Casino Etiquette

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I wouldn't worry about it, but in the future you might consider making the $5 tip. Congrats to your friend.

5% of winnings is the norm if it has a bonus buy ie: extra chips for a small fee most times dealers are making minimun wage or lower and tips are where they make their money. I think there are a few countries that tipping is not acceptable but not many.

I always tip the dealer if I win/cash in a tourney. For one, its the right thing to do, as the dealers dont make that much and two, its good karma.

I agree with ythelongface, u allways tip after a win, no matterhow big the tourny was.

I have never taken first in a dealer dealt live MTT, so can't comment much. I have won countless 10 seat SnG's in UK casinos and never tipped, and took about £300 out of a dealer-dealt cash game and didn't tip. We were paying about £1 per orbit just to sit in, and thats enough rake for me thanks. I didn't feel obligated to leave any more, and wasn't looked down on for not doing.
In the UK tipping rules are extremely strict - I think most replies above are US players where tipping is much more commonplace.
As for the card room manager demanding a £5 gimme, I'd have asked exactly what it was for before deciding whether to give up any hard fought winnings. It clearly wasn't an essential if all he did was walk off in a moody when you only dropped a couple of quid in. (Although for 2% of the win, I think I'd have given the £5 up for the tip-box).

I think it's right to tip but if it's not mandatory, therefore, then it's not assumed either. The coordinator blunty asks, when he or she probably shouldn't have, that you put in $5 into the tip box? Would this be about the same as a waiter telling you to tip after you've eaten the food? Doesn't it come off a bit insulting, since they're asking, due to the assumption you're not going to tip in the first place?

I thought something similar. When the waiter asks me after I hand them cash for my meal, "Do you want your change?" I am always tempted to tip less.

Doesn't mean I shouldn't tip.

At my card room, Every hand and I play limit $1/$2 as that is the most I can afford right now. Every hand the winner gives the dealer a dollar or $2 chip and when people dont, you get odd looks at the table and the dealer sure remembers but that all he expects. Like a few times when I do take down a nice size pot, I will forget to the end of the following hand and make sure to say, hey did I hit you up for the last hand and he or she remembers. and will tell you yes or no and then if its no, I give up the chip and just say sorry I get excitied when I win sometimes. They rotate dealers every 30 minutes and they must make some awesome money at the NL tables since I bet they are being given $5 chips and so.


THe rake machine still kills me, that thing makes some serious cash

Maybe it's some European casino thing...never seen/heard of American dealers doing that.

I'm headed to my first casino in a couple of weeks. Pretty excited

There was a discussion on this awhile ago, and I think Oz and some other dealers/casino workers chimed in as well as some top players. Basically the gist was that if you give up $1-$2 for every pot you win, especially at 1/2 limits, then you're giving up waaaaaay too much money considering the rake you're also paying. Many recommend to tip every X number of pots, or better, to decided on a fixed amount based on the hours played/hands dealt, and tip that up front or after the session. If you're going to tip after, let the dealer know, but it's probably best to tip first in case you have a losing session and go broke, lol. Then if you finish way up, you can add a little extra if you feel like it. But siphoning off $1-$2 from every pot is a huge drain on your winnings.

I'm not saying dealers don't deserve a fair wage -- they certainly do -- and I'm not suggesting to stiff them. But when you think about how many pots they handle in an hours time, and if they make $1-$5 (I see many $1/$2 players toss them a $5 chip if they rake a nice pot) per pot on top of their regular salary, their hourly rate is going to be much much higher than most of their players.

Seems to be a bit of a touchy subject. I think it is right to tip the dealer and the staff in general and I think 5 to 10% of any winnings seems fair. However I also think it is a bit off that the manager pointedly asked for the tip. Tipping should always be at the customers discretion.

