Ten Unwritten Rules of the Pachinko Floor

The basics regulars take for granted

Rule one: balls stay on your machine. Walking a tray between units resets your session data and confuses the floor's tracking — if you want to switch, a host will move you properly.

Rule two: one player, one seat. Leaving personal items to 'hold' a machine is a parlour foul everywhere on earth — that's what our reservation service is for. And rule three: the dial isn't a weapon. Machines that get slapped get serviced; players that slap get a chat.

Winning and losing gracefully

Big fevers are loud — machines celebrate themselves, so you don't have to. A quiet smile, a nod from the regular next to you: that's the parlour way. Similarly, cold streaks stay private — nobody wants the play-by-play of your losses.

Watching someone's bonus round is allowed and even friendly; hovering over their shoulder is not. Arm's length, no commentary — the same courtesy you'd want during your own fever.

"Good etiquette is invisible. When everyone's following it, the floor just feels effortless."

The host is always right

Last three rules, and they're the ones that matter most:

• Signal a host for any machine issue — never bang the glass.
• Hosts' decisions on the floor are final; they're watching everything.
• If someone's clearly new, help quietly or let a host help louder.
• Photos of the floor are fine — ask before photographing people.
• At close, machines wind down together — finish your tray gracefully.

Follow these and you'll never hear a word about etiquette — because you'll simply be one of the regulars.