How to Play Big Bass Bonanza - Keeping it Reel
This underwater fishing pokie from Reel Kingdom (powered by Pragmatic Play) puts you in the boots of a bearded fisherman chasing the catch of a lifetime across a 5-reel, 3-row grid with 10 paylines.
Set your bet between $0.10 and $375 per spin using the coin value and bet level controls. All wins pay left to right on adjacent reels starting from the leftmost position. The highest win per payline is paid, with multiple payline wins added together.
With 5 out of 5 lightning bolts volatility rating, Big Bass Bonanza pays less often but when it hits, it hits hard. Perfect for Aussie pokies players who prefer big swings and massive win potential over frequent small payouts.
Symbol Values and Payouts
The top-paying symbol is the Fisherman holding a big green bass - land 5 of these beauties for 200x your line bet. That's followed by the Fishing Rod (100x), Tackle Box and Fish Pile (both 50x), and a Single Small Fish (20x for five).
Low-value symbols are classic card ranks A, K, Q, J, and 10 rendered in colourful 3D bubble letters. Five Aces or Kings pay 10x your line bet, while Q, J, and 10 each pay 5x for a full line.
The real money is in the special symbols though. Scatter symbols show a bass on a log with golden "SCATTER" text. Land 3, 4, or 5 anywhere to trigger 10, 15, or 20 Free Spins.
Fish Money Symbol Mechanics
This is where Big Bass separates itself from standard pokies. Every fish symbol displays a red price tag with a random cash value from 1x to 1000x your total bet. These values change on every single spin.
In the base game, these are just regular paying symbols. But during Free Spins, Wild symbols and Golden Wild symbols collect these Fish Money values. Any fish values not collected go into a landing net that accumulates throughout the bonus.
The Golden Wild doesn't just collect visible fish - it also grabs the entire landing net value in one go. This can lead to absolutely massive payouts when multiple Golden Wilds hit during a retriggered bonus round.
Free Spins Feature Breakdown
Three or more Scatters anywhere trigger the Free Spins round. During Free Spins, special reels are in play with more Wild symbols appearing on all five reels. Base game Wilds only show up during the bonus.
Every Wild and Golden Wild that lands is collected and stays on the reels for the remainder of the feature. Each time you collect your 4th Wild, the feature retriggers with 10 additional spins and the multiplier increases:
- First retrigger (4 Wilds): Multiplier increases to 2x
- Second retrigger (8 Wilds): Multiplier increases to 3x
- Third retrigger (12 Wilds): Multiplier jumps to 10x
- Maximum 4 levels total, feature can't retrigger after the fourth level
The multiplier applies to all Fish Money values collected during that level. Imagine collecting a 1000x fish with a 10x multiplier active - that's 10,000x your bet from one symbol!
Random Features During Free Spins
Big Bass includes three random features that can trigger at the end of a Free Spin when certain conditions are met:
- Dynamite Spin: When fisherman symbols are present but no fish, dynamite explodes adding Fish Money symbols in random positions
- Hook Pull: When fish are present but no fisherman, a fishing hook pulls reels upward bringing Wild symbols onto the screen
- Boat Net: A boat drives across dragging a net that transforms random symbols into Fish Money symbols
These features ensure you're never stuck with fishermen but no fish to collect, or fish with no collectors.
Scatter Rescue Feature
In the base game, landing exactly 2 Scatters gives you hope - there's a random chance a fishing hook animation will pull a third Scatter onto the reels, triggering Free Spins. This "rescue" mechanic adds extra excitement to near-misses.
Ante Bet Option
Toggle the Ante Bet switch in the upper-left panel to increase your bet multiplier from 10x to 15x (a 50% increase). This puts more Scatter symbols on the reels, giving you a significantly higher chance of naturally triggering Free Spins.
The trade-off: Buy Free Spins is disabled when Ante Bet is active, and your spins cost more. Choose Ante Bet if you prefer natural bonus triggers over instant purchase.
Buy Free Spins Feature
Too impatient to wait for Scatters? Click "Buy Free Spins" on the left sidebar to instantly trigger the bonus for 100x your current total bet. At minimum $0.10 bet, that's $10. At maximum $375 bet, it's a $37,500 purchase.
When you buy the feature, 3, 4, or 5 Scatters land randomly on the triggering spin, awarding 10, 15, or 20 Free Spins. The RTP remains 96.07% whether you trigger naturally or buy in.
Aussie-Friendly Details
Big Bass Bonanza - Keeping it Reel is fully licensed and available at regulated Australian online casinos. The game supports keyboard controls (Space or Enter to spin) and includes Turbo Spin, Quick Spin, and Autoplay up to 100+ spins.
Battery Saver mode reduces animation speed on mobile devices - perfect for extended pokies sessions on your phone. All game sounds (ambient music and sound effects) can be toggled independently.
Responsible Gambling Reminder
While the 10,000x max win is exciting, remember pokies are designed as entertainment. The 96.07% RTP means the house edge is 3.93% - over time, the casino keeps approximately $3.93 for every $100 wagered.
Set deposit limits, time limits, and only gamble what you can afford to lose. If you need support, contact Gambling Help Online at 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.