place, while Moreno rounded out the top three after breaking the final tie.

Tournament A Finals:

• 1st: Sona Rivera
• 2nd: LaRain Pyle
• 3rd: Destiny Moreno