BILLINGS — In just 18 months, Billings native Jerry Valentine has risen from pinball novice to Montana State Champion and is now preparing to compete at the national level. His journey to the top of the pinball world is a testament to the sport’s rapid growth and the dedication required to master it.
Located in downtown Billings, The Monte Bar and Casino at 2824 1st Avenue N. holds the largest collection of pinball machines in town. For some, it is an enjoyable way to pass the time by throwing a quarter into the machine and trying to rack up some points, but for others, it has become a serious pursuit.
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“Pinball is one of those things that like, conceptually, it's really easy to do. I mean, you just push two buttons, right? But it is really hard to get good at," said Zak Jokela, a competitive pinball player.
For nearly two years, The Monte has hosted regular pinball tournaments and has drawn the attention of many locals, but especially the casino's employees, including bartenders A.J. Scheble and Jerry Valentine.
“It's always right there and if it's a slow day, I might sneak away and play a game," said Scheble. “It's a lot of hard work really, dedication. You got to show up to tournaments and win.”
But it was Valentine who quickly distinguished himself in the local tournament scene, rising to the top faster than anyone expected.
“Once I realized that there's like a state national and international championship that you can go to for this kind of stuff, I'm like, 'Okay, I'm committed. I'm in,'” said Valentine. "I'm competitive, and this is niche and I love it.”
The 27-year-old began playing competitively only 18 months ago but quickly established himself as one to watch out for in tournaments.
“When the tournaments were kind of ramping up and all the qualifying, everybody was kind of talking about how good Jerry was," said Alison LaFever, a staff member at The Monte. "Everybody wanted to beat Jerry and it gave them a point of pride if they could beat Jerry in a tournament.”
Despite the fierce competition, pinball remains a friendly and supportive sport.
“(Pinball is) so competitive. I hate losing, especially to Jerry," joked Scheble. "He works a lot harder than I do at this stuff."
Points are tracked through the International Flipper Pinball Association, or IFPA, and ranked based on tournament wins, known as the World Pinball Player Rankings. Valentine’s growth was so rapid that he became the fastest-rising player in one month in the U.S. last year, jumping nearly 30,000 spots in the rankings.
"That was when we were like, 'Whoa, like Jerry's in the house, like we've got a real, like a legit real player here,'” said Jokela.
On Jan. 18, Valentine had the chance to prove himself. He and three others from Billings, including Jokela, competed at the IFPA Montana State tournament at OddPitch Brewing in Missoula. This year’s event marked the second state competition for men and the first women’s division in Montana.
"They streamed it on Twitch. It was super cool," said Valentine. “It's like super surreal you get to go and play with all these guys that are really good and win tournaments.”
After hours of heated competition among 16 total players, Valentine emerged victorious, becoming Montana’s pinball champion and earning a spot at the IFPA North American Championships in Rochester, New York, next month.
"It's all mindset too. I think mentality for pinball is such a big thing, too, and winning it was just like, 'Oh my gosh,'” said Valentine.
At nationals, Valentine will face 58 top pinball players from the U.S. and Canada and attempt to make it through five rounds of games. His first match will be against the world's 31st-top-ranked player.
“I'm going up against like one of the top, top guys already and I’m hype,” said Valentine.
Though Valentine no longer lives in Billings, having moved to Colorado several months ago, he is still feeling the love from his hometown. His coworkers at The Monte decided to organize a bingo fundraiser on Sunday to help send him to the national competition and ease his travel costs, with several local businesses donating prizes for the event.
“That was his fellow coworkers and just a testament to how well-liked he is around here and how excited everybody was for him," said LaFever. “I'm just so really proud of all our bartenders for coming up with this and putting this together and how they support each other.”
Valentine is grateful for the overwhelming support he has received.
“They just kind of went off on their own whim and super supportive, super crazy, and I can't be more appreciative," said Valentine.
Looking ahead, Valentine has his eyes set even higher. To qualify for the IFPA World Pinball Championships held in Austria, he will need to make the top spots at nationals to quality, but he's determined.
"I got my passport ready. We're going to that,” said Valentine.
Until then, Valentine continues practicing about 20 hours or more a week on machines in his new state. No matter the outcome, The Monte, along with the rest of the state, will be cheering him on, and his success has highlighted pinball as one of the fastest-growing sports in America.
“It is coming up. It's the second fastest-growing sport in America right now. Pickleball is the number one," said Jokela “Hopefully we have a Montana national winner, be super cool.”
With his sights set on the top, Valentine’s pinball journey is just getting started.
