How much do poker dealers make?

BusterFlush · #1 12-01-2004, 04:37 PM

I am curious as to how much poker dealers make on a hourly basis. I play often at BM and UG cardrooms. It seems as if the hourly rate is pretty good with 30 hands or so an hour at $1.00/hand.
Do the dealers keep all of this or does the house take a cut?

zaxx19 · #2 12-01-2004, 04:58 PM

UH iLL tell you this they dont make 30 bucks an hr sorry.

That would be 60k a yr and they dont make close to that except in a very very nice room like say Borgata or Bellagio. Remember they deal tourneys there is downtime...not every hand is toked...its probably like 17-20 bucks an hr.

TakeMeToTheRiver · #3 12-01-2004, 06:12 PM

UG? like NY card rooms? My understanding is that they pay the house a small amount to deal (less than $20) and they keep all their tips. I have been told that in a ten hour shift on a busy night, they can make about $200 to $300. Remember, dealers will typically be off a 1/2 hour at least once every two hour period.

Keres · #4 12-01-2004, 06:24 PM

at foxwoods all dealers share tips and the toke rate last I heard from a dealer about a month ago was $14/hr. They get that in addition to their wage which is the minimum ($5 something an hour)

When they work overtime, they only get time and a half on the minimum wage part, not the toke part.

Equal · #5 12-01-2004, 07:34 PM

[ QUOTE ]
When they work overtime, they only get time and a half on the minimum wage part, not the toke part.

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What are talking about? When my dealer is working overtime, I make sure to tip time and a half. You mean I'm the only one that does this?

Justin A · #6 12-01-2004, 07:47 PM

[ QUOTE ]
What are talking about? When my dealer is working overtime, I make sure to tip time and a half. You mean I'm the only one that does this?

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The problem is that when you tip $1.50, it takes time for the deal to chop your second chip. This brings the hands per hour down to about 2/3 of what it normally is, so they break even anyways.

Eldon · #7 12-01-2004, 08:16 PM

Also the weekly hours rarely work out to 5 X 8 = 40. Early outs and downtime costs most dealers a (potential) bundle. Poker dealers that keep their own tips are hurting financially when not dealing unlike BJ dealers that typically pool tips.

bigfishead · #8 12-02-2004, 07:18 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Also the weekly hours rarely work out to 5 X 8 = 40. Early outs and downtime costs most dealers a (potential) bundle. Poker dealers that keep their own tips are hurting financially when not dealing unlike BJ dealers that typically pool tips.

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Very well stated. Tonight I worked 1 hr. Games broke down early, it's my friday, etc. Actually this week I took the "early out" 4 of 5 nights. It's been slower than normal.

As was mentioned in another post on this thread. Some times dealers are also required to tip the floor staff a certain percentage of their respective gross. I once worked in a room where 20% went to the floor person, and 10% went to the Cage. Hence 30% was toked off. We had no problem doing there at the time. We made more back then (1984) than any dealers do night in and night out anywhere today.

Benefits aint that great for me. Takes 2 yrs just to get them where I work. But hey, I sure as hell am glad I got them now! They are a hell of alot better than no benefits.

Keres · #9 12-02-2004, 05:27 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
When they work overtime, they only get time and a half on the minimum wage part, not the toke part.

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What are talking about? When my dealer is working overtime, I make sure to tip time and a half. You mean I'm the only one that does this?

[/ QUOTE ]

Well Sunshine, at Foxwoods there's a dealer toke rate pooled from all tables so your individual tips wouldn't make more a difference in any one dealer's pay - no matter how snidely you give them. The dealer I was talking with was explaining how at Foxwoods, being paid time and a half on the min wage while the fixed toke rate stayed at $14, gave little incentive for anyone to want to work overtime. She wasn't too thrilled about it. And someone who hears dealers get paid a fixed rate of $19.35/hr by foxwoods may assume that the overtime rate would be close to 30/hr - when thats hardly the case.

Chipr777 · #10 12-01-2004, 07:11 PM

There are a lot of factors involved in how much a dealer makes. I highly doubt you'll find anyone that'll come on here in a public forum and announce how much they make dealing poker. Any player that plays in a B&M cardroom can get a rough estimate of how much a dealer makes. If a dealer avarages $1 a hand, takes a 1/2 hour break every 2 hours or so, and works a 8 hour shift? There you go. It is a well playing job.