Big Bass Floats My Boat

Big Bass Floats My Boat Slot Review

Slot Provider: Pragmatic Play

RTP: 96.07% | Variance: High | Maximum Win: 5,000x

Our Score: 8.0

Play at Grand Ivy Casino
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WHY YOU CAN TRUST THIS REVIEW: The information and opinions on this page are the result of an comprehensive process of information gathering and live game testing by the gambling experts who work at allslotsites.com. Find out more here.

About Big Bass Floats My Boat

Reviewed by:

Published Date: 24th January 2024

How We Review Slot Games

We test and rate all slot games across 5 criteria, assigning a score out of 10 for each and an overall score that is an average of the 5. To build an accurate assessment of each game we gather information from the supplier and play in real play or demo mode. Find out more.

Big Bass Floats My Boat is the twelfth in the popular Big Bass fishing slot series from Pragmatic Play. It is a 5-reel slot with 10 paylines and a tranquil cove setting. It is also one of the simpler games in the series, featuring random multipliers in the base game and fishermen wilds in the free spins round. These collect up all visible money symbols before paying out. The game has a low 12% hit rate but a wickedly high volatility. Top win is 5,000x and spins start at 20p.

Big Bass Floats My Boat Game Information

  • RTP: 96.07% | 95.06% | 94.06%
  • Variance: High
  • Maximum Win: 5,000x
  • Progressive Jackpot: No
  • Reels: 5
  • Rows: 3
  • Paylines: 10
  • Minimum Stake: £0.20
  • Theme: Fishing
  • Features: Multipliers, Money Symbols, Fishermen Wilds, Free Spins

Testing Notes: Here’s What Happened When We Played Big Bass Floats My Boat

IMPORTANT: To give you an accurate assessment of the games we review our writers play 200 spins. Whilst this is a useful tool to help us review games and to give an example of what might happen when you play, keep in mind that 200 spins is only a very small sample and cannot be used to accurately predict what might happen over another 200 spins. The outcome of all slots play is always random.

Boom Or Bust? Our Session By The Numbers

I played 200 spins on Big Bass Floats My Boat on Pragmatic Play’s test server prior to release to test the game. This is what happened.

  • Stake Size: $1
  • Start balance: $100,000
  • End balance: $99,960.60
  • Hit Rate: 10% (20 winning spins in 200)
  • Biggest Win: 52.4x
  • Free Spins Round: 5

Pragmatic Play tell us that Big Bass Floats My Boat has a hit rate of 12%. In my session it was just 10% which is 20 winning spins in 200. That’s very tight. But, the good news is, it wasn’t shy with the free spins rounds. I triggered FIVE (yes, 5) overall. Normally you would expect 1 or 2 at best, and sometimes none, in a high variance slot over 200 spins.

A 52.4x win in Big Bass Floats My Boat
A 52.4x win in testing

The wins were as follows: 13.9x, 52.4x, 41.7x, 53x and 16.2x. Two wins greater than 50x very good, and it tells you all you need to know about the payout distribution of this game.

In summary, this is what I learned from playing Big Bass Floats My Boat:

  • Don’t expect much from the base game at all. The RTP appears to be very much weighted towards the free spins round which is why the hit rate is so low.
  • In the free spins round just watch for the fishermen wild because they trigger the money collects. BUT … the multipliers are important too and the longer the round goes on without a collect, the bigger they get, which adds jeopardy to the game. Do you want an early win, or to keep going and land something bigger when the multipliers are more powerful?
  • The 12% hit rate makes it looks like it will be a very frustrating game, but in fact, it’s not because there is always another free spins round just around the corner.
  • And finally, every free spins round was triggered by landing 2 scatters and getting a re-spin that brought up a 3rd. Might have just been chance, but I liked this feature because it makes you feel lucky!

