How to Tip Inadequate Dealers

We all want dealers to deal better. Most of them are able to get two cards face down to almost all of the players so that's not a big issue. Many of the complaints are slowness, a lack of familiarity with even the most common situations, inappropriate comments meant either as jokes or derision, surly disposition and a few others.


Now the dealers are in it for the money. It's a job and as long as they are putting in their 30 minutes at a table you would think they would like to make as much money as possible for the same amount of time.


Here's an idea. Go to a novelty store and have some business card sized cards printed. At the top of the card it should say, "Here's a Tip for You" Below it you can have printed several or all of the following. "Smiles attract Chips more than frowns", or "If you hadn't been flirting this would have been cash" or "Don't expect a tip when you give free advice" When a dealer can benefit from one of these suggestions push it towards him when you win a pot. Do it with a big smile and your point will be made. This way you are giving the dealer a tip and the tip is how to be a better dealer.

I live in L.A. Giving a dealer or some other service person a card with an aphorism on it instead of a tip, especially when done with a big smile, will result in assualt and battery or a shooting.

L.A. is not that tough man... not the dealers in CASINOS anyway...

Ever notice how dealers with bad attitudes or skills also don't have much of a sense of humor? Odds are that giving somebody one of those cards will just make them angry, and maybe other players as well. Bad for business.


Card rooms want to give you the best possible poker experience. If you want to be funny and get better dealing at the same time (nothing wrong with that), take one of the room managers to the side and ask him if somebody pissed in your dealer's cornflakes this morning.

Brunson is to poker what Darwin was to understanding nature. I live in a huge forest, but when I look out at it I am sure I would not see the ecology and evolution if Darwin had not explained it. For thousands of years people have lived in forests, but really did not understand how they worked i.e. ecology and evolution. But once ecology and evolution are explained they make perfect sense and anyone can see it easily.


What Brunson did with super system was to explain the concept of power poker and betting, and raising vs calling, which few had really understood heretofore. Stealing all of the little pots so you can play the big pots on a freerole, so to speak. I did not understand power poker until I read super system and I had been a pretty successful player for years.


When I first started playing no limit I really got run over always trying to catch a hand. But after reading Brunson's book it was as clear a bell to me what had been happening and after that I knew how to defend myself.


I loved where Brunson said " if someone tries to run over me, he and I are getting ready to play a hand" - or something to that effect. What he is saying is when that bully keeps trying to push you around just wait for a good hand and then come right over the top of him. Do that a few times and he will stop doing that to you.


Today I rely on Malmuth, Skalansky, Caro, Mcvoy and most of all TJ Cloutier. I have learned the ideas of the first four pretty well. But I have memorized TJ's books because they give me a clean game I can just carry with me to the poker table and that game is equally balanced between defense and offense.

Believe it or not, after I complained about one dealer in a polite way with the manager, that dealer IMPROVED by learning a couple things and TRYING HARDER. I know it is very hard to believe, but it was the High Desert and not L.A. or Las Vegas. But the business card approach would not work, as we have at least as many guns per capita as L.A.


BTW, I saw on the news tonight there was some gun play between employees at a casino across the road from where I play in the High Desert. I don't think the employees were frustrated dealers, but who knows? As usual in a gunfight, there was no second place finisher. And the loser violated the first rule in a gunfight - Have a Gun. Actually, I think it was your basic murder in the parking lot rather than a gunfight, but casino employees just maybe bring guns to work sometimes, so I am not big on the business card idea.

Interesting post, but you placed it down here as a response in another thread. Maybe repost?


btw, I think that Brunson quote was more like, "... he and I are *fixin'* to play a hand."


Are you talking about the Cloutier book on *limit* hold'em?

Do it with a frown then.

im just wondering where in the high desert you play?

i live sorta in that area.

Wrong thread, man.

Jackpot.

I was talking about Cloutier's books on limit, pot limit-no limit and Omaha.


Back to Brunson's Power Poker concept. I am sure you and many others understood the concept, but until Brunson wrote his book many of us did not understand it. I can remember years ago when I first started playing no limit. We had players in our game that understood his concept cold and I always felt at a loss because I was still under the impression I had to catch a hand. I am an old low ball player (limit mostly) from San Jose. And as we all know now that game is just too restrictive because the game almost has a finite number of moves; and I hated no limit low ball because you were always looking at the nuts.


P.S But I do not mean to take anything away from the many other fine books published by you, Malmuth, Skalansky and others it just struck me that Cloutier's books (in association with tom McEvoy) give a more or less package deal that if one takes to a game will do them just fine - if they have talent and experience. The other books give valuable information, but some times the esoteria of those books, I think, is counter productive for someone still trying to develop a game.


Once they get their game then the other books are invaluable if one wants to play at the highest levels. But what the heck do I know. I only get to play a few times a year because of where I live - we have no games - lol. Although I am getting ready to move south just to play more poker. And thank goodness for hold em - lol.

Wrong thread - why? I know this thread is sponsored by twoplustwo, and I am grateful, but I would hope that the great twoplustwo author's and threadsters would be above petty rivalry. I don't believe Nietzsche was jealous of Dostoevsky. I don't think there is a dimes worth of difference between Brunson, Baldwin, Malmuth, skalansky, Cloutier or McEvoy in their knowledge of poker and I would guess they all respect each other greatly.


I am not trying to sell anything. I am just thinking. Isn't that what these threads are for?

There's nothing wrong with your post or the forum you put it in. It's just that it has nothing to do with "How to Tip Inadequate Dealers", which is what your post is under (in response to). I think you might have meant to make a "new" post. Anyway, I enjoyed your post.

A card that says that a contribution has been made in your name to the Human Fund!

We don't have a tipping custom in Australia. As I understand it, a tip is a reward for good service. When I visited the US a couple of years ago, I had to ask what I should tip everywhere I went.


I will tell you one thing though, when I was at a bar (quite often since that was the main purpose of my trip) and I had to wait a long time, especially if people who came to the bar before me were served first, I sure as hell didn't tip the bartender. If they brought me the wrong drink or something I'd still tip (as long as they brought me the right one), because anyone can make a mistake.


Ditto for male bartenders who serve all the women ahead of the guys. If they want to pick up chicks on my time they can stick with their minimum wage.


I would maintain a similar policy with dealers. If they had a bad attitude or flirted with the players I wouldn't tip them a cent, and I'd tell them why.


If they have a bad attitude they need to find a job that doesn't involve customer service IMO.


Wardy

I don't think the cards would work either. Although your creativity is great. Stephen's advice on taking a floor person aside works well, I've done it several times. I've also have talked to dealers going on break and commented on something they might improve on, with few exceptions they respond favorably. It works both ways. If you do something, be sure to catch the dealer after you calm down and let them know you were out of line, it goes a long way with the dealer and the floor. I had an argument with a floor person one night in AC and an hour later realized that I was wrong. Went and told him that, and he has never forgotten it. I can show up after a six month abscence and he remembers me for saying I was out of line. Helps when you want comps too.

When I play in casinos I like to give dealers useful tips. Rather than give them money I will tell them a useful tip, such as "Never look directly at the sun," or "Never pour sulfuric acid on your genitalia." At least I know I am helping them in some small way.


Pat (with apologies to George Carlin)