Last updated: May 2026. Walkthrough written for Aussies brand-new to Pragmatic Play pokies. Five-minute read.
If you've never spun a candy-themed Pragmatic slot before, Sweet Bonanza 1000 looks like a wall of fruit, lollipops, and pink fog the first time you load it up. Don't panic — under the cartoon coating, the rules are simpler than most modern pokies. This article walks you through your first session in five sequential steps, and by the end you'll know exactly when to use Ante Bet, when to skip Bonus Buy, and how rainbow bombs actually pay you.
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Step 1 — Set your bet
The spin button is the big rounded button at the bottom centre of the screen. To its left (or below, on mobile) is the bet control. Use the + and – buttons to step through preset stake values. The full range for AU players is:
- Minimum: A$0.20 per spin
- Maximum: A$125 per spin
For learning the game, start at the minimum. Sweet Bonanza 1000 is high-variance, and you'll need 200+ spins to see a representative sample of base-game behaviour. At A$0.20 per spin that's a A$40 budget for a full learning session — enough to trigger free spins at least once and see the bonus round in action.
A good rule for the learning phase: pick a bet size where you can afford at least 300 spins. If your bankroll is A$60, that's A$0.20 per spin. If it's A$300, you've got room for A$1 spins. Don't go higher until you've seen a free spins round play out.
Step 2 — Understand pays-anywhere
This is the rule that confuses new players. Sweet Bonanza 1000 has no paylines. You don't need a winning combination to read left-to-right on a specific line. Instead, the rule is:
If eight or more of the same candy or fruit symbol land anywhere on the 6×5 grid, that combination pays.
That's the entire scoring rule. Position doesn't matter. They can be scattered randomly across the grid, clumped in one corner, or stretched diagonally — as long as the count of one symbol hits 8 or more, you get paid the prize for that symbol on the paytable. The more symbols beyond 8, the larger the payout multiplier.
To see the actual payout numbers, tap the menu icon in the top-left and open the paytable. The four fruits (watermelon, plum, apple, grape) pay more than the four candy symbols (purple, green, blue, red).
Step 3 — Watch the tumbles
When you land a winning combination, the matching symbols vanish in a puff of candy dust. The remaining symbols above tumble down to fill the gaps, and new symbols drop in from the top. If the new grid produces another winning combination, that pays out too — and the cycle repeats.
This is the tumble feature. A single press of the spin button can chain into:
- One tumble (single win, no further wins from the new symbols).
- Two, three, four tumbles in a row (each new grid keeps producing wins).
- Rarely, six or more tumbles in a single spin — the kind of session highlight that AU players screenshot.
Every tumble is added to your total spin win. So a single great spin with five chained tumbles can pay 10–50× your stake even before free spins kick in.
Step 4 — Spot rainbow bombs
Rainbow bombs are multiplier symbols that look like glowing prismatic orbs and land randomly on the grid. They carry a value printed on them — anything from 2× to 1000×. In the base game, the rules are simple:
- A rainbow bomb only counts if it lands during a tumble that ends up producing a win.
- All rainbow bombs visible on the grid at the end of that tumble chain are added together.
- That total multiplier is applied to your win for that spin.
So if you win A$2 on a tumble chain, and two rainbow bombs of 5× and 10× landed during the chain, your total payout is A$2 × 15 = A$30.
The base-game bombs are nice but mostly modest. The real multiplier magic happens in free spins (see step 5).
Step 5 — Trigger free spins
The lollipop symbol is the scatter. It's clearly different from the candy and fruit symbols — bigger, brighter, with a hard candy swirl. When you land four or more lollipop scatters anywhere on the grid, you trigger the free spins round.
- 4 scatters = 10 free spins
- Each additional scatter during the round retriggers an extra 5 spins
Once free spins start, the mechanic changes. Every rainbow bomb that lands during the round sticks to the grid for the rest of the round. They never disappear — they keep adding to a cumulative multiplier total that grows over the round. By the time you've burned through 10 or 15 free spins, you might have 5, 6, 7 or more rainbow bombs all locked in place — and their combined value applies to every winning tumble.
This is the mechanic that creates the 25,000× max-win hits.
Optional — Ante Bet & Bonus Buy
Two side features that aren't required but change the math:
Ante Bet — a toggle that costs +25% per spin. So a A$1 spin becomes A$1.25. In return, the natural frequency of lollipop scatters appearing doubles. Over a long session this usually pays for itself in extra bonus rounds.
Bonus Buy — a one-off purchase that costs 100× your stake and skips straight into free spins. So a A$1 stake becomes a A$100 bonus buy. The RTP on a bonus buy (96.52%) is essentially identical to base RTP, but the variance is high — you're betting your whole A$100 on a single bonus round.
Super Free Spins Buy — premium-only version at 500× stake. Guarantees you'll start free spins with at least a 20× multiplier already on the grid. Higher entry cost, slightly better RTP (96.55%), much lower variance than a regular bonus buy.
For beginners: skip all three for the first 50–100 spins. Learn the base game first. Then experiment with Ante Bet, and only later try Bonus Buys with a separate budget.
A typical first session
Here's what a learning session might look like at A$0.20 per spin:
| Spin range | What happens | Typical balance change |
|---|---|---|
| 1–30 | Mostly nothing, the odd tumble | -A$4 to -A$2 |
| 31–80 | A few small wins, one nice tumble chain | -A$2 to +A$1 |
| 81–150 | Often the first 4-scatter trigger lands | depends entirely on the bonus |
| 151–300 | Recovery / chase | very variable |
This is typical — not guaranteed. Sweet Bonanza 1000 is very-high-variance. You may go 200 spins without a free spins trigger and then hit two within ten spins.
Quick FAQ
Do I need to bet max to win max? No — the 25,000× cap applies to any stake size. A A$0.20 spin can theoretically pay A$5,000 just like a A$125 spin can pay A$3.125M.
Can I lose with rainbow bombs on the grid? Yes — a rainbow bomb only counts when a winning tumble lands. If the grid produces no win, the bombs disappear (in base game) or stay parked but don't pay (in free spins, they wait for the next winning tumble).
Can I play autospin? Yes — long-press the spin button to open the auto-spin menu. Set stop conditions before launching.
How long is a typical session? Most casual sessions are 100–300 spins (15–40 minutes). Variance means some sessions are over in 50 spins and others stretch to 600+.
Should I chase a bonus by upping my bet after losses? No. This is a classic bankroll-killer. Bet size should match your session budget, not your emotional state.
Next steps
Once you've spun a few hundred times and understand the rhythm, work through:
- Sweet Bonanza 1000 Specs — the math under the hood.
- Rainbow Bomb Multipliers Guide — deep dive on multiplier mechanics.
- RTP & Volatility Explained — what 96.53% actually means for your session.
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Further Reading
Related reading in this guide: