Pirate Chest: Hold and Win — Slot Review by Playson

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Pirate Chest: Hold and Win is a medium-high volatility slot from Playson, released in January 2023. Built on a 5×4 grid with 25 fixed paylines — larger than the standard 5×3 layout — it takes players to a pirate ship moored at Treasure Island, with a black-sailed galleon visible in the background and gold barrels stacked at the edges. The game runs three interconnected bonus systems: a Boost mechanic where an Octopus symbol instantly collects all visible Bonus coin values in one sweep, a Treasure Chest above the grid that accumulates Bonus symbols and deploys them onto the reels to trigger the Hold and Win round, and the Hold and Win Bonus Game itself where coins lock across up to 20 grid positions with four fixed jackpots topping out at the Grand worth x3,000 the stake when all positions fill. RTP is 95.66%, the hit frequency is 15.46%, and the overall maximum win reaches x3,589 the stake.

The spec sheet shows why this is one of Playsons denser Hold and Win designs: a larger grid, a collector above the reels and multiple ways into the respin feature.

How to play Pirate Chest: Hold and Win

Pirate Chest: Hold and Win opens on a 5×4 grid — 20 symbol positions across five reels and four rows, giving the layout noticeably more area than a standard 5×3 game. Above the grid sits the Treasure Chest display, which tracks accumulated Bonus coin symbols between spins. Set your stake using the bet controls at the bottom of the interface — bets run from AUD 0.20 to AUD 100 per spin. Hit Spin or engage Autoplay for a set session length.

Wins form on three or more matching symbols landing left to right across any of the 25 fixed paylines. The Pirate Captain Wild substitutes for all standard symbols to complete or extend lines. The Boost Octopus on reel 3 is the symbol to watch in the base game — when it lands alongside any Gold Coin Bonus symbol, it collects all visible coin values simultaneously and awards them as an instant payout. The hit frequency of 15.46% means roughly one in every six to seven spins returns a payout, reflecting the medium-high volatility profile.

Pirate Chest: Hold and Win rules

Symbols and paytable

Eight regular pay symbols divide into four low-value card royals and four high-value thematic symbols. Low-value card royals (Jack through Ace) pay between x0.20 and x2 the stake for five-of-a-kind combinations. High-value pirate symbols carry the meaningful payouts.

The standard symbols mainly support line wins. The real reading work comes from the special symbols, because they decide whether a spin pays instantly, feeds the Chest or opens the respin round.

Special symbols

• Pirate Captain Wild: Substitutes for all regular pay symbols. Does not replace Ship Scatter, Gold Coin Bonus symbols or the Boost Octopus. Carries its own payline payout — up to the equivalent of the top-paying regular symbol for a full five-of-a-kind line.
• Pirate Ship Scatter: Appears on reels 1, 3 and 5. Three Scatters landing simultaneously trigger 8 Free Spins. Pays up to x200 times the total bet for three on the triggering spin.
• Gold Coin Bonus symbol: Appears on all reels. Displays a cash value of x1 to x15 the stake or a Mini, Minor or Major jackpot label. Six or more landing in a single spin triggers the Hold and Win Bonus Game. Coins added to the Treasure Chest above the grid between spins.
• Boost symbol (Octopus / Kraken): In the base game and Free Spins, appears on reel 3 only. In the Hold and Win Bonus Game, can appear on any reel. When it lands alongside one or more Gold Coin Bonus symbols, it instantly collects the values of all visible Bonus coins on the grid and adds them to the win — a single Boost landing can sweep multiple coin values simultaneously. Also capable of collecting Mini, Minor or Major jackpot symbols if they are visible at the same time.
• Mystery symbol: Appears only during the Hold and Win Bonus Game. At the end of the bonus round, Mystery symbols transform into one of the Mini, Minor or Major jackpot symbol types, adding their value to the total payout.

These symbols are connected rather than isolated. A coin can pay through Boost, move the Treasure Chest forward or become part of the Hold and Win trigger.

Pirate Chest: Hold and Win bonus features

Boost feature

The Boost feature is a persistent base game mechanic that operates in all game modes — base game, Free Spins and Hold and Win Bonus Game. In the base game and Free Spins, the Boost Octopus is fixed to reel 3. When it lands on reel 3 and any Gold Coin Bonus symbols are visible on the grid at the same time, the Boost triggers and collects all visible Bonus coin values in a single action. The totalled amount is added to the win immediately, without entering the Hold and Win Bonus Game. If any visible coins carry Mini, Minor or Major jackpot labels, those fixed jackpot values are collected too.

