Guide
How to run a bonus hunt on stream
Running a good hunt is mostly about deciding the rules before you start and then showing the room the same numbers you are looking at. Here is the sequence that works.
7 min read · Updated 4 September 2026
1. Decide the shape before you spin
Fix three things and announce them: the starting balance, the bonus target, and the stake you will buy at. Changing any of them mid-hunt is what makes a hunt feel arbitrary, and it makes the break-even figure meaningless.
- Starting balance — the money that defines break-even
- Bonus target — a count, or 'until the balance is gone'
- Buy stake — fixed, or a rule for when it changes
- Whether supers count towards the target
2. Collect, and log as you go
Add each bonus as you find it rather than reconstructing the list afterwards. If your tracker has a slot database, this is one search per bonus and the artwork, provider and stake come with it.
This is also the point to take slot requests. A request queue with viewer voting gives the collection phase — which is otherwise the slow half — something for chat to do.
3. Show the numbers during the opening
Once you start opening, the room wants three figures on screen: what has been won so far, what break-even now requires, and how many bonuses are left. Everything else is decoration.
Put the hunt table on an overlay so nobody has to ask you to scroll. Give viewers the share link so the ones on a phone can follow the table without stream delay.
4. Give chat a stake in the result
A guess-the-balance game turns the last bonus into a moment. Viewers guess the final total during the collection phase, the closest guess wins, and points are awarded automatically when the hunt ends.
5. Keep the record
Finished hunts are worth keeping. They tell you which slots actually performed for you over a year, and they are the evidence behind any sponsorship conversation about how much airtime a game or a casino received.
Frequently asked questions
How much should a bonus hunt starting balance be?
- Whatever you can comfortably run without changing the rules halfway. The absolute figure matters less than fixing it in advance, because break-even is calculated from it.
Should I buy bonuses or spin for them?
- Both formats are common. Buying is faster and makes break-even maths cleaner; spinning takes longer but keeps a natural-trigger element. Pick one and announce it.
How do I show the hunt to viewers?
- Put the hunt table on your OBS overlay for the stream, and share the hunt link for viewers who want it on their own device.
Run this on your own stream
Streamneeds gives you the hunt tracker, the overlay and the bot in one place.
Keep reading
- A bonus hunt tracker your viewers can actually followTrack a bonus hunt live: 16,000+ slot database, running break-even, OBS overlay and a share link your viewers can open on any device.
- Let your viewers pick the next slot, without losing the queueTake slot requests from chat or a public page, let viewers vote, charge points, and promote any request straight into your live bonus hunt in one tap.
- What is a bonus hunt?A bonus hunt is when a slot streamer collects bonus rounds across a starting balance, then opens them all in one session. Here is how the format and its maths work.
- Bonus hunt break-even, explainedBreak-even is the average multiplier your remaining bonuses need to return the starting balance. Here is the formula, worked examples, and why it moves.