I'm watching an episode of Le Juste Prix and the first game they play is called Le Flipper. It's not exactly Plinko, uses many elements (winning balls, the slots at the bottom) along with some new features. First off, the pinball machine is already on stage before the IUFB. Then there is the announcement of 25,000 Euros that can be won. The contestant is given a free ball and then tries to win up to four more similar to how you win more chips in Plinko. After any additional balls are one, the announcer then describes a special bonus prize which can be won if the contestant lands a ball into a jackpot area, which is in the middle of a red area that undergoes some g-force to make it a bit more difficult. The ball ends when it lands in one of the slots at the bottom, with the distribution of 250-500-1000-0-5000-1000-500-250. The odds of landing in the center can be increased with good skill by simply dropping the ball off the flipper instead of going for the jackpot prize.
I like this game! It combines the same elements of Plinko yet adds a bit of a control factor in terms of winning cash along with this special bonus prize (In this episode I watched it was a trip to NYC). It can also be a way to lower regular Plinko's playings to once every other week or maybe three times a month. What I would allow is a time limit that after 15 seconds the flippers deactivate to ensure that the game moves along.
