Editing Pachinko (section)

== Mechanisms ==
[[File:Pachinko entrance.jpg|thumb|right|The entrance to a pachinko parlor in [[Shibuya, Tokyo|Shibuya]], Tokyo, Japan]]
To play pachinko, players get a number of metal balls by inserting cash or cards directly into the machine they want to use. They then shoot the balls into the machine. Older pachinko machines use a spring-loaded lever for shooting balls individually; while later ones use a round knob, controlling the strength of a mechanically fired plunger that shoots the balls. The balls fall vertically through an array of pins, levers, cups, traps and obstacles until they enter a payoff target or reach the bottom of the playfield.

The player has a chance to get more balls if a launched ball lands in one of certain places as it falls. Having more balls is considered a benefit because it allows the player to remain in the game longer, and ultimately creates a larger winning chance.<ref>{{cite AV media |title=#60 Japanese PACHINKO MACHINE played byTodd Tuckey from TNT Amusements – WHY BOTHER??? |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BT-PWC8_h4M |url-status=live |date=25 May 2012 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211117/BT-PWC8_h4M |archive-date=17 November 2021 |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> 

Newer "pachislot" machines have a digital [[slot machine]] display on a large screen, where the objective is to get three numbers or symbols in a row for a jackpot.<ref> {{Citation |title=Pachi-slot: Akumajou Dracula |url=https://www.vgmuseum.com/mrp/cv-pachislot/screen-pachislot.htm}} </ref> When fired, the balls drop through an array of pins, similar to a pachinko machine. Some fall into a center gate and activate the slot-machine display. 

Every ball that goes into the center gate results in one spin, but there is a limit on the number of spins at one time because of the possibility of balls passing through the center gate while a spin is still in progress. Each spin pays out a small number of balls, but the objective is to hit the jackpot. The machine's programming decides the outcome of each spin.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}

=== Design ===
Pachinko machines vary in several aspects—including decorative mechanics, sound, gimmicks, modes, and gates. The playing field is usually a wooden board with a transparent acrylic overlay containing artwork. Most modern machines have an LCD screen over the main start pocket. The game is played by keeping the stream of balls to the left of the screen, but many models have their optimized ball stream. Vintage machines vary in pocket location and strategy, with most having a specific center area containing win pockets.

=== Payout mode ===
[[File:Insideanoldpachinkomachine.jpg|thumb|right|The inside workings of a pachinko machine being pulled out of a parlor]]
If the first two numbers, letters, or symbols of the spin match up, the digital program will display many animations before the third reel stops spinning, to give the player an added excitement. This is called a reach (or rīchi) and sometimes longer animations are played called super reaches. Pachinko machines offer different odds in hitting a jackpot; if the player manages to obtain a jackpot, the machine will enter into payout mode.

The payout mode lasts for a number of rounds. During each round, amidst more animations and movies playing on the center screen, a large payout gate opens up at the bottom of the machine layout and the player must try to shoot balls into it. Each ball that successfully enters into this gate results in many balls being dropped into a separate tray at the bottom of the machine, which can then be placed into a ball bucket.

=== Hidden modes, hints, and instant wins ===
To enhance gameplay, modern machines have integrated several aspects not possible in vintage machines. A common one is the ability to switch between different play modes, including rare and hidden modes that can differ significantly from normal play. Two examples can be seen in the ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion (franchise)|Neon Genesis Evangelion]]'' series of pachinko machines, which include Mission Mode and Berserker Mode, ranging from having little effect on winning to being an almost guaranteed win.<ref>{{cite web|author=van custompachinko |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKPCx8uZHnM&feature=BFa&list=PL1ED4C101C86F244A | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211117/eKPCx8uZHnM| archive-date=2021-11-17 | url-status=live|title=Evangelion 4 pachinko 3 minute mission mode |publisher=YouTube |date=17 February 2010 |access-date=24 June 2014}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=van custompachinko |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWboJ8mwUNQ&feature=BFa&list=PLA226F31D09BDC567 | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211117/NWboJ8mwUNQ| archive-date=2021-11-17 | url-status=live|title=Evangelion: The Beginning and the End – Rei mode |publisher=YouTube |date=25 February 2010 |access-date=24 June 2014}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Graphics in videos and light patterns can also give players a general idea of what these winning odds are. For example, a super reach may cause a change in animation, or show an introductory animation or picture. This adds excitement, with some changes having much more significance than others in terms of odds of winning on a given spin. Some machines feature instant wins. There are also second-chance wins, where a spin that appears to have lost, or to have a very low winning chance, gives the player three matching numbers and starts "fever mode".<ref>{{cite web|author=van custompachinko |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1Ua3fY6Aw8&feature=BFa&list=PL0295172B98329168 | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211117/c1Ua3fY6Aw8| archive-date=17 November 2021|url-status=live |title=Ashita no Joe Rikishi Mode |publisher=YouTube |date=1 November 2010 |access-date=24 June 2014}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

