Hold and win slots explained

What are hold and win slots?

Hold and win describes a bonus round rather than a whole game. During normal play, special cash symbols (coins, fish, moneybags, gems, depending on the theme) land carrying a value. Land enough of them on one spin and the game switches to a respin mode in which only those special symbols matter. Everything else clears from the reels, the cash symbols stay where they are, and you get a short run of respins to add more.

The format came from land-based machines and is now common online. Studios use their own labels: Booming Games runs a whole 'Hold and Win' series, Kalamba has titled games such as Triple Nugget Trail Hold and Win, Pragmatic Play uses the label 'Money Respin' in games such as Wolf Gold. Relax Gaming's Money Train series built its 'Money Cart' bonus on the same principle. Our page on jackpot slots covers the wider family these belong to.

How hold and win slots work, step by step

1. Trigger. Land the required number of cash symbols on one spin, often six on a 5 × 3 game. Some games also allow a special trigger symbol.
2. Lock. The triggering symbols stay in place. All other positions clear.
3. Respin. You receive a set number of respins, usually three. Only empty positions spin.
4. Reset. Each time at least one new cash symbol lands, it locks and the respin counter goes back to its starting number.
5. End. The round finishes when you use all respins without a new symbol landing, or when every position is filled.
6. Collect. The game adds up every value on screen, including any jackpot labels, and pays the total.

That reset rule is what makes the round exciting and unpredictable. A round can end after exactly three blank respins, or a steady trickle of new symbols can keep it running for a dozen or more. Our guide to how slot bonus rounds work compares this with free spins and pick-me bonuses.

Cash symbols, collectors and fixed jackpots

The symbols that land during respins are not all simple cash values. Modern hold and win slots mix in several special types, and the help screen lists which ones a game uses.

Jackpots in hold and win games are usually fixed jackpots: set multiples of the stake, often printed on the reels' frame. Some games offer a progressive top prize instead, which grows with play. Filling every position commonly awards the largest fixed jackpot, but the exact rule differs, so check the help screen. Our progressive jackpots guide explains how the growing kind is funded.

Hold and win maths: what coin values mean in pounds

Because values are multiples of your stake, the same bonus is worth ten times more at £1 than at 10p. The table uses an illustrative set of fixed jackpots; real games publish their own.

Here is an illustrative round at a £1 stake. Six coins trigger it, showing 1x, 2x, 1x, 5x, 1x and 2x (£12 in total). Over the next respins, three more coins land at 1x, 3x and a Mini (20x). Then three blank respins end the round. Total: £12 + £1 + £3 + £20 = £36. A round that ends after three blanks with only the starting six coins would pay £12, so the trigger itself is no promise of a big result.

The reset rule explains why so many rounds stay short. Suppose, hypothetically, that each empty position has a 4% chance of landing a coin on any respin. With 9 of 15 positions empty, the chance that a respin brings nothing is 0.96 to the power of 9, about 69%. The chance of three blanks in a row is about 0.69 × 0.69 × 0.69, roughly 33%. So in this example, about one round in three would end without adding a single coin. Filling all 15 positions would be far rarer, which is why the top prize can be so large.

Hold and win slots: published examples

In Money Train 4 the bonus grid starts at 6 × 4 and can grow to 6 × 6, an example of the expander idea in action. Figures are developers' published numbers; your casino may run a different RTP version, and the max win is a theoretical cap rather than a realistic target. See our pages on Relax Gaming, Booming Games and Kalamba Games for studios that lean on this mechanic, and our max win explained guide for how caps work.

Hold and win vs free spins: which bonus is which?

Some games include both kinds of bonus, and the help screen lists every round a game offers. Our slot features explained guide shows how the two sit among other bonus types.

Are hold and win slots worth playing? RTP and volatility

Hold and win slots publish ordinary RTPs, typically around 96% for the games above, but they push a large share of that return into the bonus. The base game often pays modestly in between, so a balance can fall steadily while you wait for a trigger. That is the definition of high volatility.

Put simply: if a hypothetical game triggers the bonus once every 150 spins on average, a 50p stake means around £75 staked between bonuses on average, and some gaps will be two or three times longer. When the bonus arrives, it may pay less than that, as the example above shows. Deciding your budget in advance, and accepting it as the cost of the entertainment, is the only sensible way to approach them.

How to check a hold and win slot before you play

1. Open the help screen and find the trigger rule: how many cash symbols, and whether a special symbol is needed.
2. Note the starting respin count and confirm that it resets on every new symbol.
3. List the special symbols (collector, multiplier, payer, expander) and what each does.
4. Read the jackpot values and check whether they are fixed multiples or progressive.
5. Check the RTP version and the maximum win cap at your casino.
6. Set a stake that fits your budget for a long wait between bonuses.

Hold and win myths

• 'Lots of coins in the base game means the bonus is close.' Each spin is independent; the random number generator has no memory.
• 'Raising the stake makes the bonus more likely.' It raises the value of every coin, not the trigger rate; our answer on whether bigger bets win more explains why.
• 'The Grand must be due.' Fixed jackpots have no 'due' point; the chance is the same on every round.
• 'Respins are extra bets.' They are part of the spin that triggered them and cost nothing more.

UK rules that apply to hold and win slots

These games are online slots, so the full set of slot rules applies. The Gambling Commission's stake limit guidance (opens in a new tab) caps the stake per game cycle at £5 for players aged 25 and over (since 9 April 2025) and £2 for 18 to 24-year-olds (since 21 May 2025). A game cycle runs until all winnings are delivered, so the respin round sits inside the cycle and needs no further stake. Our £2 under-25 limit page has the background.

Since 31 October 2021, every spin has had to take at least 2.5 seconds, with no autoplay, turbo or slam-stop, under the Commission's Remote Technical Standards (opens in a new tab); our spin speed limit page explains how this works. Many hold and win games sold abroad include an option to buy the bonus outright; slots supplied to Great Britain do not offer it.

Where to play hold and win slots in the UK

Titles in this style from Pragmatic Play, Relax Gaming and other major studios are widely carried by UK-licensed casinos. Our partners each list thousands of games, but we have not confirmed every title in each lobby, so use the search bar and check the game's help screen at the casino you choose.

No current partner offer is aimed at hold and win games. Coral Casino (18+, new players, terms apply) gives 100 free spins at 10p each on selected slots once you deposit with an eligible method and bet £10 on slots; the spins must be accepted within 48 hours and used within 7 days, and their winnings carry no wagering. PlayOJO (18+, new UK customers excluding Northern Ireland, terms apply) gives 80 free spins at 10p each on Big Bass Bonanza with a first deposit of £10 or more, paying winnings as cash. Casumo (18+, opt-in, terms apply) adds a 50% bonus up to £100 on a first deposit of at least £20, wagered 10x within 7 days with a £5 maximum bet and game restrictions.

Respin rounds are designed to be gripping, so use the casino's reality checks and deposit limits. The National Gambling Helpline (opens in a new tab) is free and open 24/7 on 0808 8020 133. Browse more explainers on our guides hub.

18+. Gambling should be entertainment that costs money, not a way to make it. Set a deposit limit before you play: how to set deposit limits. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.