A hold and spin feature keeps specified symbols in place while eligible positions spin again. Read four rules separately: what triggers the stage, what stays locked, what changes the remaining-spin counter, and when values are paid. The name alone does not supply those conditions.
Hold and spin feature entry and the initial counter
Start with the exact title and edition. Identify the qualifying symbols and whether entry uses a count, a collector or a meter. Then find the starting counter. The number of symbols needed to enter is not automatically the number of respins awarded.
The indexed official overview for 15 Dragon Pearls describes six Gold Pearl bonus symbols starting its feature with six respins. The Sky Pearls release instead describes a three-respin round. These named examples show why “every Hold & Win game starts with three” is unreliable. Check matching in-game help before applying either figure to a particular build.
Identify what is held and what can change
A held position and a fixed prize value are different ideas. A symbol can stay in its cell while a collector or modifier changes how its value enters the result. Check whether the feature holds every bonus symbol, only collectors or another specified group.
The 15 Dragon Pearls overview distinguishes Gold Pearl values from collector effects. A locked cell does not automatically become a Wild, substitute on ordinary paylines or receive every multiplier elsewhere on screen. Those need their own rules.
Reset rules for a hold and spin feature
Sky Pearls provides a specific reset example: its release says a new Pearl returns the counter to three. In an illustrative sequence under that rule, two remaining respins become three after a qualifying Pearl lands. They do not become five. Several Pearls on one result do not justify adding three for each one unless the rules explicitly say so.
Keep the condition attached to the action. A qualifying-symbol reset differs from an award of extra spins, a meter that triggers entry or an animation displaying an existing total. The available 15 Dragon Pearls overview is not a complete reset specification; do not transfer Sky Pearls’ reset rule to it.
Track values without counting a prize twice
Use a short event record: held positions before the action, new symbols, collector actions, counter afterward and credited total. This separates an individual symbol value, a collection event and the accumulated feature result.
For an editorial example, a feature shows a final accumulated total of $12 and then transfers $12 to the balance. The transfer settles the recorded total; it is not a second $12 award. If entry cost $1, the simple payout-minus-cost comparison is $11, while the gross feature payout remains $12. The figures are hypothetical, not a game paytable or expected return.
Keep ending rules and free spins separate
Find the stated stopping condition and how the last action is handled. Do not assume a full board, an empty counter or a jackpot label has the same consequence in every game. A fixed jackpot name does not establish a progressive prize or a chance of reaching it.
A hold-and-spin stage can coexist with separate free spins. Read each counter and settlement rule independently. Follow the slot rules checklist, or the free-spins guide to distinguish an in-game stage from a promotion. This reading method does not force a random outcome.
Sources and scope
Official product summaries checked November 9, 2026 through their indexed text. These named references do not verify an operator’s current build or record hands-on play.
- 3 Oaks Gaming — 15 Dragon Pearls
- 3 Oaks Gaming — Sky Pearls release
- 3 Oaks Gaming — More Magic Apple
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