The Pinball League at 8 On The Break (8OTB) is held twice a year, once in the spring (starting early to mid March) and once in the fall (starting the first Wednesday after Labor Day in September). League nights are normally Wednesdays with game time starting around 7:40 PM. The next season will begin on Wednesday, 08 September 2010 at 8OTB in Dunellen, NJ.
A league season consists of 10 weeks of regular league play followed by one week of playoffs with trophies/plaques and cash prizes given to the winners of the league. If there are at least 8 players in the league by the 6th week of a season and fewer than 15 players, then on the 7th week of that season the league gets divided up into an A and a B division with the better players in the league going into the A division and all other players going to the B division. If there are more than 14 players in the League at the conclusion of the 6th Week of League Play, then there will be an A, B, and a C Division. The top 3rd of the League goes to the A Division, the middle third goes to the B Division and everybody else goes to the C Division. Currently, there is a limit of 24 players in the League
Dues are $7 each week with $3 of the $7 going toward weekly cash prizes, $3.50 for end of season cash prizes and to help pay for the trophies/plaques, and $0.50 going toward the High Score Prize Fund. Players who are absent in a given week don't pay dues for that week, but are not eligible for a cash prize that week either.
The players in the league are placed in groups of 3 or 4 and play 5 games each week with each player getting league points based on how their score on a particular game ranks among the other players in their group who played that game. The person who has the most league points in their group at the conclusion of league play that week is the winner of their group for that week. The top four group winners (for four or more groups in the league; if there are only three groups in the league then the three group winners) for the week wins a cash prize for that week.
There is no definite signup period for the league; people can sign up to play in a particular season anytime they wish but no one is allowed to join a league that's in progress after the second week of the season. It's best if one signs up for or joins a particular season no later than the first week of that season, otherwise that player will get zeroes for the one week missed (as discussed in the Premakeups section of the rules). I normally send out an e-mail about the league asking people to respond if they are planning on being in the league and put signs up about the league (containing signup instructions) in 8OTB itself about one month before the scheduled start of the league. People can just show up on the first night of the league to join if they so choose, but if the max number of people has already been reached, then the people who showed up will not be able to join that particular season.
For more detailed info/rules download a copy of the rules here (for Word 97-2003 format, go here).