Return to player
96.3%
Min bet size
0.10
Game type
Video Slots
Variance
High
Reels
6
Progressive Jackpot
No
Popularity
Max bet size
100
Game provider
Push Gaming
Bonus Features
Yes
Paylines
729 - 46,656
Theme
Animals
Bamboo Ways online slot game
Bamboo Ways seems like a nod by Push Gaming to their other classics like Razor Ways. The game keeps the mechanics traditional yet engaging. The reels oscillate between uneventful dry spells and sudden bursts of chaos, with expanding rows and wild-packed drops catching us off guard. With volatility this high and a max win of 25,000x, it’s an exciting release by Push Gaming.
Bamboo Ways Slot at a Glance: All the Important Facts to Know
- Grid: 6x3 extendable to 6x6 grid
- Win Condition: At least 2, but in most cases 3, matching adjacent symbols starting from the left-most column
- RTP & Volatility: Max RTP 96.3%, high volatility
- Bet Range: 0.10 to 100 per spin
- Mechanics: Cascade feature removes winning symbols and reveals new rows up to 6 rows
- Max Win Potential: 25,000x your bet.
Everything About the Graphics and Sound of Bamboo Ways Slot
Bamboo Ways shoots out the grid from a regal red temple against a bright yellow sky, filled with pulsating angelic clouds. The visuals rivet the player onto the screen. The grid is wrapped in an elegant red border with golden edges in an East Asian-styled artwork design. The colourful shape and vibrant character symbols bring the grid to life.
The serene visuals are complemented by a dreamy yet upbeat score. The music consists of traditional Chinese wind and string instruments that keep the melody in sync with the upbeat percussive beats looping with slight variations throughout the game. During bonus rounds, the score builds up significantly, featuring modern electronic instruments, and adds to the rising tension as spins progress.
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How to Play Bamboo Ways Slot
Bamboo Ways starts off with a compact 6x3 grid comprising 6 columns and 3 rows, offering 729 win possibilities. Wins are triggered by landing similar symbols in adjacent columns, starting from the first column from the left. Different symbols provide returns against different numbers of reels occupied, but in most cases, wins are triggered by 3 to 6 adjacent symbols appearing on the grid. But more on that later.
Now for the unique mechanic of Bamboo Ways. The grid, though starting in a 6x3 formation, doesn’t remain static. With each Cascade and Instant Prize appearing on the grid, another row is revealed. And once all 6 rows come to life, the grid becomes 6x6, increasing win possibilities to 46,656. The grid resets to 6x3 after each play, but the wins you can make during each subsequent row reveal on a spin can be exponential.
Bets are flexible, starting from 0.10 and climbing up to 100. Payouts start modestly with card suits and themed items paying up to 1x the bet, but it’s the animal symbols that give the real payout. Monkeys, boars, and pandas can bag you up to 8x the bet for six-of-a-kind occurring in a spin.
| Symbol | 6 Matches | 5 Matches | 4 Matches | 3 Matches | 2 Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 8x | 5x | 2.5x | 1x | 0.5x |
 | 3x | 2x | 1x | 0.5x | - |
 | 2.5x | 1.5x | 0.8x | 0.4x | - |
 | 2.5x | 1.5x | 0.8x | 0.4x | - |
 | 1x | 0.6x | 0.4x | 0.2x | - |
 | 1x | 0.6x | 0.4x | 0.2x | - |
 | 1x | 0.6x | 0.4x | 0.2x | - |
 | 0.5x | 0.3x | 0.2x | 0.1x | - |
 | 0.5x | 0.3x | 0.2x | 0.1x | - |
 | 0.5x | 0.3x | 0.2x | 0.1x | - |
 | 0.5x | 0.3x | 0.2x | 0.1x | - |
Then there are the Push Bets that add an extra layer of risk and reward. We found the 1.5x Scatter Push Bet useful for nudging the bonus into play. There is also a Scatter Symbols x2 option that costs 3x the bet, but we found it to have little impact on spin success.
Wilds frequently bridged gaps, and the consequent Cascades mechanic triggered chain reactions, turning small hits into big wins. The Cascade feature and its potential for a big payout make the base game feel far more alive than one initially expects, looking at the 6x3 grid.
Try the Bamboo Ways Demo Version for Free
Though Bamboo Ways appears to be a relatively simple slot, there are a lot of details under the hood and subtle nuances that one needs to get comfortable with. That’s why we suggest that players hone their skills with the free-play version currently available at PlayCasino as the smartest way to get a feel for its rhythm before risking any real cash. In our test runs, it helped us see how often rows expand, how Push Bets influence Scatter drops, the impact of Bonus Buys, and whether the cascading wins fit our style.
Bonus Features in Bamboo Ways Slot
Push Gaming packed Bamboo Ways with layered features that keep the grid constantly shifting. Here’s what stood out during testing:
Expanding Rows and Expanding Wilds: The slot begins with 3 active rows and 3 locked ones above them.
- Cascades or Instant Prize wins unlock extra rows one by one, up to the full 6x6 grid.
- Expanding Wilds stretch across unlocked rows and sometimes come with multipliers of 2x, 3x or 5x, often turning average spins into high-volatility.
Converter into Wilds: When a Converter symbol lands or is revealed, it cycles through pay symbols on the active grid. Once it locks on a symbol, every instance of that symbol, including the Converter itself, turns wild. Up to two Converts into Wild symbols may be revealed by Mystery symbols when two or more Mystery symbols land.
