Price Is Right Pachinko

If you’ve ended up on this page, then there’s a good chance you’ve seen all
of the recent buzz surrounding pachinko. After all, it is currently one of the
hottest online casino games in the industry. For those of you looking to learn about
the game and find trusted online casinos where you can play pachinko, you’ve
come to the right place. We’ve built this guide to help you soak up all the
knowledge you to know about online pachinko casino sites.

For those of you who already know how to play the game and are looking for a
pachinko online casino website to call home, you’ll want to check out the suggestions below.
Here, we’ve featured the best online pachinko websites. Each of these
operations proved themselves to be top-notch during our complete investigation
of all available options. We’ve added a section below about our selection
process if you’d like to gain more insight into why we’ve hand-picked these as
the best online casinos that offer pachinko.

Pocket Pachinko is a pachinko style game which is fun, challenging, and addicting to play. It is easy to play but hard to master. Pocket Pachinko is similar to Plinko which is a game on The Price Is Right. Pachinko is similar to Plinko from Price is Right. Pachinko is a form of gambling pinball machine in Japan. However it usually pays out balls or a ticket which you then 'sell' to a clerk in the back or next door to 'skirt' gambling laws. Konami is the lowest of lows. The game and find trusted online casinos where you can play pachinko, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve built this guide to help you soak up all the knowledge you to know about online pachinko casino sites. For those of you who already know how to play the game and are looking for a.

It’s just fine if you’re new to pachinko and are just looking to learn more
about the game and how to play pachinko online before deciding which website you’ll
use. Just remember to come back to our list of recommended pachinko online casino sites
when you’re ready to check out a list of the best of the best within the
online gambling industry.

Price Is Right Plinko Game Online

In our guide about online pachinko machines, we’re going to provide you with
tons of helpful information. To help you navigate this page, we’ve included
handy jump links. Simply click on one of these if you’d like to skip ahead
to one of our sections of the guide. However, be sure to keep in mind you should
consider reviewing everything we’ve included here on pachinko online casinos if you’d like to ensure you
don’t miss out on any critical tidbits.

What is Pachinko?

If you’ve ended up on this page, and you’ve got no idea what pachinko is,
we’ll get you filled in with a high-level explanation of the game. Pachinko
games first came about during the 1920s in Japan. At that time, they were
developed as a game for children. However, over time, the game transitioned into
more of an arcade type game for adults.

If you’ve never seen a pachinko machine, it’s easiest to think about them as a
vertical pinball machine. Players use small steel balls to play the game in the
hopes of earning prizes. The goal of the game is to have as many of your balls
end up in a hole that’s associated with an award as possible. We’ve included
a short video of a pachinko slot machine to help you visualize
what we’re talking about.

Today, there are tons of pachinko parlors all over the country of Japan,
where customers can play the game in person on pachinko slot machines. However, thanks to the enormous
popularity of the game, gaming software was developed to make pachinko
accessible to players online for gambling. With its introduction into the online
gambling site realm, it’s become even more popular to play at online pachinko casino sites all
around the globe instead of on a standard pachinko machine.

Price Is Right Plinko Board

About Our Selection Process

Individuals who are new to our website often ask us about our selection
process. With that in mind, we’ve included this section so newcomers can learn
about everything which goes into our complete analysis. As you’ll read below, we
don’t take casino website recommendations lightly. It’s our goal to provide you
with an honest and independent representation of the best casinos that offer
pachinko.

The first vital thing you should know is that we didn’t accept any money from
our recommended pachinko casino sites in exchange for featuring them on our
list. Instead of creating a list with casino websites willing to pay us money,
we focused our efforts on creating a legitimate and honest list of the best
places for you to play the game. After checking out all possible casinos where
you can play pachinko, our list of suggestions above are the ones that rose to
the top as the best of the best.

In total, our team of experts checked out a variety of essential areas of each
online casino we were considering for our list of recommendations. Some of the
things we investigated were the website’s history, customer support, bonuses,
and banking methods. As we analyzed each vital portion of their business, we
removed any casino website from consideration if we found an area lacking below
what we’d expect from a top-notch gambling website. We’ll explain some of our
criteria here so that you’re aware of how detailed our search was.

Pachinko Selection

Our list of online pachinko casinos would be pretty worthless if we didn’t
provide you with options that offer some excellent lineups of pachinko. Finding
casino websites that provide pachinko is difficult enough as is. However, we
pressed on in our search until we found the operations which provided the best
variety of pachinko games.

Reputation and History

One of our other search criteria centered around the status and history of
any pachinko online casino under consideration for our list. Here, we dig deep
into the historical track record of each operation to see what their past looked
like. If we had concerns about anything we uncovered, we removed that option
from our list of potential prospects.

Safety and Security

Included in our list of the areas that we look into, there’s one that is more
important to us than all of the others. That aspect is safety. Our goal is to
only suggest casino websites to you that we’re sure will be secure places for
you to play Pachinko and other casino games. If we had any concerns about the
security of any given site, we struck them from our list of possibilities.

Bonuses and Promotions

Unlike traditional land-based casinos, it’s prevalent to find lots of bonuses
and promotions from casino websites. But, we didn’t want you to settle for
average bonuses. Instead, our list of pachinko online casinos includes
industry-leading bonus opportunities and potential. After checking out the
welcome bonuses in conjunction with offers for existing clients from our
recommendations, we’re sure you’ll be as impressed as we were.

Banking Options

In the casino website industry, not all operations are created equal when it
comes to banking methods for deposits and withdrawals from your account. In some
cases, websites may only offer one or two options for clients to choose from.
However, we sought out pachinko online casinos, which provided plenty of
flexibility when it comes to banking methods. You’ll have several options to
choose from if you end up playing pachinko online on one of our recommended
sites.

Ease of Use

Whenever you’re ready to play pachinko online, we want you to be able to get
right to it. With that in mind, we looked for casino websites offering pachinko,
which were well-designed and easy to use. After personally testing out each of
our recommendations, we’re sure you’ll be able to navigate around without any
delays at all.

Quality Customer Service

Another vital area of our search centered around the customer support
provided by pachinko online casinos. For every operation on our list of
potentials, we tested out the quality of their customer service by calling,
emailing, and using live chat wherever possible. Our list of recommended casino
websites for playing pachinko are all operations which displayed
industry-leading customer support. If you choose to work with one of these
options, we know you’ll be pleased with the speed and quality of the help you’ll
receive.

Mobile Compatibility

Part of the attraction to playing pachinko online for many individuals is the
convenience of being able to play from home on a computer or laptop. However, we
also made sure our suggested casino sites had mobile-friendly versions of their
websites. With this functionality included, you’ll be able to play pachinko
online from your smartphone or tablet. We’re huge fans of being able to play the
game from the palm of our hands anywhere we’ve got a connection to the internet.

Online Pachinko Machine Formats

When playing pachinko online, you’ll be able to choose from two different
online gaming formats, which are still similar to traditional pachinko slot machines. In this portion of our review, we’ll preview both of
these formats for you and provide you with sample images of what each one of
them looks like.

Standard Online Pachinko

The first way pachinko online sites offer the game is in its standard format.
With this variant, the game is designed to be played from a desktop or laptop
computer. To get an idea of what this format looks like, check out the images
we’ve added below.

Mobile Pachinko

As an alternative to the standard way of playing pachinko online, you’ll also
have the choice of playing mobile pachinko. With this
online gaming format, you can play pachinko online, free from a mobile device such as your
tablet or smartphone. With this format, it’s often much more convenient for
individuals since they can play the game from just about anywhere at any time.
Below, you’ll find some images of what playing mobile pachinko looks
like to give you an idea of what to expect.

Additional Resources for Pachinko Online Casino Sites

While you’re here, we wanted to showcase some additional gambling-related
resources which we can provide you. Below, you’ll find quick access to some of
our most popular pages. We’d suggest you scan these and check out any of our
other pages which may be able to help you learn more about your favorite forms
of gambling.

Online Casino Basics

Many reading this page won’t have any experience with online casino gambling.
If you’re one of these individuals, be sure to visit the web page linked below.
On this page, we’ll cover all of the online casino basics you’ll want to know
before getting started. In this guide, we’ll cover important things such as
banking options, bonuses, available options, and much more.

