Pokie review · Australia
Big Bamboo is a Push Gaming pokie from 2022 with a published return of 96.13 per cent on one setting and 94.13 on another. This page sets out what the provider has published, including a highest observed win of 50,000x, and how the demo compares with five other pokies.
Figures checked on 16 October 2026
The published figures give a high-volatility game with two possible return settings and an observed win of 50,000x that is not a cap, and the demo is the place to check which setting is live.
Paid placement. Paid placement. The operator pays for this position; it does not affect anything measured on this page.
Published figures
96.13%
Published in two versions, 96.13% and 94.13%; the operator decides which is liveHigh
How unevenly the return arrives50,000x
The provider's wording: the largest win seen, not a stated capThe short of it
Push Gaming publishes two return figures for Big Bamboo: 96.13 per cent and 94.13 per cent, and warns that the figure depends on the casino, so the in-game help screen is the one that applies. A base figure of 95.11 per cent is also quoted. None of these is a target for a session. A return figure is a long-run average across millions of spins, and a short session on a demo will rarely land on it. On a high-volatility game the gap between the average and what one player sees is wide.
Because the two figures sit more than two percentage points apart, the version matters before any real-money play. The demo uses the same maths as the paid version on the same setting, so the demo is the place to check which figure is running. That is the practical value of a demo here: reading the help screen, not predicting a result. Nothing in the published material says which setting an Australian-facing site will use.
The game runs on a 5x6 grid with 50 fixed ways. Volatility is high, which the provider's own material confirms, and there is no jackpot. Features are as published: free spins come from a Gamble Scatter in the base game or from a free spins prize inside the Golden Bamboo feature, and the Gamble Scatter lands on reels 2, 3 and 4. Awarded spins can be gambled on the Gamble Wheel for a better option, which is a choice with a cost.
Mystery Stacks reveal wilds, paying symbols or the Golden Bamboo symbol. The Golden Bamboo feature gives one respin with instant prizes up to 5,000x and multipliers up to 10x. A bonus buy is available. High volatility plus those multipliers is what produces the observed outliers, but the same structure produces long gaps with nothing. That is the trade-off, not a plan.
The provider labels 50,000x as the highest observed win, not a published cap. Those are different claims. An observed win is the largest result the provider has seen, and an observed maximum can be beaten by another player on another day. It is not a ceiling, and it is not a target. Reading it as a cap is the single most common error on pages about this game.
On a high-volatility pokie, maths says most sessions will not come near an observed maximum like that. The number describes the top of the distribution, not the middle. A demo run is a way to see how rarely features land and how the base game behaves between them, with the honest expectation that the return figure is an average over a very large number of spins.
Compared
The table below lines up Big Bamboo against five other pokies on the shortlist, using each game's published return and volatility.
Wolf Gold: a medium-volatility option with a 96.01 per cent return and a 5,000x maximum, a calmer profile than Big Bamboo.
Queen of the Nile: a 95.98 per cent return and a 800x maximum on 20 lines, well below Big Bamboo's observed top end.
Pompeii: a 95.96 per cent return with a 1,500x maximum on 243 lines, medium volatility against Big Bamboo's high.
5 Dragons: a 95.17 per cent return and a 1,000x maximum on 243 lines, a lower published return than Big Bamboo's higher setting.
Cash Connection Charming Lady: a 95.09 per cent return with a jackpot maximum, a different structure from Big Bamboo's no-jackpot game.
| 1Wolf Gold | 96.01% | Medium | 5,000x | Pragmatic Play |
| 2Queen of the Nile | 95.98% | Medium | 800x | Aristocrat |
| 3Pompeii | 95.96% | Medium | 1,500x | Aristocrat |
| 45 Dragons | 95.17% | Medium | 1,000x | Aristocrat |
| 5Cash Connection Charming Lady | 95.09% | Medium | Jackpot | Novomatic |
Select a column heading to sort.
FAQ
Push Gaming publishes two return figures, 96.13 per cent and 94.13 per cent, and says the one that applies depends on the casino. A base figure of 95.11 per cent is also quoted. Check the in-game help screen before playing.
Yes. The demo uses the same maths as the paid version, so it shows the grid, the features and which published return setting is loaded. It does not predict what a real-money session will pay.
No. The provider calls it the highest observed win, meaning the largest result seen so far, not a published limit. It can be beaten, and most sessions will fall well short of it.
The published description is one respin with instant prizes up to 5,000x and multipliers up to 10x. Free spins can also be triggered by the Gamble Scatter on reels 2, 3 and 4, or by a free spins prize inside the Golden Bamboo feature.
Push Gaming publishes two return figures, 96.13 per cent and 94.13 per cent, and says the one that applies depends on the casino. A base figure of 95.11 per cent is also quoted. Check the in-game help screen before playing.