Hold and win: slot feature explained

What hold and win means in slots

The casinos.com guide to slot features (opens in a new tab) describes hold and win as a feature that locks certain symbols in place while the other positions keep spinning, giving repeated chances at more matches or rewards. In practice, the locked symbols usually carry a cash value shown as a multiple of your stake.

There's no single standard version. Each studio sets its own trigger, respin count, symbol types and prizes, and gives the feature its own name. You'll find related slot terms throughout our casino app glossary.

How a hold and win round plays out

Pragmatic Play's Wolf Gold is a well-documented example. Its Money Respin works like this:

1. Six or more full-moon money symbols land in the base game and trigger the Money Respin.
2. The moons lock in place while the other positions respin.
3. You get three respins. Each time a new moon lands, it locks too and the count goes back to three.
4. Moons can carry Mini, Major or Mega jackpot prizes as well as cash values.
5. The round ends when a set of respins passes with no new moon, or when all 15 positions are full, which wins the Mega jackpot.
6. The values of all locked moons are added up and paid.

Our Wolf Gold review covers the rest of the game, including its free spins and giant symbols.

Six hold and win features compared

The table shows how far the idea stretches. Relax Gaming's Money Train 2 turns it into a collection game, where special symbols collect or boost the values of others, and filling a reel opens an extra one. NetEnt's Divine Fortune uses a three-respin jackpot game where filling one, two or three rows wins the Minor, Major or Mega jackpot. Even Narcos has a version, Locked Up, triggered by Escobar symbols.

Volatility, stakes and the cost of hold and win slots

Hold and win rounds can pay many times your stake when the grid fills, so games that rely on them are often rated medium to high volatility. Most of the time the feature doesn't trigger, and when it does, it may end after a few respins with modest values.

The cost is set by the RTP, which already includes the feature. Wolf Gold's 96.01% means a 3.99% house edge: staking £20 over 50 spins at 40p has an expected cost of about 80p. Any one session can be far better or worse than that, and losses are likely over time. Never chase a feature by raising your stake; the respin round has no memory of how long you've waited.

UK rules that affect hold and win features

The respins in a hold and win feature don't cost anything extra; they belong to the paid spin that triggered them. The Commission's RTS 14 standard (opens in a new tab) says its ban on speeding up results doesn't apply to bonus or feature games where no additional stake is wagered, and that it doesn't ban reveal-all features.

• Base game spins still take at least 2.5 seconds, with no turbo, slam stop or autoplay.
• Stakes are capped at £5 a spin for players aged 25 and over and £2 for those aged 18 to 24.
• Since a Gambling Commission warning in January 2020, feature buy-ins are not offered to British players, so you can't pay to jump straight into the respins.

See our game design rules page for the full list and dates.

Playing hold and win on a phone, and related terms

The feature translates well to a small screen because locked symbols show their values clearly on the grid, but on a 5x3 or 5x4 layout those numbers can be small in portrait. Turning the phone sideways often helps; our landscape mode entry explains why. For broader choice, see best slot apps and our mobile slots guide.

• Jackpot: the fixed prizes many hold and win rounds offer for filling the grid.
• Multiplier: often applied to collected values.
• Free spins: a separate bonus that some games run alongside hold and win.
• Cluster pays: another grid mechanic with its own re-spin twists.

Partner offers and hold and win slots

Our partners' spin offers are tied to specific slots chosen by each casino, so a hold and win game is only covered if the offer's eligible list includes it. 18+ and terms apply.

• Coral: 100 free spins at 10p each on selected slots when you deposit and bet £10 on slots, running from 1 October 2026 to 1 February 2027. You have 48 hours to accept and 7 days to play them, and free spin winnings carry no wagering. Neteller, PayPal, Paysafe, Skrill, prepaid cards and certain debit cards are excluded.
• Ladbrokes: play £10 on slots after depositing to collect 50 free spins a day for 10 days, up to 500 at 10p on selected games. Claim before 23:59 each day and use within 7 days, with no wagering. Prepaid card, PayPal, Paysafe, Neteller, Skrill and Moneybookers deposits don't qualify.
• PlayOJO: 80 free spins on Big Bass Bonanza at 10p, for a first deposit of £10 or more, paid as cash with no wagering. Big Bass Bonanza uses a Fisherman collect feature in free spins rather than hold and win. New UK customers outside Northern Ireland only, via the designated link, and not combinable.

18+. Every casino game has a built-in house edge, so over time you should expect to lose what you stake. Set a budget before you play and stop when it’s gone: safer gambling tools and support. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.