Blacklisted Casinos

Should you decide you’re going to play pachinko online using another casino
website than the ones we’ve recommended on this page, we’d urge you to proceed
with extreme caution. Unfortunately, not all pachinko online sites can be trusted. To ensure your safety, we’d suggest you choose one of our
suggestions. However, if you’re going to proceed with your own search, make sure
you consult our blacklisted gambling sites page linked below to make sure you
don’t end up using one of these non-trustworthy casino websites.

Frequently Asked Questions About Pachinko Online Casinos

Do you still have some unanswered questions? If so, then be sure to peruse
our list of pachinko frequently asked questions below. You can view the answer
to the questions by clicking on the questions themselves.

Is It Safe to Play Pachinko Online?

Playing pachinko online can be extremely safe as long as you choose to play
it on an honest and trusted casino website. If you don’t want to research
yourself, you can trust that all of our recommendations at the top of this page
are secure places for you to play pachinko online. Our team analyzed each one of
these options to ensure their overall security. But, if you decide you will
search for alternative options, it’s vital that you research to ensure you
settle on a trustworthy casino website. Unfortunately, not all available online
casinos offering pachinko are legitimate.

Which Pachinko Online Casino Site Should I Use?

Before making this decision, we’d urge you to check out each one of our
recommended top online casinos offering pachinko. While they’re all excellent
options, one of them may feel like a better fit for you over all other options.
However, if you’re still unsure after visiting each one of them, you’ll want to
check out the page we’ve included a link for below. In this guide, we’ll walk
you through everything you should consider when working to find the right casino
website for you.

Do I Have to Play Pachinko Online for Real Money?

No. If you’re not ready or willing to risk real money gambling online, there are some free online pachinko games. It’s not uncommon to find online casinos
which allow players the ability to enjoy the game using a free or practice
version of it. Using these online pachinko free games is an excellent way to get a feel for the
game and learn how it works if you’re considering the possibility of eventually
wagering actual money on it.

How Much Should I Bet When Playing Pachinko?

The amount of money you should wager when playing pachinko or other casino
games online depends on a couple of different things. One of those items is your
risk tolerance. If you don’t mind taking risks, you’ll be more willing to bet
large sums of money when playing the game. Conversely, if you’re averse to risk,
you might wager only small amounts on the game.

The other important piece of the puzzle relating to how much you should bet
on pachinko is the size of your bankroll and its management plan. Make sure you have a definite bankroll management plan before you start gambling online.

Can I Play Pachinko on Mobile?

Yes. Similar to other casino games, in the early days of online pachinko, it
was only possible to play the game from a standard computer or laptop. However,
with advancements in mobile website technologies, you can now play pachinko and
other casino games online from devices such as a smartphone or tablet. Each one
of our recommended casinos that offer pachinko allows you the ability to play
from mobile devices.

Is Pachinko Hard to Learn?

Luckily, pachinko is a game which doesn’t require much skill at all. When
playing the game, much of what happens is out of your control similar to a
pinball machine. Unlike many other casino games with lots of rules to learn,
pachinko is pretty straightforward. If you’re interested in playing the game for
real money, consider trying out a free version online first to get a feel for
how the game functions.

Wrap Up on Pachinko Online Casino Sites

We hope our guide on pachinko online casinos has helped you learn everything
you were hoping to and more. Also, if you were in search of a legit and trusted
casino website to use for playing the game, hopefully, you found one of our
suggestions at the start of the guide to be an excellent fit for your online
pachinko needs.

For those of you who are new to our website, we’d suggest you take a few
minutes to check out the other excellent resources we can provide you to help
you elevate your gambling knowledge and skills. Simply use the main menu to
explore our other site reviews, game guides, blogs, and more. Thanks for
stopping by, and good luck with all of your future pachinko action!

