We've never broached the subject of the small silver ball before.....  are there any other Pachinko (pr PAchislo) fans in the house?

Kinda want one - when I grew I had a friend who had a few - and they were amusing.   I've never seen the newer video-screen ones - how do they rate?   Is it not a bit like introducing gambling to kids - kinda like the ticket machines.   I'm interested in one as I think kids would enjoy the motion/sounds/lights/...

How much is a new one - I've surfed a bit in the past, but it was hard to determine how reputable the sites were - and there's no "www.ipbd.org" for pachinko...

What is the gameplay on these ? I always wondered what the heck it was about

How do you play (if you actually do), what is fun about them etc... please, fans, teach me, i'm interrested to learn.

The site to go to for NA pachinko information is pachitalk.com (I used to participate heavily ther euntil my pinball addiction took over) - apart from buying a machine through me, there area a couple of reputable dealers in Scarborough, ON were I've gotten mine in the past, and they can be reasonably bargained on ceratin models.

Both Pachinko (small ball bearings are shot up into a board with nails, the balls fall down randomly and enter "win" holes to release more balls to your tray), and Pachislo (Japanese version of a slot machine) are gambling devices, just they deal in balls or tokens.  Gambling isn't allowed in Japan (yeah right), so these qualify because you're only supposed to turn in your balls or tokens for prizes like golf clubs, trips to Canada, etc.  In actual fact you can win these hunks of plastic that you take around toa hole in a wall in the alley behind the pachinko parlours and mysterious hands exchange the plastic bits for money.

Pachinko and PAchislo machines get retired from Japan every 2 years of use (because the government doesn't want people to start thinking they can "beat" particular machines) and so they are either destroyed or shipped over here by the container full for about $50 each (not bad for a machine that originally cost the casino $3500 - 5000 each).  Then dealers sell them to us for $100 - $400 depending on the model.

Modern Pachinko machines still have the balls and the nails, but the shooters are automatic (you rotate a large dial and it shoots continuously), and while there are still small wins (3 - 10 balls), you are really waiting for the machine to pay out big time with a Fever Round (you can win hundreds to thousands of balls, 15 balls at a time).

the various models play music and videos and little side games to entice you while you play.  THe computers keep track of whether you are winning or not, and statistically dole out "hints" about whether you're close to winning (talk about feeding a gambling addiction).

But when you're playing at home, the "hints" are half the fun.  Pachinko is a very Zen pursuit.  You basically get yourself a drink and a stool, and a tray full of ball bearings and sit there for an hour or more feeding the machine watching the balls tumble down (there IS some minor skill involved, you are trying to find the "sweet" spot), and listening to the music play and the balls clatter down as you make small wins.

It's very hard to describe until you've actually played one.  Roughly they cost anywhere from $100 - $400 (but DO NOT buy a $350-400 machine from a mall at Christmas time, you are most certainly being ripped off for a 2nd rate machine you could get for half the price.)

But then again pinball was gambling too, I think they were banned in Ontario for a period of time.

I currently own 3 pachinko machines, 2 modern, 1 with video, 1 without, and one older original model from the 70's (which is not electronic).

For those interested in Pachinko:

Imatrix - they;re the best for pachinkos.  They sell Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Indiana Jones Pachinkos that were going regularly for $500+ for a little under $200 now (Pachinkos aren't that popular).  You can find deals from them on ebay, or you can try calling them direct: I dealt with this gentleman before:

david@imatrixcanada.com
cell: 416.9398818

http://imatrixcanada.com/ (Don't pay much attention to the prices on their web site - just politely tell them Wayne Powell recommended you and that you only want to spend about $200 or so. )

Imatrix Canada

500 Alden Road. Unit 8
Markham, Ontario
L3R 5H5

t..905.489.1917
f..905.489.1919
w..www.imatrixcanada.com  (they may have a show room now


or try Canada Slots (they have a show room)

Toronto
245 West Beaver Creek Road Unit 9
Richmond Hill, ON, Canada L4B 1L1

Phone: (905) 886-8601
Fax: (905) 886-7992

Email: sales@canadaslot.com

Hours
Monday - Friday: 10AM - 6PM

Hope this helps.

Don't forget to order about 2000 pachinko balls. You need a lot to get a proper win without having to continually reload the machine.  In casinos the machines are reloaded automatically (and in fact I have to auto loaders at home here).  

Quoted from websherpa

For those interested in Pachinko:

Imatrix - they;re the best for pachinkos.  They sell Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Indiana Jones Pachinkos that were going regularly for $500+ for a little under $200 now (Pachinkos aren't that popular).  You can find deals from them on ebay, or you can try calling them direct: I dealt with this gentleman before:

You know an IJ would be kinda cool. Is there anything wrong with the ones they are selling so cheap? The price on the website is $599!!!   LOTR might be cool, too. Is there any difference in play? What do you think of these 2? I have both pins and always thought it would be cool to have a modern pachinko -- of course it has to make it by my wife who has already said no to a slot machine. But this is kinda different

Duane

Any comments on the Popeye, Charlie Chaplin, Spiderman or Bruce Lee ones?   They are the ones that catch my attention.

Thanks for all the info...

The ones they are selling on ebay are exactly the same.  Pachinkos are casino machines so they are built to "take it".  $500-600 is for the naive.  THey sell cheaper on eBay because they're desparate to move them (they really only sell at Christmas time).  Don't forget they get the titles for between $40 - 100 each in bulk

Popeye is a pachislo (slot machine) I think, it's fantastic, largest video monitor I've ever seen on a slot machine.  However if there's a Popeye pachinko, I'm sure there is, it's probably good.  I think Charlie Chaplin was a pass, and Spiderman gets some interest.

Because I haven't played them all, your best bet is to arrange to go down and take a look at them or ask on pachitalk.com

There are minor differences in play between the machines, though they function more or less the same way.  Most have some animatronic aspect to them which differs from game to game.  There are often "cut" scenes in the videos that play between rounds which is where a lot of the draw comes from.

Do not expect them to be like pinball machines though, they are a completely different experience, very much like slot machines.