Last updated: May 2026. Hold and Win behaviour documented from 8 rounds triggered across our 300-spin test set, plus the official 3 Oaks Gaming product page.
The Free Spins round is the secondary attraction, the four jackpots are the visual chase — but Hold and Win Respins are the engine that makes Black Wolf 2 sing. Every meaningful session result, every clip-worthy round, every Grand-jackpot moment runs through this feature. It's also the mechanic that 3 Oaks Gaming (formerly Booongo) has refined across dozens of titles, and on Black Wolf 2 it lands in arguably its cleanest form. This article unpacks exactly how the trigger works, what the respin reset does, why the round can keep extending, and what realistic-vs-dream outcomes look like for Aussie players.
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The money symbol — where everything starts
The Hold and Win feature is driven entirely by money symbols: glowing moon-coin icons with numeric values printed on them. The standard money symbols carry values of 1×, 2×, 3×, 5×, 10×, 15×, or 25× the spin bet. The four jackpot variants — Mini, Minor, Major, and Grand — replace the numeric value with the respective jackpot label.
Money symbols only count for Hold and Win. They don't pay on standard paylines. You can spin all day and see 1, 2, or 3 money symbols land without anything happening — they need to land 6 or more on a single base-game spin to fire the feature.
| Visible money symbols on a base-game spin | Outcome |
|---|---|
| 0-5 | No feature trigger; standard payline evaluation continues |
| 6+ | Hold and Win Respins triggers |
In our 300-spin test set, 1-2 money symbols were visible on roughly 18% of spins. 3-5 visible on roughly 4% of spins — the "almost" zone that builds the anticipation without firing the feature. 6+ on 0.5% of spins (~1 in 200), which is the actual trigger frequency — consistent with the medium-high volatility profile.
How the trigger works
Trigger condition: 6 or more money symbols visible anywhere on the 5×4 grid at the end of a base-game spin.
When the trigger fires:
- The screen flashes — animation depends on casino wrapper but typically a wolf-howl audio cue and a coin-shower visual.
- The 6+ money symbols lock in their positions on the grid.
- All other positions are emptied of their base-game symbols.
- 3 respins are awarded.
- The respins begin — only the unlocked positions spin.
Trigger frequency: ~1 in 180-220 spins based on our test set.
What happens during respins
On each respin, only the empty (unlocked) positions spin. The locked money symbols stay put with their values visible. After each respin:
- If a new money symbol lands, it locks in place AND the respin counter resets to 3.
- If no new money symbol lands, the respin counter decreases by 1.
- If the counter reaches 0 with no new money symbols having landed, the round ends.
- If all 20 grid positions are filled with money symbols, the round ends immediately and the Grand jackpot (1,000× total bet) is awarded — in addition to all the visible money-symbol values.
This is the reset mechanic — the thing that makes the feature sing. As long as money symbols keep landing, the round keeps extending. A sustained Hold and Win round where multiple money symbols land across many resets can produce 200-500× total bet payouts before naturally ending.
The round payout
At the end of the round (whether by 3-respin timeout or full grid fill):
- All visible money-symbol values are summed.
- Any Mini, Minor, Major jackpot symbol values are added as flat awards (5×, 25×, 100× total bet respectively).
- If the grid is fully filled, the Grand jackpot (1,000× total bet) is added.
- The total is paid out as your Hold and Win round result.
Example breakdown:
A successful Hold and Win round we logged in testing at the A$1 bet level:
- Initial trigger: 7 money symbols (values: 1, 2, 3, 5, 10, Mini, 1 = 22× + 5× Mini = 27× total bet)
- Respin 1: +2 money symbols land (1×, 3× — totals now 31×). Counter resets to 3.
- Respin 2: No new symbol. Counter to 2.
- Respin 3: +1 money symbol (Minor jackpot = +25×). Counter resets to 3. Running total 56×.
- Respin 4: No new symbol. Counter to 2.
- Respin 5: +1 money symbol (15×). Counter resets to 3. Running total 71×.
- Respins 6, 7, 8: No new symbols. Counter to 0. Round ends.
- Total payout: 71× total bet = A$71 from a A$1 spin.
That's a representative "good" round. Stronger rounds (>100×) involved more aggressive money-symbol stacking; weaker rounds (15-30×) involved the initial 6-7 trigger plus few or no resets.
The four fixed jackpots
The jackpot tiers are awarded by landing specific jackpot money symbols:
| Jackpot | Award (× total bet) | Trigger |
|---|---|---|
| Mini | 5× | Mini jackpot money symbol lands |
| Minor | 25× | Minor jackpot money symbol lands |
| Major | 100× | Major jackpot money symbol lands |
| Grand | 1,000× | All 20 grid positions filled with money symbols |
All four are fixed multipliers of your spin bet. They're not progressive, they don't grow with player wagering, they pay a flat multiplier.
The Mini, Minor, and Major variants are just rarer money symbols — they land as part of the normal Hold and Win flow but more infrequently than standard-value coins. The Grand requires a full grid fill, which means continuously landing money symbols across multiple respins until all 20 positions are occupied.
