Tipping dealers-worth or not?

[Norm]

Very well put.

[Freightman]

I tip small amounts but frequently. I tip dealers that give good pen. I tip for good shoes and tip better for big winning runs. Even if I am still behind a good run gets some tip action. After all it is all one big session. It isn't the dealers fault that the big winning run came after a losing run in the same session.If I am losing and stiff the dealer I apologize and tell them I feel bad I didn't tip but I just lost the whole session. The dealers usually reply that they know I usually tip and they understand.

The dealers may think I should tip a lot more but they appreciate what I give them. I don't tell them how to earn tips. They are good at figuring that out for themselves. I do tell them what makes me not tip. I also am very good at encouraging the ploppies to tip. Many ploppies tip way too much but many are stiffs. The dealer knows you got the stiff to start tipping. Experienced dealers usually know what you are up to but they don't pay you with their own money. It's the casinos money. They see a table with some stiffs and some tippers. The tippers are responsible for most of the dealers pay. The dealer doesn't get any extra for helping detect an AP but loses tip money when a tipper is backed off. They know what you need to win and what they can get away with on any particular day. I have had a dealer that usually cuts quite thin for me lean in after the first time they cut on certain days and say, "Sorry, corporate is in the house today so that is the best I can do today". Or they have said, "A counting team is in town so that is the best I can do today". The experienced dealer isn't going to jeopardize his job for you but knows what he can do without jeopardizing his job.

If you think you are fooling the dealer or the Floor, often you are wrong. They don't care if you are counting cards. What they care about is if you are jeopardizing their job while you are counting cards. If you understand the casinos tolerances and stay within them most pit staff don't care. It's not their money. They still get the paycheck. They don't catch any greif from anyone. And if you are an asset to have around, making all their jobs easier and more enjoyable they are not likely to take action unless you jeopardize their job status. The only thing a backoff is to the Floor is extra work. A tipper being backed off is money out of a dealers pocket. A small percentage of personnel think it helps them to back you off but most see it just the way I described it. They may even clue you in when heat is unusually high if they like having you in the casino for whatever reason.

Excellent post - especially "And if you are an asset to have around, making all their jobs easier and more enjoyable they are not likely to take action unless you jeopardize their job status."

Regarding virtually your entire post - my actions virtually mirror yours. A potentially interesting spinoff thread is - how do you make yourself an asset to have around?

[tiny]

It depends on the circumstances. If it makes the game better then it's worth it.

I try to give at least something if I'm winning but like them, I'm also there to make money so I tend not to be over generous regardless of results

[White Guy]

Great points Tiny..

I once watched a partner win 20k and give the dealer a $0 tip.

I rather enjoyed watching the dealer get so bothered she could barely contain it. Of course, she cried to the dealer tapping her out and all I could do was smile and say something to the effect of "we are not tipping either of you now since you're gonna cry about it."

She was actually so pissed she was shaking.

It was a complete dump of a casino in a dumpy area where 20k could probably buy a house.

I think A couple members of this site were there. Lol. Free entertainment.

[C'estLaEV]

'AP' at my table last night I had to remind of the indexes, gave deeper-than-normal pen, etc.- didn't tip a dollar.

Different table had an average joe losing thousands, pleasant demeanor & still putting quarters out for me to play with fist bumps on big wins..


guess who I was rooting for. and maybe I'm biased but not tipping after 20k win is sadistic.

[Nyne]

maybe I'm biased but not tipping after 20k win is sadistic.

To be fair, how much of a tip would it take to make a dealer feel like they got a reasonable cut of a $20k win? You're gonna look cheap with any reasonable tip, so if you're gonna look cheap, why not save your money? If it's a place you plan to be back to soon, that changes things, but after a $20k win at a "complete dump of a casino", you probably aren't going to be able to go in and win much again without a bit of a break anyway. If you toss them a black chip, they'll talk about how cheap you are for ages, and what did that hundred bucks get you? Toss them a purple and you still probably aren't going to get any value out of the tip. Certainly not $500 in value. If you get no value out of a tip, don't tip.

[stopgambling]

Exactly. I totally want to act that way ,but at times it is not practical to do so. i also agreed with Tthree post .It is an art in itself I think.I would rather spent time develop the skill to get away with giving very little to nothing in TIP than spent the time to do some energy absorbing side count that does not give a worthwhile return. Sorry i brought up the side count issue again.

[paymypush]

I play advanced strategy BJ for a profit and it is very important to me for the dealer to penetrate the deck. So, if I find a dealer who responds well to tips (penetrates deep) I tip him/her by betting for him when I expect to win. Such a dealer makes my day! that is one of the many things I learned when I took a course in advanced strategy BJ.

What percentage of dealers do you think know anything about penetration? When they get a tip, is penetration really the first thing they think of or do you have to coax them?

[Three]

I once watched a partner win 20k and give the dealer a $0 tip.

I think this is a typo.

Of course, she cried to the dealer tapping her out and all I could do was smile and say something to the effect of "we are not tipping either of you now since you're gonna cry about it."

This statement doesn't make sense if the dealer got stiffed. Of course a dealer is going to not like being stiffed especially in this situation but why would that make others not want to tip. I said I tell dealers what makes me not tip. Acting like this when tipped or hawking for tips in an overt way makes me not tip among a few other things. I hit the top bonus on a game worth many thousands. I surprised myself by tipping $100. I told the story to a dealer at another store who said I was cheap. I couldn't believe my generosity and told the dealer that they can expect being stiffed if I hit it at their store. If they think I am being cheap, I might as well put a tip out that we all agree is cheap. All of the sudden the dealer is saying I didn't understand what she meant. LOL

[njrich]

These Tip or not to Tip threads are fun to read and talk about.
But we have as much effect on a dealer's weekly pay check as we do the casino's bottom line.
My main concern was dealing a good clean game. My players winning and having a good time.
If a dealer has that attitude the tips take care of themselves.

[Nikky_Flash]

Did Norm tip the Greek goddess ? That will be my standard. ..

[Norm]

Nope. Possibly an error.

[ZenKinG]

NEVER, unless for the purpose of getting good pen and it needs to be clear the dealer knows why you are tipping, so he can continue to give good pen.

Also when you tip make sure the pit boss is nearby and looking at your table and that he is at enough distance to hear you say something along the lines that makes you look like just another loser. If you win, say, "I won this time, but ill just give it back next time, that's how it works, thanks again (dealer name). If you lose just say something positive thanking them for your stay.

Make sure pit boss hears you and then get out.