General information about Big Bass Bonanza
Big Bass Bonanza is a Pragmatic Play slot published on the provider’s website on December 2, 2020. It is the game that started the Big Bass series: the fishing theme, the Fisherman Wild and fish carrying money values were later carried over into dozens of sequels.
The maths here is classic. The game runs on a 5×3 grid with 10 fixed paylines, and wins are counted from left to right starting from the first reel. The RTP in the configuration on the provider’s demo server is 96.71%; there are no other modes (no Ante Bet or Bonus Buy). Bets range from $0.10 to $250 per spin.
The max win is capped at 2,100x the bet. According to the provider, its probability is about 1 in 3.9 million spins. This profile corresponds to high volatility: the base game pays little, and most of the return comes from free spins.
Big Bass Bonanza specifications
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Provider | Pragmatic Play |
| Release date | December 2, 2020 (date the game was published on the provider’s website) |
| Grid | 5×3 |
| Game type | Classic video slot with free spins and Money symbol collection |
| Pay mechanic | 10 fixed paylines |
| RTP | 96.71% (base game). A casino may use a version with a different RTP — check the game’s info screen |
| Volatility | High (the provider does not publish a scale on its website; the max win and its frequency point to it) |
| Max win | 2,100x the bet; probability according to the provider — 1 in 3.9 million spins |
| Min/Max bet | $0.10 – $250 per spin (demo server; casino limits depend on the jurisdiction) |
| Free spins | 10, 15 or 20 for 3, 4 or 5 Scatters; +10 for every 4th Wild collected |
| Multipliers | 2x, 3x and 10x on collected money values at the retrigger levels |
| Bonus Buy | No |
| Ante Bet | No |
| Demo version | Yes, free on this page |
| Mobile/desktop version | Yes: HTML5, smartphones, tablets and desktop |
| Bonus mechanics | Wild collects Money symbols, retrigger levels with multipliers |
| Jackpot | None |
| License | Depends on the operator’s jurisdiction |
Symbols and payouts
The paytable is simple: four premium symbols, a money fish and five low symbols. The top premium symbol already pays for two on a line — 0.5x the bet — and gives 200x for five. In the original, the low symbols all pay the same: 10x for five.
The Wild and the Scatter have no payouts of their own. Their role is to trigger and fill the bonus.
Payouts are shown as a multiple of the total stake.
| Symbol | 5× | 4× | 3× | 2× | Role in the game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Premium Symbol I
|
200x | 20x | 5x | 0,5x | The highest-paying symbol in the game. Pays already for 2 matching symbols on a line. |
Premium Symbol II
|
100x | 15x | 3x | — | |
Premium Symbol III
|
50x | 10x | 2x | — | |
Premium Symbol IV
|
50x | 10x | 2x | — | |
Money Symbol Money
|
20x | 5x | 1x | — | A fish with a money value of up to 2,000x the bet. On a line it pays like a regular symbol, and its value is collected by the Wild during free spins. |
Low Symbol I
|
10x | 2,5x | 0,5x | — | |
Low Symbol II
|
10x | 2,5x | 0,5x | — | |
Low Symbol III
|
10x | 2,5x | 0,5x | — | |
Low Symbol IV
|
10x | 2,5x | 0,5x | — | |
Low Symbol V
|
10x | 2,5x | 0,5x | — | |
Wild (Fisherman) Wild
|
— | — | — | — | Appears only in free spins: substitutes for regular symbols and collects the values of all Money symbols on the screen. |
Scatter Scatter
|
— | — | — | — | 3, 4 or 5 Scatters anywhere award 10, 15 or 20 free spins. |
Bonus features and mechanics
Triggering free spins
Three, four or five Scatters anywhere award 10, 15 or 20 free spins. The bonus cannot be bought in this version, so free spins have to be won in the base game.
Money fish collection
During free spins, the Fisherman Wild appears on the reels. When he lands together with fish, he collects the sum of all money values on the screen. Fish values go up to 2,000x the bet. If there are fish but no Wild, the spin only pays regular line wins.
Levels and multipliers
Every Wild is added to a counter. Every fourth one triggers a retrigger: +10 free spins and a multiplier for collected values — 2x on the first level, 3x on the second and 10x on the third. The multiplier applies only to the fish collection, not to line wins.
In practice, this means a short bonus without retriggers often ends modestly. The value of the bonus depends on whether you reach at least the 2x level.
Pros and cons
Let’s sum up what the original version offers and where its limits are.
Pros
- 96.71% RTP with no less favourable modes in the provider's configuration
- Transparent mechanic: Scatters → free spins → Wild collects fish
- Multiplier of up to 10x on collected values at the third level
- The top symbol already pays for two on a line
Cons
- The 2,100x cap is noticeably lower than in newer games of the series
- The Wild does not appear in the base game, so it pays little
- No Bonus Buy and no Ante Bet
Hands-on testing in demo mode
In demo mode the game behaves exactly as the model suggests. Small wins on low symbols happen regularly, but mostly do not cover the bet. The base game keeps the balance in a slow decline for a long time.
You have to wait hundreds of spins for free spins, and over a short run the interval varies a lot. Within the bonus itself, the result depends on whether Wilds and fish land on the same spin. Some bonuses end with a win of less than 10x the bet, while some with a retrigger pay noticeably more. This spread matches high volatility.
To check it yourself, we recommend playing at least 300–500 demo spins at a fixed bet and noting how many spins pass between bonuses.
Verdict and rating
Big Bass Bonanza is the baseline of the series. Its value lies in simplicity: all decisions come down to choosing the bet, and the bonus determines the outcome of the session. The slot suits beginners who want to understand the fish collection mechanic on the simplest example.
For long sessions with a micro bankroll, the game works at minimum bets, but you need to be ready for long stretches without a bonus. For high rollers, the 2,100x cap and the lack of a Bonus Buy may feel limiting: newer releases have both a higher ceiling and more tools.
Editorial rating: 7.6 out of 10.
Rating methodology
We rate every slot in the series using the same scheme so that scores can be compared with each other.
- Mathematical model (30%) — RTP of the base game and extra modes, the max win and its frequency according to the provider, the bet range.
- Bonus features (30%) — how free spins are triggered, how meaningful the multipliers, modifiers and retriggers are.
- Session balance (20%) — how often small wins occur in the base game and how far the bankroll stretches between bonuses.
- Usability (10%) — readability of the grid, demo loading speed, controls on a smartphone.
- Transparency (10%) — whether the rules, paytable and RTP information are available right in the game.
Official sources
| Source | Type of information | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Pragmatic Play — game page | Description of mechanics, RTP | https://www.pragmaticplay.com/en/games/big-bass-bonanza/ |
| Pragmatic Play — official demo server | Game configuration: RTP of modes, max win, paytable, bets | https://demogamesfree.pragmaticplay.net/gs2c/openGame.do?gameSymbol=vs10bbbonanza&jurisdiction=99&lang=uk&cur=USD |
| Pragmatic Play — game catalog | List of the provider’s games | https://www.pragmaticplay.com/en/games/ |
| Game rules (info screen in the slot) | Full rules, paytable, RTP of the specific version | – |