DMORRIS -

I agree with yall whole heartly that I think its way too much money to give and this is every single hand someone is tipping the dealer. Id love to read some of the threads ya'll had on this. But its hard to change a system that seems to be the norm. Not one time that I have gone have as anyone every brought up the tipping system and maybe it should just be predetermined for each dealer and would this seem like a crazy idea or do dealers expect a higher amount. What if everyone decided to chip in a $1 (higher at other tables but think $1/$2 lmit) that each player gives $1 at the end of each half hour run and that would be $10 in tips per 1/2 hour. I dunno I never really counted how deals we do in a 1/2 period. But I have no clue how to change the system that seems in place

ALso the rake is a 10% at our card room, is that about right or is that high, so 10% rake and a tip from each winner. I agree seems way over the top.

i believe the government has their hands in your wallet when you win, and so do the dealers, and the casino (rake). But where are they when you lose? they give you a "thanks, better luck next time". So IMO i think no one should be forced to tip, as its your money you took a risk with and won. If you lose the dealer doesnt tip you back. Sorry but the Casinos are making out like fat cats and I feel no sympathy for anyone who tries to screw them out of a few bucks

Every day someone posts something that is even more incredible than the day before...

Are you serious? This is like saying IHOP makes billions, so screw the waiters & waitress.

The dealers, bartenders, hostesses, and the vast majority of other casino support staff aren't "making out like fat cats." You aren't tipping the *casino* here.

Well put! The Casino and the dealers are two entirely different entities. The Rake in no way makes it to the dealer's pockets. You have a good meal with good service, give it up. You win a good pot/tourney and have a courteous dealer, give it up.

Who ever invented tipping should be shot! Let the business that is making ALL THE MONEY pay a fair salary to its employees and forget all this crap!

BUT, since our culture isn't that way we'll all continue to pay for good (or indifferent) service and chuck an extra 10% on top of the rake to the dealer. Ifn ya don't then ya don't but remember the slob dealeing the cards is the one that is getting $5.35 an hour so you can have fun and have a chance at DA MONEY.

I was at the Shea stadium for the first time in my life to watch the cardinals beat up on the hapless Mets. When the jackazz that wiped his dirty rag over our seats and glommed off bitching, just loud enough, "damned tourists don't know how to tip"! NEVER in my life had I given a tip in a ballpark in St. Louis or anywhere else! But he didn't make me feel bad, the putz.

Leave a tip you are comfortable with if you cash. It's just what you should do.

Playing limit ring games in New Orleans or at a Mississippi casino. The winner of each hand usually tips the dealer a dollar or two. If the hand turns into a raising battle then I have seen 5 dollar tips. This is the right thing to do, but I think those dealers make out like a bandit collecting something on every hand dealt.

Totally agree here. For me when I go out to dinner and I get proper service, I tend to tip 15% or so. When it's really good, I have no problems increasing that to 20% or a touch more and have done so many, many times.

Now as to tipping dealers, I've never really been in a position to do so but will be in a months time when we go Biloxi, MS. I plan on entering a poker tournament while I'm there so this is a good subject.

Im in agreement here also, as my job I dont get tips and my employer pays my salary and establishments dont exactly charge cheap prices for food but what really gets me is that 5% should be for top notch service but now folks think that 20% should be standard and higher for better service and that is just outrageous. I get tired of business owners whining that they would go out of business but charge triple what a meal would cost and lets not to mention drink cost. I dont mind a 5% tip but when the expect 1/5th of the bill is insane. ANd if I get answers like get your food yourself. Many times with the service I get like drink refills I wish I could and have. and just call my name and Ill go pick up my meals but regardless owners need to pay salaries not the customers

Again I feel like I have a terminal case of Devil's Advocacy, but wth, I'll roll with it...

What people with your view often fail to realize is that the costs of doing business, particularly in the food service business, are widespread, varied, and almost always grossly underestimated by those without any experience with said business. In your example, the food product itself is probably a very small portion of the restaurant owner's overhead. By far he pays more for labor, benefits (to include mandatory payments to things like OASDI, workman's comp, unemployment, etc.), taxes, insurance, utilities, rent/lease/mortgage, permits & licenses, supplies, etc. than he does for his food. The only way to cover these costs is to factor them into his sale prices, and the only thing he sells (presumably) is food and drink. So yeah, the product cost is inevitably inflated. Plus he obviously needs to turn a profit, or why the hell is he busting his tail and going out on that limb to do it in the first place?

It's particularly brutal on the small business owner which is what you seem to refer to, but it's even true with the big "rich" chain operations. Take a McD's or an Outback Steakhouse, for instance. Each individual store likely makes a very very tiny profit per customer, sometimes they even lose money on some individual sales. But the difference is that the corporation as a whole makes a killing due due to the sheer volume of stores and customers they serve. The SBO that you describe doesn't have that volume to keep him afloat, his margins are so thin that there is truly a very fine line between maintaining a successful business, and total failure. His tolerance for variance, to use a poker term and to keep this somewhat topical , is exceedingly slim and vulnerable. He ultimately manages that with cashflow and market demand for his product. Raise prices and sure, he could make more per sale, but then he will inevitably lose sales. So he's constantly balancing prices to be fair to consumers and keep them coming in, while also maintaining his livelihood.

