Social constructs aside ("I want my coffee filled 6 times"), tipping rewards the dealer for moving the game along quickly and efficiently. Moving the game along IS +EV for us, maybe not in $/hand, but definitely in $/hr.

Getting passed the complete idiocy of this statement, I'll simply say good dealers like to make money, without good dealers the dealer mistakes that would be made would cost you a lot more then the few dollars you throw them after winning pots. Good dealers will quit if there are no tips.

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Are you 80 years old? Who uses $2 bills? Just give him a $5 when you pick up your car.

The flip-side is the casino would have to pay the good dealers a worthy wage. Raise the rake, disallow tipping, pay all dealers according to their skill-set, and watch nature take its course.

You completely miss the point. I give them out specifically because they aren't routinely used. Everytime I tip with one I get a positive reaction (especially from cocktail waitresses). In fact, other players at the table routinely ask to buy them from me and dealers also request them. You may find them to be antiquated, but most others I run into find them to be unique and interesting.

Another benefit at the poker table is that I stand out from the routine, everyday schmuck who uses a $1 chip to tip the waitresses. They remember me and my $2 bills and I usually get superior service because of them. The valets tend to remember me as well.

I guess I miss the point. If you used a $5 bill for every cocktail, they'll remember you even more and you'll get even better service (I'll prop bet this if you want).

Btw, I'm pegging you at 63 now.

You asked why I use $2 bills and I tried to explain it to you. Unfortunately, you're hung up on the amount and still missing the point. All else being equal, there is a big difference between tipping someone with two $1 bills (or two $1 chips) and using a single $2 bill.

How did I warrant a 17-yr reduction in your estimate from the last post?

And before nature takes its course, be prepared to listen to all the whining and kvetching from customers about the higher rake.

Yes. That's fine by me.

How the hell does the casino pay dealers "according to their skill set"?

Do you have the floormen watch how many hands the dealer gets per hour? You can't do it based on the drop numbers because then that's incentive for the dealer to over-rake, which is a big no-no form the gaming board's perspective.

Tipping is the most direct way of paying better (faster) dealers more than bad dealers. It comes through in the number of hands, and it comes through in their interactions with the customers.

I agree it would be very difficult to judge a dealer without a floor sitting at every table, not to mention there is more into being a good dealer then getting hands out per down.

The rake would have to go up which would never go over well and drive recreational players away.




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Is there evidence that recreational players even pay attention to the rake?

Well, I think part of the floor's job is to understand which dealers do their jobs efficiently and which ones don't. That's part of managing a team. Then there's things like disputes at the table that need to be sorted by the floor. I'm sure stellar dealers don't have as many incidents at their tables. Lastly, if it's hands per hour that you think is most important, then any card room that uses auto-shufflers could track hands per hour dealt, via a Cat 5 cable.

I'll give you a pardon because you've never worked in a casino: two things.

- The amount of drama and favoritism is astonishing. Think high school but worse, much worse.

- I agree with you about better dealers should have less errors. There are a lot of situations that can't be avoided with guests. Sometimes a guest is out to get you. (I deal very well, super efficient, friendly but not overly annoying, and I've had three guests promise to get me fired). To add to that more hands per hour means there's more potential situations to get involved in.

Just my two cents.

Re: $2 bills


The reason I always hate getting $2 as a tip is the fact that I know the guy giving it thinks he's soooooo interesting for doing so, and I know he went out of his way to acquire them just for this purpose. I'm sure there are several that would disagree with me like the cocktail servers that are genuinely excited to receive one, but I guarantee that behind your back many of them are they're rolling their eyes at you.


Of course not everyone is like me and the many that I've worked with. Just giving you the other side of the coin...or the bill, as it were.

Fair enough.

:-)

Halfway through my post I almost stopped because I realize how petty it sounds. I'm certain that they appreciate every dollar they make.

And then you remembered that this was the tipping containment thread.

