Tipping the dealer, revisited

In My Humble Opinion
1

At a recent gathering, I overheard a discussion among two couples who have planned a trip to Las Vegas. I gathered that the wives are principally attracted by the shows - one of them had obtained what she felt were good tickets to a performance of Cirque du Soleil, something she was quite pleased about (she made a point of using the proper french pronunciation of the first word, which it seems is “sir-kay”; she had nothing but contempt for the phony americanized “sirk” - but I digress).

The men, by contrast, are interested in gambling - especially blackjack. Each seems to feel he is rather accomplished at this. But a lively discussion ensued over the subject of tipping the dealer.

The background is that Sam has been to Las Vegas recently (last year) and is familiar with the custom, whereas Tony has not been in quite some time, and has no experience of tipping the dealer.

Tony seemed a bit put off by Sam’s announcement that tipping was expected. He felt that the odds were already in the house’s favor, so providing a regular stream of money to the dealer was likely to seriously interfere with chances at profitability. Sam felt it was a matter of striking the right mood, and that prospects of winning were naturally better if the dealer was on your side rather than against you (as he would likely be if you made a point of not tipping).

As my most recent experience of Las Vegas is even older than Tony’s, I was of no help. So I turn to the SDMB with some questions:
Is tipping the dealer now more or less mandatory? What would be the reaction to someone who fails to do this?

What is considered the correct amount to tip? How much in tips does a typical dealer make in an hour?

What can/does the dealer provide in return? Can tipping in any way improve a player’s chance of winning (assume a player who knows the correct play & betting strategy)? In what ways might failure to tip prove harmful?

2

Tipping is expected, if for no other reason than karma. It needn’t be a lot. I usually bet the odd amounts I get on a blackjack for the dealer. That way we can both win, and they appreciate the effort on your part. In return, you get a happier, more relaxed dealer who will point out that you are doing something stupid every now and then. Tipping can’t affect the odds, but it makes the table a nicer place to be, and that is what you are paying for, after all. If you are going to win, stay home and save your money. Vegas is about entrtainment.

If you win big, toss the dealer a couple of units (whatever chip size you were betting). It can’t hurt, and failing to do so just paints you as an asshole.

3

Um, no. There would have to be an accent on the E (cirqué) for it to be pronounced her way. “Sirk” is, IMHO, close enough, unless you’re actually speaking French.

4

Poker Dealer here.

Tipping is expected when you win. In blackjack it’s a bit different, but in poker a dealer can not do anything to help you win. However, having a dealer sending bad thoughts your way can’t help. If anything, you are more likely to get good advice, leniency and a more pleasant experience. I have players that are regulars that refuse to tip. I don’t know if they leave up or down, but every dealer they stiff is doing their damnedest to wish them poorly.

Our job is to give you service, a well-run, pleasant game is what we are there for. If we are providing that service, tossing us a chip or two on your wins shouldn’t be that painful. We run 120 player tournaments daily. The only folks we ask to tip are the winners. You can play badly all you want and never give us a dime, hence, when you do place in the money, it is a thanks for the dealing you got today, and all those times you lost.

Would he go to a restaraunt and not tip? I am paid the same hourly wage as a waiter.

5

Tip when you win or when you leave. If your losing don’t feel bad about not tipping.

Also remember at most casinos the tip doesn’t go directly to your dealer. Tips go into a pool and are divided between all the dealers.

If your learning a game or trying to become better tip your dealer. They aren’t going to do anything that would help you win or lose but after a hand they might give some advice when it comes to odds and such.

The gambling gods like to see people tip dealers. They are easy to anger so best not take any chances.

6

I once dated a blackjack dealer. As mentioned above, they depend on tips for a substantial portion of their income. From what she told me, tips were distributed among all the dealers–and possibly the drink girls, too (not certain of this)–on some sort of proportional basis. They divide the total amount tipped per week by the total hours worked by those eligible to share in the pool to get an hourly tip rate, and then each person is given that amount for each hour they worked during the time period.

Frankly, from what she told me, dealing is much harder than it looks. It’s not just flipping cards. They have to keep up with how much money is in play at their table, enforce the rules, recognize irregular plays immediately, calculate/memorize the payouts, handle players that sometimes are drunk or otherwise difficult, always be courteous/professional and maintain a steady pace throughout the shift. They really bust ass during the shift, even though they make it look effortless. Definitely deserve the tips.

7

True enough that the odds are in the house’s favor, but in most if not all cases the dealers aren’t getting a cut of the casino’s profits. The dealer is getting a salary (i assume an hourly wage) that doesn’t change whether you win or lose.

