Series guide
Money Cart Bonus Explained: How Money Train Respins Work
The Money Cart is the respin bonus behind every Money Train game. The rules fit on a napkin, but each sequel added a new way to grow the grid and new symbols to stack values. This guide explains how it works across the whole series, from the 2019 original to the stations of Money Train 5.
On this page
The rules that never change
Every Money Train game uses the same hold-and-respin skeleton. Learn it once and you can read any of them.
Trigger
Land 3 or more Bonus symbols in one spin (only on reels 1, 3 and 5 in the original). Where allowed, you can also buy the bonus.
3 respins
The trigger symbols stay on the grid and you get 3 respins. Everything else spins.
Lock and reset
Every new Bonus or special symbol locks in place and resets the counter to 3. Blanks don't.
Specials fire
Payers add value, Collectors gather it, Snipers double it. Persistent versions repeat every respin.
The grid grows
Depending on the game, a Widener, a full reel, a full row or a train station opens more space.
Payout
When the respins run out (or the grid is full), every value left on the grid is added up and paid as a multiple of your bet.
Where the values come from
The plain Bonus symbol is the coin of the feature. In every numbered game it shows a value as a multiple of your bet, typically 1x to 10x. Money Train 2 added a rare Golden Bonus worth 20x to 200x.
On their own, plain Bonus symbols produce modest rounds. Fill a 5x4 grid with average 3x values and you have roughly 60x. Everything above that comes from the specials changing those values.
All values are multiples of the bet you triggered the bonus with. At a $1 bet, a 5x Bonus symbol is worth $5; at $0.20, it's worth $1.
Three ways a value can grow
- Added to: a Payer worth 2x adds 2x to every symbol on the grid.
- Collected: a Collector adds every visible value to its own.
- Multiplied: a Sniper doubles 3 to 8 symbols; a Bomber in Money Train 5 multiplies every value by 2x to 5x.
One-off vs persistent symbols
Every special symbol in the series, with its persistent versions, is listed in our special symbols guide.
A one-off special fires once, on the respin it lands. A persistent special fires on that respin and on every respin after it, until the bonus ends. That single difference is why some bonuses finish at 20x and others at 2,000x.
Persistent symbols compound. A Persistent Payer keeps raising every value, and a Persistent Collector keeps gathering the raised values. Because new symbols reset the counter, a bonus with a persistent symbol tends to last longer too, giving it more respins to work.
The flip side: persistent symbols are rare, and most bonuses end without a strong combination. That's the volatility you sign up for.
Worked example at a $1 bet
Four Bonus symbols worth 2x each sit on the grid (8x). A Persistent Payer 1x lands. Over the next five respins it adds 1x to each of the four symbols every time: +20x. Its own value stays at 1x.
Grid total: 8 + 20 + 1 = 29x, or $29. A one-off Payer would have added only 4x.
Simplified: in the real game new symbols also land and get boosted.
How the grid grows, game by game
More space means more symbols, more resets and more for the specials to work with. Each generation found a different way to add it.
| Game | Starting grid | How it grows | Maximum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Money Train | 5x4 | Widener symbol opens a reel on one side (twice) | 7x4 (28) |
| Money Train 2 | 5x4 | Fill a whole reel to open a new one (twice) | 7x4 (28) |
| Money Train 3 | 5x4 | Fill a whole reel to open a new one (twice) | 7x4 (28) |
| Origins Dream Drop | 5x4 | Fill a whole reel to open a new one (twice) | 7x4 (28) |
| Money Train 4 | 6x4 open in a 6x8 frame | Fill a row to unlock the next; Unlocker symbol | 6x8 (48) |
| Money Train 5 | 5x4 | Tickets push reels off and move the train; station 10 adds a row | 5x5 (25), rolling |
Positions in brackets. Sources: Relax Gaming and independent reviews; see each game's review.
Money Train 5 breaks the pattern. Instead of filling up, the grid rolls: Tickets push reels off the left side, each reel cashes its value, and the train moves one station. Stations unlock persistent symbols (5), an extra row (10), the Bomber and Pyromancer (15) and a Permanent Payer (20).
