Hold and Win is a bonus feature found in many modern slot machines, where certain symbols lock in place on the reels and trigger a set number of re-spins. Every time a new special symbol lands during those re-spin, the counter resets, giving you another shot at filling the board. Land enough of them, and the round can pay out a fixed jackpot instead of a regular win.
If you play online casino games – or online games more broadly – you’ve probably run into this feature without knowing its name. It shows up across a huge range of slot games and slot machine games, no matter the theme. It usually plays out on its own bonus screen: the reels shrink, the background changes, and every symbol that lands from then on is either a cash value, a multiplier, or a jackpot symbol.
How Does Hold and Win Work?
The mechanics stay fairly consistent across slot machines that use this feature, even when the theme or paytable is different:
| No of Steps | STAGES |
| 1 | You trigger it by landing a minimum number of special symbols, often three, on the base game reels. |
| 2 | The game switches to a smaller grid, and those symbols stay locked in their positions. |
| 3 | You’re given a set number of respins, usually three. |
| 4 | Any new special symbol that lands resets the respin counter back to three. |
| 5 | The round ends when you run out of respins, or the entire grid fills with special symbols. |
| 6 | A full grid usually means the top prize, sometimes called a grand or super jackpot depending on the game. |
Key Features to Look Out For
• Locked symbols – once a symbol lands during the feature, it stays put for the rest of the round.
• Cash and multiplier values – many symbols carry a coin value or a multiplier that adds to your total.
• Tiered jackpots – some games stack smaller jackpots, like mini or major, underneath the grand prize.
• No skill involved – as with most slot machines, the result comes down to the random number generator, so there’s nothing to plan mid-round.
Hold and Win vs. Other Bonus Rounds
It’s easy to confuse this with free spins or Megaways-style mechanics, but they behave differently. Free spins usually just give you more base-game spins, sometimes with extra wilds thrown in. Hold and Win instead moves you into a separate grid where the goal is filling positions rather than lining up paylines – which is also why it tends to feel more tense. You can watch the board fill up in real time and see the prize grow with every respin.
FAQs
Is Hold and Win the same in every game?
The core idea stays the same, but the grid size, number of starting respins, and jackpot tiers vary by game and developer.
Can you win the jackpot every time you trigger the feature?
No. Filling the entire grid is rare - most rounds end with a smaller cash payout instead.
Can you try it without spending money?
Yes. Most online casino sites let you play slot games in demo mode, so you can watch the feature run before you bet anything real.