Casino Tipping Ettiquette

hccooley · Jul 12, 2009

So, I am going to be making my first trip to play live and I don't want to make any bad impressions on the dealers or staff.

How does everyone go about tipping dealers and waiters/servers? Do you do it on a per hand basis, or per session? Per drink?

Any help?

wagon596 · Jul 12, 2009

Myself

Never played live at the poker tables, but have been thinking of running up to OK sometime if I can get my nephew to take me. I know I use to tip the dealer when I hit blackjack and if I got up from the table a winner I would tip him some more. Waitress I always gave a tip per drink.
Bottom line I would like to know about poker tables. Cash games and tournaments also.
Thanks

Jillychemung · Jul 12, 2009

I tip cash games on a per winning hand basis. For example on $1/$2 table, if I profit less than $7 I don't tip the hand, above that I stick to a 10% tip based on profit up to a max of $5.

smd173 · Jul 12, 2009

For drinks I always tip a $1. (of course I'm usually getting only coke's since I like to play with a sharp mind)

For poker, usually $1 per winning hand. Although sometimes I take the approach that the dealer is like a waiter at a restaurant and I tip them a certain amount before they leave, based on whether I thought they dealt well.

c9h13no3 · Jul 12, 2009

$1 per pot that you won that's larger than 20 big blinds or so. So if you raise preflop, get two callers, c-bet and take it down, I wouldn't tip. Maybe a little more if the dealer handles a tricky situation well (large multi-way pot with side pots, ect.).

white_lytning · Jul 12, 2009

Def tip per pot pushed to you. If its a small one, like a blind steal or nothing special, don't feel obligated to tip, especially if the rake is taken. If its over like 3 or 4x the blind then I just go with the $1 tip. Doesn't matter how big the pot is. If the dealer does something special, like make a good decision, or get the game moving faster, I will give him another buck or two. IMO tipping is a leak in everyone's game, and you want to be careful not to over tip.

Jillychemung · Jul 12, 2009

Jillychemung said:
I tip cash games on a per winning hand basis. For example on $1/$2 table, if I profit less than $7 I don't tip the hand, above that I stick to a 10% tip based on profit up to a max of $5.

Guess I should qualify this. I play in a local card room where players pay $4/hour (less if not a fullish table) and dealers only work for tips. With a per hand rake I'd be tipping a lot less, more in line with what previous poster said.

Monoxide · Jul 12, 2009

I usually just tip $1 for raised pots over $40+

If theres like $20 in the middle from 3 limpers + blinds money and I take it down with flop bet (rare imo) I wont tip anything due to rake.

Pots that are like $200-$1000++ they may get $2-$5 or so. I stacked a laggy asian guy once with my AA against KK for an ultra cooler but $1400 pot, $700 profit obv, tipped like $8 in whites lol I thought i was uber generous.

Drink tips are always $1...

vanquish · Jul 12, 2009

drinks: $1-2
pots between $25-50: $1-2
pots > $400: $5

cjyh84 · Jul 13, 2009

i tip when i win a pot in which i get lucky. dont have any specific amount relative to the pot size, just tip what feels right at the moment

Wolfpack43ACC · Jul 13, 2009

Drinks: $1
Tips: For me it varies but usually $2 is the standard, I've been known to tip up to $10 for a particular hand (I appreciate a good dealer because it truly can be a craphsoot)

zachvac · Jul 13, 2009

lol played 5/10 at TS my first trip live and they convinced me when I won a 2k pot that $10 wasn't enough so I tipped him $25. I've since learned that is way too much apparently as I saw a pot near 10k in Vegas and the dealer only got $1. I've also heard that in Bobby's room basically dealers are getting at most $2-3/hand even though a shitton of money is changing hands on the table. Anyway my standard is basically if it's a small pot like take it down pre or like 1 caller cbet they fold I won't tip but anything bigger than that tip $1 and in huge hands where I stack them I'll tip like $5 and sorta scale it in between so like I take half his stack I tip ~$3 or w/e. Also yeah if they're good/friendly/quick I'll tip more and if they've ****ed something up or been dicks I'll tip less/not at all. And yeah drinks are pretty much all tip $1.

