Plinko Game Review NZ + Free Demo
Plinko is a game that’s seen a massive surge in popularity in recent years, and it takes a game-show “staple” and strips it down to its bare essentials. When you’re playing a gambling version of Plinko, there are no reels, no paylines – all you’ll see is a triangular board of pins, a ball dropping down from the top, and a row of multipliers along the bottom. You simply select your desired risk level, drop the ball, and let it fall! It looks almost too simple – but there’s more to it than you might think, as this guide will show you.
First Impressions
The Plinko board is really the main focal point in the game, and you’ll see a triangle filled with pins. Typically, green, yellow, and red pockets mark the payout zones, and in BGaming’s version of Plinko, which is the one you can play for free on this page, everything is smooth, well-animated, and quick.
The in-game panels for bet size, rows, and risk are right next to the board, too, and I like how on the left-hand side of the screen you can view the recent results. Sure, it doesn’t give you an edge in future game rounds, but it’s nice to be able to see how the game’s been playing, at least!
How Plinko Works
The mechanics of Plinko are actually really simple, and you simply need to choose your bet, pick the number of rows you want to play with, and set the risk to Low, Medium, or High. You then release the ball, and you’ll watch as it drops down through the pins into a pocket. Your payout is then your bet multiplied by that pocket’s value.
Risk Levels And Board Settings
You can customise the level of risk in many Plinko titles, and the risk profile that you select changes the actual design of the game. A low-risk profile, for example, weights everything towards the middle pockets, with lots of small multipliers, and steady, but more gentle swings. Medium is, well, in the middle, and high-risk adds bigger multipliers to the edges – with smaller prizes in the middle.
Betting Range And RTP
Betting limits depend entirely on the operator (and the software provider who made the game), but most Plinko games let you bet from bewteen NZ$0.10 up into the hundreds of dollars – so finding a game that fits your budget shouldn’t be hard. RTPs also vary, but with BGaming, they offer a 99% version, which is solid and much higher than most casino games you’ll find online today.
Nowadays, different variations of Plinko are available in the libraries of many game developers. When you search ‘Plinko’ in any NZ online casino, you will probably find a number of different designs and options from Spribe, BGaming, Hacksaw, 100HP, etc.
The Verdict
In my opinion, Plinko’s main appeal is the fact that it turns variance into a something that you can actually adjust. Coming from a Crash game like Aviator, for example, it does away with the time-based pressure, and allows you to choose before the game round begins how volatile – or not – the action will be.
Yes, Plinko probably won’t suit players who want the feature-rich inclusions that you’d find in a modern day pokie (video slot), but for us, it strikes a nice middle-ground, and can be a really fun way to pass a few minutes, especially when you don’t know what else to play!
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