How to Play Pachinko

How to Play Pachinko by Fresco Shinjuku in Tokyo, Japan
The first action to take upon entering a pachinko parlor is to purchase pachinko balls, which you may do from a machine. Pachinko balls are small steel balls similar to ball bearings. You may purchase the balls with either cash or use a pre-paid card. At Fresco Shinjuku one must first purchase a prepaid card for the pachinko machines. Then after selecting the pachinko machine of your choice, you insert the prepaid card and push a button to select the number of balls you wish to begin with. You will receive 125 balls for 500 yen. (4 yen/ball) The number of balls you select will then drop down into a small bucket in the front of your machine. You are ready to begin!
To begin, simply turn the handle on the bottom right of the machine. The balls will shoot up into the inside of the machine. The objective is for the balls to fall into the small holes in the center of the machine. When a ball enters this "start hole", the centerslot windows begin to spin similar to a slot machine. If the windows come up matching(either numbers or pictures) you are a winner! At that time, about 2300 balls will drop out into your bucket. It is possible for you to continue to win on the same machine even after hitting this "jackpot". A large "jackpot" can pay out about 10,000 balls. When all of your Pachinko balls are used up, you can either quit or purchase more balls. If you decide to quit and still have Pachinko balls remaining, you have 2 choices. You may either exchange the balls for prizes in the gift shop, or you may exchange them for cash. In the case of cash, you will receive 2.5 yen per ball. In the case of slot machines, you may use cash(1,000 yen) to purchase coins. Japanese slots are similar to Western slot machines. One difference is that Japanese machines will give an advance signal when a "jackpot" is about to occur. According to the style of machine, the playing method is a little different. New customers should ask the clerks who are standing nearby for help.
Going to Japan? Visit Fresco Shinjuku in Tokyo, Japan. Click Here for Fresco Shinjuku info