Pachinko is Big in Japan. It is more or less the Japanese rendition of A Slot machine, and it plays somewhat like a Pinball machine. Pachinko balls jump and move around thanks to Bumpers and other things.
How a Pachinko game is built
In every Pachinko game there is, at the bottom, a ball catcher. The objective is simple: you launch balls from a certain point at the top of the Pachinko playing field, with the ultimate goal of getting them into the Ball catcher. Of course, many obstacles await your precious balls. The ultimate goal is entering that catcher, if you lose your ball you lose it for good, therefore it should be the most important thing for you during a Pachinko game. Each Pachinko ball you manage to score into the catcher earns you additional balls, usually four.
The center of the Pachinko structure features a spinning reel, somewhat resembling a traditional Slot Machine. This spinning reel features different winning lines which spin during the course of the game, granting you with the possibility of collecting additional wins. Here's the really fun part: the "currency" of Pachinko is the balls you have at the end of the game. The more balls you have, the more money you make. Therefore, preserving your balls should always remain your top priority during Pachinko.
The course of a standard Pachinko game
On the onset of every Pachinko game a player decides the stake by sorting out the number of balls and their values, in real life players actually purchase balls, loading them on the machines. Many land based Casinos have turned the balls from physical to virtual balls, to prevent occurrences of cheating with "homemade" balls. Once the balls are released you can control the speed in which they travel with your mouse or keyboard. The objective, as stated, is to get them safely to the ball catcher at the bottom. Balls can either fall to the sad bottom or they can make their way into winning pockets, thus rewarding you with even more balls! This is accompanied by flashing lights and sounds, creating atmosphere. All the while you should keep your eyes peeled for the spinning reel in the center; an appropriate combo will set the machine in payout mode. When you're out of balls to launch, you get paid per the balls you managed to get into the ball catcher.