Hmm let's see, they do a job that most third world slave wage employees wish they could get, and with the emergence of globalism, I think it's only fair to include them in a comparison of occupations/wages. A job that's considerably easier than the vast majority of construction jobs, whether skilled or unskilled. A job with considerably less weighty physical safety ramifications than say a mistake made by a crane operator. Their job involves virtually no physical exertion. What about a keen creative mind and great artistic ability such as is necessary for success as an artist, advertising planner, clothing or interior designer? Negatory, batman. What about being a greatly humanitarian occupation such as nurses, nursing assitants and doctor's assistants? If you count helping to get the attention of the barmaid quicker, sure! Mathematical genius? Yeah, it's a real brain fryer to follow how many bets of which size come out on each round and then take 5 or 10% for the rake up to a certain maximum. Analytical prowess? Uhh yeah, it's super tough to tell what the players' hands are when they show you their pocket cards.

What do they do, if they're considered good? They're able to do a lot of small talk/bullshitting (mostly with the boisterous drunks) and they shuffle/deal the cards quickly -- an ability most any non-totalfucktard can develop with a few days to a few weeks of moderately intense practice. Sorry, but I think them making what they can make from wages plus tips based upon even just $.50 per pot for an average number of dealt hands per hour is absurd, no matter what angle you look at it from. As has been mentioned by others, players tipping a buck or so at the end of a short session or a few at the end of a long session would probably make the most sense. Why do I tip $1 for normal pots, $.50 for unusually small pots, and occasionally $2 (depending on how much longer I intend for my session to last) for unusually large pots then? Only because that is the commonly accepted practice on the part of the recreational players I play against with the intention of winning money from, and I wish to avoid exuding an unusually serious, money-hungry image to them (although that itself is a chore with even a modicum of tight pre-flop play versus the "never say fold!" till the flop horseshit).