Ghost of Yotei gambling: How to play & win at Zeni Hajiki

Ghost of Yotei is finally out, and stepping into the shoes of Atsu and being a part of her adventure has been an absolute blast. Among the many things she can do as she explores the land of Ezo, gambling with the locals is an entertaining and lucrative option. Keeping in line with Sucker Punch’s penchant for authentic recreation, Atsu can play a unique game called zeni hajiki, a gambling game that blends luck and skill quite well.

We’ve spent a lot of time playing this addictive mini game since the Ghost of Yotei release date, and have a few tips and tricks to ensure that you’re always winning valuable money and charms from the various gambling dens you can visit across Ezo. If you’re looking to make the most out of your time with the game, read on.

What is Zeni Hajiki in Ghost of Yotei?

Zeni Hajiki is an important part of the Ghost of Yotei gameplay loop, ensuring that you always have a way to earn some extra cash outside of Bounty Hunts and looting the bodies of anyone foolish enough to meet you in combat. At its heart, it’s a game of dexterity, involving you and your opponent betting a certain amount of coins called an ante, and then flicking coins across a table to try and score six hits ahead of your opponent.

The rules of the game are fairly simple, although playing it well is a different ball game altogether. Atsu learns the rules from her mother during a memorable peek into her past, and it cements Yone’s role as a great addition to the long list of Ghost of Yotei characters.

After placing a bet, a few coins from the overall pot are scattered across the table, along with randomly placed cups and bowls acting as obstacles. Your goal is to flick a coin that you choose, ensuring that it touches another coin on the table without hitting any others. Additionally, you must be careful not to let any coins fall off the table. If you’re successful, the coin you flicked is yours, while the one you touched lets you continue your turn and attempt to hit another coin.

If you don’t touch another coin with the one you flicked, your turn ends, and your opponent gets to attempt to win this Ghost of Yotei game. Likewise, hitting more than one coin also ends your turn, and knocking any of them off the table results in your opponent gaining that coin to add to their score. The first person to win six coins wins the entire pot.

Zeni Hajiki locations in Ghost of Yotei

As Ghost of Yotei’s main character, Atsu travels all across the lands of Ezo, and there are several locations where she gets to try her luck at zeni hajiki. Checking for the option at any inn she visits is bound to lead you to a gambling table, complete with an NPC just waiting to start a game with you.

The Kutara Gambling Den in the Ishikari Plain is another option, as is the Oni’s Breath Inn, which you can discover through exploration or as part of a Bounty Hunt for the Blue Eyed Yamabua. You also unlock a table in your search for the Dragonfly Armor, the location of which we won’t spoil for you owing to the interesting storyline it brings. All in all, you have a couple of options for Ghost of Yotei gambling in each of the game’s explorable regions.

It’s now time to see how to ensure you’re always winning at zeni hajiki.

Best strategies for winning at Zeni Hajiki

The best zeni hajiki strategies all involve carefully planning your path across the table while making effective use of your PS5’s controller to control the pressure you’re putting into each flick.

Try to pick a starting coin that’s close to at least three or four other coins, ensuring that you can get at least two or three points ahead of your opponent and keep the pressure on them. This also ensures that they have fewer options in the event you make a mistake.

Next, experiment with how much force you’re putting into each flick and find a sweet spot that ensures you touch only the coin that you’re aiming for. It may take a few lost games for you to get it right, but the memory in which Atsu learns the game’s ins and outs from her mother is a great place to learn its mechanics without any consequences.

However, opponents in Ghost of Yotei Japan won’t be as forgiving, and you’ll soon find that even a single miscalculation costs you an entire game. You could always choose to bet again and get right into another round in case you lose. It also pays to know that the game scales in difficulty according to how well (or badly) you’re playing it.

How much can you win from Zeni Hajiki in Ghost of Yotei?

Depending on how well you play it, zeni hajiki could be a major source of income for you, along with a few gamblers putting up some really nifty charms that make other areas of the game a lot easier. From our time in Ezo, we found that we could easily gain around 2500-3000 coins in an hour of playing the game.

And that’s a wrap on everything you need to know about successfully making the most of zeni hajiki in Ghost of Yotei. Just remember to play more of the game from time to time, as this one gets quite addictive!