Just how high can Crow Slots fly?
The slots duo (which includes partners Crae and Flow) started their channel three years ago purely as a hobby to share their gambling experiences.
Since then they’ve picked up tens of thousands of followers across Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok.
Hailing from the Bay Area, Crow Slots (which is a portmanteau of Crae and Flow) emphasizes community above all else and their passion for gambling is contagious.
Both Crae and Flow were kind enough to chat with and provide some insight to their channel and their plans for the future.
This conversation has been edited slightly for brevity and clarity.
Arthur Crowson: How did you get into making slots content?
Crae: So, we’ve always been gamblers. We went gambling on our first date [laughs]. Our families gamble as well so we were going to Vegas pretty regularly. We’ve been watching people online forever too – like since the Diana Evoni days. The golden era, right? When Brian [Christopher) was her assistant.
Flow really loves to do videos. He’s into cinematography. His long-term goal is to be a director. So, he said, hey, this can be a fun outlet for editing, to see how people like your content. Were were just throwing up content on things we were already out doing. It kind of just grew from there. It just… became a thing. It’s really cool.
Was it particularly challenging getting started?
Flow: We first started on TikTok and had a lot of success back then. As it progressed, we started to venture to other platforms, trying to learn YouTube because that’s the key everyone says. That was the difficult one for us and still is to this day.
Crae: I think too in the beginning – a lot of us started on TikTok, right? – but that’s back when TikTok was banning gambling, they’d shut you down all the time when you were doing TikTok lives.
I think we really kind of quit the lives for a long time because it’s not fun for anybody to be in the middle of something and then get shut down.
We really started to just focus on filming content and trying to tell a story with some of the content as well and to give that point of view experience. So we’ll do hotel content, food content. We’ll do fun things in the casino. So I think that that was the challenge and as the channel grew.
It’s definitely like being in high school again. I’m in my 50s. So, you know, I’m liking it to that where there’s kind of like cliques in the slot community. Not with the fans but with other people in the community.
We did not expect that at all because we’re community builders. We also have a car page and we have a car club cars as our other passion and we’re about building community and it’s been difficult in this means you can get it in pockets, but it’s everybody’s kind of in their little cliques and we were not expecting that. I wasn’t expecting that at all because gaming is this is our fun time. This is our entertainment.
Do you focus primarily on slots?
Crae: We’ve done a couple of craps games. We have a relationship with [Ellis Island Casino]. We’re allowed to do a lot more there. We’ve done some – a couple of crap games at Ellis. We’ll be doing blackjack there. As far as playing, we play everything. Roulette, blackjack, craps, baccarat.
What do you like the most about playing slots?
Flow: You don’t have to think, just press a button.
Crae: There’s really no strategy to it. Other than maybe changing your bets, right?
Flow: We used to play a lot of table games in the beginning. There’s strategy to it. You can actually make money doing it… or try to. But after a while, you get so tired after couple of hours of trying to think, how much I bet, and if you lose, it’s like a roller coaster ride, and slots, you can bet a dollar and win $10,000.
When you bet $100 on a blackjack, you’re only going to win $100. That’s the beautiful part about slots that we love. You can really get a multiplier in your money.
Crae: I’m just a sucker for the characters [laughs].
I get it. Sometimes it’s nice to sort of shut off and just play.
Flow: Exactly, and we’ve had you know crazy things happen where we’re just playing you don’t think nothing and boom, you made your jackpot and that’s awesome feeling to go from fading a small amount to winning a lot. That’s the awesome part.
Do you have any favorite slots?
Crae: We definitely have favorites.
I’ve always been more of a low roller and Flow’s been more of a high roller. Over time we’ve met in the middle.
Dragon Link, Dragon Cash, we like all the Huff N’ Puff series, although it’s been mean to us late. Mystery of the lamp is another favorite.
Flow: We like Mo’ Mummy and Dollar Storm. I like traditional Wheel of Fortune high limit those are my favorite. Twenty five dollar denoms. It’s simple, you know, on a hundred dollar denom Wheel of Fortune you get the bonus you’re going to get a handpay guaranteed. They’ve been harder to find lately though.
Do you think modern slots are too complicated?
Flow: People don’t realize that with the newer games, you have to spend more, but you’re potentially getting less. You’re getting more action on the game, but that doesn’t necessarily mean more money.
For instance, if you make a high-limit bet of $20 a spin on the Huff N’ More Puff Power 4 and hit a bonus, you’ll only receive a bonus on a $5 bet.
A lot of people don’t understand that concept, and it’s getting interesting. It’s good for the manufacturers but not necessarily for the players.
Slots streaming is turning into a bit of a phenomenon. Why do you think people are drawn to watching other people play slots?
Crae: There’s a couple things.
First off, if they can’t go to the casino then it’s a way to get a similar experience.
I also think that gambling isn’t frowned upon as much as it used to be. It used to be a bunch of degenerates but we’re seeing less and less of that. Especially as Vegas pivots to a place where it’s more about shows and entertainment. People still gamble but that’s not necessarily why they’re going to Vegas.
I think gamblers head to YouTube or Instagram to see what games people are playing. What seems to be the ones that are hitting? Where are they? What casinos are paying? It’s that kind of thing.
It’s kind of like how you listen to someone’s music before going to their concert.
You have a lot of channels now coming up fast doing these crazy big bets. I think some of them burn out just as fast as they come up. But that’s just like there’s a adrenaline rush, this excitement that’s going on. And I think that’s a part of it too.