Benjamin Marasco, Howard Community College

Naod Assefa, Howard Community College

Mentored by: Dr. Mike Long

Abstract

On January 3rd, 1983 the world was introduced to the Price is Right’s newest game: Plinko (CBS Interactive, n.d.) A contestant stood on the stage at the Plinko board, ready to drop chips in the pachinko-like board, for a chance to win different cash prizes depending on which chamber the chip fell into. Each time the contestant went to drop a chip into the board the roaring voices of the audience would attempt to guide the contestant to where to drop the chip to win the most money. Where should the contestant drop the chip to win the most money? What does the voice of mathematical reason tell the contestant? Most importantly, will the contestant listen to the quiet voice of mathematical reason, or the overpowering voices of the audience? We set out to determine what it was that the quiet voice of mathematical reason was telling the contestant all along. We created computer models to simulate the game and determine where a chip is likely to land depending on where it was dropped. From that, we started asking questions about how much the show’s producers realistically thought they might have to pay the contestant. While building the computer model, we found ourselves asking more questions about what might happen if the board was modified. As it turns out, Plinko type minigames have been popping up in numerous places, with dimensions different from the original game. The computer model was modified to determine how the different dimensions of the board would impact where the chip would land depending on where it was dropped. We revealed what it was that the voice of mathematics should be saying to each contestant to help win the best prize. Now come on down, and take your chances at Plinko, and let your mathematical voice be your guide.

Introduction

Over sixty years ago, the world was introduced to the long-running game show, the Price is Right [1]. In 1972, the game show was revamped into its current form and has been running ever since [1]. On January 3rd of 1983, the contestant who had just bid the closest price on an item won the opportunity to play a new pricing game and that game was Plinko [2]. The game offered the opportunity for a contestant to win up to $25,000 [3]. Although, it was and still is possible that the contestant may not win anything at all. The contestants win monetary values by dropping chips from the top of a large pachinko-like board that has nine possible slots to drop into, thirteen rows of pegs, with every other row offset, and nine chambers at the bottom where the chips can land. The chips fall down the board into the nine chambers across the bottom of the board that are marked with dollar values, including $0. Since these zero value chambers exist, there is a possibility that the contestant does not win anything. The contestants are given one chip and can win up to four other chips by guessing the price of four products.

Some fun facts about Plinko on the Price is Right:

• No contestant has ever landed all five chips in the center chamber, which has the highest dollar value [3]
• To date, the largest amount of money ever won at Plinko is $39,200 [4]
• To maintain consistency, there are only ten Plinko chips, and they are locked up after each use [2]
• The chips were designed to make the “plink” sound on the board [3]

Background Mathematics

The mathematics of the basic Plinko game is pretty straightforward and has been researched. The board itself looks like Figure 1 below.

Figure 1: A standard Plinko board.

As the chips fall through the pachinko-like board, there are two possibilities each time a chip hits a peg. That leads to some interesting mathematics in the number of paths to reach the chambers across the bottom. It might be easier to examine the number of paths on a smaller and simpler Plinko board such as the one in Figure 2 below.

Figure 2: A smaller look at the Plinko board.

The tree diagram that follows, Figure 3 below, shows the probabilities of landing in each of the chambers across the bottom based on the different possible paths through the board. The assumption is also made that the chip is dropped from slot B.

Figure 3: The paths, and probabilities, of chips landing in a certain output slot.

These probabilities make it easier to see the number of paths to the bottom of the actual Plinko board. And it turns out the number of paths involves a simple mathematical structure, Pascal’s Triangle, scene in Figure 4.

Figure 4: Pascal’s triangle.

The important row here is the line that starts: 1, 12, 66, etc., since that is the 13th row of the triangle. That row would define the number of paths from the middle slot at the top of the board to the bottom of the board except for the fact that the board has only nine chambers across the bottom or is nine columns wide. It is easy to correct for this when it is considered that the chips can bounce off the sides. Table 1 shows the corrections that need to be made given that the board is taller, 13 rows, than it is wide, 9 columns. The 12 that is added to the 66 and the 1 that is added to the 220 account for the chips bouncing off the sides, and we show this mathematically by creating a fold on Pascal’s Triangle after the 66’s in row 13. Think of this as physically folding the left side of the triangle on the rest of the triangle with a fold line on the vertical line between the 12 and the 66. Then note that the 12 lines up with the 66 and the 1 lines up with the 220. The same process can be done on the right side of the triangle where physically the right side of the triangle is folded on rest of the triangle,