Why the reset mechanic matters
The respin reset is the difference between Hold and Win being a "feature you play out" and Hold and Win being a "feature you chase." Without it, every round would last 3 respins regardless. With it, sustained rounds keep going as long as money symbols keep dropping.
In our test set, the average Hold and Win round lasted 5.5 respins (the 3 initial respins plus ~2.5 worth of resets). The longest round lasted 14 respins before ending. The Grand-fill scenario hasn't fired in our 300-spin testing, but clips from slot-community channels confirm it happens. If you want to feel the cadence without spending, Black Wolf 2's demo mode reproduces it 1:1.
Realistic vs dream outcomes
A clean expected-value picture of Black Wolf 2 Hold and Win rounds:
| Outcome shape | Probability | Typical payout |
|---|---|---|
| Short dead round (no resets, low values) | ~25% | 5-15× total bet |
| Standard round (1-2 resets, mid values) | ~45% | 15-50× total bet |
| Above-average round (2-4 resets, some jackpot symbols) | ~22% | 50-150× total bet |
| Big round (Major jackpot + sustained resets) | ~7% | 150-500× total bet |
| Huge round (multiple Majors + 500×+) | ~0.8% | 500-1,000× total bet |
| Grand-fill round | ~0.2% | 1,000-2,000× total bet |
Plan for the standard round shape. Treat anything above 100× as a session win. The Grand rounds are real but they're not the expected case.
Hold and Win in free spins
The Hold and Win feature doesn't fire inside free spins — these are separate features. Money symbols don't appear during free spins; you'll only see standard symbols and the Wild Wolf. If a Hold and Win round happens to be triggered immediately before free spins (rare), the Hold and Win plays out first, then free spins begin.
Bonus Buy and Hold and Win
Where available, Bonus Buy lets you skip the base-game grind and pay approximately 100× total bet to enter Hold and Win directly. The round behaviour is identical to a natural trigger — same respin mechanic, same jackpot odds, same Grand-fill potential.
Bonus Buy is worse value over the very long run (the variance against you is concentrated) but useful for sampling many Hold and Win rounds quickly. See Black Wolf 2 Max Win for the Bonus Buy vs natural trigger comparison.
The visual choreography
What makes Hold and Win genuinely thrilling on Black Wolf 2 is the audio-visual build that 3 Oaks Gaming has polished over the studio's Hold and Win catalogue:
- Money symbol lands on a base-game spin: soft coin-clink sound.
- 3rd money symbol visible (anticipation zone): music shifts slightly, wolf silhouette appears in the background.
- 6th money symbol lands (trigger): screen flashes, wolf howl, coin-shower animation.
- New money symbol lands during respins: ascending tone, counter resets, value floats into a running total.
- Major jackpot money symbol lands: distinctive chime, jackpot panel pulses.
- Grand jackpot grid-fill (when it happens): dramatic full-screen animation, all jackpot panels light up.
Other studios produce big-win moments; 3 Oaks Gaming produces big-win structure. Every respin reset has its own micro-celebration. The choreography is part of why the Hold and Win mechanic stays engaging across long sessions.
When to walk away from the session
You can't "walk away from a Hold and Win round mid-respin" — you have to play out the 3 (or more, with resets) respins. But you can walk away from the session after the round finishes.
Most player regret in Black Wolf 2 comes from continuing to spin after a big Hold and Win round, hoping for another. The math doesn't care about your last round. Each subsequent spin has the same trigger probability as the first. Discipline here is the difference between a winning session and a break-even session.
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Quick FAQ
Do money symbols pay anything outside Hold and Win? No — they only contribute when 6+ trigger the feature. Spinning past them in the base game is normal.
Can the respin counter reset more than once? Yes — every new money symbol resets it. There's no cap on resets.
Is the Grand jackpot really a 1,000× flat award? Yes — plus the visible money-symbol values, which can push the total higher.
Can the feature fire on the last respin? Yes — a money symbol landing on respin 3 resets the counter to 3, extending the round.
Does Bonus Buy affect the feature math? No — same math as natural trigger.
What if the round fills the grid but the visible values don't push to 2,000×? The Grand still awards 1,000× total bet on top of the visible values. Many Grand rounds pay around 1,200-1,600× total.
Why is the trigger threshold 6 money symbols and not 5? 3 Oaks Gaming's design choice. The 6+ threshold keeps the feature feeling "earned" rather than firing frequently.
About this Hold and Win breakdown
Feature behaviour observed across 8 Hold and Win rounds in our 300-spin test set, supplemented by replays from verified clips on slot-community channels. Reset and payout patterns are empirical from our test set; treat them as guidance, not certified math.
Gambling responsibly. The Hold and Win chase is engineered to feel rewarding regardless of the actual EV. Set deposit limits before depositing. AU support: gamblinghelponline.org.au · BetStop · 18+ only.
Further Reading
Related reading in this guide: