Questions and Answers About How to Play Pachinko in Japan

For tourists visiting Japan, pachinko can be a unique and enjoyable activity.

This guide explains the basic rules of pachinko in English, helping tourists to have a fun experience.

Questions and Answers About How to Play

What Should I Watch For?

Place to insert the ball

When the ball enters a hole, the numbers in the center spin.

If these numbers match, you win, but to make the game more exciting, various effects are provided.

After two numbers match, it usually goes from a regular reach to a super reach, leading to a big win.

Winning from a regular reach is not very likely, but if it becomes a super reach, the content of that reach increases the chances of a big win.

Four or More Balls are Wasted!

reserve balls of pachinko

This is important.

When the ball enters the winning slot, it triggers a draw, but sometimes it enters consecutively.

In such cases, the screen displays them as pending draws (called “holds”).

This is limited to a maximum of four, and any more than that will be ignored.

So when you have four holds, release the handle or press the button attached to the handle to stop shooting the balls.

If you don’t, you will waste your money.

The Screen is Too Sparkly, I Don’t Get It!

colors of pachinko

Exactly.

It can be confusing, but there are universal rules that naturally develop, making it easier to focus on certain things across all machines.

The key is “color”.

Pachinko has a mysterious rule of expressing the likelihood of winning through colors,

with white < blue < yellow < green < purple < red < gold < rainbow, indicating increasing levels of excitement.

If you see red, gold, or rainbow colors in texts, backgrounds, or effects, you can expect a high chance of winning.

What is a Big Win?

jackpot of pachinko

When the ball enters the start hole in the center, an internal draw takes place.

The draw always occurs at a fixed probability, and for a machine with 1/319 odds, it is constantly drawn at 1/319.

It’s like drawing a lottery ticket from a box, and if you don’t win, you put the losing ticket back in the box and draw again.

When you finally draw a winning ticket, the same numbers align on the screen, which is called a big win.

What Should I Do After a Big Win?

After a super reach, rainbow effects, and a grand fanfare, the numbers align.

You may be completely unsure of what’s happening, but congratulations, that’s a big win!

An arrow will appear, prompting you to shoot to the right.

Immediately turn the handle all the way to the right, and shoot the balls with maximum force into the right winning slot (attacker).

If you don’t do this quickly, the big win will be nullified.

This is the most critical moment.

Every time a ball enters the attacker, about 15 balls are dispensed.

Continuing this process can yield up to 1500 balls, equating to a big win.

The Tray is Full, Please Remove the Balls!

Moving the ball

After a big win, many balls will come out of the machine.

The lower tray will quickly fill up, and the machine will stop dispensing balls temporarily.

To resolve this, pull the lever on the lower tray to transfer the balls to a box or container.

A few years ago, you had to call a staff member to change the box every time you had a big win.

Nowadays, more machines have devices that automatically count and transfer the balls.

If you are unsure, don’t hesitate to call a staff member for assistance.

Are There Different Types of Big Wins?

Jackpot types of pachinko

Yes, there are actually two types.

Regular big wins (ending after one round) and ST (Special Time) wins.

Although less common now, some machines refer to ST as “kakuhen” (probability change).

Regular big wins are akin to consolation prizes, while true big wins are ST or kakuhen.

If you win ST or kakuhen, you can continue to win repeatedly.

ST means you need to hit a 1/66 big win within 100 tries to keep winning consecutively.

Kakuhen guarantees the next big win at 100%, with a draw to determine if kakuhen continues or if it becomes a regular big win.

Each machine has different names for ST, such as “Special Bonus” or “Shin-IMPACT RUSH”, which can be confusing.

In simple terms, ST means continuous big wins, while regular big wins end after one round.

What Should I Do After the Big Win Ends?

You start over from the beginning.

When prompted to return to left shooting, turn the handle to the left and aim for the next big win.

This concludes the Japan Pachinko Guide.

Who lost at pachinko

Find a nearby pachinko parlor and enjoy this engaging activity.

For tourists, pachinko is a unique recreational activity and a fun pastime.