What is Respin?

A respin is a slot feature that re-spins one or more reels while holding the others in place, giving the player an extra chance to complete or extend a winning combination. It is usually triggered automatically when the reels land close to a payout — for example when two of three jackpot symbols line up — and either comes free with the paid spin or, in some games, can be purchased for an additional stake. Respins take many forms. Some hold winning or feature symbols and spin only the blank positions; others award a run of respins that resets each time a new relevant symbol lands, as in "hold and win" or "lock and spin" mechanics. The held symbols create persistent state on the grid, so the outcome builds across several spin cycles rather than resetting each time. Worked example: you spin for £1 and land two matching bonus symbols on reels 1 and 2, triggering a single respin of reel 3 only. If that reel carries 40 symbol positions and 4 of them are the matching bonus symbol, your chance of completing the three-of-a-kind on that respin is roughly 4 in 40, or 10%. The other 90% of the time the respin ends with no additional win, and the base-spin result stands. Why it matters: respins add near-miss excitement and genuine extra chances, but their value is already built into the game's return-to-player, so a paid respin buy is not free expected value. Never treat a "so close" trigger as a reason to raise your stake. Compare with retrigger, hold and win, and persistent state.