Hold and Win Pokies – Guide to Success for Aussies

Online Pokies offer the most straightforward gameplay among the masses of casino games. The principle is the same whether you play at one of Australia’s finest land-based casinos, at your local pub or an online casino. You top up the pokie with some cash, set your wager, and start spinning the reels, typically waiting for three matching symbols for a winning combination.

However, as the gaming industry has considerably expanded, so has the range of features and bonuses, including the riveting Hold and Win pokies mechanics. So, what is so special about these pokies compared to the thousands of other options for players? When you trigger the Hold and Win feature with a set amount of money symbols, you trigger respins where you can win the money values on each symbol and a shot at a jackpot prize. Its primary appeal is that the respins continue if you land more money symbols, taking you one step closer to one of the jackpots. This unpredictability element has made it one of the favourite pokie features for Australian players.

The Hold and Win principle is straightforward: land the right amount of money coins, scatters or special symbols and hit a set amount to trigger the feature. The typical amount required is six, but it can be less like only three. They will remain sticky or hold on to the reels when they appear. You then enter a new reel set and receive three respins. There are no regular symbols on the reels during respins, only the unique Hold and Win symbols. If you land another symbol on a respin, it also sticks to the reels, and the respin counter is set back to three. This continues until you either have had three spins without any new symbols landing or if you manage to fill the grid.

The icing on the cake is that jackpot prizes are often attached, like a Mega, Major, Minor and Mini. You need the corresponding symbols among the sticky symbols on the reels to win one of the lower-value jackpots. To win, the Mega jackpot usually occurs when you fill the grid with symbols and receive the highest payout on the pokie. It can vary, but it is often around 2,000x, 5,000x or 10,000 your bet. The value of the winning progressive jackpots gets displayed either to the side or above the reels, so you know what’s up for grabs.

When playing the top real money Hold and Win pokies, you may have seen them with different names like Hold and Win, Spin and Win, Hold and Win, Spin ‘n Win, Lock it Link and more. Although there are various names, they all function under the same premise. Land enough symbols, and you will receive the respins feature.

We will look at a few examples of some Hold and Win casino Australia pokies you can try. Each has something unique it brings to the table, as each software developer will introduce various engaging themes and features, providing you with a diverse gaming experience.

The Buffalo Power 2: Hold and Win Pokie from Playson is set in the heart of the Arizona desert, where the fearsome Buffalo roams freely. It has a standard layout of five reels, three rows, 20 fixed paylines and an RTP of 95.44% with high volatility. Its betting range starts at $0.20 per spin, a maximum bet of $20, and a maximum win of 10,468x your bet. 

Trigger the Hold and Win feature with a combination of the bonus orb and power symbols. The power symbols are the key to one of the four jackpots with six gold power coins, the top jackpot prize of 5,000x your bet. Other features include stacked buffalo wilds with multipliers, free spins, and mystery symbols.

This Hold and Wins pokies by Swintt have five reels, four rows and 25 paylines with an icy wintery theme set in the northern woodlands. The minimum bet is $0.25, and the maximum is $25. It has an RTP of 95% and high volatility. There is a free spins feature where you can receive up to ten free spins, and the XtraHold respins feature is just another name for Hold and Win Spins. 

Six or more full moon symbols across the reels start the feature, with three respins. There is only one jackpot, which pays out 10,000x of your bet and to nab the top prize, you must fill the reels full of these full moon symbols. You can also purchase it for 100x your bet in the bonus buy option.

We try out new pokies because we search for bigger and better features to grant us more significant payouts. Although the base game in a pokie can offer a fun time, the features attract us.

Free spins are the most common bonus features and can come in many formats. Some pokies will offer a set number of free spins for landing three scatter symbols. These scatter symbols can be a game logo, the wild symbols or even a special symbol like a glowing orb or a symbol to fit in with the pokies theme. 

Free spins vary greatly between pokies from some that you receive free spins that pay the same as the base game. While others will have a multiplier that increases on each spin, others will have a set multiplier, or some even allow you to pick your free spins feature from the number of free spins and the attached multiplier. 

The wild symbol in Hold and Win Pokies comes with many functions. Some substitute as scatters, while others can trigger various profitable modifiers like on the Money Train series of pokies from Relax Gaming. 

