# Running profit/loss counter while opening packs

A gaming format, measured November 8, 2026 by Volume. https://tryvolume.app/working/gaming/running-profit-loss-counter-while-opening-packs

Start an unboxing or grading reveal with the cost as a negative balance, then update the total on screen after every item. It worked for 8 accounts, with a median of 9x their usual reach. Type: Editing trick. Seen as: Screen recording, Green screen, Voiceover, Talking head, Video.

## Why it works

The balance keeps changing, so viewers stay to see whether it ends positive or negative. Four different card accounts use it, from pack openings to PSA returns.

## How to make it

1. Open with the cost on screen as a negative number
2. Reveal each card, or cover it with your thumb first
3. Add its market value to the running total, ideally with a sound effect
4. End on the final balance

## Hook formula

PT. [number] Profit/Loss: -$[cost] before we open [product]

## Examples

- @playqb54 (86K followers, Instagram screen recording): 670x their usual likes. Hook: “FIRST TO 54” [Original post](https://www.instagram.com/p/DedSKEWNB9U/)
- @toastybros (33K followers, Instagram green screen): 30x their usual views. Hook: “DO YOU REMEMBER” [Original post](https://www.instagram.com/p/DeNYe0dBu10/)
- @joshwoshyytcg (1.6M followers, TikTok voiceover): 15x their usual views. Hook: “POV life after highschool” [Original post](https://www.tiktok.com/@joshwoshyytcg/video/7694060844761566495)
- @techtesseract (1.1M followers, Instagram talking head): 8.7x their usual views. Hook: “How much my husband's PC today?” [Original post](https://www.instagram.com/p/DfC5hJRsx0X/)
- @lt_times (16K followers, TikTok talking head): 12x their usual views. Hook: “Oct. 30” [Original post](https://www.tiktok.com/@lt_times/video/7702806504407043342)
- @pokedge (435K followers, TikTok video): 8.5x their usual views. Hook: “PT. 346 Profit/Loss +$519.71” [Original post](https://www.tiktok.com/@pokedge/video/7695938050781662477)
- @linustech (1.4M followers, TikTok screen recording): 7.7x their usual views. Hook: “Total Cost: $0” [Original post](https://www.tiktok.com/@linustech/video/7689920996253469973)
- @pokeripper1 (96K followers, TikTok video): 3.9x their usual views. Hook: “PSA THE PSA RETURN IS BACK!” [Original post](https://www.tiktok.com/@pokeripper1/video/7693715308443421983)

More gaming formats: https://tryvolume.app/working/gaming.md

## Get the full library

The full library has every post, format and hook in gaming, plus long-running Meta ads, and your AI agent can search it over MCP. The library comes with Volume Core and Pro, from $29.99 a month, and every plan starts with a 3-day free trial. Start a free trial: https://tryvolume.app/library

Agents: add Volume's MCP server (https://app.tryvolume.app/api/mcp) and call `search_library(shelf: "formats", niche: "Gaming")` for every format, `search_library(shelf: "posts", niche: "Gaming")` for examples with transcripts and scripts.

## How this is measured

- Every post is compared with its own account's usual reach, not with other accounts. "14x their usual" means the post got 14 times the median views of that account's recent posts.
- TikTok videos and Instagram Reels are measured on views. Instagram carousels have no view count, so they are measured on likes against the account's usual likes, and say so.
- A post makes the library at 2x its account's usual or more. A format is a repeatable move (what is said or shown, or how it is edited) that several accounts used in breakout posts. It is listed here once it worked for 3 or more different accounts.
- Formats rank on how many accounts they worked for and how far above usual, damped so a fluke on one tiny account cannot outrank a format that worked for ten.

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