During the Hold and Win Bonus Game, the Boost Octopus can appear on any reel — not just reel 3 — expanding its potential coverage. A Boost landing late in the Hold and Win round, when more coin symbols have accumulated across the 20 positions, delivers a concentrated collection of multiple values at once.

Treasure Chest feature

The Treasure Chest is a visible container displayed above the 5×4 grid throughout every spin. Every Gold Coin Bonus symbol that appears during the base game or Free Spins is added to the Treasure Chest counter. When enough Bonus symbols have accumulated, the Treasure Chest feature activates: additional Bonus symbols are deployed onto the reels in sufficient numbers to meet or exceed the six-symbol threshold required to trigger the Hold and Win Bonus Game. This mechanic means near-miss base game spins — where a few coins land but not enough to trigger Hold and Win directly — still contribute toward a future trigger via the Chest. It functions as a second, slower path into the Hold and Win Bonus Game that builds over multiple spins.

Free Spins

Three Pirate Ship Scatter symbols landing on reels 1, 3 and 5 simultaneously trigger 8 Free Spins. During this round, the reels are configured to land Gold Coin Bonus symbols and Boost Octopus symbols more frequently than in the base game — meaning the Boost collect mechanic fires more regularly and the Treasure Chest accumulates faster. The Treasure Chest feature remains active during Free Spins: Bonus symbols still contribute to the Chest and can trigger the Hold and Win Bonus Game from within the free spins session. The Boost Octopus remains fixed to reel 3 during Free Spins. Retriggers are available by landing three or more Scatters during the free spins round.

Hold and Win Bonus Game

The Hold and Win Bonus Game triggers when six or more Gold Coin Bonus symbols land on the grid in a single spin, or when five or more Bonus symbols land alongside the Boost Octopus symbol. It can also be triggered via the Treasure Chest feature deploying enough Bonus symbols onto the reels.

On activation, all regular symbols clear from the 5×4 grid. Only Bonus coins, the Boost Octopus, and Mystery symbols can appear during the respins.

1. Three respins are awarded at the start of the bonus round.
2. All Bonus coin symbols from the triggering spin remain locked in their positions with their displayed values.
3. Each time a new Bonus coin, Boost Octopus or Mystery symbol lands during a respin, it locks and the respin counter resets to 3.
4. If no new symbol lands, the counter ticks down by one.
5. The Boost Octopus can land on any reel during the Bonus Game — when it lands, it collects all currently visible Bonus coin values simultaneously.
6. Mystery symbols lock in position during the bonus round. At the end of the feature, they transform into Mini, Minor or Major jackpot symbols, adding their fixed values to the payout.
7. The round ends when the respin counter reaches zero or all 20 grid positions fill.
8. All locked coin values, Boost-collected totals and jackpot symbols are summed and paid as a single combined payout.

Because the grid has 20 positions, late-round Boost and Mystery symbols matter more than they would on a smaller 3x3 Hold and Win layout.

Jackpot tiers

The Grand is clearly the headline prize, but the lower fixed jackpots are much more realistic targets inside normal Hold and Win rounds.

The Grand Jackpot is only awarded when all 20 positions on the 5×4 grid fill with Bonus coin symbols during a single Hold and Win session. At the AUD 100 maximum stake, the Grand Jackpot alone pays AUD 300,000. The overall maximum win of x3,589 represents the Grand Jackpot combined with accumulated Bonus coin cash values across all 20 positions. Mini, Minor and Major jackpots can be collected at any point during the bonus round without filling all positions — they require only the corresponding labelled Bonus coin symbol to land and lock. Mystery symbols that transform at the end of the bonus round can become any of the three jackpot types below Grand.

Pirate Chest: Hold and Win on mobile

Pirate Chest: Hold and Win is built in HTML5 and runs fully on iOS (Safari) and Android (Chrome) via browser without installation. The 5×4 grid is wider than a standard 5×3 layout — during our testing on a Samsung S23 and an iPhone 14 on standard Australian 4G, the game loaded in under three seconds and the larger grid scaled cleanly to mobile screen sizes without losing readability on individual coin symbols.

