In Las Vegas casinos, when a lucky blackjack player gives the dealer a tip, does he or she keep it or does it go to the House?
Dealers get to keep their own tips.
I’ve always understand it that all the dealers in that pit split their tips between them at the end of the night… But as always, it probably depends on the casino.
Dealers in most casinos take your tip and put it into the toke box at the table. Those tips are then split by the dealers.
When I used to play a lot of poker, the dealers would take the tip box with them when their shift ended.
serious question from a non-gambler here.
Why would you ever tip the dealer? If you are having a bad night, they don’t throw you a chip. Why should the one lucky streak in a blue moon require me to throw the person a tip (unless she’s a babe, of course, in which case a tip is understood). I am sure this falls into social standards and gambling etiquette, but if the dealers are paid like waitresses, maybe the casino needs to pony up some money. Is this just a fall over from the salons of the western mining towns?
Fairly good article about tipping the dealer.
Yes the casino’s income easily allows them to pay fully adequate salaries to their dealers. But if they can get foolish people to go along with a scheme whereby part of a dealer’s compensation comes directly from customers, so much the better (for them).
People tip for different reasons.
Some tip for good karma. That sounds stupid to folks who don’t believe in such things, but casino gambling is an irrational activity in the first place since you are bound to lose over the long run unless you cheat.
Some people over-tip because they like to feel like they are hot shit when they gamble. Hey whatever floats your boat.
Frankly, when I go to Vegas, I am not going there with dreams of winning millions, I go with a desire to enjoy myself. Sometimes you have dealers that are fun to play around and sometimes you don’t. And if I plan on losing a couple hundred bucks at a table, you can bet that I want to at least enjoy losing it. If someone thinks that any day they lose at a casino is a lousy day, then I guess they need to get ready for disappointment, because its going to happen more often than not.
Good dealers are more tolerant with new players and will take the time to be helpful. I think that deserves something. You can say that it should be expected, but believe me, I have had lousy dealers and good ones.
There are a lot of little things that can make your time at a table more enjoyable.
So for me, throwing a bet down for the dealer is about rewarding people who help me accomplish my goal of having a good time when I gamble. Not much different from tipping a waitress who makes sure that your resturant or bar experience was a pleasant one.
In Tunica, the dealers pool their tips at all the casinos. Most of them prefer to gamble their tips, so I usually get some $1 chips when I buy in, and periodically during the session. I’ll use the $1s to place a bet for the dealer, and to tip the drink girls. If it turns out to be a winning session, I’ll give the dealer a nicer tip when I leave the table…one or more $5 chips, depending on how well I did. In three card poker, if I hit one of the big payout hands–Straight Flush (pays 40-1) or Three of a Kind (30-1), I’ll give the dealer $5-$10.
I tip when I win because it is just part of the what you do.
But I never play their tip. I can’t condone gambling, it is a sin.
The blackjack dealers are more than just warm bodies that robotically deal cards. A lot of them actually take the time to be cordial and help you win, or at the very least, help you not lose as much.
For example, when I have a 17 or better, most dealers will not take the time to wait and see if I want to stand or hit. Most of them assume that I want to stand, and will just pass over me, not taking the time to wait for my response. I appreciate this, as it saves my time as well. In fact, when dealers do wait for my response, it actually kind of insults my intelligence.
Also, there have been times while playing that I have almost made some stupid mistakes, but through the watchful and careful eye of the dealer, he has stopped me. Such as hitting on a hand I should stand on, with a dealer bust card showing. Some will say, “are you sure?”, or they’ll just point to what they have reminding me that it’s a bust card. Again, something I appreciate.
And, because of my appreciation, I throw’em a few extra.
Pooling the entire casino is the norm in Vegas from what I hear. I’ve heard in a small number though, the poker dealers get to keep their individual tips, but the pit dealers pool their tips which may have been why the poker dealers you saw took their box with them. The card rooms where I work in Washington State where dealers generally keep their own tips no matter what, which is extremely rare.
Sure…just don’t be surprised when they raise your $5 table to a $10 table to compensate. 
Well the problem is, as soon as we start assuming, some yahoo wants to hit his 17 (or more :eek:). “NO, NO!!! NEVER WAIVED IT OFF!!! NEVER GAVE THE SIGNAL!!! CHECK THE TAPE, CHECK THE TAPE!!!” :rolleyes: After the dealer gets an idea of what kind of player you are, yeah, you generally just skip over the pat hands.
Couple hours ago I dealt a lady a 10 and a 5. HONEST TO GOD she asked, “How many is that?” :smack:
I love the U.S.but frankly every time I go there and use some sort of service industry its like being surrounded by beggars which spoils my enjoyment.
For gods sake just put the bloody prices up and pay your staff a living wage.
In Las Vegas dealers get paid minimum wage. Some places may give a very small increase to dealers who stay on; on the order of $1 per day, not per hour.
Blackjack dealers pool tips and split equally for hours worked. Usually the split is by each shift but some places split on a 24 hour basis. Roulette and the “carnival games”, Caribbean Stud, Three Card Poker, etc. are included in the Blackjack tip pool.
In some casinos each four person crew on a craps table split their own tips; they tend to earn more than BJ dealers. In places with a high-end Baccarat room the Baccarat dealers may have their own pool; they tend to earn the most money.
Poker dealers are entirely separate from the pit dealers. They each keep their own tips.
As we’ve heard, some things are done differently in other areas where there are casinos but this is the Vegas way.
That makes sense. My only real experience is with poker. I should have been more specific.
I also get the impression that many people don’t really think of winnings as “real money”; and if so, why not give some of it away?
I’m sorry, Cyberhwk. I was drunk. Three free drinks and I lose my first grade math skills. 
I’m sad to hear that tips are split - last night we tried the blackjack tables, having never played before, and the dealer was so sweet and understanding and helpful - I tipped her because I wanted her to get a little extra, not somebody I never met.
But it works out in the end. If someone in a shift is being an unfriendly dealer, and thus dragging down the tip take, there will be pressure put on that person to become a more friendly person.
Each dealer keeping their own tips would be a logistic nightmare. In Vegas, when you tip a dealer they put the money into a lockbox attached to the table. Dealers will be relieved at least 4 times during their shift, meaning they would have to open the lockbox and take the tips 5 times for one shift. Every person who relieved that table would also have to take their tips out when the relief was over. This means that during one shift, the lockbox would be opened ten times. Thirty times over the course of a 24 hour day.
Because of the nature of casinos, any kind of action that is moving money from one place to another requires all sorts of documentation and surveillance. Removing tips from the lockbox thirty times a day for every single table would just require too many resources, and interrupt the game too often. Now, all the tables have the tip lockbox removed once per day, or at most once per shift.