Slot Overview: Gold Nugget Rush – Hold & Win by Betsoft
Today we’re going headfirst into Betsoft’s Gold Nugget Rush – Hold & Win…the slot that takes you on an adrenaline-pumping ride back in time to the historic gold rush days.
This review tries to explain everything about the game, starting from its very basic gameplay up to its over-all game feel, and informing you if it’s worth spending your time and money.
We will dig into every aspect of the game, min-maxing every cranny to ensure the most informed look at the game that we can provide for our readers.
Get ready to stake your claim as we pan for info!
Gold Nugget Rush – Hold & Win Details, RTP, Payout & Volatility
Now, let’s look at the details of Gold Nugget Rush – Hold & Win slot and the stats.
This game’s RTP has been set at 96.07%, which is fairly standard for an online slot. Keep in mind that RTP is a mathematical calculation based on millions of spins, how you do is entirely up to the random number generator.
The game is said to be highly volatile, so wins can be few and far between, but can deliver very big wins when they hit. I certainly experienced this with Gold Nugget Rush – Hold & Win; lots of little losses punctuated by the occasional much larger win to keep things lively.
So is the maximum win of a decent 5,000 times your bet – a nice helping of icing on that cake for anyone looking for the big money wins.
What’s more, the bet range is pretty flexible, ranging from as little as 0.25$ to as much as 30$ per spin, appealing to both casual gamers, as well as high-rollers.
The game is played on a 5x3 grid using an All Ways Pays payout system, eschewing paylines altogether. This would imply that instead of matching symbols across fixed paylines to be in with a chance of winning, all wins are awarded for matching symbols along the left of the reels on adjacent reels ie winning combinations are formed rather than hit.
All Ways Pays feature makes it even more thrilling.
Theme, Audio & Symbols
The high variance of Gold Nugget Rush – Hold & Win also had its impact on me.
It was obvious that patience and bankroll management would be a huge advantage if accessing the game.
The use of All Ways Pays ensures players are able to enjoy high-speed gaming that is not restricted by traditional paylines.
Compared to other slots I have played with a set number of paylines this is such a feeling of infinite potentials.
Screenshots of the pay & win table as well as win animations would come in handy here, to show the All the Ways Pay in practice.
Bonus Features
As you would expect the theme is something of a classic one in Gold Nugget Rush – Hold & Win, and that theme is the gold rush.
The graphics are phenomenal and has a western theme to it, but one you would see in a real old western town with detailed icons and a gritty looking background. The symbols are diverse mining devices such as pickaxes, shovels and lanterns, as well as bags of gold nuggets and prospectors.
The entire design is clean and alive with a cartoonish gristle that prevents it from becoming too gritty or serious. The color palette looked nice, the warm earthy colors really drew you into it.
The sound is brilliant as well, with a banjo-led score that captures the spirit of the Wild West. Sound effects have been nicely included and the clinking of gold nuggets as well as the whoosh of the spinning reels add to the fun.
The sound effects are quite subtle, keeping a nice ambience flow, though they're not particularly repetitive either. I think the sound effects improve the overall experience of playing the game.
Mobile Experience
Symbol animations were outstanding, and I particularly enjoyed their detail during my play.
For instance, the prospector symbol has a glint with movement when part of a winning combination, adding a touch of realism.
The visual interpretation, juxtaposed with the audio, erected a sense of expectation.
A short highlight clip of the symbol animations and visual style would work well here.
Pros & Cons
The core gameplay of Gold Nugget Rush – Hold & Win revolves around its bonus rounds.
The highlight is the Hold & Win mechanism, activated by landing six or more scatter gold nugget symbols anywhere on the reels.
This triggers a respin bonus round where the triggering gold nuggets are held, and three free respins are awarded. Only gold nuggets or empty spaces can appear during these respins.
Each new gold nugget landed is also held, resetting the respin count to three. The round continues until all respins are exhausted or the entire reels are covered in gold nuggets.
At the end, the values on all gold nuggets are summed up and awarded. This is where the potential for big wins lies.
The value of the gold nuggets varies significantly, ranging from low to high rewards, some being more unpredictable than others in the bonus round.
In testing, the Hold & Win feature triggered three times in a couple of hundred spins, suggesting the bonus can occur frequently.
Our Verdict
The Gold Nugget Rush – Hold & Win slot also offers Tumbling Reels, which is a form of cascading wins.
After a winning pair is made, the symbols explode and new ones fall from the sky into the spaces.
This can result in back to back wins from just one spin, and you can get some big payouts here.
The tumbles feature works on until new winning combinations are no longer formed.
This was a neat little feature as it made for extra excitement and an additional degree of suspense on every spin.
It also kept me playing more as I would string along a few wins and replenish my bankroll.
Play Responsibly
We would also like to mention the Buy Bonus function in Gold Nugget Rush – Hold & Win.
This lets players skip normal gameplay and purchase a Hold & Win feature directly by staking a multiplier of their base bet.
This might sound very great for those looking for instant results, but we have a very limited amount to spend so we need to consider whether the reward is worth the cost!
The cost to buy the bonus is typically very high and there is no guarantee that you will earn back your investment.
In my playthroughs, I did try out the buy bonus feature, and I was a bit mixed on it.
I won more than I spent on some occasions and lost the difference on others.
It’s certainly a high-stakes, high-reward choice.
