The best casinos in New Zealand power the most popular casino pokies on their online platform. Competition is fierce and the drive to develop games that attract and keep players engaged is becoming more of a challenge.
Still, with challenge comes drive and the best game providers are constantly innovating and designing new and exciting features for their games; one of these innovations is the Hold and Win slot.
The best Hold and Win pokies in New Zealand
The best Hold and Win pokies will combine a high RTP, fantastic graphics, and exciting gameplay to bring you the best user experience possible. We’ve taken a look at the best in the world to bring you our recommendations.
1. Apollo Pays – 96.56% RTP
| RTP | 96.51% – 96.56% | Min Bet | NZ$0.20 |
| Max payout | 116,030x | Max Bet | NZ$20 |
Apollo Pays is an Ancient Greek-themed pokie from Big Time Gaming that offers up to 96.56% RTP and 117,649 Megaways to win. The slot has six reels with between two and seven rows, wilds, scatters and respins to help you get maximum wins.
The Hold and Win feature on this slot automatically trigger any win of three or more symbols. Those symbols are held in place, and the rest of the reels are spun. Should more of the winning symbols accumulate, they too are held, and the reels spin again until no more winning combinations form?
2. Money Train – 96.2% RTP
| RTP | 96.2% | Min Bet | NZ$0.10 |
| Max payout | 20,000x | Max Bet | NZ$50 |
Money Train from Relax Gaming will take you straight to the days of the Wild West with its one-horse town backdrop and train carriage cart reels. The pokie has a decent betting range, wild symbols, multipliers, a bonus buy and special bonus round symbols.
On entering the bonus round, the Hold and Win feature activates and holds each multiplier that lands, restarting the free spin counter to three each time. The bonus ends when no more multiplier boxes land and the free spins get to zero.
3. Thunderstruck Wild Lightning – 96.1% RTP
| RTP | 96.1% | Min Bet | NZ$0.20 |
| Max payout | 15,000x | Max Bet | NZ$16 |
This God of Thunder-themed pokie from Stormcraft Studios is packed with features like stacked wilds, multipliers, scatters, five free spin levels and a four-tiered progressive jackpot. Add the Link & Win feature to this, and you’ll be hoping for a lightning strike!
In Thunderstruck Wild Lightning you’ll find the Hold and Win feature in the Link & Win bonus round where Thunderball symbols are held, and each new addition resets the free spins. At the end of the round, your prize is tallied using the values on the Thunderballs.
4. Game of Thrones Power Stacks – 96.2% RTP
| RTP | 96.2% | Min Bet | NZ$0.10 |
| Max payout | 25,000x | Max Bet | NZ$20 |
Themed after the popular TV series, this 5×4 pokie from Slingshot Studios brings you all the same drama and intrigue. The slot features Powerstacks stacked symbols, four progressive jackpot levels, scatters, free spins, multipliers and a Link & Win round.
When you land six or more coin symbols, you’ll trigger the Link & Win feature with the Hold and Win function. Game of Throne Power Stacks Pokie will add each newly landed coin symbol to the held symbols and award three more free spins.
5. Money Cart 2 – 98% RTP
| RTP | 98% | Min Bet | NZ$0.10 |
| Max payout | 5,000 | Max Bet | NZ$200 |
Money Cart 2 is not your average pokie, with no standard symbols to report and only bonus tokens to collect. Three bonus symbols get you into the bonus round, bringing nine modifiers to increase your winnings.
During the bonus round, bonus symbols are held and collected with each spin to trigger three more spins. The round ends when no more bonus symbols land.
6. Buffalo Power: Hold and Win – 95.04% RTP
| RTP | 95.04% | Min Bet | NZ$0.40 |
| Max payout | 50,000 | Max Bet | NZ$100 |
Buffalo Power: Hold and Win by Playson is a wildlife-themed slot set in the Grand Canyon. The 5×3 pokie features 20 paylines, scatters, two bonus symbols and stacked wilds, plus a four-tiered jackpot.
Six or more power symbols initiate the Hold and Win re-spins bonus.
7. Vikings Fortune – 95.2% RTP
| RTP | 95.2% | Min Bet | NZ$0.25 |
| Max payout | 1,000x | Max Bet | NZ$100 |
Filled with Viking character symbols and set in an ancient Viking village, Vikings Fortune from Playson comes to you with some fabulous features. Spin the reels to line up stacked wilds, bonus tokens, and treasure chest scatters, and play for the jackpot.