What We Liked

  • High number of free spins triggers
  • Chance to build big multipliers in free spins round
  • Re-trigger free spins by collecting 4 fishermen wilds
  • Idyllic scenery and laid back vibe
  • Familiar style for fans of this slot series

What We Didn't like

  • Low hit rate at 12%
  • Low maximum win at 5,000x

Big Bass Floats My Boat Review Scores

  • Theme and Design 8
  • RTP and Variance 8
  • Maximum Win 7
  • Symbols and Paytable 9
  • Features and Gameplay 9

What Our Reviewer Says ...

"Fans of the big bass series will enjoy this trip to sea with regular free spins hits stacked with progressive multiplier action!"

Overall Score: 8.0

Theme & Design

Our Score 8

Idyllic Setting and Relaxing Vibes Throughout

The Bass series has taken us from the homely bass lakes of the US to the Amazon basin and back, but this time we are in the serene early evening setting of a quiet cove, under flame red and orange skies. Your friendly bass fisherman is back for more – he never gets enough – and his little white and orange boat floats atop a turquoise cross section of sea with reeds and fish drifting in the current. The usual twangy banjo soundtrack accompanies your day out. In other words … it’s business as usual. Big Bass fans can rejoice!

Big Bass Floats My Boat by Pragmatic Play
Big Bass Floats My Boat – idyllic setting to rejoin our old friend

RTP and Variance

Our Score 8

What is RTP?

RTP (Return to Player) refers to the amount a game will pay out in cash prizes expressed as a percentage of all the money wagered on that game. For example, a 96% RTP means a game will pay out £96 for every £100 wagered. This is an average number and will vary from one session to the next.  Read more here.

What is Variance?

Variance refers to how far a game will deviate from its RTP over time. High variance games deviate a lot and produce uneven win distributions and unexpected windfalls. Low variance games provide a more stable and even distribution of wins. Read more here.

Big Bass Float My Boat has 3 available RTP settings – 96.07%, 95.06% or 94.06%. Which level you play at will be decided by your casino operator. You can find out which rate the game is set to by opening the game info screen (hit the ‘I’ button under the reels) and scrolling through until you see Return To Player. You should always try to play at sites where the game runs at 96.07% RTP for the best chance of winning.

In our research we have found that MrQ from Lindar Media runs all slots at their optimum setting so that would be a good place to start.

This game also follows the trend of others in the Big Bass series with a very high volatility and a very low hit rate of just 12%. So, be careful to set your stake low to avoid burning out too quickly. Wins will be infrequent, but potentially big when they drop.

Maximum Win

Our Score 7

What Is Maximum Win?

Maximum win refers to the maximum amount a player can win from one spin. It is expressed as a multiple of the stake. For example, where the maximum win is 100,000x, from a £1 stake, the maximum win would be £100,000.  

The top payout in Big Bass Float My Boat is 5,000x. For a super high variance slot with a 12% hit rate that is unimpressive. However, it is not untypical for a Pragmatic Play slot whose max wins have failed to compete with the huge potential of their rivals for some time now.

Symbols and Paytable

Our Score 9

The game plays out on a standard 5 reel set with 3 rows per reel and 10 fixed paylines on each spin. You’ll need to land 3 or more identical symbols across the reels from left to right, starting at the left most reel, to trigger a win.

Big Bass Floats My Boat Paytable
Paytable with big 200x wins for 5 premiums

There are 9 pay symbols in the paytable with a good range of prizes on offer. The low value symbols are the cards, 10 through to Ace, valued at from 0.2x for 3 10s up to 10x for 5 Aces. The premiums are the tackle box, mayfly, reel and rod, and boat. These are valued at from 2x for 3 tackle boxes up to 200x for 5 boats.

There is also a Fisherman Wild which will appear only in the free spins round where he collects all the fish symbols and substitutes for all other pay symbols to complete paylines.