Mystery and Expander Symbols: Mystery symbols can appear in both the base game and free spins rounds, and waiting for the big reveal was a nail-biting experience because they have the potential to instantly transform a dull grid. They can reveal pays, Wilds, Expanding Wilds, Converters, Expanders, or Golden Bamboo. Land Expander symbols and these trigger further Mystery symbols across reels or rows before revealing their outcome, which often leads to board-filling reveals.
Golden Bamboo Feature: When Golden Bamboo symbols land, they spin through special prizes, bringing some of the biggest hits we saw in testing:
| Prize Type | Effect |
|---|---|
| Instant Prize | Pays 1x to 1,000x the bet |
| Multiplier | Boosts all Instant Prize + Collector values by 2x to 10x |
| Collector | Collects all Instant Prizes/Collectors, clears the reels for respins |
| Converter | Transforms chosen symbols into Golden Bamboo for more spins |
| Row Unlocker | Unlocks a new row (bonus buy only) |
| Scatters | Helps trigger Free Spins directly |
Free Spins: Free Spins are unlocked with 3 to 6 Scatters:
| Scatters | Spins Awarded | Starting Multiplier | Grid Size | Low Symbols Required |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 6 | 1x | 3x6 | 0 |
| 4 | 8 | 2x | 4x6 | 1 |
| 5 | 10 | 3x | 5x6 | 2 |
| 6 | 10 | 5x | 6x6 | 3 |
- During Free Spins, Scatters upgrade the level meter every 4 collected.
- Each level boosts the multiplier, expands the grid, and removes low pays, peaking at Level 5 with a 10x multiplier and four lows removed.
- Extra spins (+1 to +3) can also drop randomly, breathing life into the grid sometimes when you least expect it.
Feature Buys: For players who don’t want to wait, Push Gaming offers several bonus buy options:
- 8 Mystery Symbols - 18x bet.
- 18 Golden Bamboo Symbols - 120x bet.
- Free Spins (3 Scatters) - 80x bet.
- Random Scatters - 400x bet.
While the pricing of the Bonus Buy features is definitely quite steep, we saw that Bonus Buys raised our win possibilities exponentially. Especially the Scatters, which just led to Free Spins and further Free Spins seemed to feed off of each other, causing a whirlwind of returns. So, one could say they’re worth the investment.
Winning Strategies for Bamboo Ways Slot
Cracking Bamboo Ways isn’t just about luck; it’s about knowing which features to lean on and when to push your bets and go for the Bonus Buys. Here are four strategies we tried and tested to help you make the most of this volatile slot.
- Push bets smartly: The 1.5x bet option nudges Scatters into play more often, making free spins easier to reach. However, the 3x bet for the 2x Scatters version is far more expensive with little noticeable impact on success.
- Chase Golden Bamboo: Golden Bamboo produced unpredictable and memorable wins in testing. Multipliers stacked with Collectors can transform small hits into huge screen-clearing payouts and, with an increasingly expanding grid, bring in big returns.
- Practice in demo mode: The free-play version lets you explore how Mystery and Converter symbols behave without pressure. We can’t recommend this enough, because it takes time to make sense of the mechanics of Bamboo Ways and understand when to push bets and get Bonus Buys. Once you’re confident, take that knowledge to real play at the best online casinos.
- Pick Bonus Buys carefully: Not all Bonus Buys hit the same. The cheaper 18x Mystery buy is safe and reliable. But the 120x Golden Bamboo and even more than that the Scatter buys deliver the most rewarding results by causing domino effects across the grid, leading to much higher returns.
All the Technical Details
Bamboo Ways plays on a 6-reel grid that begins at 3 rows (729 ways to win) and can expand to 6x6 (46,656 ways to win). Stakes run from 0.10 to 100, with Push Bets (1.5x or 3x) boosting Scatter chances. The game runs on 96.30% RTP and can be classified as a high volatility slot. The lower symbols pay up to 1x, and premiums like monkeys, boars, and pandas give returns of up to 8x for six-of-a-kind landing on the grid.
Best Alternatives to Bamboo Ways Slot
If Bamboo Ways had you hooked, we recommend these two close alternatives that deliver similar excitement with new features to explore:
- Big Bamboo: Another Push Gaming slot with the same panda-and-forest vibe. It offers Mystery Stacks, Golden Bamboo, and respins during Free Spins, with a slightly lower 96.13% RTP but a huge 50,000x max win potential.
- Wild Swarm 2: Push Gaming swaps bamboo for buzzing bees, but keeps the expanding, high-volatility gameplay intact. With sticky wilds, hive mechanics, and a 96.67% RTP, the slot delivers up to 10,000x wins in a more playful forest setting.
Our Verdict
Bamboo Ways is soon to become a Push Gaming classic. Our test spins swung between endless dead rounds that made us want to walk away, and sudden grid-expanding avalanches caused by the Cascade feature that delivered the kind of wins that keep you wide-eyed and fixated on the screen. The Golden Bamboo feature is pure chaos; sometimes a complete dud, sometimes an absolute monster, and that unpredictability is both the slot’s best weapon and its biggest flaw. You can up your chances with Scatters, but these aren’t cheap and, therefore, not a risk we see most people taking.
Bamboo Ways isn’t a slot for the faint of heart or casual spins. It can get frustrating and punish impatience. But if you’ve got the bankroll and the nerve, it’s hard to ignore the chance at 25,000x max win payout.
James is a casino games expert on the Playcasino.com editorial team. With many years of professional experience at a leading casino game development company and a passion for playing casino games, James has become a true expert in slots, blackjack, roulette, baccarat, and other games.
James uses this expertise to provide reliable, insider advice through his reviews and guides, breaking down the game rules and offering tips to help you win more often. Rely on James's extensive experience for expert advice on your casino play.
