A spreadsheet is fine for tracking bonus hunts privately, but it stops working the moment you want the hunt on screen: a tracker computes the same maths live, shows it to viewers as an overlay, and does not require you to alt-tab mid-session.
Almost every slot streamer starts with a spreadsheet. It is free, you already know how it works, and the maths is genuinely simple — a few columns and a couple of formulas.
Nothing wrong with that. The question is when the spreadsheet starts costing you more than it saves.
What a spreadsheet does well
- It is yours. No account, no dependency, no service going down mid-stream.
- The maths is transparent. You can see every formula, which is how you learn what Avg X needed actually measures.
- It is fine off-stream. Planning a hunt, reviewing last week, tracking results over a month — a sheet is genuinely good at this.
If you do not have one yet, we publish a free bonus hunt spreadsheet template with the profit, average multiplier and break-even formulas already built in.
Where it breaks
The problems all start when the hunt goes live.
Viewers cannot see it
You either alt-tab to the sheet, which dead-airs the stream, or you screen-capture a window and viewers squint at a spreadsheet. Neither reads well. The numbers your audience cares about most are the ones hardest for them to see.
You are typing while you play
Logging a bet and a win by hand, mid-spin, is where mistakes happen. A win typed into the wrong row quietly corrupts every number downstream, and you usually notice about ten bonuses later.
It cannot take input from chat
Viewer slot requests, a balance guess, a bonus suggested in chat — none of that reaches a spreadsheet without you copying it across by hand.
Nobody else can touch it
A mod cannot log a bonus for you while you are talking. That is fine on a small stream and painful on a busy one.
What a tracker adds
A bonus hunt tracker is the same maths with three differences: it renders to an OBS overlay so viewers watch the numbers update live, it accepts input from chat commands and mods, and it keeps a history you can point at later.
The break-even calculation is identical to the one in the sheet — start balance, opening balance, current balance, and the multiplier still needed. If you want to understand it before trusting it, the break-even guide derives it step by step.
The honest recommendation
Use both, for different jobs.
- Spreadsheet: planning, long-term records, learning the maths, anything off-stream.
- Tracker: anything your audience needs to see while it happens.
The switch usually happens naturally. You will notice yourself apologising for alt-tabbing, or a mod will ask why they cannot add a bonus. That is the signal.
The tracker is free — no plan, no limits. Start one at CasinoHub.
Frequently asked questions
Can you track a bonus hunt in a spreadsheet?
Yes, and the formulas are simple — spent, total stake, average multiplier needed. The limitation is not maths, it is that a spreadsheet cannot be your overlay and cannot be updated while you play.
When should you switch from a spreadsheet to a tracker?
When you want the hunt visible to viewers, or when alt-tabbing to update a sheet is costing you the session. Those are the two points where the spreadsheet's cost stops being zero.
Is a bonus hunt tracker free?
Free bonus hunt trackers exist and cover the full workflow — logging slots, live break-even maths and an OBS overlay. Paying is not required to run hunts properly.
Konrad van Daath is Head of Business Development at CasinoHub, the free all-in-one toolkit for casino and slots streamers — bonus hunt tracking, OBS overlay widgets, viewer giveaways, loyalty points and unified Twitch, Kick and YouTube chat. He works directly with streamers and casino operators on the setup, deals and tactics behind their broadcasts, and writes these guides from what actually gets used on stream.