How Do Hold & Win Slots Work? Best Hold and Win Slot Games

Hold-and-Win slots are video slot machines with an internal hold-and-win feature as part of their bonus offerings. This fast-paced bonus mechanic combines sticky symbols, respins, and jackpot potential into one exciting bonus package. 

Hold and Win is fast becoming one of the most popular bonus games in online slots, holding its own against the more common free spins bonuses. Many slots with different themes, variance levels, and game providers utilize this mechanic. Standout titles include the Money Train series from Relax Gaming and Pragmatic’s iconic Wolf Gold. 

We explore how the Hold and Win mechanic works, why it’s become a favorite among U.S. players, and which top-performing titles deliver the most excitement and attract the biggest fan base.

How Hold & Win Slots Work

Hold and Win bonuses are separate bonus rounds that require a special trigger, usually in the form of landing bonus symbols on a base game spin. They’re sometimes known as respin bonuses and are typically played out on a modified bonus reel set with mechanics different from the main game. 

The purpose of the bonus is to try to land and lock as many prize symbols as possible on the grid. These symbols offer instant cash prize payouts and, in some instances, fixed jackpot prizes. 

On each spin, if additional prize symbols land, your respins are reset to the starting count, and the extra prizes are locked in place.

Usually, the bonus ends when all grid positions are filled or your respins run out. At this stage, all prizes in view are collected and awarded before you return to the base game.

Best Hold and Win Slots

If you’re not sure where to start with your hold and win slots adventure, we recommend the following popular slots: 

1. Money Train and Money Cart series from Relax Gaming: This is a massively popular series comprising four games in each. The Money Cart series is a spin-off from the main Money Train games, where you can jump straight into the bonus games, with prize potential up to 15,000x. The Money Train games get increasingly more exciting as the series continues, with Money Train 4 offering a max win of 150,000 times the bet in a post-apocalyptic cyberpunk setting. 
2. Thunderstruck Wild Lightning from Stormcraft Studios: A high volatility multi-feature game with a Norse mythology theme, and win potential up to 15,000x.
3. Big Bass Hold & Spinner from Pragmatic Play: Part of the iconic fishing series from Pragmatic Play, this high variance game includes a free spins bonus and the hold and win feature, and offers prizes up to 10,000 times the bet. 
4. Ted Cash Lock from Blueprint Gaming: This branded, action-packed slot game is another multi-feature game, offering impressive hold-and-win prizes of up to 50,000x, free spins, a bonus wheel, and high variance gameplay. 
5. Cursed Seas from Hacksaw Gaming: A dark pirate storyline with multiple bonus features, eerie ghost-ship graphics, expanding multipliers, and a jackpot prize of 12,500 times your bet. 

Hold & Win Slots Compared with Other Slot Bonuses

Hold and win games offer the ideal bonus mechanics for players who enjoy jackpot chasing and easy-to-follow gameplay. They can be real money spinners, with the added excitement of resetting your spins for even more chances to boost your bonus prizes. 

Oftentimes, hold and win bonuses will be in place of the free spins bonus, but many modern slots now offer multiple features, which means that they can appear in games alongside free spins, pick bonuses, bonus wheels, expanding reels, and other exciting bonuses. 

Like free spins games and pick bonuses, hold and win bonuses tend to play out as separate games within the main slot, which contrasts with the likes of multipliers, wild symbols, Megaways, and cascading reels features, which are usually part of the main base game mechanics, enhancing the gameplay as you seek out the bonus games. 

Play Hold & Win Slots at Top Online Casinos

Ready to start exploring the wonderful world of hold and win slots? Check out the slots on offer at our favorite online casino sites, including BetMGM, FanDuel, and BetRivers, which all offer fantastic game choices and exciting promos in an environment you can trust.

Discover more about online slots, top game providers, bonus offers, and the latest casino news at YouBet.com.