I've come to realize that this thread and this forum is not representative of the general public. As a dealer, I used to get emotional/defensive about some of the posts here, but I came to realize that what's said in this forum isn't really going to affect my (or anyone else's) bottom line in terms of wages earned.

One thing I've noticed is that generous tippers tend to be happier than most players. And bad tippers (stiffs) tend to be more sour than most players. This is far from an iron clad rule, but it's probably even more reliable than stereotypes that players assign to other players at the table (the nitty, coffee drinking old man or the hyper LAG young kid with the hoodie and the reflective sunglasses).

Does tipping well make you happy? Does being a stiff make you a sour-puss? No, in this chicken/egg example, I think that the happy go-lucky guy was already that way, and that his generous tips are just an extension of his personality. But I'd bet that when he wins a big pot and throws the dealer a big tip, he probably does get a nice little endorphin rush out of sharing his joy with the dealer.

My $.02

Sure, every now and then one will ask what those holes are. lol

I think these "generous tippers" (which are usually fish on mega heaters tipping out several reds etc.) are just happy that they're winning. Show me that these people are just as happy and tipping lavishly when they're stuck 5 racks, and I'll be more inclined to agree.

Let's just cut to the chase: Gamblers on a rush generally seem like very happy people; gamblers losing lots of money generally appear to be unhappy people. I really wouldn't let a person's demeanor, while he's gambling, influence you as to what kind of person you think he is away from the tables.

Good tippers are good tippers. They may slow down a bit if they're stuck a bunch, but it's more likely to be about not winning hands. If they haven't won a hand all night, they're likely feeling bad about not being able to tip the dealer (especially if the pots they've lost haven't resulted in the dealer being tipped).

I think you maybe haven't been around enough tipping positions to see the wide breadth of tippers. Good tippers don't necessarily have to be fish or even be on a heater. They may just be solid rec players that don't make a living from the game and are just there to have fun. Maybe they haven't put every trip into a spreadsheet and saw how much of their profit has been affected like a lot of pro-grinders have.

good tippers usually worked at one time in a job that received tips IMO

i delivered pizzas & was a waiter & bartender in high school & college

however, i can also be a very poor tipper when i get poor customer service

also, if you are losing, i agree that tips decrease & if you are winning, tips increase

I'll agree with your thoughts, but I didn't have "rush tippers" in mind when I wrote my post. My room has plenty of regs, and to me, a good tipper is a habitual thing and not just a one time thing. We have Joe, Sam, and Angela, who are always sure to reward you if you push them a pot. I can recall at least a couple instances of seeing Angela lose hand after hand during one of my downs, to the point that she had to rebuy at least 2-3 times in 1/2 an hour, and she would still overtip me on the one small pot she won. On the other hand, we have Al and Mike, who seem like they've always woke up on the wrong side of the bed, and have never tipped anyone to my knowledge.

Now maybe Joe, Sam, and Angela are all wealthy recreational players just looking to have fun, but there are plenty of other players who fit that category and who don't tip very well. It's not like I work in a room infested with professional poker players. And speaking of the professionals, many of the pros will make it a point to never tip, or to begrudgingly throw a dollar when they win a significant pot, but there are also a few pros who are friendly, accommodating, and who will tip $2 or $3 on a big pot and $5 or more on a *really* big pot.

But to your point, I can think of at least one player who will stiff you, or at most tip a buck most of the time, but who's possibly the best tipper in the room when he goes on a heater. As for the occasional player who comes in and tips awesomely or horribly, I obviously have no idea if their generosity is habitual thing or an anomaly.

(All names have been changed, ldo).

They are free to tip. I tip exemplary dealers at the end of their downs if they didn't have an opportunity to push me a pot.

Maybe not, but I've been around card rooms a lot.

It does, and it makes no logical sense; it's an emotional response to winning or losing.

i cannot prove it scientifically but i will testify , the better tippers are happier and the stiffs often are upset,uptight just plain ornery, my .02 cents