As online slot gaming has become more and more innovative over the years, the range of categories available for players to explore has also grown exponentially.
You may already be familiar with progressive jackpot slots and mechanics like Megaways and tumbling reels, but Hold & Win games? Maybe this is a genre that has so far passed you by.
Hold & Win is, in essence, a different type of bonus feature to the ones you may already be familiar with. It’s also one that, when your luck is in, can provide plenty of reward.
So, for newcomers to this dynamic, we’ll answer all of your burning questions in this article – what are Hold & Win slots? How are they triggered? And how do they compare to other slot bonus mechanics?
We’ll also take a look at some of the best Hold & Win games to play in the UK, too.
What are Hold & Win Slots?
The Hold & Win feature is triggered when a specific combination of symbols appear on your reels.
The bonus symbols will then lock into place onto your reels – essentially the ‘hold’ part of the name, with players handed a series of respins with those icons locked in place.
The rest of the symbols on your gameboard will change as the reels spin, with the potential to create winning combinations utilising the symbols held in place.
In some real money Hold & Win games, a jackpot will be paid out if you can fill all of your positions with a particular symbol. Generally, filling your gameboard will earn a sizeable multiplier, with 500x not uncommon.
So there’s two ways that the Hold & Win feature can end. Either you use up your allocation of re-spins, landing a payout based upon the number of special symbols left on screen, or you fill your reels entirely with the bonus icon and get paid out accordingly.
Hold & Win vs Other Bonus Features
It should be noted that slot games with the Hold & Win feature can differ from one title to the next.
Some are basic in their style, but others are complimented by other bonus features – so you can Hold & Win alongside wild symbols, expanding icons and multipliers.
They’re not dissimilar to UK slots featuring a free spins bonus, although the objective with your free spins is to rack up as many winning turns with no cost to your bankroll – with all of the symbols contributing.
Of course, in Hold & Win slots, it’s usually one bonus symbol that is desired on your reels.
Other players prefer the pick’em style bonus, where they are taken to a second screen and asked to select from a series of icons. If you match two or more of the same, you will be paid that particular prize – but note that there’s ‘dead’ symbols that can end the bonus, too.
Your personal tastes and preferences will determine which bonus type is your favourite. But Hold & Win slots can provide plenty of excitement as you watch the reels spin and hope more bonus symbols land to join those already in play.
Best Hold & Win Slots in the UK
So now you know what to expect, what are the best Hold & Win slots in the UK?
One of the most popular is Buffalo Hold and Win, created by Booming Games. Six coin symbols will unlock the Hold & Win bonus, with every additional coin landed on a re-spin resetting your counter back to three re-spins.
A scatter symbol can also appear on your reels during the bonus, with the power to trigger bonus spins and multipliers. But the big win comes from landing a complete set of bonus coins on your reels for a 1,000x prize.
Booming Games are also responsible for Rhino Hold & Win, which offers players 25 paylines across five reels in its base game.
As with many real money slots, Rhino Hold & Win boasts expanding wilds that can take over entire reels, while the scatter symbol unlocks the free spins round… and it’s here that the Hold & Win mechanic can come into play when landing six or more coin value symbols.
All low value symbols are removed from your board, while the coin symbols – each of which has a value displayed on it – are held in place for each re-spin. Each time a new coin symbol appears, the re-spin counter rests to three.
At the end of your spins, the coin values are accumulated and paid out, while there’s a jackpot prize for filling your entire screen with the special icon.
For a more stripped back gaming experience, Coin Strike Hold & Win is played out on a three reel, three row gameboard with just five paylines in play – keeping the base game nice and straightforward.
The Hold & Win element is triggered when one or more of the bonus symbol appears on your reels. You’ll be handed re-spins and a chance to accrue more cash values, with each sticky for the entirety of the feature. There’s four different jackpots to be won, too.
Try Hold & Win Games at Prime Slots
At Prime Slots, we have more than 50 different Hold & Win games to try, with more being added to our collection on a regular basis.
All slot players have their own tastes and preferences, so it may be that Hold & Win becomes your new favourite bonus feature – others may prefer free spins or pick-and-click style bonuses.
Either way, you can check out different game styles and explore new mechanics right here at Prime Slots; why not use our Daily Picks promotion to trial Hold & Win slots today?
