Pachinko is a popular Japanese game that combines pinball and slot machines. There are three types of machines, including Hanemono, Diji-Pachi, and Kenrimono, with varying levels of difficulty and prize amounts. Pachinko machines are often customized with colorful designs and themes, and can be found in parlors throughout Japan and Asia. They are enjoyed by casual and serious gamblers alike, and some vintage or rare machines are highly valued.
Pachinko is a Japanese born combination of an automated slot machine and a pinball game. Modeled on early pinball machines, pachinko machines have become a national pastime in Japan and throughout Asia, especially Taiwan. There are three main types of pachinko machines, but the designs are easily customized to fit an endless variety of styles and themes.
Hanemono pachinko machines became popular in the 1970s and are still found in pachinko parlors around the world. These early models are more like pinball machines, requiring some skill to score and win correctly. In Hanemono styles, hitting a certain area of the machine will cause additional holes to open around the central hole, allowing you to win easily. Hanemono machines typically cost the least to play and give the smallest jackpots, but are often considered the best machines for beginners to try.
Diji-Pachi machines started taking over the pachinko scene from Hanemono styles in the 1990s. These versions feature a digital screen in the middle of the machine that spins the numbers like a slot machine. Depending on how and where the balls land, the numbers will spin in hopes of producing a winning combination, like three identical numbers in a row. Winning combinations can initiate a bonus round or ‘fever’, where the payout increases with each successive winning combination.
A rarer form of pachinko machine is the kenrimono, which insiders say is only for experienced players. Kenrimono uses a specific set of rules that are learned as you play, making it an elite game for serious gamblers. In some versions, if you win one round, your chances of winning a subsequent round are multiplied tenfold. Kenrimono pachinko machines offer big winning prizes, but initially the chances of winning are very slim.
Artistic design is an important feature of all three modern varieties of pachinko machines, as well as their earlier predecessors. While early versions were often painted or sculpted, today’s machines can be customized to fit any theme, character or concept. Popular characters from Japanese comics and films are often the subjects of pachinko drawings, as are legendary figures, animals, and even fictional creatures. The machines themselves are typically colorful and feature flashing lights, sounds, digital animations, and even music.
Pachinko parlors are available throughout Japan and many other areas in Asia, ranging in size from small neighborhood arcades to grand casino proportions. While spending an afternoon merrily pouring money into these games can be an enjoyable pastime for a casual gambler, they are taken seriously by many gamblers and even used as a major source of income by experienced gamblers. To pachinko admirers, vintage or rare machines are treated like valuable works of art and are often bought, sold and traded for hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
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