Debi · Jul 13, 2009

Like everyone else I always tip $1 for a drink - even a coke. I usually tip $1 for those half bottles of water but they aren't really worth it lol. Sometimes I will order the water at the same time as my other drink so I don't get stuck paying $1 for those little things.

In poker I tip $1 or $2 for each pot won - for some huge pots I would tip a little more.

Monoxide · Jul 13, 2009

$25 tip, epic, that dealer was probably so happy.

Ecomdan · Jul 13, 2009

I usually tip about 2BB for decent sized pots... as for waiters I dunno I don't usually tip them, sometimes I'll just let em keep the change.

Infamous1020 · Jul 13, 2009

zachvac said:
lol played 5/10 at TS my first trip live and they convinced me when I won a 2k pot that $10 wasn't enough so I tipped him $25. I've since learned that is way too much apparently as I saw a pot near 10k in Vegas and the dealer only got $1. I've also heard that in Bobby's room basically dealers are getting at most $2-3/hand even though a shitton of money is changing hands on the table. Anyway my standard is basically if it's a small pot like take it down pre or like 1 caller cbet they fold I won't tip but anything bigger than that tip $1 and in huge hands where I stack them I'll tip like $5 and sorta scale it in between so like I take half his stack I tip ~$3 or w/e. Also yeah if they're good/friendly/quick I'll tip more and if they've ****ed something up or been dicks I'll tip less/not at all. And yeah drinks are pretty much all tip $1.

^thats cuz zachs a nit. what i do is when im gonna leave the table, i just push them my stack. brings them a good smile, and i leave feeling better then ever knowing i just bought the guy a nice uh...err good company

Crummy · Jul 13, 2009

zachvac said:
lol played 5/10 at TS my first trip live and they convinced me when I won a 2k pot that $10 wasn't enough so I tipped him $25. I've since learned that is way too much apparently as I saw a pot near 10k in Vegas and the dealer only got $1. quote]

Wow... I'm so sorry to hear that!

Monoxide said:

$25 tip, epic, that dealer was probably so happy.

Click to expand...

I saw a guy in Vegas at the Monte Carlo tip the dealer $50, but he also won $435 on a straight flush jackpot, plus the money in the pot!

Poker -- Tipping for me depends on a few things. 1. If I'm playing a small limit game like 2/4 or 3/6 its never over $1 unless I win a monster. If it is a NL game it is never over $5.
Don't get me wrong when I say this, but your not required to tip, however it is good guester.... You would be surprised to see the people that tip the dealer big because they think they are favoring them in the deck.... Kind of funny and sick at the same time. Most casino's dealers have to split their tips, so even if I tip one guy $100, he isn't getting all of that.

Drinks -- Depends on where I am... In Vegas all drinks are free, so I'll tip on beers, mixed drinks, and water however it is only $1 tip. Here locally they cost money, so if I go get a pop or beer I ussually just stand up and get it from the bar (don' t have to tip them!)

Stu_Ungar · Jul 13, 2009

I have heard some people just tip at the end of the session.

Is this OK?

In UK we don't really tip people, its just not expected.

Apparently in Japan tipping is considered rude (I read that somewhere, its not based on experience)

sharkyo01 · Jul 13, 2009

I have tipped a couple times in the UK if i have won the tournement. E.g. By drinking them.

But cash games i pay some stupid amount like £7-8 ph for a dealer.

Which is a little OTT!!

Grossberger · Jul 13, 2009

Guess i'm always in the belief of tipping dealers where I play (Mountaineer) are paid about $5/hr so tips is pretty much how they make their money. Playing at a $1-$2nl I will typically tip $1 for any pot i win between $10-$50 pots between $51-$125 I'll toss $2 and so forth. The largest I have ever tipped to a dealer in a cash game was $5 after winning a $325 pot. drink tips are always $1 from me. Now if I play in a tournament and cash I will typically give 5% of winnings as a tip unless I win it then may goto 10%.