You will find wilds with multipliers, some that remain sticky on the reels for a set number of spins or even wilds that can expand across entire reels. If you land a complete reel set of these expanding wilds, the payouts can be quite something.

Other bonus symbols include the money symbols on the Hold and Win pokies that trigger the respins and the chance at one of the jackpots.

The Jackpots in Hold and Win pokies are only available in fixed jackpot prizes. As yet, which we are hopeful will change, no developer has included a progressive jackpot feature with the mechanic. A fixed jackpot doesn’t change in value. For example, the mini jackpot can be 50x the bet, the minor 100x, the Major 500x and a Mega 5,000x your bet. 

These amounts don’t alter unless you adjust your bet size, so the smaller bets trigger smaller wins than those who bet the maximum. Unless there is a bonus buy feature attached to the pokie, there is no other way you can trigger it, and it’s all about patience, a bit of luck and waiting for the right combination of symbols to land. 

However, if you want to play for more significant prizes, then Money Train 4, the fourth and latest instalment by Relax Gaming, has a Hold and Win feature, and the maximum prize on this pokie is an incredible amount of 150,000x your bet.

When gambling online, it’s easy to get caught up and lose track of time and our budget. Responsible gambling practices are crucial to your success when gambling at online Australian casinos. There are various ways to include them in your betting strategies, with the main principles to follow detailed below:

This has to be the most crucial factor to be mindful of. When we deposit and find a bad run of luck on the pokies, and the budget has gone, do not redeposit. Setting a monthly or weekly budget, depending on how often your pay comes in, is wise.

Think of it as a monthly expense and set aside as much as you can comfortably afford to lose without impacting you negatively. Be diligent in sticking to this budget, and if you have a nasty session on the casino games, always walk away when the budget is depleted. 

Many players chase losses when they have had a lousy run, thinking the pokie must be ready to pay out a big win and will recoup any existing losses, which is a complete fallacy. As a result, we tend to lose focus, and it is easy to dip into funds not intended for gambling.

Whilst there are no sure-fire ways to win on a pokie, there are some strategies you can employ to give you an edge. Firstly, before playing a new pokie, test it out in the demo mode first. This is a great way to test its volatility and frequency of payments. You receive a lump sum of fake cash like monopoly money.

Choose betting ranges that you would generally use when playing on the pokies to understand better how much playing time you should get depending on the many factors. 

Aim for pokies with higher return-to-player (RTP) percentages as it lowers the house edge, and in turn, you should get a better return. Be mindful with RTP that it’s calculated over the lifetime of the pokie, so each player’s session will yield different results.

When deciding on your bet size, setting it relative to your bankroll is essential. There are a few types of players: those who are cautious and tend to go for the lowest bet limit, middle of the road and high rollers who tend to go all in with the max bet amount. However, if you are looking at a $100 bet limit, even with a $1,000 budget, ten spins in without a win and it’s gone!

So, if you go for the more cautious approach, although the wins won’t hold the same value as the higher wagers, you can significantly extend your playing time. Some players also start low, and if a few decent wins land, then they may up the wager by a coin or two.

Before you decide to play on any of the top real money Hold and Win pokies, there are a few essential factors to consider to help you maximise your winning potential. 

Choose the Hold and Win Pokie that aligns with your style. If you prefer more frequent wins, pick one with low volatility for more regular but lower wins. A high volatility pokie tends to have more significant payouts and maximum winning possibilities, but you can have many dead spins without even a sniff of a win.

A medium volatility pokie is a mix of the two, more frequent wins, and some come with pretty hefty max payouts. 

Our last tip is to use the Hold and Win Casino Australia promotional deals. If you are a new player to a casino, choose one that offers a significant welcome bonus and fair wagering conditions. We consider anything below 50x wagering doable. The lower the wagering, the more chance you have of turning a profit. 

Many Australian casinos also offer weekly or monthly deposit reload bonuses. Take advantage of them if you have scrutinised the terms and found them favourable, as it gives you more playing time with the extra funds and an advantage over purely using your own funds. 

We all have different tastes and styles, and while some of us may prefer the thrill of playing pokies at a brick-and-mortar venue, some prefer to play from the comfort of our homes or via our mobile devices when on the move. Let us take a look at the main disadvantages and advantages of both: