In March 2022, a brand new show dropped on Apple TV+ called Pachinko. Based on the 2017 novel of the same name, by Min Jin Lee, it is one of those epic sweeping sagas that follows four generations of a Korean family from the early 1900s through to the 1980s.
Pachinko is actually an incredibly popular Japanese game, and is named after the clicking sounds the little balls make as they bounce around the machine. In the book, one of the characters manages a pachinko parlor, much to the embarrassment of his young son.
The reason being that back then, Pachinko was not seen as a particularly reputable game, and running a parlor, even less so. Add in the metaphorical idea of life being as unpredictable as a series of steel balls pinging around a mechanical machine, and suddenly the whole story ties together.
So now you’re probably asking yourself why I’m telling you this. Fair question.
Over the years, Pachinko has evolved from a children’s toy to one of the few methods of gambling allowed in the country, and in 1983, it was adapted as a mini game on The Price Is Right, called Plinko.
The idea was that contestants would drop tokens from the top of the pegboard and watch them as they ping-ponged back and forth all the way to the bottom. The aim was to have your token land in a slot at the bottom that had the biggest prize.
We’ve come a long way since the early days of Pachinko and probably further than some of us would like from 1983, but Plinko has not only stood the test of time but is now widely available on the biggest gaming platforms in the world.
If you’re not already familiar with the game or how to play it online, let me take you through the process.
How To Play Plinko Online
Without stating the obvious, the first thing you have to do is find out where you can play Plinko online, and we suggest checking out Bojoko for a comprehensive overview of all the UK casinos that have the game available.
Once you’ve chosen your casino, you need to have an account, if you don’t already. So register, take advantage of any sign-up offers, deposit your money, and you are ready to go.
You’ll find the Plinko game in the casino’s lobby, and when you open it, it will reveal a digital board filled with pegs and prize slots at the bottom.
Next, you must choose how much you are going to play for, but luckily, the range is huge so you can play for a little or as much as your budget allows.
Unlike so many other games where you simply spin and cross your fingers for a win, Plinko has the option of choosing your risk level, which you can set at low, medium, or high. The lower the risk, the greater your chance of winning.
If you opt for the higher risk, you increase potential payouts, but the chances of winning are also reduced. It’s very much a risk versus reward situation.
And, if all of that wasn’t enough, you can also increase or decrease the number of rows on the board. The more rows, the higher the potential prizes, but the more volatile the game, as the token has to drop further and is more prone to going off on a tangent.
Now that you have set your betting amount, decided on the risk level, and chosen how many rows you want to play with, you ‘drop’ the ball and watch it as it bounces through the pegs, all the while hoping that it finally lands in a winning slot at the bottom.
Wherever the ball stops determines how much you have won. And, of course, as in any game like this, not all of the slots are winning ones with a couple of duds thrown in to spice things up.
Your winnings, if you’re lucky enough to have won a prize, will be calculated on the various degrees of risk, rows, and multipliers from your original settings.
What Makes Plinko So Good?
In relation to online games such as slots or scratchcards, Plinko can certainly hold its own. With so many ways to configure the game, whether that’s budget or risk, you more or less get to set the boundaries you are comfortable with.
Yet, it still manages to create the tension needed to keep a player engaged, and watching that disc make its way down the board is one of the most exciting aspects of the game.
Sure, the outcome is determined by luck and a random algorithm, but sometimes it is the quick and simple games that offer far more in terms of fun than chasing a big jackpot that often comes with slot games.
If you are still not sure, start small and with low risk and get familiar with the game. If you like how it is played, you can always add a few rows or up the risk level to create more excitement.
Just play to suit your own strategy and comfort level, and before you know it, you’ll be joining millions of gamers around the world who love Plinko as much as you do.