Full-grid prizes
Two games pay a flat prize for filling every position, on top of the grid total. In Money Train 2, filling all 28 positions adds 500x. In Origins Dream Drop, it adds 1,000x (BigWinBoard notes that Healer symbols don't count toward filling).
For Money Train 1, 3, 4 and 5 we found no reliable source for a fixed full-grid prize, so we don't count on one.
| Game | Full grid | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| Money Train 2 | 28 positions | +500x |
| Origins Dream Drop | 28 positions | +1,000x |
| Money Train, 3, 4, 5 | — | Not published |
Sources: BigWinBoard, SlotCatalog, AboutSlots.
How often the bonus lands
The Money Cart is rare by design. Across the series it lands roughly once every 240 to 460 spins on average. These are long-run averages from simulations, not promises: gaps of a thousand spins or more are normal.
At a $1 bet, one in 435 spins means about $435 wagered between bonuses on average. The game doesn't remember dry spells, and a bonus is never "due". More on that in our tips and myths guide.
| Game | 1 bonus in about | At $1, wagered on average |
|---|---|---|
| Money Train | 298 spins | $298 |
| Money Train 2 | 435 spins | $435 |
| Money Train 3 | 434 spins | $434 |
| Origins Dream Drop | 244 spins | $244 |
| Money Train 4 | 387 spins | $387 |
| Money Train 5 | 464 spins | $464 |
Simulation figures published by AboutSlots, FruitySlots, BigWinBoard and OLBG. Single-source for Money Train 4 and 5.
The bonus across the series
Each sequel kept the skeleton and added a layer: more ways to change values, more persistent symbols, and a bigger ceiling.
| Game | Year | Headline new symbols | Max win |
|---|---|---|---|
| Money Train | 2019 | Payer, Collector, Widener, persistent versions | 20,000x |
| Money Train 2 | 2020 | Golden Bonus, Sniper, Necromancer, Reset Plus | 50,000x |
| Money Train 3 | 2022 | Absorber, Tommy Gun Sniper and Payer, Shapeshifter | 100,000x |
| Origins Dream Drop | 2023 | Banker, Healer | 10,000x + jackpot |
| Money Train 4 | 2023 | Arms Dealer, Unlocker, Upgrader, Adjacent symbols | 150,000x |
| Money Train 5 | 2026 | Ticket Master, Bomber, Pyromancer, Permanent Payer | 50,000x / 100,000x |
Full details in each review and in our series history.
Money Cart bonus FAQ
What is the Money Cart bonus?
It's the hold-and-respin bonus in Relax Gaming's Money Train slots. You get 3 respins, new symbols lock and reset the count, and you're paid the total value on the grid at the end.
How do you trigger the Money Cart?
Land 3 or more Bonus symbols in a single spin. In the original Money Train they must land on reels 1, 3 and 5. Where allowed, you can also buy it.
What does persistent mean in Money Train?
A persistent special symbol fires on every remaining respin, not just once. Persistent Payers and Collectors are the main source of big wins.
Which Money Train has the best bonus?
It depends on taste. Money Train 2 has the best-balanced bonus, Money Train 4 the deepest, and Money Train 5 the most original with its stations.
Is the Money Cart series the same as the Money Cart bonus?
No. The Money Cart slots are separate Relax games that consist only of the bonus.
How we checked the numbers
This guide combines the facts from our reviews of Money Train, Money Train 2, 3, 4 and 5, plus Relax Gaming's Origins Dream Drop announcement and BigWinBoard's Origins review. Each review lists its own sources.
Bonus frequencies are simulation estimates published by review sites, not official Relax figures.
Drafts are prepared with AI from this fact base and checked by an editor before publication. Read our editorial policy and review method.
Play responsibly
In the main Money Train games the Money Cart bonus lands roughly once in a few hundred spins, so long stretches without it are normal. Treat gambling as paid entertainment, set a budget before you start and stop when it's gone.
BeGambleAware (UK) · GamCare (UK) · Gambling Therapy (worldwide) · 1-800-MY-RESET (US). More on our responsible gambling page. 18+ only.