General information about Big Bass Hold & Spinner Megaways
Big Bass Hold & Spinner Megaways is a Pragmatic Play slot published on the provider’s website on August 16, 2023. According to the provider, it is the tenth game in the series, and it combines the Megaways mechanic with two Big Bass bonuses.
The game runs on six reels of variable height. According to the provider, the number of ways to win reaches 147,456. Winning symbols disappear and new ones drop into their place (a cascade), which can give several wins per spin. The RTP is 96.70% in the base game and with the Bonus Buy. Bets range from $0.20 to $240 per spin. There is no Ante Bet.
The max win is capped at 20,000x the bet. According to the provider, the max win occurs about once in 1.5 million spins. This is one of the best frequency figures among series games with such a cap, but the model is clearly highly volatile.
Big Bass Hold & Spinner Megaways specifications
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Provider | Pragmatic Play |
| Release date | August 16, 2023 (date the game was published on the provider’s website) |
| Grid | 6 reels of variable height (Megaways) |
| Game type | Megaways slot with cascades, two bonuses and a Bonus Buy |
| Pay mechanic | Up to 147,456 ways to win, cascades |
| RTP | 96.70% (base game); 96.70% with the Bonus Buy. 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 | 20,000x the bet; probability according to the provider — 1 in 1.5 million spins |
| Min/Max bet | $0.20 – $240 per spin (demo server; casino limits depend on the jurisdiction) |
| Free spins | Free spins with unlimited retriggers; Hold & Spin bonus with three respins |
| Multipliers | A growing multiplier in free spins at the retrigger levels |
| Bonus Buy | Yes: two options — 100x the bet and 120x the bet (separately for each bonus; terms are in the game rules) |
| Ante Bet | No |
| Demo version | Yes, free on this page |
| Mobile/desktop version | Yes: HTML5, smartphones, tablets and desktop |
| Bonus mechanics | Cascades, mystery symbols, free spins with unlimited retriggers, Hold & Spin |
| Jackpot | None |
| License | Depends on the operator’s jurisdiction |
Symbols and payouts
The Megaways paytable differs from the classic one. Payouts are awarded for 3–6 matching symbols on adjacent reels rather than on a line. That is why the multipliers are lower, but combinations occur more often. The top symbol gives 50x the bet for six.
The reels feature fishing rods, lures and fishing gear. Mystery symbols reveal a matching symbol and help form a win.
Payouts are shown as a multiple of the total stake.
| Symbol | 6× | 5× | 4× | 3× | 2× | Role in the game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premium Symbol I | 50x | 25x | 10x | 2x | 1x | The highest-paying symbol in the game. |
| Premium Symbol II | 5x | 2,5x | 2x | 1x | — | |
| Premium Symbol III | 2,5x | 1x | 0,5x | 0,3x | — | |
| Premium Symbol IV | 2x | 0,8x | 0,5x | 0,3x | — | |
| Money Symbol Money | 1,5x | 0,6x | 0,4x | 0,2x | — | A fish with a money value. On a line it pays like a regular symbol. |
| Low Symbol I | 1,5x | 0,6x | 0,4x | 0,2x | — | |
| Low Symbol II | 1,5x | 0,6x | 0,4x | 0,2x | — | |
| Low Symbol III | 1x | 0,4x | 0,2x | 0,1x | — | |
| Low Symbol IV | 1x | 0,4x | 0,2x | 0,1x | — | |
| Low Symbol V | 1x | 0,4x | 0,2x | 0,1x | — | |
| Wild (Fisherman) Wild | — | — | — | — | — | The Fisherman Wild collects money values in free spins; retriggers are unlimited here. |
| Scatter Scatter | — | — | — | — | — | Scatters trigger free spins. A separate Hold & Spin bonus is triggered by coins. |
Bonus features and mechanics
Cascades and mystery symbols
After each win, the winning symbols disappear and new ones drop into their place. Cascades continue as long as new wins form. Mystery symbols on the grid reveal a matching symbol and can boost a cascade.
Free spins with unlimited retriggers
The free spins classic for the series are improved here: the fisherman collects money values, and every four fishermen give a retrigger with a growing multiplier. The number of retriggers is unlimited.
Hold & Spin
In the second bonus, the player gets three respins to collect instant money prizes. Each new prize resets the respin counter to three. The bonus continues as long as new prizes keep landing.
Bonus Buy
The game has two buy options: for 100x and 120x the bet. Which bonus is bought with each option is described in the game rules.
Pros and cons
A brief summary of the advantages and drawbacks.
Pros
- The 96.70% RTP is one of the highest in the series
- A 20,000x cap with a relatively frequent max win (about 1 in 1.5 million)
- Cascades and mystery symbols in the base game
- Two bonuses, including free spins with unlimited retriggers
Cons
- The mechanic is more complex than in the classic games
- No Ante Bet
- The minimum bet of $0.20 is higher than the usual $0.10
Hands-on testing in demo mode
In the demo, the base game feels livelier than in the classic games. Cascades and the variable reel height give more frequent small wins, and mystery symbols sometimes form a notable combination.
The two bonuses behave differently. Hold & Spin more often gives a consistent average result. Free spins depend heavily on retriggers, but thanks to the unlimited number of levels they can deliver a very big win.
The spread matches high volatility, although the cascades make the drawdowns between bonuses noticeably softer.
Verdict and rating
Big Bass Hold & Spinner Megaways is the most mechanic-packed game in the series. Megaways, cascades and two bonuses make it feel like a separate genre, and the 96.70% RTP and 20,000x cap make it one of the strongest in terms of maths.
Beginners should start with the demo to get to grips with the ways to win and the two bonuses. For long sessions with a micro bankroll, the cascades make the game more convenient than the classic games. High rollers will be interested both in the 20,000x cap and in the relatively frequent big wins.
Editorial rating: 8.3 out of 10.
Rating methodology
The rating is made up of several independent criteria; we check each of them against official data and in the demo version.
- 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-hold-spinner-megaways/ |
| Pragmatic Play — official demo server | Game configuration: RTP of modes, max win, paytable, bets | https://demogamesfree.pragmaticplay.net/gs2c/openGame.do?gameSymbol=vswaysbbhas&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 | – |