Features and Gameplay

Our Score 9

Like a good day out on the waters catching bass, there is nothing too complicated about Floats My Boat. Beyond the standard win mechanic success hinges on two things – money symbols and free spins. This is how they work:

Money Symbols

Money Symbol are represented by the fish and they will display a random money value of 0.2x, 0.5x, 1x, 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, 10x, 15x, 20x or 50x. Randomly after any spin ALL the visible money symbols may be collected and paid out.

Big Bass Floats My Boat Fish Money Symbols
Fish always land with money values displayed

But there is a further twist as a bonus multiplier may be randomly applied to the win as well – 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, 10x, 20x, 30x, 40x or 50x.

Free Spins

The big money game in Floats My Boat is the free spins round triggered by landing 3, 4 or 5 scatter symbols on one spin. That gets you 10, 15 or 20 free spins.

Landing 2 Scatters in Big Bass Floats My Boat
2 Scatters land in testing triggering a re-spin

One of the exciting elements of this game is that Pragmatic Play have built in an extra chance of triggering the free spins round if you land only 2 scatters on one spin.

  • If the 2 scatters can drop one row each without falling off the reels then they do so and the remaining reels spin to give you a chance of landing a 3rd. But remember, if one of your 2 scatters is on the bottom row, this feature doesn’t trigger. The both have to be on one of the top 2 rows.
  • Or, a random octopus appears and moves across the reels, selecting one symbol that he turns into a scatter to set up the free spins round.
Octopus in Big Bass Floats My Boat
The octopus bringing random symbols to the reels in testing

The free spins round is the best part about this game and potentially the most rewarding. This is how it works:

  • When a fisherman wild lands on the reels he collects the value of all visible money symbols
  • Every position on the reels has a 1x multiplier at the start of the round. Whenever a money symbol lands on a position its multiplier increases by 1x
  • Before the fisherman wild collects money symbol values they are multiplied by the value displayed on the position they have landed on
  • Fisherman wilds are collected throughout the round and paid out when it finishes
  • Every 4th fisherman to land will earn you 10 more spins

So … in simple terms, your objective is to keep landing fish money symbols to push up the multiplier values on the reels, then wait for a fishermen wild to drop and collect all the money!

The Final Verdict

If you’re not tired of the Big Bass series yet then chances are you’ll enjoy this latest edition. The numbers looked uninviting when I first scanned Pragmatic Play’s notes but in fact it turned out to be a really entertaining game thanks to those regular free spins rounds. It’s not complicated but the gameplay is smooth, the vibes relaxing, and there is always the chance for big things to happen thanks to those progressive multipliers.

Useful Tips When Playing Big Bass Floats My Boat

Remember, online slots are games of chance, there is NO strategy that can improve your odds of winning. However, reading our review and following these tips will help you get the most out of your time playing this slot game.

1. Find A Casino Offering This Game At The Top RTP

Don’t accept less than the optimum 96.07% RTP. Many UK slot sites are running games at less than optimum which eats into your winnings just a little bit. Both MrQ and Barz Casino are good bets for high RTP slots.

2. Choose A Low Stake

This is a highly volatile slot with a particularly low hit rate so it can burn you. I landed 5 free spins rounds in testing but that won’t always happen. Choosing a low stake and managing your bankroll will help to stretch your balance further when chasing down the big wins.

3. Look Out For Fishermen Wilds In Free Spins

Everything rests on this guy in the free spins round. Look out for him landing on the reels as he will catch all the visible fish. It gets better if you have a few big multipliers in there, so keep your eyes peeled at all times!

4. Only Play At Licensed UK Slot Sites

We have carefully chosen the slot sites on this page because they are licensed by the UK Gambling Commission which makes them fair, safe and secure. Never play at unlicensed sites.

Who Made Big Bass Floats My Boat?

  • Name: Pragmatic Play
  • Established: 2015
  • UK License: Remote 046683-R-325951-014
  • Total Games: 500 +
  • Known For: Wide range of themes and styles, live casino including gameshow formats, and bingo
  • Popular Slots: Fruit Party, Dog House Megaways, Big Bass Bonanza, Release the Kraken
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