Talk to a few casino players and you’ll run into myths, superstitions and flat-out misconceptions about how slots work. Brantley, AKA Cowboy Slots (profile), has seen them all and his booming slots YouTube channel is dedicated to debunking each and every one.
Cowboy is a former casino technician with firsthand experience inside the machines. It’s a big part of what makes his content so valuable and engaging for slot players. In this exclusive interview, conducted by NJ Slot Guy on the SlotsFan Podcast on Youtube, Brantley dives deep into the myths, mistakes, and misunderstandings that dominate the slot-playing world.
“One of the biggest myths out there is that the casino can flip a switch and make the machine tighter or looser whenever they want.”
In this wide-ranging conversation, Brantley also shares the full story of how Cowboy Slots started with a single unedited iPhone video, grew into a full-blown brand with six employees, and became a pillar of integrity in a content space often driven by hype and false expectations.
From breaking down volatility to exposing the truth about fast-stopping, budgets, and bonus odds, Brantley goes over some of the ways gamblers can make smarter choices and enjoy the casino more responsibly. He also opens up about the emotional rewards of helping fans gamble more responsibly, and even seek help when needed.
Below is a lightly edited transcript of the most insightful Q&A moments from the interview, presented in Brantley and NJ Slot Guy’s own words.
Q&A with NJ Slot Guy and Cowboy Slots
NJ Slot Guy: I’m pretty sure as far as all my interviews have gone, you are in fact the most popular as far as numbers go. Brantley, what are your current numbers on all your platforms?
Brantley (Cowboy Slots): So right now we actually just crossed 350,000 on YouTube. We also have about 175,000 each on Facebook and TikTok. But what really sets us apart is our own in-house platform. People can create a profile, chat with others, even reach out to game makers. That’s got about 20,000 users now.
NJ Slot Guy: So we’re easily talking half a million-plus. That’s wild. Especially when I remember your first phone call to me, you were just starting. How did this all begin?
Brantley (Cowboy Slots): I had just moved to Wyoming and didn’t know what to do with myself. I still had machines from my old business, and one night I was bored, looking up info on slot machine combinations. I clicked on a video from Stacey’s High Limit Slots, then one of yours. That sparked it. I didn’t plan on becoming a creator. I had no mic, no camera, just a phone. I posted a rough video, and two days later it had 10,000 views. That’s when I realized: people want this information.
NJ Slot Guy: And you had something no one else did, you actually worked in casinos.
Brantley (Cowboy Slots): Exactly. I’ve held the badge. I’ve worked on the floor and behind the scenes. There was no other channel with someone who’d been on the inside. That changed everything. Our channel became the first to bridge the gap between players and operators.
NJ Slot Guy: Now you’re a cornerstone of the space. But you’ve said before, you never set out to be a YouTuber.
Brantley (Cowboy Slots): Right. My background is in gaming operations, not content creation. Everything about YouTube I learned on the fly. It grew fast, 50,000 subs in under six months. I had to teach myself lighting, audio, editing, and how to scale as a brand. Now we’ve got six employees, and it’s still evolving.
NJ Slot Guy: Let’s talk about that evolution. You’ve said your mission is to educate. How do you approach myths and misinformation?
Brantley (Cowboy Slots): Carefully. Slot machines are extremely psychological. People get attached to superstitions, fast-stopping, timing spins, even turning up the volume. I’ve explained how these don’t work, even brought on the people who program these features, but some folks still insist otherwise. You can show them the truth and they’ll still say, “Nope, I’ve seen it.” That’s human nature.
NJ Slot Guy: The volume thing kills me.
Brantley (Cowboy Slots): That started as a joke. Now people believe it increases odds. It doesn’t. But what matters is giving viewers the tools to think critically. And if they still want to do those things for fun? That’s fine. Just know what’s real.
NJ Slot Guy: You’ve said responsible gambling is core to Cowboy Slots. Why is that so important to you?
Brantley (Cowboy Slots): Because it’s dangerous not to. We’ve had viewers tell us they lost control, some have even cashed out retirement savings chasing jackpots. That’s tragic. So we promote limits, budgeting, and knowing when to walk away. We even include help resources in our content. We want people to enjoy casinos as entertainment, not as a paycheck.
NJ Slot Guy: And you show losses, too, which is rare.
Brantley (Cowboy Slots): Most of our videos are losses. We post the wins, but we also show what it took to get there. If someone sees 10 jackpots in a row and thinks that’s normal, they’re being misled. We want people to see the whole picture.
NJ Slot Guy: You’ve mentioned volatility a lot, what’s the biggest thing players misunderstand about it?
Brantley (Cowboy Slots): That it’s a fixed label. Volatility is dynamic. It depends on your budget and playstyle. A high-volatility machine on a $50 budget is going to chew you up. But on a $5,000 budget, that same game might play smoother. The industry’s starting to publish volatility ratings now, but we were talking about this three years ago before anyone else.
NJ Slot Guy: Do players misunderstand how random slot machines are?
Brantley (Cowboy Slots): People believe, ‘Oh, that machine is due to hit, it hasn’t hit in a long time.’ That is false. It doesn’t matter how long a machine’s gone without hitting. It’s not due. Every single spin is independent. It does not matter what happened before.
NJ Slot Guy: What’s the biggest myth about casinos controlling the machines?
Brantley (Cowboy Slots): One of the biggest myths out there is that the casino can flip a switch and make the machine tighter or looser whenever they want. That is completely false. They can’t just remotely go in and change the payback. It’s not like that.
NJ Slot Guy: What else should people understand about volatility?
Brantley (Cowboy Slots): The higher the volatility, the higher the risk, and the higher the reward, but the longer you’re going to go without hitting anything. Those are the machines that can have massive jackpots, but they’re going to be few and far between. Lower volatility machines — like Double Diamond, Triple Diamond, Bonus Sevens — you’re going to get smaller hits, but more frequently.
NJ Slot Guy: Does denomination make a difference in payback?
Brantley (Cowboy Slots): The higher the denomination, the better the return. That’s across the board. Dollar machines, two dollar machines, five dollar machines — they’re going to pay back more than penny machines. That’s just how they’re set up.
NJ Slot Guy: What advice would you give someone walking into a casino looking to play smarter?
Brantley (Cowboy Slots): Stay away from the penny machines. Stay away from the big multi-line video games. Stay away from the high volatility stuff, especially if you’re trying to stretch your money. Look for the low volatility, high denomination, single-line machines.
NJ Slot Guy: Should players bet max credits?
Brantley (Cowboy Slots): It really depends on the machine. If the machine says that you have to bet max credits in order to get the top prize, then yes, do it. But there are many machines where it makes no difference at all. Always read the instructions on the machine.
NJ Slot Guy: What about players who “chase” bonus rounds — is there any advantage?
Brantley (Cowboy Slots): No. If somebody just left a machine and they say, ‘Oh, it’s going to bonus soon,’ that means nothing. The machine doesn’t know. It doesn’t build up to a bonus. The moment you hit that button, that spin is already decided. It’s not building up to anything.
NJ Slot Guy: Can you talk about why simplicity in a machine can be a good thing?
Brantley (Cowboy Slots): The more complex the game, the more likely the odds are going to be worse. A Double Diamond machine is extremely easy to understand. If you line up the bars or the 7s, you win. That’s it. There’s no hidden features. There’s no guesswork.
NJ Slot Guy: Why is it important to have a budget when playing?
Brantley (Cowboy Slots): You need to go in with a budget. Say, ‘I’m comfortable losing $200.’ That’s your stop loss. That’s your cutoff point. If you win, great — cash out. But if you lose your $200, don’t go to the ATM and try to chase it. That’s how people get in trouble.
NJ Slot Guy: What do you think about players who sit and watch other people play before picking a machine?
Brantley (Cowboy Slots): I’ve seen people sit next to a machine waiting for someone to get up because they think it’s going to hit next. They think, ‘It hasn’t hit yet — I’m going to get the bonus.’ That’s not how it works. You could sit there all day, and it wouldn’t change a thing.
NJ Slot Guy: Let’s talk Huff and Puff.
Brantley (Cowboy Slots): Oh, Huff and Puff [laughs]. People think newer versions like Huff ‘n Even More Puff are better because of the double screen, but those versions cut your line pays and reduce how often you land hats. You might get bonuses more often, but they pay less. We break down the pay tables side by side so people can see the math.
NJ Slot Guy: You’ve built a full company now. What does your team look like?
Brantley (Cowboy Slots): We’ve got six people now, editing, research, production, social. We even offer health insurance and 401(k) to staff. Cowboy Slots is just one brand under my larger company. I’m proud of that. It means we’re not just creating videos, we’re building something sustainable that helps others, too.
NJ Slot Guy: And you’re still in Wyoming, deep in the frontier. That’s wild.
Brantley (Cowboy Slots): It’s quiet and remote. Grocery runs are 2-hour drives. There’s already snow on the ground. But it also means we pre-record everything. We can’t just pop out to film on a whim. We’ve had to adjust, doing more premiere videos instead of lives, so people still get consistent content even when roads are closed.
NJ Slot Guy: What keeps you going through all of it?
Brantley (Cowboy Slots): It’s the comments. When someone says, “I didn’t win big, but I lost less and had more fun,” that’s it. That’s why we do this. If we’ve helped even one person enjoy the casino more responsibly, then we’ve done our job.
NJ Slot Guy: Couldn’t have said it better myself.
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