Can You Tip Casino Dealers
Many casino workers get the majority of their salary from tips. This is the way it is for those employed in the service industry. Most table game players will tip the dealers while they are playing by making a bet for them. Some will just tip their dealer when they leave the game. Dealers can make as much as $100,000 per year. The average dealing job at a small casino. A class action in which dealers challenged a casino’s mandatory tip-pooling arrangement resulted in a recent appellate victory for the casino; however, the case provides little comfort to employers who are faced with navigating state and federal laws that implicate tip pooling.
TIPPING FOR GOOD BEHAVIOR
One approach is to treat tips as a reinforcement tool for good behavior of dealers. Some enforceable behaviors are:TIP #1: SEE IF THE DEALER IS PLACING THE CUT CARD IN YOUR FAVOUR
Some casinos use a cut slot to determine the where the cut card is placed. For these games the dealer has some discretion on where to place the cut card. For handheld games where the dealer has full discretion on where to place the cut card the effect is much greater.TIP #2: FASTER DEALING, FASTER WINNINGS
When a dealers speed increases the win per hour increase.
TIP #3: IF THE DEALER IS SILENCE, IT'S GOOD FOR YOU
Some dealers yell out checks play or black action when the player increases their bet or puts out a black chip. This draws the attention of the pit boss and this is something the advantage player doesn’t want. Additionally when the player leaves the dealer can plead ignorant on what the win was.TIP #4: IF YOU WILL TIP, THEY WON'T SUSPECT YOU
It’s a well understood that advantage players don’t tip dealers so doing so will give some protection against being scrutinized.TIP #5: TIPPING THE DEALER CAN BE VALUABLE FOR ADAVANTAGE PLAY
Dealers can give you information regarding casino procedures, policies and shift times. Any information is valuable for APs, the more you have the stronger your position.When you “toke” a dealer for one of these 5 benefits, be absolutely certain that you do it sparingly and at random intervals. Also, make sure you are getting value for your dollars. As long as these benefits exist then continue tip. Doing this too much will eat into your EV and decrease your win rate. This is specifically true when you have a smaller bankroll. However, sometimes tipping isn’t even required. One of the original god fathers of gaming Stanford Wong, says you can get just as much out of a dealer with a simple smile.
MAXIMIZE THE VALUE OF YOUR TIP
Some players do not like to interact with dealers and prefer to tip the dealer. If you insist on tipping adhering to the following guidelines will maximize the value of that tip.TIP #6: WAIT FOR THE CASINO FLOOR PERSON
Be sure the floor person is watching when you tip. This shows the floor person that you are not a typical advantage player.
TIP #7: TIP WHEN THERE'S ANOTHER DEALER WATCHING
Tip when the dealer is getting tapped out and going on break. This way you get two dealers and a floor person seeing you tip.TIP #8: PLACE THE CHIP ON THE TABLE BEFORE BETTING
Instead of placing a separate bet above your bet place the toke on top of your bet and if you win keep the original bet and give the dealer the caped bet.PRO TIPS
When you have a dealer toke riding on the hand you can ask them for advice. Because they have money on the hand they will want to win the hand and you may be able to get them to give up some additional information. Avoiding tipping altogether is an option. To pull this off you have to employ some additional acting skills. In addition to being pleasant try one or several of the following tactics.TIP #9: PUT CHIPS IN THE POCKET
This means discretely put chips into your pockets as you play. This makes you look like a losing player. It’s important that you are not too ambitious in this approach. The amount you pocket should be in line with your amount being wagered.TIP #10: EMPHASIZE YOUT LOSSES
Emphasize your losses and refer to them on a consistent basis. Not in negative way just casually refer to losses.TIP #11: MENTION HOW YOU OWE MONEY BEFORE TIPPING
As you win mention how you owe your friend money and how you have to pay them before you tip the dealers.TIP #12: GET A PARTNER
A good way to slip away is have a confederate or partner pick a fake fight with you grab your chips and walk away in disgust. Tipping is a complex issue and there is not a universal approach. You just have to feel out the dealer and floor person. I offer some tactics on what to think about when you are tipping and I am certain that there are several more. Using these tactics or coming up with your own will give you additional longevity in your advantage gaming career. And more play equals more money.BONUS TIP: RESPECT THE DEALER
Dealers have to put up with abusive players all day every day. Yelling at dealers and cursing at them and even getting spit on by losing players are not uncommon occurrence. By simply being pleasant the player can get the same results as a toke. Some guidelines are smile; smiling goes a long way with a dealer. Do not whine about losing. Don’t smoke. Most dealers don’t smoke and having smoke blown in their faces is not the way they want to spend 8 hours of a day.One of my favorite movie scenes is the scene where Mr. Pink talks about how he’s not going to tip the waitress. It’s in the movie Reservoir Dogs. The moral of that part of the story is that even thugs and criminals usually have enough class to tip a waitress.
A blackjack dealer isn’t a waitress, but Las Vegas is a place where most employees—including the blackjack dealer—make their living from the tips they get from gamblers. And this is true of both the dealers in the low rent places who are dealing $5/hand blackjack and the dealers in the high dollar casinos dealing the $100/hand blackjack games.
In fact, almost everyone in Vegas makes their living off tips, not just the blackjack dealers. Be a class act. Tip your blackjack dealer. This post explains how to tip a blackjack dealer, but I also have some tips about how to tip other casino personnel, too. And if you want to learn more about casino etiquette check our guide.
Why Would You Tip Anyone for Anything?
Tipping is (theoretically) optional, but I recommend everyone to tip no matter what. Even if you get bad service, tip. If it’s really bad service, complain to the management, but tip. After all, two wrongs don’t make a right.
Think about the economics behind tipping for a minute, too. Federal minimum wage is already a criminally low $7.25 per hour, but employees who make tips often only make $2.13 per hour plus tips. In other words, if a minimum wage employee worked 40 hours and didn’t get tips, he’d only make $85.20 for an entire week’s worth of full-time work.
Immanuel Kant, the great philosopher, once explained that when you’re deciding what you should do, consider whether it would be the right thing to do if everyone did it. I’m paraphrasing terribly, here, I know. But if everyone skipped tipping these employees, they’d all be poverty-stricken.
What’s the point of a tip? Michael Bluejay, a writer I admire, explains that you’re not tipping to ensure good service. You’re tipping to avoid bad service.
And if you’re planning on patronizing a place for any length of time, preventing bad service is something that should be on your mind. Imagine playing slots and not getting any free drinks from the cocktail waitress because you didn’t tip her. What a drag that would be.
How Much Should You Tip Your Blackjack Dealer?
It doesn’t matter how low the stakes are, if you’re gambling in a casino, you should tip your dealer about $5/hour minimum. You can do this in any number of ways, but $5 is the floor, not the ceiling. In fact, if you’re playing for higher stakes, you can (and should) tip more.
And tipping isn’t something you should do only if you’re winning. I’ve seen gamblers who do that, but that’s a low-class approach to tipping. At the same time, just because you’re getting lucky and winning a lot, it doesn’t mean that you need to give the dealer outrageous tips.
Why You Should Tip Dealers Even if They’re Doing a Bad Job
Most casinos require their employees to pool their tips during their shift. If you’re not tipping a dealer because he’s rude, you’re punishing all the casino employees working that shift. Instead of declining to tip, complain to casino management about the dealer’s rudeness.
How to Tip a Blackjack Dealer in Real Life
When you’re tipping a blackjack dealer, or any other casino game dealer, it’s customary to tip using casino chips rather than cash. You can tip a blackjack dealer in one of two ways.
One easy way to tip the dealer is just to push a chip toward the dealer and say, “This is for you.” But it’s more fun to place a bet for the dealer. That way they’re rooting for you to win, too.
You can explain to the dealer that you want to place a bet for them, and they’ll tell you where to put the chip. I’ll tell you now, but if you forget, just ask. You place the bet for the dealer next to your bet. If you win, the dealer wins, too.
You can also tip dealers at other table games, too, especially at the craps and roulette tables. Tell the employees what you want to do, and they’ll explain the correct etiquette for you.
What About Other Casino Employees? How Much and How Do I Tip Them?
I’m a big believer in generously tipping the cocktail waitresses, and I have two reasons for this:
- The first is that I like to keep the drinks coming while I’m playing. If you’re not tipping well, the cocktail waitresses will ignore you.
- The second is that the cocktail waitresses work really hard and deal with a lot of nonsense. And they usually have to deal with boorish customers. So, I recommend tipping cocktail waitresses generally.
This means I always give them at least $5 the first time they bring me a drink, and I give them $2 for every subsequent drink. Every couple of hours, I try to give another $5 tip. This has the added benefit of improving the service I’m getting.
Waiters, waitresses, and bartenders should get the standard 15% to 25% tip at most restaurants and bars. I’ve never tipped anyone 15% in my life, always opting to go for 20% or more. I suggest you do the same, especially if you’re going to be a regular at any of these places. Besides, good karma won’t hurt.
20% is also a good rule of thumb for a cab driver, but I always offer a minimum tip of $5, no matter how short the trip is.
I make an exception for buffets. Since all the waitstaff does there is refill your drinks, you don’t need to leave even 15%. I tend to leave $2 for each person in my party. In other words, if five of us are dining, I would tip $10, regardless of the price of the meal.
Can You Tip Dealers At A Casino
If you’re tipping a valet for parking your car, you should tip $5. I’ve been known to tip $20 if I’m in a good mood. I’ve seen people suggest that a dollar or two is sufficient, but I’d never tip less than $5 to someone whom I’ve entrusted my car to.
$2 per is the standard rule for most everything, too. If you have a bellman help you with your luggage, you should tip him $2 per bag. If you’re staying in a hotel, you should leave $2 in tip money for housekeeping. That applies to the guy at the airport handling your luggage, too.
If someone is busking, performing on the street for tips, you should probably be willing to tip them $5, too. You can get away with tipping less, like $2, but it depends on how long you watch them perform.
Getting an Upgrade When You Check Into Your Hotel Room
I’ve seen multiple reports that said you could get a room upgrade by tipping the front desk person $20 when you check in. Don’t just hand the front desk person a $20 and say, hey, can I get a room upgrade for that $20.
Be a little cool about it. When you hand the front desk person your credit card, fold the $20 and include it. Ask if they have any availability in a nicer room at all. You’ll be surprised at how often this works.
Conclusion
Learning how to tip a blackjack dealer is one of the first things you should do in Vegas. For one thing, it means you’re playing the right game. It also means you’ve got a little bit of class.
In fact, you should know how to tip just about anyone in the service industry in Las Vegas. If you can remember to tip 20% for some things and $2 (or $5) for others, you should be fine.
A little common sense goes a long way here. What kind of tipping do you do while you’re in Las Vegas playing blackjack?
Let me know in the comments.