• Landscape orientation: the recommended mobile view for Pirate Chest. All five reels and four rows display fully with the Treasure Chest counter visible above the grid. Coin values on individual Bonus symbols remain legible even at smaller screen sizes.
• Portrait orientation: the grid scales down but all positions remain visible. The Boost Octopus on reel 3 is easy to identify during a scan of the reels.
• Hold and Win on mobile: with 20 positions to track across a 5×4 grid, the mobile layout keeps locked symbols visually distinct from empty positions. The respin counter is clearly displayed. Mystery symbol transformation at round end is clean and readable.
• Free Spins on mobile: the enhanced coin frequency during free spins is noticeable — Boost triggers on reel 3 fire more regularly and the Treasure Chest counter updates with each coin appearance.

We withdrew our winnings from SlotsGem to a Mastercard during our mobile payout workflow, and the funds cleared in under three hours after approval. That test sits outside the slot math, but it helps us separate a playable game from a casino that is actually practical for Australian cashouts.

All bonus modes — Free Spins, Boost, Treasure Chest and Hold and Win Bonus Game — operate identically on mobile and desktop. No functionality is reduced.

Our take on Pirate Chest: Hold and Win

Pirate Chest: Hold and Win brings three mechanics that interact meaningfully rather than running as independent systems. The Treasure Chest sitting visibly above the grid gives every base game spin a second purpose beyond paylines — coins accumulating in the Chest create a sense of progress between spins in a way that most Hold and Win slots don't offer. The Boost Octopus doing a sweep collection — gathering multiple coin values at once from a single symbol landing — is the same core mechanic Playson uses in Royal Express: Hold and Win, but here it operates in a 5×4 environment with up to 20 locked positions, which gives late-round Boost events substantially more value. The Mystery symbol adding a jackpot transformation at the end of the bonus round is a well-placed detail that keeps the final payout outcome uncertain right until the last moment.

The Grand Jackpot ceiling of x3,000 positions Pirate Chest above Royal Express (x1,000) but below Buffalo Power 2 (x10,468) in Playson's own Hold and Win range. A 5×4 grid with 20 positions is harder to fill than a 3×3 grid with 9 positions — which is appropriate given the larger prize attached to doing so. The hit frequency of 15.46% is the lowest of the three Playson titles reviewed in this series (Royal Express: 15.46% shared, Buffalo Power 2: 27.16%), reflecting the higher peak potential relative to trigger frequency. The RTP of 95.66% is in line with Playson Hold and Win releases and sits between Royal Express at 95.64% and Buffalo Power 2 at 95.44% — all below the 96% industry average, a consistent characteristic of this format.

For Australian players who enjoy Hold and Win mechanics, Pirate Chest offers the most layered feature structure of Playson's three-title Hold and Win catalogue reviewed here: the Treasure Chest second-path trigger, the Boost instant collect, Mystery symbol jackpot transformation and a Free Spins round that genuinely feeds into the Hold and Win mechanic rather than running separately from it.

Pirate Chest: Hold and Win FAQ

Who makes Pirate Chest: Hold and Win?

Pirate Chest: Hold and Win is developed by Playson, a Malta-based software provider. It was released in January 2023 as part of Playson's Hold and Win catalogue, which also includes Buffalo Power 2: Hold and Win and Royal Express: Hold and Win. Pirate Chest uses the largest grid of the three at 5×4 with 20 bonus positions and the highest Grand Jackpot at x3,000.

What is the RTP of Pirate Chest: Hold and Win?

The published RTP is 95.66% — below the 96% threshold generally considered standard for online slots. This is consistent with Playson's Hold and Win series. Some casinos may run the game at a different RTP configuration. Check the paytable or casino terms before playing to confirm the rate at your specific operator.

How do you trigger the Hold and Win Bonus Game?

The Hold and Win Bonus Game triggers when six or more Gold Coin Bonus symbols land on the 5×4 grid in a single spin. It can also trigger when five or more Bonus symbols appear alongside the Boost Octopus symbol. Additionally, the Treasure Chest feature can activate the bonus by deploying enough Bonus symbols onto the grid to meet the trigger threshold — this path builds gradually across multiple base game spins.

