tipping

I am planning on playing at a casino for the first time. Assuming I win, what is an appropriate amount for a tip.

[bomblade]

Depends on what limit you're playing at. I play 10/20 and 20/40. I tip .50 for both games, unless the pot is large, or I win with AA. If I get AA, I tip a dollar, just cause I'm supersticious I guess. If the pot is large, you tip accordingly.

[Jimbo]

When I go to Vegas I play anywhere from 10/20 to 20/40 and never tip less than a dollar, usually two and often five for a big pot. I find this makes the dealers smile and pisses off the locals. Where else can you get this much fun for a fiver? /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

Jimbo

[HDPM]

Toke .50 or $1. If there's change in the pot use that. Asking the dealer to chop a $1 check is looked down on by some, particularly loose low-limit players but is SOP in some Las Vegas games. Other places it won't be accepted well. I tip either .50 or $1, more often $1. Some dealers (a very small minority) won't get a toke though. This is based on rudeness or inattention not superstition or even their mechanical incompetence. As Jimbo said, toking a redbird in Las Vegas might put the table on tilt. /forums/images/icons/grin.gif

[snakehead]

if you want all the dealers to kiss up to you, follow jimbo's advice. if you want to make money, but still don't want to be a stiff, tip $1 on any pot you win when you bet and are called on the flop. if you steal the blinds, or see the flop and don't get called, don't tip. exception: if you raise and then don't get called on the flop a couple of times, go ahead and tip on the second time.

[snakehead]

if you are playing 1-4 stud, then tipping .50 would be appropriate, but at 6-12 and above, I don't think so.

[HDPM]

Some places it's not seen as a decent tip. In Las Vegas it is acceptable and is a monster in the big games. /forums/images/icons/grin.gif I usually toke $1 though.

[MichaelD]

In the Chicago area, almost everyones tips either $1 or $0.50. I would say the split is close to even with half tipping $1 and the other half tiping $0.50. The difference between here and other parts of the country is that the dealers do not keep their own tips, but rather they are pooled in with either the whole casino or the whole poker room, depending on which room you are playing in.

Hope this helps.

Just some thoughts...

Michael D.

[baggins]

curious as to what you tip, Mike. since i play in the LL tables, i tend to tip .50, as i am having to work harder to overcome the rake+jackpot in that game. i think if i played 20-40 or higher, i would have a stack of whites to use for tips.

Basically, any kind of tipping comes down to what kind of person you are. If you've ever worked for tips, you'll generally tip well, whether it be at a restaurant, casino, or whatever. If you appreciate what people who work for tips go through, you'll probably tip well also. If you're cheap, you'll never tip well no matter what anybody tells you. The fact that you're asking probably means you're a good guy and want to take care of the people who work while you make money. Being a former waiter, I take good care of the dealers and usually tip at least a dollar at 5/10 or better tables. If the dealer is fast, efficient, and/or has a good personality that makes it enjoyable to sit at the table, I'll usually throw in a little extra. Bottom line, anybody who tips less than a dollar on a reasonable pot is considered cheap, and the dealers would tell you that if you asked them while they were off duty. I would compare it to someone who tips 10% at restaurants. Some players will tell you that you can't tip well if you want to make money, but there are several pros who tip well and also manage to make a great living. Another thing you have to consider is that most dealers/waiters/bartenders/busser/etc... make HALF OF MINIMUM WAGE which is standard and legal for someone who works for tips, so they don't recieve a paycheck because any hourly they've accumulated goes towards taxes, plus they end up owing more at the end of the year. Bottom line, you don't have to tip excessively, just tip a little more than average and the dealers will be happy and you're stack won't be damaged. These guys who bring a roll of 50 cent pieces to the 10/20 tables for tips are a joke, and the dealers have no respect for them. We had a saying in the restaurant business: "If you can't afford to tip, then don't eat out." Well, same goes for poker.

[MichaelD]

CD's Nuts,

While I wholeheartedly agree with your philospohy on tipping, I must confess I do have a difficult time tipping $1 all the time in a room where dealers do not keep their own tips. I have heard dealers in both the rooms I play in actually tell players (never me) they do not care if a player tips or not because the tips are pooled - this is BS and these people have obviously never had to work ON THEIR OWN FOR THEIR OWN TIPS. I have worked for tips as I used to tend bar many years ago.

BAGGINS,

I would say about 75% of the time I tip $1 and 25% of the time I will buy a roll of halves. Very difficult for me to give a dealer who deals 9 hands in a 30 minute shift any tip at all let alone a big tip.

On a side note, I have taken care of certain dealers around Christmas time as permitted by Casino policy - and in a room where dealers keep their own tips, I ALWAYS give a minimum of $1 per pot.

Hope this helps

Just some thoughts...

Michael D.

I am a poker dealer. Though I am grateful for the tokes recieved I am not in favour of tipping. There are a few reasons why; I feel it is the casinos responsibility to pay their employees a livable wage. They avoid this by creating a social norm around tipping. This is rediculous, putting the onus on casino guests to not only fund corperate greed but to feed casino employees as well. Another reason is the horrendous rake which seems to be increasing everywhere.
In short, dont tip.. its not your responsibility to pay wages.
(meet me after work, give me a grand lol)