Big Bass Bonanza Slot Review

Quick verdict

Big Bass Bonanza is the slot that launched a whole fishing franchise. Pragmatic Play built it with Reel Kingdom and released it in December 2020, and the formula is wonderfully simple: a 5x3 grid, 10 paylines, fish symbols carrying cash values, and a Fisherman wild who collects every fish on screen during free spins. Add a retrigger ladder that boosts collections by 2x, 3x and then 10x, and you’ve got one of the most satisfying bonus rounds in Pragmatic’s catalogue. It also has a high 96.71% default RTP.

Play it if you like:

• Classic payline slots with one clear, exciting bonus
• Watching a bonus level up as you collect
• Lower stakes (from 0.10) and a gentler ride than the pay-anywhere monsters

Skip it if you need a five-figure max win. The cap is 2,100x, and there’s no bonus buy.

Our score: 4/5 durians, Premium. It’s a feel-good classic with a cracking free spins round.

How to play Big Bass Bonanza

1. Set your bet. Stakes run from 0.10 to 250 per spin. Bet steps vary at MYR, SGD and PHP casinos, so check the menu.
2. Spin the 5x3 reels. Wins pay left to right on 10 paylines, starting from the leftmost reel.
3. Chase the scatters. 3 or more scatters anywhere trigger the free spins round, which is where the game’s value lives.

The base-game hit rate is about 13%, so most spins don’t pay. When they do, it’s usually small. Treat the base game as the waiting room for free spins.

Symbols and paytable highlights

The low-paying symbols are the card royals, 10 to A. Above them sits the fishing gear (tackle box, dragonfly, rod and float), plus fish money symbols that show a random cash value. In the base game those fish pay like normal line symbols. Their cash values only come alive in free spins, when the Fisherman is there to reel them in.

The scatter triggers free spins, and the Fisherman wild joins in during the bonus. Check the in-game paytable (the “i” button) for exact line values at your stake.

Bonus features, step by step

Free spins trigger

The Fisherman collect

1. During free spins, the Fisherman appears as a wild, substituting for regular symbols.
2. When he lands alongside fish money symbols, he collects the cash value of every fish on screen.
3. If he lands with no fish on screen, he can throw dynamite that swaps symbols for fish, giving him something to catch.

The retrigger ladder

1. Every Fisherman you land is counted on a meter.
2. Every 4th Fisherman retriggers the feature for 10 more free spins.
3. With each retrigger, fish collections get a bigger multiplier: 2x, then 3x, then 10x.

The 10x level is where Big Bass Bonanza gets genuinely exciting. A screen of mid-value fish collected at 10x can rewrite your session.

Free spins and bonus buy

Free spins are the whole show here, and you can’t buy them. The original Big Bass Bonanza has no bonus buy, so every bonus has to be triggered naturally with 3 or more scatters. That keeps costs predictable: you never face a 100x decision, and your stake per spin is your total risk per spin.

RTP and volatility, explained plainly

The default RTP is 96.71%, above the 96.50% you’ll see on many Pragmatic hits. Over millions of spins, that’s about 96.71 back per 100 staked, though a single session can land anywhere. Pragmatic also supplies 95.67% and 94.62% versions, so open the paytable and confirm 96.71% before you play. Our RTP and RNG guide explains the jargon.

Volatility is medium to high. Reviewers split between “medium” and “medium-high”, and in practice it’s calmer than Gates of Olympus or Sugar Rush but still streaky. The low hit rate means you need a buffer: 300 spins at 0.20 costs 60 and gives free spins a fair chance to show up. Our slot volatility guide explains how volatility shapes your bankroll.

Max win: how 2,100x is reached

The cap is 2,100x your bet, so 2,100 at a 1.00 stake. The route runs entirely through free spins. You need to climb the retrigger ladder to the 10x level by collecting 12 Fishermen, then land Fishermen alongside high-value fish while that 10x is active. Line wins from the gear symbols help, but fish collections at 10x are what push a bonus toward the cap.

Mobile play

Big Bass Bonanza is HTML5 and runs smoothly in mobile browsers and casino apps on Android and iOS. The 5x3 layout is ideal for small screens, and the cartoon art stays clear on a phone. It’s a great “one more bonus” game for the commute.

If you like this, try these

• Book of Dead: another 5x3, 10-line classic where one free spins feature does all the heavy lifting.
• Sugar Rush: a bonus that builds on screen, with multiplier spots instead of fish.
• Sweet Bonanza: when you want a bigger ceiling and don’t mind more volatility.
• Gates of Olympus: Pragmatic’s high-volatility multiplier icon.

Where to play Big Bass Bonanza in Malaysia, Singapore & the Philippines

Big Bass Bonanza is a Pragmatic Play release, so you’ll find it at casinos we review that carry Pragmatic. These five all list Pragmatic Play:

Two things to check: the lobby will show plenty of “Big Bass” titles (Bigger Bass Bonanza, Big Bass Bonanza 1000, Christmas Big Bass Bonanza and more), so make sure you open the original. Then confirm 96.71% in the paytable. If you’re playing with a welcome bonus, stick to the max-bet rule. Philippine players: GCash and Maya links to gambling sites have been restricted since August 2025.

21+ only. Check your local laws and set limits. Visit our responsible gambling page if you need support.

Final verdict

Big Bass Bonanza is proof that a slot doesn’t need a 25,000x cap to be brilliant. The fishing theme is cheerful, the rules take a minute to learn, and the Fisherman’s collect-and-retrigger bonus is pure fun, especially when you climb to the 10x level. The 2,100x ceiling and the lack of a bonus buy won’t suit max-win hunters, but the strong 96.71% RTP and low minimum bet make it a great everyday slot. Grab the demo, check the RTP, and cast your line.