I think this could be a problem if you show up a player who is not tipping for a reason. I tip, but there are some dealers who have earned their way onto my stiff list. It takes some bad behavior to get on my list, and you might not know what the dealer did. If you don't know this and see me stiff, you could draw the wrong conclusion. This could also embarass the dealer if you (or other players) say something about it. I'm not saying that you would say something about it, but if someone else did it could be a problem. Because if someone accuses me of being a stiff it could affect how other players view me. I will correct the negative impression and that might embarass the dealer depending on how much detail I give. I have never had to say anything though, as I simply stack the pot quietly and don't throw a tip. Since I usually tip, I don't think people notice.


For instance, I would not like it if you tip a dealer I am stiffing after I win a pot if you do it in a way that can show me up. If you do it as a matter of course, OK, but if you smile and nod after I stiff I won't like it. You might not have been in the game where the dealer played and abused the live one to the point he played better or might not have seen a talking dealer get two bad players frustrated enough to quit the game and go play craps. So tip good dealers, but be careful about showing up another player. Also, I would never throw a big tip (like the $25 one in the article) to a dealer who screwed another player. I would at most tip what I normally do, because seeng $25 go to the dealer is really rubbing it in to the player who lost. Yeah, if the other player is a total jerk who I meant to insult I might, but I would only seek to insult him deliberately, not accidentally.