Table 1: Corrections for the possible paths on the Plinko board

So there are 78 ways to get into the $100 chambers, (A’ and I’), 221 ways to get into the $500 chambers, (B’ and J’), 495 ways to get into the $1,000 chambers, (C’ and G’), 792 ways to get into the $10 chambers, (D’ and E’), 924 ways to get into the $5,000 or $10,000 chamber, (E’). The difference in the dollar values depends on the year of production. Again, it should be repeated that these are the probabilities when the chips are dropped from the middle slot. Accounting for dropping the chips in different slots across the top simply means moving the fold lines.

Research Question 1

The first research question involves a very interesting concept of mathematics, expected value, and that question is: what do the producers expect to give away on the Price is Right each time that Plinko is played? Even though there are offers of $25,000 or $50,000, depending on whether there is a $5,000 or a $10,000 chamber in the middle of the board respectively, how much do the producers expect to give away? The following table, Table 2, describes the probabilities necessary for the calculation. This table shows the probabilities of falling into each of the nine chambers across the bottom when the chip is dropped from the middle slot at the top.

Table 2: Plinko probabilities for landing in each chamber

A simple expected value calculation, seen below, can be used to determine the expected value that the producers expect to give away when a chip is dropped from the middle chamber.

This means the expected value is $2,555.32 per chip for a total of­ $ 12,766.60­ if the player had all five chips. This is the expected value when the middle chamber has a $ 10,000 value and the chips are dropped from the middle slot. This is also when the ­­­announcer says there is a chance to win up to $ 50,000. In the real game the contestants are given one chip and have a probability of 0.5 of winning the remaining four chips. That means the actual expected value is $2555.32 +(0.5)($2555.32)+(0.5)($2555.32)+(0.5)($2555.32)+(0.5)($2555.32) = $ 7665.97. Again, all of this only accounts for dropping the chip from the middle chamber. If the contestant moves to one side or the other, the expected value drops and the simulations that are part of this research clearly showed this. This means that the expected value that the producers expect to give away is roughly 15% of what the announcer says the contestants might win.

Research Question 2

The second research question involves the Plinko or pachinko-type boards that have been showing up in various other settings. For example, at some amusement parks, individuals pay for the opportunity to drop a chip down a Plinko or pachinko-type board for the chance to win prizes such as candy, stuffed animals, or passes to the front of the line for a popular ride. The various prizes are listed in the chambers at the bottom, similar to the dollar values on the Price is Right board, with the best prize usually in the middle chamber. The major difference with these boards is the size. These differences in size lead to the research question: what happens to the probabilities or distributions for where the chips land in the chambers across the bottom as the dimensions of the board are changed?

In order to study this question, a Plinko simulator was created. This virtual gameboard was then used to run multiple iterations of the game based on various test parameters. In particular, the virtual gameboard allowed for the height and width of the board to be changed and also allowed for the chip to be dropped from different slots across the top. After each simulation was complete, a graph was displayed that included the distribution of the chips across the bottom of the board, along with the exact numeric values.

The underlying algorithm for the Plinko simulator is based on a two-dimensional array with the width and height of the board being simulated. The values in the array correspond with the slots between a row of pegs, an empty position is represented by a zero, and the current position of the chip is represented by a one. Figures 5 shows this.

Figure 5:A 3×3 Plinko board represented by an array of zeros.

When the chip falls through the board, the probabilities of it moving left or right are determined by a collision system. A collision occurs when the chip falls down and hits one of the pegs on the board. At each peg, the chip has a probability of 0.5 of moving either left or right. This is determined is by a Random Number Generator (RNG) generating a number between 0 and 99, if the number falls between 0 through 49 then the chip moves left, if the number falls between 50 and 99 then the chip falls to the right.

