When searching for an establishment in Japan, copy and paste the words “パチンコ” into the search box, then enter the name of the place where you are located after putting a space.
Hello, this is Kei!
Today, I’m going to explain about 「PACHINKO」 in Japan!
▼ What is 「PACHINKO」?
「PACHINKO」 is a gamble in which players borrow balls from 「PACHINKO」 parlor and put them into 「PACHINKO」 machine, where they can exchange the balls for prizes or cash.
Can you imagine 「PACHINKO」 machine? It’s a fun machine with glass walls, lots of nails, and an LCD panel. Well, I think the best thing to do is to visit 「PACHINKO」 parlor.
The rules are simple. If you increase the number of balls, you win, and if you decrease the number of balls, the parlor wins. In addition to sweets, juice, daily necessities, cigarettes, etc., there are also “special prizes” that can be exchanged for balls. If you take these special prizes to the cash exchange outside the parlor, they can be exchanged for cash.
I’ve won up to 120,000 Japanese yen in one day just by gazing at it, and I’ve lost 120,000 Japanese yen just by gazing at it. In other words, I’ve given my girlfriend some nice gifts and I’ve borrowed money from her.
Although it is a gambling game, people called 「PACHI-PRO」 make their living only from 「PACHINKO」, so it seems that there is a winning method… Please tell me…
▼ How to play 「PACHINKO」?
【1】Borrow balls
You can borrow balls by inserting money into the “ball lending machine” located on the side of 「PACHINKO」 machine. If you look at the side of the machine, you will probably find a slot for inserting bills, so check it out. Some 「PACHINKO」 parlors accept coins, but most of them accept only bills between 1,000 yen and 10,000 yen.
It’s a good idea to have at least 1,000 yen in your pocket! Once you have put in the money, press the “lend ball” button on the top plate of the machine, and the machine will pay out the balls.
In many parlors, the amount of money you put in is automatically charged to the IC card installed in the machine, so if there is a balance on the IC card when you go home, be careful not to forget to pay it off.
【2】Shoot balls
There are many different types of 「PACHINKO」 machines, including those with tie-ups with anime, manga, and movies, but they all have the same structure, so once you try one, you’ll learn quickly.
When you turn the handle on the bottom right of 「PACHINKO」 machine to the right, the balls are shot out and fall from the top to the bottom of the board, dodging between the nails.
【3】Put the ball in the marked hole
To win, you need to put the balls into the marked hole at the bottom center of 「PACHINKO」 machine. This is commonly known as the “belly button”.
The more you turn the handle to the right, the more vigorously the balls will shoot out, so try to control it so that you can get them into the marked holes!
【4】Match three numbers
Now, let’s say that the ball goes into the hole where it is supposed to go. Then, the LCD panel in the middle of 「PACHINKO」 machine starts to rotate at high speed. The panel is divided into three rows, and each row has a number, starting from 1.
At the end of the rotation, if all the numbers in the three rows line up, you win! If it’s “7, 7, 7” or “9, 9, 9”, it’s a win, but if it’s “3, 3, 7” or “4, 5, 5”, it’s a loss.
【5】A lot of balls are coming out
When you hit the jackpot, there is a period of time called “probability change (probability variation)”, which is like a bonus time, and the probability of hitting the jackpot is greatly increased, so you can play with less ball loss.
Playing 「PACHINKO」 is like trying to achieve this situation, and when the game goes into the bonus time, you feel as if you have won the world.
【6】Exchange for prizes
Finally, it was time to exchange the many 「PACHINKO」 balls collected for prizes. On days when you hit the jackpot, you can’t carry a case of 「PACHINKO」 balls by yourself. So, you press the call button and ask the clerk to count them.
You and the clerk will go to the machine that measures the balls that have come out, and when the tally is finished, you will be given a receipt in exchange for the balls. Take this receipt to the prize exchange counter in the parlor and choose whether you want to exchange it for sweets, juice, daily necessities, cigarettes, etc. or for special prizes to be converted into cash.
If you choose something other than cash, you get what you want on the spot and that’s it. If you want to exchange it for cash, you can go to the prize exchange located outside the 「PACHINKO」 parlor and have it exchanged.
▼ Attraction of 「PACHINKO」
【1】Easy for beginners to play
「PACHINKO」 is designed to be easy for beginners to play. I mentioned earlier that you can borrow balls with money, and the maximum rental fee for these balls is 4 Japanese yen per ball. If there is a maximum, then of course there is a minimum, and the minimum is 1 Japanese yen per ball.
It’s called “1-PACHI,” and while you can rent it for a quarter, when you exchange it for prizes, it’s worth a quarter of a 4 Japanese yen ball. But I think it’s okay to try playing with “1-PACHI” first, then gradually get used to 「PACHINKO」 system, and then move on to 4 Japanese yen balls.
【2】Interesting Performance
In today’s 「PACHINKO」 machines, the spinning LCD panel is not just a simple number, but a tie-up with various animations, movies, singers, idols, comedians, etc., and the performance is based on the tie-up.
I can’t wait to feel the excitement when this reach is triggered. If your favorite anime or your favorite celebrity is tied up with 「PACHINKO」 machine, give it a try and visit 「PACHINKO」 parlor! It’s a great way to satisfy your hobbies and interests while enjoying 「PACHINKO」!
