Bonanza

Review Bonanza

Game studio Big Time Gaming enjoys a worldwide cult status amongst seasoned punters as these pokies are known to have almost unlimited potential. Those who scroll around on Youtube will find dozens of videos with gigantic payouts on the pokies of Big Time Gaming. There is also enough evidence of Bonanza that this online pokie awards huge amounts of money which makes sense if you take a closer look at how Bonanza works:

• Get ready for 117,649 ways to win.
• There are unlimited multipliers waiting for you in the bonus.
• Unlimited free spins in the bonus round.
• Stacked symbols.

If you add all of this up, you might just think that Bonanza is the wet dream of every punter who likes a bit of risk. And mate, it bloody is. We consider Bonanza as one of the most fun online pokies ever made, with almost unlimited winning potential.

How to Play

As this is a Megaways game, Bonanza doesn’t come with all that many extra options which means there isn’t a lot you need to know about before you get started if you’re already familiar with other pokies. In order to be sure that you do not miss out on anything important we will go through some of the main characteristics of this game:

• The first thing we advise you to check out is the paytable. This is not a dynamic paytable like in some games that changes according to your chosen bet level, but instead displays how much you win times your total bet for each symbol.
• There are four premium symbols to be found in the paytable, easily recognised by the different coloured gemstones. The most valuable symbol pays 50x your bet for 6 on a payline.
• If you click on the options tab in the menu, you can turn on or off the audio of this pokie. Unfortunately, there is no way to switch off the music and keep the sound effects, so it’s either one or the other. Of course, you can read everything about the features of Bonanza in the paytable section of the menu.

At first glance, Bonanza seems like a pretty complex online pokie. After all, it has 6 reels rather than 5, and you’ll see a different number of symbols on the reels every spin. However, you’ll probably be pleased to know that Bonanza is actually quite simple as soon as you make your first spins on this game by BTG. Each reel can show between 2 symbols and 7 symbols, and there’s a set of small reels along the top of the screen. Since each reel shows a different number of symbols, the total number of winning ways varies with each spin giving you a lot more chances to make a winning combination.

Symbol Wins

From a graphical point of view, this Bonanza pokie is well taken care of. The game’s setting is a mine which in this case means that it’s set on colourful green hills with some huts and waterfalls found in the backdrop. The visuals are not as high end as in the newer generation pokies, but this does mean it has a certain charm to it — if you know what we mean. One thing that will probably strike you when you start playing is the audio. It has an up-tempo hillbilly style backing track which is thrilling, but might get annoying after some time.

Then again, this does give Bonanza Megaways the feel of a realistic pokie which might just be one of the other reasons that this game has turned into an all-time classic. As for the symbols in this game, with the symbols appearing on granite blocks, you’ll see standard symbols like A, K, Q, J, 10 and 9 royals. There’s also green, blue and red gems as well as a diamond to be found in the game. The diamond is by far the most valued symbol with 6 on a payline awarding 50x your bet respectively. Here’s what each of the symbols in Bonanza awards:

Bonus Features

The features that can be found in the Bonanza online pokie are actually quite standard. This means that stacked symbols can be found in it. However, while playing the basic game, it will soon become clear that the focus in terms of features has been mainly placed on the bonus game which we will discuss below. Here’s what to expect from the features:

Falling Symbols Replace Winning Combinations

The most important feature that you can count on in the basic game of the Bonanza online pokie is that winning combinations disappear which is actually a good thing. As soon as a winning combination has been formed, it will disappear from the reels and new symbols will fall down and fill up the empty spots. This way it is always possible for players to grab new (or extra) winnings which is one heck of an advantage over regular, static pokies.

Bonus Free Spins

The bonus round is triggered the moment 4 or more scattered “Gold” symbols appear on the reels. Four scatters ensure that you receive a total of 12 free spins. An additional 5 extra free spins are then added for each additional scatter. That is of course what you’re probably hoping for, but it must be said that the bonus game does not fall very often which is why patience is very important in this game. As this is a high volatility pokie, it is also important to play the Bonanza online pokie with sufficient budget which means it’s not for the recreational players.

There is an interesting advantage in the Bonanza bonus game you will hopefully come across when you start playing: a +1 multiplier for every winning combination. It must be said that Bonanza’s bonus game is different from most pokies and an absolute must to try out. And to add some more flavour to it, the number of symbols per reel differs on every spin with reels 2 to 5 awarding an extra symbol, on top of the reels, on a moving minecart. This can lead to a maximum of 117,649 ways to win. Big Time Gaming has added wild symbols and stacked symbols too to give you about enough reasons to get excited for the bonus that awaits you in this pokie that is offered by many online casinos in the world.

Payout Metrics

Big Time Gaming’s Bonanza comes with an RTP which is a percentage that refers to the amount of money that players can, on average, expect to earn as prizes in return for their stakes. A 96% RTP is just about average and therefore considered as good. Bonanza is also known as a high volatility pokie game which means that you’ll be able to cash in on larger prizes as you spin the reels, but they’ll come around pretty rarely. Still, there is plenty of action going on in the Bonanza pokie as it comes with the Megaways mechanism. This Megaways game engine makes sure that there is always something happening. The best chances of winning will come via the free spins though where the multipliers can boost your wins. You can win up to 26,000x your bet on every free spin which is huge. The betting limits are set at a minimum of $ 0.20 and a max of $ 500.

Summary

Bonanza is a fun pokie from Big Time Gaming. At first we had to get kind of used to the somewhat outdated graphics and the hysterical background music, but this soon made room for enthusiasm about the rest of the game. Thanks to the varying number of ways to win per spin, the falling symbols and the wilds, Bonanza remains fascinating at all times. Occasionally awarding big payouts in the basic game only adds to the fun whilst the bonus round typically means big prizes. Sometimes, if luck is on your side, you just keep on spinning winning combinations with just about ever-increasing multipliers. When the smoke has cleared, you suddenly appear to have won 500x to 1,500x your bet. Of course, that doesn’t always happen, but Bonanza comes with a very high potential explaining why the game is still considered a favourite amongst players from around the world.