=== <span class="anchor" id="kakuhen"></span> Post-payout systems ===
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After the payout mode has ended, the pachinko machine may do one of two things. Most Pachinko machines employ the {{Transliteration|ja|kakuhen}} ({{Lang|ja|確変}}, short for {{Nihongo|2=確率変動|3=kakuritsu hendō}} meaning probability change) system, where some percentage of the possible jackpots on the digital slot machine result in the odds of hitting the next jackpot multiplying by a large amount, followed by another spin regardless of the outcome. The probability of a {{Transliteration|ja|kakuhen}} occurring is determined by a [[Random number generation|random number generator]]. 

Hence, under this system, it is possible for a player to get a string of consecutive jackpots after the first "hard-earned" one, commonly referred to as "fever mode". Another type of {{Transliteration|ja|kakuhen}} system is a special time or ST ''{{Transliteration|ja|kakuhen}}''. With these machines, every jackpot earned results in a ''{{Transliteration|ja|kakuhen}}'', but in order to earn a payout beyond the first jackpot, the player must hit a certain set of odds within a given number of spins.

When a jackpot does not result in a {{Transliteration|ja|kakuhen}} combination, the pachinko machine will enter into {{Transliteration|ja|jitan}} ({{Lang|ja|時短}}, short for {{Nihongo|2=時間短縮|3=jikan tanshuku}} meaning time-reduction) mode, with a much larger number of spins than ''{{Transliteration|ja|kakuhen}}''. Under the original payout odds, the center gate widens to make it considerably easier for balls to fall into it; this system is also present in ''{{Transliteration|ja|kakuhen}}''. 

To compensate for the increase in the number of spins, the digital slot machine reveals the final outcome of each spin sooner. ST pachinko machines do not offer this mode; after it ends, the machine spins as in ''{{Transliteration|ja|kakuhen}}''. Once no more jackpots have been made, the pachinko machine reverts to its original setting.

=== Koatari ===
Starting in 2007, the majority of Japanese pachinko machines started to include {{Transliteration|ja|koatari}} ({{Lang|ja|小当たり}}, small jackpot) into their payout systems. {{Transliteration|ja|Koatari}} is shorter than the normal jackpot and during payout mode the payout gate opens for a short time only, even if no balls go into it. The timing of the opening of the gates is unpredictable, effectively making it a jackpot where the player receives no payout. {{Transliteration|ja|Koatari}} jackpots can result in a {{Transliteration|ja|kakuhen}} as per normal operation, depending on the payout scheme of the machine in question. The main purpose of {{Transliteration|ja|koatari}} is so that pachinko manufacturers can offer payout schemes that ''appear'' to be largely favorable to customers, without losing any long-term profit.

In addition to being able to offer higher {{Transliteration|ja|kakuhen}} percentages, this made it possible for manufacturers to design battle-type machines. Unlike old-fashioned pachinko machines that offer a full payout or a {{Transliteration|ja|kakuhen}} for any type of jackpot earned, these machines require players to hit a {{Transliteration|ja|kakuhen}} jackpot with a certain probability in order to get a full payout. This is orchestrated by the player entering into "battle", where the player, in accordance with the item that the machine is based on, must "defeat" a certain enemy or foe in order to earn another ''{{Transliteration|ja|kakuhen}}''. If the player loses, it means that a normal {{Transliteration|ja|koatari}} has been hit and the machine enters into {{Transliteration|ja|jitan}} mode.

Another reason for incorporating every {{Transliteration|ja|koatari}} is that they have made it possible for a machine to go into {{Transliteration|ja|kakuhen}} mode without the player's knowledge. This is referred to as {{Transliteration|ja|senpuku}} ({{Lang|ja|潜伏}} 'hidden') {{Transliteration|ja|kakuhen}} because it does not occur in any of the jackpot modes. A player sitting at a used pachinko machine offering the number 1 in ''x'' chance of hitting a jackpot in normal mode can hit it within ''x'' spins easily because the previous player did not realize that the machine was in ''{{Transliteration|ja|senpuku}}''. This induces players to keep playing their machines, even though they may still be in normal mode. Japanese pachinko players have not shown significant signs of protest in response to the incorporation of ''{{Transliteration|ja|koatari}}''; on the contrary, battle-type pachinko machines have become a major part of most parlors.