How the Hold & Win mechanic works
A Hold & Win round triggers when a minimum number of bonus/coin symbols land on the reels in a single spin — typically 6 or more. All remaining reel positions are blanked out. The player is awarded 3 respins. During respins:
• Any new bonus symbol that lands locks in place (holds)
• A new bonus landing resets the respin counter to 3
• The round ends when 3 respins complete without a new bonus landing
The round pays out the total value of all locked symbols at the end. Lock the full grid (typically 15 positions on a 5×3 pokie) and you win the Grand jackpot — a fixed multiplier (often 1000x to 10000x bet). This is the single largest base-game payout in most modern pokies outside Megaways max-win territory.
The four jackpot tiers
Most Hold & Win titles pair the base mechanic with a tiered jackpot system:
• Mini — smallest, frequent; typically 10-50x bet
• Minor — medium; typically 100-500x bet
• Major — large; typically 1000-5000x bet
• Grand — jackpot; typically 10000x bet or a progressive linked pool
Jackpot tier is determined either by special "jackpot" coin symbols appearing alongside regular coins, or by filling the grid (Grand = full grid).
This structure is what made Lightning Link / Dragon Link the defining Hold & Win franchises — the jackpot tiers give a clear ladder of "wins of different sizes" which plays well psychologically alongside the mechanic's inherent anticipation.
Studios that do Hold & Win well
Aristocrat (Product Madness) — Dragon Link series, Lightning Link series. The original and still the reference.
Pragmatic Play — The "Money" family (Money Train 4, Money Cart 4, Chicken Chase) and Big Bass series extensively use Hold & Win variants. Pragmatic's Hold & Win rounds often feature additional multipliers stacked on top of the locked symbols, which can push wins dramatically above the simple locked-value math.
Wazdan — Hold the Jackpot series (Sizzling Eggs, Larry the Leprechaun). Clean classic-style implementation.
Habanero — Caishen's Wealth, Fortune Dogs. Asian-theme Hold & Win variants with distinctive art and sound design.
NetEnt — Twin Spin XXXtreme, Riches of Midgard: Land and Expand (Land-and-Expand is a Hold & Win variant).
Hold & Win is by volume one of the top-3 mechanical families in online pokies alongside Megaways and classic-free-spins.
Availability at the six AU casinos we review
Hold & Win titles are well-represented across AU-facing casinos given the mechanic's popularity; specific franchise availability varies.
| Casino | Coverage | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fortune88 | Broad | Deep coverage across Pragmatic, Wazdan, Habanero Hold & Win series |
| B4Bet | Good | Mainstream Hold & Win titles present |
| Aussie2Win | Broad | Aristocrat Hold & Win prominent as part of AU-positioning; Pragmatic series also carried |
| The Star | Curated | Selected Hold & Win titles; premium curation |
| Ripperbet | Good | Standard Hold & Win coverage across major studios |
| Le88Win | Broad | Habanero and Asian-studio Hold & Win variants well represented alongside anglo studios |
FAQ
Is Hold & Win the same as Hold & Spin?
Yes — the mechanic is identical; studios use whichever name their first title established. Aristocrat used "Hold & Spin" originally; "Hold & Win" is now more common across studios. "Link & Win" is Pragmatic Play's branded variant.
How often does the Grand jackpot trigger?
Very rarely — typical Grand-tier hit rates are 1 in 50,000 to 1 in 200,000 base-game spins. This is by design; the Grand win is supposed to be a session-defining event, not a routine payout. Lower tiers (Mini, Minor) hit much more frequently.
Can I skip the 3-respin mechanic and just get the payout?
No — the locked-symbol total is not known until the respin sequence ends. The round must play out. Some titles have a "gamble" feature on the final result, but the base mechanic cannot be shortcut.
What RTP do Hold & Win titles run?
Varies by studio and title. Pragmatic Play Hold & Win titles often run 96-96.5% in their standard configurations. Aristocrat Dragon Link online variants run in similar ranges. Check the in-game info panel for the specific deployed RTP.
Related reading
- AU online pokies hub — overview + all categories
- How pokies RTP works
- Bonus wagering explained
- All six AU casino reviews