It will be interesting to see if the community sustains that, right? Because there are only going to be so many Vegas Matts and NGs who can play at that level for extended periods of time. And you know, because in the end gambling doesn’t make money.
So you got to have a channel big enough to cover your gaming. And then if you’re trying to live off of it as a business, it’s got to cover that too, right? So it won’t be interesting. Especially as YouTube is changing the formula so it may not be as lucrative going forward. We’ll see how that plays out.
I’m curious what other slot channels you enjoy watching?
Crae: We kind of have different styles. I would say my top two and it’s hard for me to pick because I like them both for different reasons. I’ve always liked Vegas Matt. We’ve been watching him back since the TikTok days. As a mom, I love the interplay with him and EJ. I like how he’s now built out this team as well. That’s that community feel for me. They go eat after. They’re having a good time and that’s the vibe we like.
But I still love Brian Christopher too. He’s been solid all along. I think he’s one of the most innovative streamers. He does it quietly and people don’t realize kind of what he’s doing. I think because he’s a leader in a lot of things.
Flow: Diana Evoni, I freak out over here every time I see her. NJ Slot Guy, of course, the originals, know, BC. But as the time goes on and everyone’s changing, it just depends on my mood that day.
There are other some people we know that we like to watch on Instagram. And we watched Steve Will Do It with his other content. He came to gaming, we watch him because, you know, he’s just a party in a box.
How would you describe your channel to people who haven’t seen it?
Crae: We’re really trying to give a point of experience like if you were out gambling with us. So we love to include other channels. If you want to come out and play with us, just do it. There doesn’t have to be a meet-and-greet, there doesn’t have to be anything.
We always publish where we’re going to be. Don’t be shy. Come talk to us.
We’re really trying to bring people together and that’s why we really enjoy going to some of the smaller casinos. You can get away with a lot more at those casinos in terms of being casual and having fun. Ellis Island has been great to us.
It’s all about having fun and we’re trying to show that.
Flow: For Instagram we do a lot memes. I try to stay on top of the meme market. That’s becoming a big thing. We’re trying to get creative with it. We’re in the casino so much that I’m really just seeing what’s around me.
Our real slot play we post a lot of losses, we post big wins and no wins – people get mad about those, of course, but it’s just realism. We try to come up with challenges.
I’ve kinda given up on long-form video on YouTube. The big creators are just taking over. A lot of our videos will only get 100 or 200 views. And it’s a lot of work to make one video. So I’ve kinda taken to just posting shorts there.
TikTok and Facebook I’m just doing whatever I post on Instagram. So that’s all we’re just trying to be all-in-one, not really specific on anything right now.
What are your favorite properties to play?
Crae: In Nor Cal, we’ve always played a great deal at Graton. That’s the closest one to our house. Flow’s first time gambling was at Jackson Ranch Arena. We go there every now and then.
We go to Hard Rock, Sacramento. All of them allow us to film and we have some kind of relationship with them. One of our favorite places to go in Southern California by far is Yaamava. I think from a player experience, it’s hard to beat them – even in Vegas. I think it’s on par or even beating a lot of the Vegas properties this year. The experience is phenomenal there.
In Vegas, Ellis is pretty much our home but we never stay in one place. We always venture out. The strip has been kind of tough for the last year. I just don’t feel like there’s value on the strip any more.
I do like the high-limit room at Resorts World. We go there to recover a bit.
Flow: Fontainebleau is our new favorite, honestly. Just for the hotel room. It’s amazing. 10 out of 10. If you’re going more for the vacation or experience side of things then that’s the best value by far. They are still figuring out the gaming side of it but everything else is great.
Would you have any basic tips for people going to the casino to play slots? Anything you’ve picked up over the years?
Crae: I think it depends on the experience they want. So when people ask me that question, I always ask, what are you going to do?
I’ll use myself as an example. If we’re not filming, I’m a low roller. I want to play for as long as I can. I want to have fun, and I don’t even care if I lose all of that money because I’m making friends with the people sitting next to me. I’m trying out some new crazy game. I’m betting a couple bucks. I’m not killing the bankroll. And if I win, that’s a cherry on top.
That would be my tip is really around what is the experience you want and what is your budget and sticking to your budget.
Some people like to chase jackpots and only be in the casino for a brief period of time. Bankroll management is the most important thing.
Other than that, I don’t really think there are strategies. I mean, we’re pretty pragmatic about that. You know, you’re pushing a button. What’s going to happen is going to happen.
Anything to add, Flow?
Flow: Just have fun, to be honest. Simple. It’s a casino, you know, it’s adult Disneyland. Just have fun with your money whether you win or lose.
Do you have any specific goals for you channel or anything you’d like to accomplish?
Crae: I think for us, it’s more about relationship building. At this point, we’ve started to really get some good relationships with properties. So like at Ellis, we have a card on there that says like, this is Crow Slot’s Top Five Picks – our favorite machines in the casino. We’re doing some things with Jackson Ranch.
Graton has been our longest-standing relationship. So this summer we’ve done all their pool parties. We’ve videoed all of them. They comped us to go to them. We were allowed to give away free tickets to our viewers. So where we can create experiences for ourselves and for others, that’s more of what we’re focusing on now.
Flow: For Instagram, I think our biggest milestone will be 100,000 followers. Right now, we’re close to 30,000 to a year. It’s picking up, too. I think that’d be the best milestone for now. You too. I mean, if we get to 10K in a year, that’s cool. Other than that, we’re not as focused on YouTube.
Thanks very much for your time!
Flow: Nice to meet you. We’re excited about your website and all the things that you guys are doing.
You can follow Crow Slots on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok.