【3】Make Money
Last but not least, let’s talk about money, which we all love. If you just want to make money, public gambling such as 「HORSE RACING(KEIBA)」 and 「BOAT RACE(KYOTEI)」 will be enough, but you don’t have to think about anything troublesome when you play 「PACHINKO」.
All you have to do is sit down and hit 「PACHINKO」! It’s easy money! The most I’ve ever won is 120,000 yen, but my friends have won up to 280,000 yen. If you win a lot, you can go to 「SOAP LAND」 right away!
For this purpose, I went out of my way to play at a nearby 「PACHINKO」 parlor. The chick who took care of me there also liked 「PACHINKO」, and we had a strangely interesting conversation.
▼ How to win 「PACHINKO」
【1】Hit balls on a winning machine
In 「PACHINKO」, it is important to think in terms of probability, for example
1. 10 rotations for 1,000 yen (10 hits) = 100 rotations for 10,000 yen
2. 20 rotations for 1,000 yen (20 hits) = 200 rotations for 10,000 yen
So even a small difference can turn into a huge difference if you continue to play for a long time. So if you are playing 「PACHINKO」 with the intention of winning rather than having fun, it is important to think about how much you are spinning per Japanese yen.
Based on this, if the turnover is not good, you can give up and move to another machine. It’s also interesting to look for trends in the machines at different parlors, often referred to as “corner machines”.
A cluster of dozens of pachinko machines is called a “territory”. As the name implies, corner machine is a 「PACHINKO」 machine located in the corner, and if the machines in the corner are performing well, the parlor can make customers think, “Wow, this parlor is performing well”.
Also, the territory at the front entrance of 「PACHINKO」 parlors are often filled with popular and newly arrived machines, but sometimes they are often used to create excitement, using the same logic as the corner machines.
【2】Watching the slope of 「PACHINKO」 machine
The steeper the slope, the easier it is for the balls to roll and enter the belly button, but you can’t see the slope at a glance. So, if you have a lighter or something that can see the liquid, stick it to the glass of 「PACHINKO」 machine.
If the shaking of the liquid is large, you can judge that the slope is large, so you can say that it is a good machine. I didn’t want to say too much about it because it’s highly recommended. haha
【3】Don’t waste balls
It’s easy to do this when you’re new to the game, but it’s a case of hitting the jackpot and having so much fun that you end up shooting more and more balls.
The reason why this is a bad idea is that the system is designed to accumulate balls as balls enter the machine in succession, but usually only four balls can be stored in the belly button.
When four balls are stored in the belly button, it is useless to shoot additional balls. When the winning rotation is over and one of the balls in the belly button has been depleted, you can start playing again!
▼ NG behavior in 「PACHINKO」 parlors
【1】Do not use any force on 「PACHINKO」 machine
I know it’s obvious, but you can’t shake, pull, hit, or punch the 「PACHINKO」 machine!
At 「PACHINKO」 parlor I used to go to, a middle-aged man sitting next to me seemed to have lost more than 100,000 Japanese yen, so he hit 「PACHINKO」 machine as hard as he could and…BANG! From that day on, he was banned from the parlor. haha
【2】Play “4 PACHI” with “1 PACHI” ball
As I explained in the section on Attraction of 「PACHINKO」, you know it’s not good either. Because the rates are fundamentally different.
“I don’t have much money today, so I’ll just play 1 PACHI…”
“I’ve never seen such a big payout before! If I played 4 PACHI, I would have quadrupled my payout…”
I know how you feel. But don’t go there.
【3】Paly 2 machines
Playing at more than one machine is also prohibited behavior. Only one 「PACHINKO」 machine per person! It is also prohibited to keep 「PACHINKO」 machines for people who come after you, or to keep the machine you want just because it is available while the machine you are playing is paying out.
【4】Do not leave your seat for long periods of time without permission
If you have to leave your seat for a long time, call the clerk and ask for a “meal break tag”.
If you are going to be away for more than 10 minutes, it’s probably a good idea to get one. It would be a shame if your payout was confiscated because you didn’t get a “meal break tag” even though you were having a great time.
【5】Hit with balls that don’t belong to you
Even if there are balls lying on the floor or left on an empty machine, do not play with them as your own.
「PACHINKO」 balls can be converted into money, so playing with balls that don’t belong to you is like using someone else’s money without permission.
▼ People who is suited for 「PACHINKO」
- Strong in probability
- Can make instant mathematical decisions
- Don’t get excited.
- Determined to have fun.
- Want to make money easily.
- Want a hobby that I can enjoy easily.
- Want to win at 「PACHINKO」 and enjoy the nightlife.
▼ People who is NOT suited for 「PACHINKO」
- Not good with numbers.
- Cannot stop self when get excited.
- Cannot afford to play 「PACHINKO」.
- Not attracted to 「PACHINKO」.
▼ Summary
Well, what did you guys think?
Did you find 「PACHINKO」 interesting? 「PACHINKO」 parlors are usually open 365 days a year, so why don’t you go and play?
Let’s start with “1 PACHI” and take it easy! Be careful not to get too excited.
If you see a strange guy holding a lighter to the glass of a pachinko machine, give him a shout.
I’m sure it’s me. haha
See you guys later!
That was Kei!