Speedrunner Kosmic reveals just how many coins are in a Super Mario Bros. block

A recent video from Youtuber and Mario speedrunner Kosmic explores the mysteries of the coin blocks in the original Super Mario Bros. game for the NES. While these blocks are commonly thought to contain ten coins, it turns out that there are actually up to sixteen coins available in a standard coin block. However, most players won’t be able to get all those coins without some special help.

As the video demonstrates, getting all of those coins requires some very fast fingers. Understanding the game’s “frame rule” concept doesn’t hurt either. “Frame Rule” is a behind the scenes algorithm that determines exactly how many coins can come out of a block and when. If you understand this concept and you’re able to hit these blocks quickly at exactly the right time, you may be rewarded with fifteen or sixteen coins instead of the usual ten.

Super Mario Bros. is the game that keeps on giving, even decades after its release! It’s amazing that we keep discovering new things about it thanks to speedrunners and other dedicated players. Watch the full video above to see exactly how the process works. How many coins can you get out of a single coin block?