Plinko boards do not typically have a square shape, which is all that can be represented in an array. The rows are staggered and alternate in size to reflect the side walls of the board squeezing in and out (Figure 1). So, the algorithm for the simulation had to use logic to account for the staggered rows. The simulator observes the width of the row that the chip is currently in to determine how the chip can fall to the next row. If the chip’s horizontal position, represented by “n,” was in a row with an odd length then multiple conditions had to be checked:

1. If the chip was in the rightmost position, then the chip could only move to the n^th column in the next row down
2. If the chip was in the leftmost position, then the chip could only move to the n – 1^st column in the next row down
3. If the chip was in neither of the prior positions, then it could move to either the n – 1^st or n^th position. It would move to the n – 1^st if the output of the RNG was between 50 and 99, or the n^th column if the RNG was between 0 and 49.

The rule set for odd length rows allows for the last column to be ignored in rows of even length and thus creating the desired staggered rows as seen in Figure 6 below. The black number one represents the current position of the chip, and, using the odd row-length rules that were defined above, the bold number one represents all possible positions that the chip could move to. The grayed-out position below is the positions that can never be used in order to create the staggered effect of the board.

Figure 6: (Leftmost) An odd row-length simulation, from a chip dropped on the rightmost edge. (Leftmost) An odd row-length simulation dropped from center.

Simulating the even length rows had a similar set of rules, however, the only thing determining which direction the chip moved was the random number generator, RNG. Letting the current position of the chip be represented by n, the chip could move according to following rules:

1. If the RNG output was between 0 and 49, the chip would move left to the n^th position in the next row;
2. If the RNG output was between 50 and 99, the chip would move right to the n + 1^st position in the next row.

After the simulator completed one full iteration of the game, it recorded the final position of the chip into the result set and began running the next iteration of the game in the simulation.

Data Collection

For each different size board that was simulated, 1,000 chip drops were run to obtain the distribution data. This simulation was repeated four more times before the size of the board was changed. The first simulation was for a board the size of the Plinko board on the Price is Right: 13 rows by 9 columns. The output from the simulation is in Figure 7 while the distribution can be seen in Table 3 below.

Table 3: Drop distribution for a standard sized Plinko board.

Figure 7: The output of the Plinko simulator, for a 9 column by 13 row standard sized Plinko board.

As the height of the board changes the number of chips falling into each chamber at the bottom, when dropped from the enter chamber, changes. Table 4 shows the results of dropping the chips from the center when the board has different heights.

Table 4: The number of chips falling into each camber at the bottom of the Plinko board, when dropped from the center, as the board heights are modified.

As the height of the board is changed, an interesting pattern emerges. The seven inner chambers start to have roughly the same number of chips falling into them. The two outer chambers have roughly the same as well, but they have far fewer chips than the inner chambers. This change in distribution is mostly due to the chips bouncing off the side of the board and appears to occur when the height of the board is three times the width. This was determined through exhaustive simulations. Figures 8 shows the distribution of a 9 column-width Plinko board, with a height of 27, three times the width.

Figure 8: This shows the distribution of a 9 column-width Plinko board, with a height of 27 units.

Conclusion

In this research, there were two major questions that were addressed. After introducing the basic mathematics of Plinko, particularly the number of paths that a chip can take to get from the middle chamber at the top to each of the nine chambers across the bottom, the probabilities for landing in each chamber were determined. The probabilities were then used to compute the expected value or the value the producers of the Price is Right might expect to give away, which was the first research question. This was then compared to what the announcer says a contestant has the possibility of winning. The second research question was to determine how the chips would fall into the chambers across the bottom when the height was modified. An interesting pattern emerged in that a roughly uniform distribution emerges for the chambers that are not on the outside while the outer chambers have roughly the same number of chips, but far fewer than the inner chambers.

Contacts: benjamin.marasco@howardcc.edu, nassefa@howardcc.edu, mlong@howardcc.edu

References

[1] Plinko. (n.d.). Retrieved from The Price Is Right Wiki: https://priceisright.fandom.com/wiki/Plinko

[2] Lewis, D. (2019, December 2). The One Thing You Can’t Take Home from The Price is Right. Retrieved from Now I Know: https://nowiknow.com/the-one-thing-you-cant-take-home-from-the-price-is-right/

[3] CBS Interactive. (n.d.). The Price is Right (Official Site). Retrieved from CBS TV Network: https://www.cbs.com/shows/the_price_is_right/photos/1004546/9-secrets-of-the-price-is-right-s-plinko/3/