Why so much tipping?

[Zoltri]

I always feel a sense of obligation to tip after winning a pot...but why?

A player would win $200 on one hand, for example, playing blackjack but hardly ever tips but if you win a $50 pot playing poker I feel compelled to leave the dealer $1. Whats the difference? I mean its still a dealer passing out the cards.

I know some will brand me cheap but if you play live as much as I do and factor in the rake and tips over a course of a year it can add up.

Just my opinion.

[joshman1204]

I agree that tipping in poker may be a little out of control but I do think you should tip them more than most other dealers because they are doing a lot more work and they have a lot more effect on the speed and quality of the game than a blackjack dealer does.

I do think if we were a littly more stingy with our tips the bad dealers would cease to exist and the good ones would proper. Just realize the dealers are making minimum wage + tips in most cases.

[joeboe2001]

Tip the dealer, tip the cocktail waitress...your are right, of course, it definitely adds up. I am even compelled to toss the dealer a chip when he/she leaves even if I haven't won a single hand during his/her "shift" at my table. I also tip if I win enough on a slot machine to call an attendant, or if I come out ahead at Keno.

Why?

Partially out of perceived obligation, and partially because it makes me feel like a winner. IMO, if you don't tip, you are a loser, in more ways than one!

[toots]

I'd say that my playing poker has had the effect of me increasing my toke rate while playing BJ.

Then again, it's a risk/reward thing. In BJ, you're typically risking X dollars for a 2X "pot," leaving you ahead only X dollars. A buck from that is a lot bigger deal than in poker, where you're risking X dollars in hopes of raking a 3X-4X pot, from which a dollar is less of a big deal.

But, given that I play fairly tight at the poker table, I'm not really toking more than a couple/few times an hour, which by staggering coincidence, is about as often as I toke at the BJ table.

[Bulbarainey]

i feel the same way a lot of the time, but I just think POKERTRACKER in caps in my head, and i can already see my BB/100 lowering because of tips.... and thus i usually only tip every other hand

[Tacjedi]

In some casinos poker dealers are working mostly for tips. The get some ridiculously low hourly wage (like $4/hr) and only make a living because of tips. In these same casinos the other dealers (blackjack/craps/roulette) get a more reasonable hourly wage, and the tips are just extra. I guess you could blame the poker dealers for choosing this line of work and say “f***’em” but I am going to continue to tip the dealers for their professionalism and hospitability, not for the size of my pot.

[bobbyi]

The tips you leave for waiters in restaurants also add up over the course of a year. Does this mean that you never tip them? I guess I'm one of those who will brand you cheap.

[gamblore99]

Cause it is expected. I consider it part of the cost, just like tipping in a restaurant is considered part of the cost. Tipping is were a lot of their wage comes from.

[Luv2DriveTT]

Shut up & tip, thats my attitude. Why bother thinking about it, it will only give you a headache. Happy dealers = better "workplace". Its the cost of doing business, a per-pot addition to the vig. Fair enough eh?

TT [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

[BeantownCaller]

Even playing small stakes I tip every pot I win, a couple bucks for a big pot and maybe even a nickel (playing 4/8 or 5/10, lol) if a solid hand holds up for the 1st time in ages.

All in all it doesn't make a big deal, you want the dealer to like you and a happy dealer makes for a better game.