ShareMost poker players see slot machines as an annoying obstacle they have to bypass to reach the poker room. There are exceptions, however, and earlier this year Allen “Chainsaw” Kessler scored a stunning $1.2 million jackpot on a Buffalo slot machine.
Is that enough to make poker pros consider taking a seat at a slot machine the next time they are waiting for a seat to open at their local poker room? It's not likely, but it’s worth noting that slots are experiencing somewhat of a renaissance right now with the explosion of slot content on YouTube.
Kessler Finds a Way
Allen Kessler is notorious for finding edges in the casino and there’s a good chance he perked up when he noticed the massive progressive jackpot on Buffalo, which is one of Aristocrat’s most popular slot machines.
Kessler has over $4.4 million in poker earnings but his $1.2m slot jackpot represents the biggest single win of his career.
The only downside of the momentous jackpot? Apparently, the machine had a plaque that stated any jackpot over $500,000 would be paid out in an annuity. Kessler was given two options: 1. $60,505 annually for the next 20 years or 2. Lump sum offer of $805,120. At last check it sounded like Kessler was – understandably – going to go with the lump sum offer.
At the time Kessler hit the jackpot he was in the midst of a losing WSOP. The Buffalo win easily put him back in the black, which is music to any poker player’s ear.
The Vegas Matt Connection
It turns out that Kessler got the idea to play that exact slot machine from arguably the biggest name in slots right now: Vegas Matt.
Vegas Matt, real name Stephen Matt Morrow, is a former businessman from California who retired in Nevada and found a new calling in creating slots content.
Morrow had always loved gambling, but it wasn’t until his son EJ uploaded a video of him playing slots (and tagged him as Vegas Matt) that he realized the potential of the format.
Several years later and Vegas Matt is a runaway success on YouTube with over 800,000 subscribers, hundreds of millions of views and a partnership with FanDuel.
Vegas Matt wasn’t the first person to suggest posting slots videos on YouTube, but he’s certainly opened people’s minds to what’s possible on the platform.
These days channels like Lady Luck HQ, Mr. Hand Pay, The Big Jackpot and Brian Christopher Slots attract millions upon millions of views every month and are getting major deals with casinos, cruises and online betting sites. They are celebrities in their own right and it’s somewhat reminiscent of the poker boom of the mid-2000s.
Interestingly, Vegas Matt—ever the gambling enthusiast—has some experience in poker as well, with $40,000 in live earnings, according to the Hendon Mob Poker Database.
The Crossover Appeal of Slots Content
Vegas Matt isn’t the only slots personality with a propensity for poker. Fellow slots streamer Brett “Brettski” Stern played numerous events at the WSOP this summer and has earned over $42,000 in lifetime earnings.
Slott Daddy SD, another popular slot channel, initially started playing poker with his friends but was drawn to slot machines, partially due to the allure of a big jackpot.
You might wonder why millions of people are drawn to watching slots on YouTube. After all, there’s no real skill in slots and the idea of a professional slots player is somewhat of an oxymoron.
Arthur Crowson, managing editor of SlotsFan explained the appeal:
“I think slots are a little more accessible to the average person. Not many people have taken a seat at the World Series of Poker but almost everyone has played slots at one point or another. You just have to press a button. The fantasy of winning a big jackpot is very relatable.”
It also helps that slots influencers are potentially very attractive to casinos. Seeing engaging personalities like Vegas Matt or Lady Luck HQ winning massive jackpots will no doubt attract several undecided gamblers to one of the highest profit-margin games for casinos.
Will Any Poker Pros Switch to Slots?
It remains to be seen if we’ll see a huge influx of poker players creating slots content but the iron is certainly hot.
There’s a huge appetite for slots and general casino content on YouTube. It helps that some casinos have loosened their restrictions on filming in their venues.
Slots and table games will always tend to have higher margins than poker rooms so casinos are heavily incentivized to promote those games. Slots influencers could play a key role in future promotions.
Audiences have also connected to the content in a huge way. Slots influencers have hundreds of thousands of subscribers and regularly host meet and greets with hundreds of fans.
Of course this could all change if YouTube takes stronger stance against gambling content on its platform.
There’s at least one poker personality that’s going to try his hand at being a slots star.
Allen Kessler quickly created a Chainsaw Slots channel after he won his big Buffalo jackpot. The channel already has close to 1,000 subscribers but it’s going to be tough to replicate that $1.2m jackpot.