What does the Boost Octopus do?

The Boost Octopus (also described as a Kraken symbol) appears on reel 3 only during the base game and Free Spins. When it lands alongside any Gold Coin Bonus symbols on the grid, it instantly collects the values of all visible Bonus coins in one action and adds the total to the win. If any visible coins carry Mini, Minor or Major jackpot labels, those jackpot values are also collected. During the Hold and Win Bonus Game, the Boost can appear on any reel — not just reel 3 — expanding its reach across the full 20-position grid.

What is the Treasure Chest feature?

The Treasure Chest is a collector displayed above the 5×4 grid throughout every spin. Any Gold Coin Bonus symbol that appears during the base game or Free Spins is added to the Chest. Once enough symbols accumulate, the Treasure Chest activates and deploys additional Bonus symbols onto the reels — enough to trigger the Hold and Win Bonus Game. This gives players a second, slower path into the Hold and Win round that builds across multiple spins, reducing the reliance on a single spin delivering six coins organically.

What are the jackpots in Pirate Chest: Hold and Win?

Four fixed jackpots are available: Mini (x20), Minor (x50), Major (x100) and Grand (x3,000). Mini, Minor and Major are won when the corresponding labelled Bonus coin symbol lands and locks during the Hold and Win Bonus Game, or is collected by the Boost. The Grand Jackpot requires all 20 grid positions on the 5×4 grid to fill with Bonus symbols. Mystery symbols that appear during the bonus round transform into Mini, Minor or Major jackpot symbols at the end of the feature. The overall maximum win of x3,589 combines the Grand Jackpot with accumulated coin values across all positions.

Is there a Free Spins round?

Yes. Three Pirate Ship Scatter symbols on reels 1, 3 and 5 trigger 8 Free Spins. During the round, the reels carry a higher frequency of Gold Coin Bonus symbols and Boost Octopus symbols than in the base game, making the Boost collect mechanic and Treasure Chest fill faster. The Treasure Chest and Hold and Win Bonus Game can both trigger from within the Free Spins session. Retriggers are available.

Where can Australian players find Pirate Chest: Hold and Win?

Pirate Chest: Hold and Win is available at casinos carrying Playson content. AUD-friendly platforms where Playson titles are confirmed include SlotsGem, VegasNova and RollXO — all reviewed for Australian players with AUD account support.

Player reviews of Pirate Chest: Hold and Win

• James, Sydney (2026): "Treasure Chest triggered the Hold and Win after about 15 base game spins where I kept landing a coin or two — watched the chest fill up gradually then it dumped coins on the reels. Ended up with 11 positions filled and hit Major jackpot. The Chest mechanic makes you feel like the game is working toward something even between features."
• Sarah, Melbourne (2026): "Hit the Boost on reel 3 during Free Spins with four coins visible — collected x54 total across the four values in one hit, plus a Minor jackpot that was visible at the same time. That's the mechanic in full swing. Free Spins with more coins on the reels is noticeably different from base game frequency."
• Tom, Brisbane (2026): "The hit frequency of 15.46% is low — about one in seven spins pays anything. That's the price of medium-high volatility. Once the Hold and Win triggered though, I had a Mystery symbol transform into Major jackpot at the end. That final transformation is tense — you don't know what it becomes until the round closes."
• Emma, Perth (2026): "5×4 grid on mobile landscape is actually fine — you can read coin values clearly. Tracking 20 positions during Hold and Win on an iPhone 14 works. The Treasure Chest counter above the grid is visible throughout. No issues with the interface scaling."
• Nick, Adelaide (2026): "Comparing this to Royal Express Hold and Win: bigger grid, bigger jackpot (x3,000 vs x1,000), more mechanic depth with the Treasure Chest and Mystery symbol. The trade-off is lower hit frequency — 15.46% here vs the more frequent Royal Express trigger. Different risk profile. Pirate Chest is the one for sessions where you're chasing a proper jackpot."
• Liam, Gold Coast (2026): "Filled all 20 positions during Hold and Win on a $2 stake — Grand Jackpot paid AUD 6,000 plus the coin values on top. It took three separate Boost events during the bonus to hit positions 17, 18 and 19. When position 20 locked, the Grand trigger was immediate. Worth the wait."