The Hold and Win in Vikings Fortune Pokie feature triggers during the bonus game, where bonus tokens are held in place, and all-new tokens become sticky and re-trigger the free spins.
8. Sunny Fruits – 95.7% RTP
| RTP | 95.7% | Min Bet | NZ$0.10 |
| Max payout | 1,188x | Max Bet | NZ$100 |
Sunny Fruits is a traditional fruit-style pokie from Playson. This classic slot offers many features, including stacked wilds and bonus symbols and three types of jackpots.
The Hold and Win feature triggers, and sun bonus tokens, are collected during the bonus game to award incredible prizes. Each additional sun bonus symbol resets the respins.
9. Gold Digger – 96% RTP
| RTP | 96% | Min Bet | NZ$0.20 |
| Max payout | 8,230x | Max Bet | NZ$20 |
Enjoy the thrill of the old gold rush days with this gold mining-themed slot by iSoftbet. Interesting features include wilds, multipliers, a bonus with modifiers and extra respins.
During Gold Digger’s bonus round, all special symbols become sticky and stay on the reels to contribute to your final prize. New locked-in symbols reset the free spin clock to three.
10. Outback Gold – 96% RTP
| RTP | 96% | Min Bet | NZ$0.25 |
| Max payout | 5,000x | Max Bet | NZ$25 |
Set in the Australian outback, this progressive jackpot pokie has all the hallmarks of a classic slot. iSoftbet packed in stacked wilds, lightning modifiers, three jackpot levels and a Hold and Win feature.
The Hold and Win feature kicks in after lining up five or more gold or platinum coins, which initiates the bonus round. The Outback Gold Pokie will hold any coins, and newly appearing coins will be added and will add more respins.
What is a Hold and Win pokie?
A Hold and Win slot is any pokie that features a symbol hold function where winning symbols are collected and added to the reels during play.
How does the Hold & Win feature work?
After a winning combination, either during a bonus round or regular play (game dependent), the symbols in a Hold and Win become sticky and stay in place. The rest of the reels spin and any additional symbols will be added to the held ones, increasing the win. The round ends when no new symbols are added, and the prize is paid out.
Why should you try out Hold and Win slots?
The Hold and Win feature are one of the best kind of bonuses around. It can lead to much higher payouts and longer-lasting bonus rounds.
With fixed symbols and new ones hopefully landing each spin, the chances of reaching that big win is much higher. You have just one spin to collect your symbols with standard pokies, so the payouts are not as high in general.
The best Hold and Win slots providers
Any game provider worth their salt knows that bonus features are the way into players’ good books and Hold and Wins are a definite drawcard. Here are our picks for the best providers for Hold and Win Pokies.
1. Big Time Gaming
Big Time Gaming has a proven track record in providing top-quality games with innovative features and big wins. BTG is well-known for its development of the Megaways feature.
Their best Hold and Win pokie is Apollo Pays Megaways.
2. Relax Gaming
This award-winning provider has been providing players with thrilling game experiences since 2010. Their game portfolio includes pokies, poker and bingo games.
Some of their Hold and Win games include Tiger Kingdom, Chip Spin and Money Cart 2.
3. Pragmatic Play
Pragmatic Play is a leader in the iGaming industry, with a strong focus on innovative, mobile-friendly games. Their gaming portfolio spans a vast range of slots, bingo, virtual sports, live casino and sports betting products.
Look out for their Hold and Win titles Heart of Rio, Barn Festival and Empty the Bank.
4. Stormcraft Studios
Based in South Africa, this world-class game developer has created some top titles, including Jurassic Park, Mega Moolah, and Immortal Romance. Founded in 2016, the iGaming studio has built a strong reputation in a short time.
Try their Hold and Win titles Thunderstruck and Jurassic Park Gold.
5. Slingshot Studios
An independent studio launched in 2016, Slingshot creates exciting games exclusively for the Microgaming group. The company is dedicated to creating compelling and entertaining games with innovative features.
Where to play Hold and Win slots?
We’ve narrowed the field to bring you our top 5 casinos that offer Hold and Win pokies for New Zealanders: