Poker vlogging has grown in popularity over the last few years, bringing in a new audience of potential players via YouTube. The medium has allowed some poker pros to carve out entirely new careers, making their living from documenting their play around the world.
While old school pros like Daniel Negreanu are still a big draw, newer content creators like Brad Owen and Alexander “Wolfgang Poker” Seibt have been able to build up their own massive followings with their platforms reaching millions of viewers.
This niche in the poker community has been facing some headwinds, however, which Owen experienced first-hand in late September when his YouTube channel was suspended. An email to the California native noted that the action came from violating the “circumvention policy” and warned that once his channel was terminated he would be “prohibited from using, possessing, or creating any other YouTube channels.”
After dealing with the shock, and doing some research, Owen believes YouTube mistakenly terminated one of his editor’s accounts. Since the editor was an authorized user on Owen’s account, he was flagged as well. The editor eventually won his appeal, and Owen was able to get his channel back online.
Despite that, the issue highlights the tenuous nature of content creators being locked into a single platform. Owen’s suspension came as Google announced a crackdown in March on gambling-related content, and that has led to some major frustrations for many.
Owen, who has almost 800,000 subscribers, has spent thousands of hours producing his channel. The exposure led to a WPT sponsorship, and a co-ownership stake in The Lodge Card Club in Texas. But all of it is built upon the house of cards that is YouTube, and the suspension was certainly a wake-up call.
“I’ve been making YouTube videos for almost nine years now,” Owen said. “To be at the mercy of YouTube’s AI policy enforcer is always unsettling. The fact that it regularly makes errors that put my whole career and livelihood at risk is terrifying.”
Card Player spoke with several poker and gambling vloggers about the issue. While some have not yet been affected, the YouTube guillotine has many concerned that their channels are in jeopardy of running afoul of the platform’s content police.
Poker Content Under The Microscope
YouTube should be the perfect platform for content creators. Those with the ability to create engaging videos can build an audience while also seeing a real return on investment. However, the vagaries and randomness of the site’s rules have some poker vloggers puzzled.
In March, the platform announced changes meant to curb gambling-related videos away from minors.
“As part of YouTube’s ongoing efforts to protect viewers from potentially harmful content, we are strengthening our existing policies related to online gambling content,” the site noted in a policy update.
All poker vloggers must click, “No, it’s not made for kids,” when uploading a video. This means that 99% of Owen’s audience is over the age of 18. Those that aren’t age restricted can receive a strike. However, this added age restriction drastically limits a video’s visibility.
“When YouTube ‘age restricts’ videos, this adds an extra unnecessary layer of censorship causing the views to completely flat line,” Owen explained. “It basically no longer gets promoted to anyone regardless of age. When a video gets age restricted right after release, viewership could be cut by 75% or more. But if it gets age restricted several months later, which occasionally happens, overall viewership isn’t affected nearly as much.”
Seven-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Daniel Negreanu expressed his own frustration with this age-restriction feature. Along with producing his popular tournament vlogs each summer in Las Vegas, he also streams his online play. This year, the Poker Hall of Famer has faced obstacles that have limited his view count. Like Owen, he’s not interested in minor viewers, but is perplexed at how viewing is now restricted even among adults.
This year, all Negreanu’s streams were age restricted within 10-15 minutes, which caused the algorithm to reduce viewership. The streams lost an average of 75% compared to last year.
“When they age restrict a video, something we are more than happy to flag as 18-plus, it dwarfs the reach of viewership to adults who want to watch,” Negreanu said. “They aren’t seeing it in their feed even if they subscribe. It appears that [YouTube is treating poker differently from other gambling.] The algorithm needs work because it’s pretty random what videos get flagged, and the worst part is that you often have no idea what caused it. You ask, and they can’t tell you.”
Hustler Casino Live (HCL) remains one of the most popular live-streamed cash game shows with more than 400,000 subscribers. The channel’s videos and live action bring in hundreds of thousands of views. But in September 2024, the channel was suspended for a week, and that was just a small part of what the show has experienced.
HCL founder, producer, and owner Ryan Feldman says he’s had to deal with random videos getting age restricted, leading to lower numbers. A video was also taken down entirely. As usual, the reasoning behind these moves was murky, and regaining some traction takes time.
“None of these were for any reason that differentiates one show from another,” Feldman said. “It’s just random, whatever the algorithm flags. We definitely lost viewership after we were suspended. It takes time to build the viewership back up after you lose the consistency.”
As far as advice for other players posting content on the platform, Feldman says it’s always important to understand YouTube policies as much as possible to avoid getting flagged. He recommends finding a contact at YouTube who will actually find some solutions.
“Without a real human with an ability to help, it’s an uphill battle,” Feldman said.
Slots Of Issues
Other gambling-related channels have experienced similar issues. Stephen Matt Morrow’s Vegas Matt platform has more than 1.3 million subscribers and regularly features the gambler heading to Las Vegas casinos, documenting big wins and losses along the way. When the site reached a million subscribers, he even gambled $1 million.
Like poker vloggers, the table games and slots gambler also had problems with YouTube and his channel’s content.
“It happens from time to time,” Morrow said. “I think it’s an automation glitch. It gets resolved most of the time.”
Slot streamers bring in millions of views on YouTube. Viewers watch streamers guide them through new games and special features without having to spend any of their own cash.
Brian Christopher is one of the top slot influencers in the space, and he was even featured in the Wall Street Journal in 2023. Originally from Toronto, Canada, and currently living in Palm Springs, California, Christopher has more than 750,000 YouTube subscribers and tens of thousands of subscribers on other channels dedicated to online casino partners. Additionally, he has 800,0000 Facebook followers and significant numbers on Instagram, TikTok, and Kick.
Christopher is an example of just how big some of these gambling-related multimedia operations can get. Beyond revenue from YouTube, he has numerous other company partnerships, including with an online sportsbook and two cruise lines. Christopher also had his own dedicated slot section at the Plaza Casino in downtown Las Vegas. Fans enjoy his “group pulls” at various casinos throughout the year and he hosts cruises for slot players as well.
The 44-year-old employs a small army to keep everything going, but that all seemed in jeopardy in 2018. His channel was completely removed for what YouTube described as “violent or dangerous acts that have an inherent risk of serious physical harm or death.” That certainly seemed dramatic as Christopher simply walks through casinos playing slots in most of his videos.
“It was a horrible experience, as all I had at the time was my YouTube channel,” Christopher recalled. “Without it, I was done. It also happened a day prior to my East Coast tour, where I was self-funding a trip to numerous casinos with little-to-no compensation. Without a channel, those deals were off. It took a lot of effort, and a lot of back and forth with YouTube to finally get it back.”
More issues have happened through the years, he says, that have included losing monetization, views dramatically dropping, or broken analytics tools. Like poker, his channels have been victimized by a wide YouTube net that has intermingled legal and illegal gambling.
“The new changes have wreaked havoc for all three of our channels, some more than ever,” Christopher said. “It is supposed to only include online slots that are not legal, or are not Google-approved. Everything we touch is Google-approved, so it’s quite annoying when they hit a land-based casino video with this age restriction. When they do that, our views are cut by around 75%, as YouTube no longer promotes the video, and if they do, people must click to accept watching this possibly harmful video. Our last three videos were hit with this, and we appealed and won. But you don’t always win, and there’s no second appeal.”
Christopher holds out hope that the issue will be resolved at some point. While there may be problems along the way, he says the platform can still be great for creators looking to build an audience and monetize their work. Through the years, he has worked to help other creators to get out of YouTube purgatory.
“You have to ride the algorithm wave and hope it comes back around to you,” he said.
A Maddening Process
New Jersey’s Anthony Cicali is part of the Slot Squad streaming crew and discovered that YouTube even goes after old videos that were perfectly compliant when they were uploaded. Slot Squad has always labeled the channel’s videos “not for kids.” Rather than ask the videos be removed or updated, the company simply issued strikes against the channel.
“YouTube has made things even stricter recently,” Cicali said. “It feels like our content is being suppressed — even for adult viewers who choose to subscribe and watch casino or poker content.”
Cicali’s HoagieCasino poker channel has faced similar interruptions. He also hosts the Nerdthusiast Poker Podcast on the platform, which has so far been unaffected. Like some poker vloggers have realized, discussion of gambling seems to get a pass, while hands-on play and gambling can be flagged.
“Honestly, this doesn’t surprise me,” Cicali said. “We’ve seen Google and YouTube suppress certain ideas or content types before, so it’s just another version of that. The bigger takeaway is that creators will find other platforms — that’s why you’re seeing so much casino and poker content moving to X and Instagram. I fully support keeping content away from minors — that’s not the issue. The issue is when adults who want to watch poker or casino content can’t even see it because the algorithm decides for them. That’s not fair to the creators or the viewers.”
At The Mercy Of The Algorithm
Andrew Selepak is an associate professor at the University of Florida and specializes in social media and its effects on culture. He says that while YouTube has enabled many poker creators to find success, there’s not too much they can do when the rules are changed.
“YouTube can create and enforce its own terms of service and make determinations about what content is and is not allowed on its platform,” Selepak said. “YouTube can decide if it wants to let creators discuss gambling in any form or restrict it to certain topics. Social media companies have the right to determine what content is and is not allowed on their platform, as well as what content the algorithm will promote and what content the algorithm will throttle down. YouTube can also decide what content or creators can be monetized. That is simply the nature of the beast when dealing with YouTube.”
Selepak also points to some ethical concerns regarding the types of gambling content YouTube actually allows to be viewed. Google only allows users to promote an online gambling site if its “domain is certified by Google Ads.”
“But does this mean that Google only allows creators to discuss gambling sites and applications that advertise on YouTube, or pay Google using Google Ads or Search Ads?” Selepak noted. “If a gambling site or application is not already paying Google money, does it make the list? In a pay-to-play scenario, Google is effectively picking winners and losers based on who is willing to give Google money.”
As for the age restrictions issues, that is a difficult needle to thread. As states require more stringent controls for minors accessing adult material, more websites are left trying to comply. Selepak notes that YouTube is the most popular social media channel among teens, with around 90% saying they use the site. Poker creators may not want to cater to minors, but that may mean lower viewing numbers among adults as well. This creates some interesting dichotomies when it comes to gambling content.
“While gambling may be illegal for anyone under 18, ESPN, newspapers, and a variety of media often discuss point spreads or even betting odds on things like elections,” Selepak said. “So, teens can learn about point spreads used for gambling by watching ESPN or playing fantasy football, but would be limited from the same information on YouTube, and all adults would be limited from such content unless Google approves the site or application used to make bets on those ESPN point spreads.”
Three Strikes You’re Out
Being tied to a platform that doesn’t seem to want you can be a tenuous existence. While there other options exist, nothing offers the same large base of users available on YouTube. Branching out may be a necessity, but isn’t a foolproof plan for an end-run around the YouTube content crackdown.
With almost 1.7 million YouTube subscribers, Alexander “Wolfgang” Seibt is the biggest poker vlogger in the industry, but he has not been immune to problems with the platform. He has until now remained mostly quiet about the frustrations in having YouTube issue “strikes” against him. A first strike brings a one-week suspension, and the second brings two weeks. A third strike and you’re out — a channel is permanently deleted.
Seibt generally tries to work some “connections” he’s made to help resolve problems, but the entire ordeal can be frustrating. Editing and producing videos can be a full-time job at this level and battling obscure corporate rules only adds to the workload.
“I’ve been on two strikes and never posted about it, but that was the most stressful thing I’ve had to deal with,” Seibt revealed. “What’s crazy is that you get strikes randomly for stuff their algorithm deems is a violation, and they can even go back to old content and review. So, it’s not like you can just stop posting new videos and wait for the strikes to fall off after 90 days, you literally sit there and any YouTube notification could mean the end of your channel.”
Other Options?
Like others, Seibt has significant revenue on the line. He not only earns his living via the revenue share, but also through sponsorships and deals with casinos. Losing YouTube would be catastrophic, which is why he’s worked to build up an audience on other platforms, including 800,000 followers on Instagram. But that platform doesn’t bring in revenue, it simply helps expand his virtual footprint.
An effort to build an audience on TikTok also came with obstacles. Seibt’s first channel had about 200,000 followers, but was deleted for a violation of terms and services. He grew a second channel to 50,000 followers and that was axed as well. He’s now given up on that platform and is simply focusing on Instagram and YouTube.
“YouTube is the best site for the long form content with storytelling I love producing, so if things get worse I’d have to figure something out,” Seibt admitted.
Other vloggers are branching out with varying levels of success. After his recent obstacles, Owen has been at the forefront of recommending other platforms. He recently started a channel on Rumble. Negreanu streams on X/Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitch simultaneously. When Hustler Casino Live was suspended, the show began streaming on Kick.
“It was tough to get anywhere near the same viewership,” Feldman said. “We will always stay on YouTube primarily because of how much easier it is to draw a large audience there than any other platform. Despite the issues, we can’t really consider alternatives much.”
Selepak says Rumble could be a nice option for some and doesn’t have the same age and gambling restrictions as YouTube. However, he stresses that content creators should focus on building a brand that can resonate across multiple vehicles of distribution.
“Rumble doesn’t have the same number of people using the platform as YouTube, but the platform is growing and may offer more of a free speech option for creators,” Selpak said. “But most importantly, content creators should not limit themselves to one platform. Users are everywhere, and good content will resonate with users anywhere they are. Creators need to build a brand and not be platform-specific, but go where they have an audience.”
For Seibt and his Wolfgang Poker brand, sticking with YouTube offers the best path for success at the moment, despite the headaches. There’s no magic bullet in assuring that a poker channel won’t run afoul of censorious algorithms, and no competing platforms that offer a complete lifeline.
“At the end of the day, what I post grows the game tremendously,” Seibt said. “I don’t promote bad websites. I don’t even swear in my videos. I try to be good for poker. I love the game and will continue to post my home games, tournaments, and cool experiences with celebrities and athletes until the day comes when I can’t anymore.”
- Photos by Card Player, PokerGO, and WPT