JohnnyFronts · Jul 13, 2009

Stu_Ungar said:
I have heard some people just tip at the end of the session.

Is this OK?

In UK we don't really tip people, its just not expected.

Apparently in Japan tipping is considered rude (I read that somewhere, its not based on experience)

This is how I do it, and I honestly think this is the way it should be. This keeps more money on the table and if you double up, thats more value. I then use the extra few BB's I won to tip at the end of my sesh. Be sure to tell the dealer this when you win your first pot though. Let them know your not a stiff and that when its the end of their down you will tip them. It sucks at my cardroom because all of our dealers have to split with the rest of the pit dealers. Depending on how much I won / how long I played / other stuff, I tip between $5 and $15

WEC · Jul 13, 2009

JohnnyFronts said:
This is how I do it, and I honestly think this is the way it should be. This keeps more money on the table and if you double up, thats more value. I then use the extra few BB's I won to tip at the end of my sesh. Be sure to tell the dealer this when you win your first pot though. Let them know your not a stiff and that when its the end of their down you will tip them. It sucks at my cardroom because all of our dealers have to split with the rest of the pit dealers. Depending on how much I won / how long I played / other stuff, I tip between $5 and $15

If you play in the USA and do not tip for pots, you will be frowned upon as a stiffer and most likely discussed among the dealer staff and floor people as an undesirable player. Much like leaving the restaurant without leaving a tip. The expectation is to pay for the pot won. You really do not help yourself that much if you decide to tip on the down. Just do some excercise with your arm each pot won and throw them a $1. Why do you need to be different than anyone else?

If you do not want to pay for service in the US (where tipping is expected), stay home and play on the internet.

Monoxide · Jul 14, 2009

JohnnyFronts said:
This is how I do it, and I honestly think this is the way it should be. This keeps more money on the table and if you double up, thats more value. I then use the extra few BB's I won to tip at the end of my sesh. Be sure to tell the dealer this when you win your first pot though. Let them know your not a stiff and that when its the end of their down you will tip them. It sucks at my cardroom because all of our dealers have to split with the rest of the pit dealers. Depending on how much I won / how long I played / other stuff, I tip between $5 and $15

yeah i dunno, i dont know anyone that tips at the end of a session.... 99.9% of people tip after each significant pot.

it just doesnt make any sense to tip at the end, especially if ur playing a long session...

aliengenius · Jul 14, 2009

See here for tipping in general, here for drinks.

Poker dealers keep their own tokes, so tipping them individually is important... I'll sometimes tip a good dealer when he is leaving the table, even if I didn't win a pot during his down. Conversely, I wont tip a dealer who doesn't control the games, seems to not care about angle shooting, or is very bad in general (although it takes a lot, since I am a pretty generous guy)...

StormRaven · Jul 14, 2009

I'm one of those that over-tip. I don't see anything wrong with it. For pots less than $10 I don't tip. Pots that are around
$10-$30 get $1-$3
$30-$60 get $2-$5
$60-$100 get $5-$10
$100-$150 get $7-$8 to $10-$12
$150-$200 get at least $10
$200+ depends

I vary this depending on the dealer, how good of job they did or tried to do. How well they controlled the table and the like. It also depends on where I am with profits. If I win a $300 pot and that only puts me back to even then I will tip $10. If that just adds to my profits I will tip $15 or $20. I really don't mind as long as I'm making profits. A couple weeks ago I was playing at a $1/$2 table and won my largest pot ever at those stakes, it was $815 pot! As I was already up $350 when I won this pot I tipped the dealer $25. A couple people groaned it was too much but I can tell you one thing. I am well respected by the staff in my local casino and anytime there has been an "iffy" call to make, they will ALWAYS side in my favor. So you've got that working for you as well. Same goes with the wait staff, the bartenders will give me double shots in my drinks more often than not because I take care of them and am nice and respectful to them. Wait staff will come to my table more often and take care of my needs more often than others because I will always throw them a buck even if I'm just drinking pop - with my mixed drinks I will do a little more like a $1 + the odd change amount of a quarter or two.

Hope this helps!

Casino Tipping Ettiquette

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