So yeah, tip the dealer, Tony, you cheap bastard.

8

I have always tipped the dealer, win or lose. And when I do so, I always say “Thanks for the game.”

It doesn’t mean anything, really.

But as a raw amateur, I have been helped (by way of advice) sometimes, and my wife/daughter have been done so, too. I can tell you that it makes the whole experience so much better and so much more fun.

I really appreciate dealers who “cater” to butthead neophytes. Thanks to you all.

9

I don’t go to casinos very often, and when I do I usually play poker. I am sure to tip the dealer whenever I win a hand. On the rare occaisions that I play blackjack, I can use all the advice I can get, so again, I’ll be sure to tip the dealer; though I’m not sure if I should count that as tipping or paying for advice.

In any case:

Probably the best time I’ve had in a casino was at New York, New York. The dealer, pit boss and players were all cracking jokes and laughing it up. I had a good time, so even though I lost a couple of bucks in short order, I threw dealer a few dollars.

10

Poker dealers do not typically tip pool. We weren’t taught to share.

Invoking the Gods, eh?

See the little brown box of poker god redemption? That is where you make your offerings to the poker gods. Yes, they take bribes.

There is a lot that is going on that we have to be aware of. How many players are in the hand, how much is in the pot, is the rake accurate, what is the best possible hand, Hey, Drunk Guy, don’t use phrases like “fucking pussy” on the table, ok? Raise, 3 callers. One is all in, side pot, accurate rake on the side pot, open seat, two players in for the side, OPEN SEAT ON 22, damn, I need a fill, BRUSH TO 16 for a fill. Showdown folks, ok, straight to the 10, flush, flush takes it, push the pot, shuffle, shuffle, box, shuffle, am I dealing fast enough? Should I slow the game and make the supervisor to come over to deal with drunk Guy and all that entails, yes, Steve, you got a deuce, now hush. Oooh! a tip! Whee! Countrywide loves it when that happens!

Lather, Rinse, Repeat.

11

That would be my theory too, but she was having none of it.

12

I guess this reverts to the old (and by now rather shopworn) debate about tipping in general: there is little dispute that dealers should be paid decently; there’s simply a debate about who should carry responsibility for their remuneration.

Since the casinos are in general raking in hideous profits, Tony’s view would no doubt be that they should bear the burden of paying the employees whose work is necessary to make those profits possible. OTOH, if customers can be induced not only to place the bets from which the profits come but also to accept much of the burden of employee compensation, the casino owners would be foolish to do anything other than encourage this.

13

I don’t know about blackjack, but last time I played a $2/$4 poker game, I tipped $1 for each pot I won, or $2 for a few big pots. If everyone was doing that (every hand is a winner for somebody), it could easily add up to $20-$30 an hour.

Well, they’re playing by a fixed set of rules, but they can sometimes offer advice and always can make the game run more smoothly. In pai gow poker, for example, the dealer can show you how to play your hand, and the strategy the dealer is paid to implement on the house’s behalf is very close to the optimal strategy for any player.

14

Thanks for those that gave info here. I’m going to vegas this next weekend, so I’ll be sure to put the advice to good use. :slight_smile:

15

Nor can it hurt. There’s no magic juju from bad thoughts. However, having the dealer side with you during a dispute can be a benefit - but a very costly one.

Of any given pot. Even players losing their ass in a game are going to win pots.

Not that I’m advocating this behavior, but I want to give some perspective on it.

Let’s say I’m in a game with 45-50 hands per hour, 8-10 players, let’s round it out to me winning 5 pots per hour. Let’s say I tip $2 every time I win.

Over the course of the year, at 40 hours per week, that’s $20,800 coming out of my pocket - money that would otherwise be mine - going to tipping.

Now, factor in, say, an average of $3.50 rake per hand on those pots, too. That’s $36,400. Together, that’s $57,200 I’m paying at the end of the year to be able to play poker.

If I was good enough to beat other players for, say, $100k in that year (which is pretty substantial), I only get to keep $42,800. That is - even if I’m absolutely crushing the games, I’m generating more money for the casino than for myself. If I was good enough to beat other players for $40,000 per year, I’m now losing $17,200, despite outplaying my opponents consistently for a year.

Sure, $1-2 for a tip and $3-$4 for rake seem like no big deal, right? It adds up to crippling numbers. 90%+ poker players are losers for this reason, when if they played in an unraked/tipped game, it’d be a lot closer to 50%.

It’d be nice if these multibillion dollar business which feed off naivety would compensate them properly and not require the people who are already getting fleeced to do so.