Editing Pachinko (section)

== Description ==
A pachinko machine resembles a vertical [[pinball]] machine, but is different from Western pinball in several ways. It uses small (11 mm diameter) steel balls, which the owner (usually a "pachinko parlor", featuring many individual games in rows) rents to the player, while pinball games use a larger, captive ball.  

The player loads one or more balls into the machine, then presses and releases a spring-loaded handle, which is attached to a padded hammer inside the machine, launching the ball(s) into a metal track. The track guides the ball over the top of the playing field; then when it loses momentum, it falls into the playing field. Some pachinko machines have a bumper to bounce the ball as it reaches the top, while others allow it to travel all the way around the field, to fall the second time it reaches the top.{{Citation needed|date=March 2023}}  

The playing field is populated by numerous brass pins, several small cups into which the player hopes the ball will fall (each catcher is barely the width of the ball), and a hole at the bottom into which the ball falls if it does not enter a catcher. The ball bounces from pin to pin, both slowing its descent and deflecting it laterally across the field. A ball that enters a catcher triggers a payout, in which a number of balls are dropped into a tray at the front of the machine.<ref name="Reed how"/>

Many games made since the 1960s feature "tulip" catchers, which have small flippers that open to expand the width of the catcher. They are controlled by the machine, and may open and close randomly or in a pattern; expert players try to launch a ball so it reaches the catcher when its flippers are open.<ref name="Reed how">{{cite web |last=Reed |first=Daniel J. |year=2010 |title=How the Game Works |url=http://faculty.ccp.edu/faculty/dreed/Campingart/pachinko/game.htm |work=Dan's Pachinko Data Page |access-date=9 November 2009}}</ref> 

The game's object is to win as many balls as possible, which can be exchanged for prizes. Pachinko machines were originally strictly mechanical, but have since incorporated extensive electronics, becoming similar to [[video slot machine]]s. Another type of machine often found in pachinko parlors, called a "pachislot", does not involve steel balls, but are [[Medal game|loaded with tokens]] or coins and trigger reels comparable to those of a traditional [[slot machine]]. Online casinos also offer "pachislot" games to tailor their product to the Japanese market.