It's very easy for us as consumers, particularly those of us without business experience or training, to fixate on the disparity between the cost vs price of a product, while overlooking everything else. Apparently it's also easy for a lot of people to think that because a casino rakes in billions per year, that their lowly staff shares in this excess of wealth.

While you make some good points, You act like resturant owners are the only people who have these expenses, most stores have rent to pay,, insurance etc. I just feel that 5% is the most that should be expected by anyone for service and let the owners pay them an extra 15% on that $2/hr they get away with paying them anyways. When tips are expected to be a 5th of the bill thats insane, WHAT kind of implied on odds would that 1:5 on your money for them, so to switch this around, If I have to bet 20% of my stack with the expectation of winning 5x my stack I should take this bet everytime

Is this the right way to think of this. DANG THE ODDS mess with my mind especially when I only a few seconds to put it all together in my head

Of course they do. I only used the restaurant example because YOU did. However this *is* an especially acute problem for restaurants, which I believe are the most common small business while at the same time the small business most likely to fail.

You tip what you like. It is what it is. US labor laws allow certain jobs to be paid below minimum wage provided that enough tips are available to make up the difference. If you ask most wait staff, I think you'll find that they would prefer to keep the same $2/hr + tips arrangement than a flat minimum wage arrangement, because they make a helluva lot more money on tips (assuming they do a good job). So the arrangement actually benefits everyone. The business owner, because his payroll overhead is lower. The staff, because they make more than they would if they were on a flat wage. And the consumer, who has the flexibility to pay what they want, or nothing if they so desire. You have to realize that tips are often what get you good service. If there were no tips and the business owners had to pay a higher wage, their prices would go up (so you'd pay anyway), and the wait staff would have no incentive to give you good or better service.

Ok... you lost me here. Trying to compare gambling odds with tip percentages doesn't make any sense.

Learn from the experience of past. Bare in mind, poker dealers rely solely on earning tips thru players. The card room pays them a daily minimum. The dealers would much rather handle live cash games where the money pours in.

5 quid not much
eh

the odds things I was just trying to set examples in my mind if I have my mind heading in the right direction as far as thinking about odds or If I even set that example up right nothing really IMPLIED here except ODDs

I live in China and in most restaurants etc if you leave a tip the staff will run down the street after you to give it back. Taxis, hairdressers, bars etc, it's a no tipping culture. I love it!

As for poker I think the winner of any tourney should tip the dealer around 5%. Share the joy!

bad example. When you go to a restaurant you are always getting something back in return. Food. Your meal. When you go to a casino you are taking a risk. There is no risk at a restaurant. In my eyes it is totally different. You dont tip your stock broker when you make money do you? so why would you tip a dealer.

I think it was a rather good example, actually. In fact, better than your stockbroker example. Stockbrokers make commissions. But even that is irrelevant because stockbrokers don't make minimum wage. If dealers and waiters made $100k year in base salary, I don't think tipping would be such an accepted (and expected) practice.

Further, waiters don't "provide" you with food, the restaurant does in exchange for your money. What waiters do provide you with is service, which you pay for with tips. Likewise, dealers (and hosts, and bartenders, et al) are providing you with a service, not a product. The casino is providing the product (the opportunity to gamble, not to mention the tangible sales the casinos make). All the money you pay in rake and food and beverages and rooms and gift shops are going in the fat cats' pockets, not the service staff.

So in that regard, dealers and waiters are extremely similar in their function and their expectation of tips. They're both doing their job for a mediocre salary which is setup on the premise that tips will provide for their shortfall. Your disagreeing with this notion as a matter of principal does not change the reality of it.

Okay. well i guess ill just go on not tipping dealers and you can. I guess its just a personal choice. And my view is casinos are like politicians. They rob you blind and most people dont even see it.

I agree. It is a personal choice but it does bring to mind the expression 'tight as a duck's arse'............lol

Very true, and you can see it in the demeanor of the dealers, cause unless the tip is built into the juice(which some places I think it is), they have no idea how well they will be paid at the end.