Fish Money symbols carry cash values during Free Spins, with individual prizes reaching 1,000x the stake. Whenever either Fisherman Wild lands alongside them, he collects every visible value.

The number in the title refers to that new 1,000x maximum Fish value rather than a completely new mechanic. Curiously, it is lower than the 5,000x maximum individual Fish value in Big Bass Vegas Double Down Deluxe, although this game’s total win ceiling is substantially higher.

One large Fish can transform the feature, but several smaller values become equally interesting when both Fishermen are active. Two collectors can potentially harvest the same busy screen through their separate collection sequences. Apparently Vegas is one of the few places where telling two fishermen about the same spot is a sensible strategy.

Landing three, four or five Scatters triggers 15, 20 or 25 Free Spins respectively.

If only two Scatters appear, the game can activate a Nudge and reel an additional Scatter into view. It is a familiar rescue mechanic, but an effective one. Few things in slots are more irritating than watching two bonus symbols sit there looking decorative, so giving the third one a chance to arrive is always welcome.

The Free Spins round begins with 15, 20 or 25 spins depending on whether three, four or five Scatters triggered it.

This is where the Red and Blue Fisherman Wilds join the reels alongside Fish Money symbols carrying values up to 1,000x. Each Fisherman works independently, giving you two opportunities to collect the visible values and two separate routes through the progression system.

That extra collector makes the feature feel much busier than a traditional Big Bass bonus. Even when one Fisherman refuses to leave the casino bar, the other can still keep the round alive.

The Red Fisherman is a Wild Collector. When he lands during Free Spins, he gathers the values of all Fish Money symbols currently visible and adds another step to his own progression meter.

Collect enough Red Fishermen and the feature awards 10 additional Free Spins while improving the multiplier attached to future red collections. His progress is completely separate from the Blue Fisherman, so a strong red sequence remains valuable even when blue has barely cast a line.

The Blue Fisherman performs the same basic Wild Collector role but develops through a completely separate meter.

Whenever he appears with Fish Money symbols, he collects their values and advances his own progress. That separation is the key to the feature because the two Fishermen can be at different multiplier levels and can earn their additional spins independently.

It creates the pleasing possibility that one collector finishes what the other started, even if neither would ever admit whose fish it was.

Collecting Fisherman Wilds develops their respective meters. Every completed stage awards 10 additional Free Spins and improves that Fisherman’s collection multiplier through 2x, 3x and eventually 10x.

Because red and blue progress independently, the bonus can develop in several directions. One Fisherman might reach the stronger multipliers quickly while the other contributes extra collections and keeps his own retrigger within reach.

The dream is to have both fully developed with plenty of spins remaining. At that point every useful reel becomes a tale worth making longer when you get home.

Bazooka can fire at ordinary symbols and transform them into Fish Money symbols during Free Spins.

It is particularly useful when a Fisherman is already present because the newly created values suddenly have somebody available to collect them. Without a collector, it can still prepare a promising screen, although the game then needs to provide the fisherman before those values matter.

Using a bazooka to improve a fishing trip feels excessive, but this is Vegas. Subtlety left town several sequels ago.

Dynamite provides another way of turning ordinary positions into valuable Fish Money symbols during Free Spins.

Its effect is similar to Bazooka. It can make the screen considerably richer, but the result is only as useful as your chances of landing a Red or Blue Fisherman to collect those values.

It adds spectacle and can produce an exciting setup, although mechanically it feels more like another route to the same destination than a separate feature.

Hook can pull additional Fish Money symbols and Fisherman Wilds onto the reels.

That makes it the most useful of the three random modifiers because it can potentially solve either side of the collection equation. It can add prizes when a Fisherman is waiting, bring in a collector when the screen already contains values, or improve both at once.

In a feature built around matching fish with fishermen, Hook is the only modifier sensible enough to remember that you need both.