Stiffing bad dealers means nothing. It's not going to make them say "Hmm, that guy didn't tip me. Maybe I should improve my dealing technique." It's just going to make them think "What an *******." I mean tipping is essentially mandatory so the dealers just expect it, regardless of their ability. Same with people who work in any tipping industry.

Honestly, I think a lot of people actually LIKE the tipping system. It makes you feel like you have power, like you're the boss, like you're in control. When you work your crappy 9-5 job, you have to do what your boss says and what the company says, and in exchange for that, they give you money. When you're a poker player, you're the customer, you're the one being worked for and thus you pay your "employee" in the form of a tip.

That's why some people love to splash the dealers with big tips in small stakes games. It makes them feel powerful and in control and like they're "better" than the dealer. I guess it's like a mini-power trip.

I think this is a bit off. I overtip because as someone that has worked for tips in various facets of business (valet, bellman, poker dealer), I appreciate the fact that they choose to work in a mostly thankless job and their paychecks are mostly at the mercy of their customers. I do it to let them know that I'm on their side. I know there are probably some people that think/act like what you said, but it's very seldom the notion of "I'm better than you". Actually, now that you got me thinking about it, it's obvious that big tips are just paying money for attention, which is almost saying the opposite of "I'm better than you". It's saying "I'm giving you money to treat me like a king because otherwise I don't deserve it". It's often the most self centered and demanding people that end up being the lightest tippers. Oh, how lucky we are to have the privilege to serve them!

I dunno. I know I'm not the norm in the world as far as tipping goes, but I think I have a good understanding of people's motivations for doing the things they do. (caveat: most of the time)

I see overtips a good % of the time because:

1. The player knows and genuinely likes the dealer.
2. Because they sucked out in the hand and want to thank the dealer for "helping" them win.

in states that require employers to pay the full minimum wage for tipped personnel (waiters, dealers), why do people still tip?

ie: California min wage is $9/hr for everyone

Karma. Ldo

Ooooh, a full $18,720 a year!

My GOODNESS - why ARE we tipping? Those dealers are practically ROLLING in it already!!!

We tip in order to reward service industry people for doing work above and beyond what is required of them, thus making these jobs more lucrative for the better workers and weeding out the bad ones. (oh wait this isn't a perfect world)

actually in my experience of playing in many, many places, the regs in cali have adapted and definitely tip noticeably less than other places. its probably due to the super-high rakes/times collections rather than minimum wage per se, but those things are correllated anyway

Like it or not, the majority of a dealers income is from tips. Minimum wage is just that; minimum. It is no where near a living wage. Players who do not tip must believe they are entitled to free service. They are relying on the players that do tip to keep the dealers from going bankrupt. Frankly I wonder what kind of people they are. Do they also expect that their tip for a meal in a restaurant should be paid for by the other patrons in the room with them?

If players do not tip we will soon end up with dealers that are willing to work for minimum wage. A trip to any fast food restaurant will quickly show how well that will work.

Bottom line is, ALL players (winning or losing) should tip. It's only fair.

When I played poker , I tip like everyone else which is 1 dollars for averge pot . 2-5 dollars for the big pot. When I played crap or blackjack , I only tip if I was winning and about to end my session. No dealers expected you to tip if you was losing , even only about half of winners tip when they colored up their chips. Most crap dealers said thanks for playing even the winning player was leaving the table without any tips. Now others might think that player was such a cheapskate. but being a long time gambler , I understood that day he won , but last time he played he might lost big. When people tips from 1-10 dollars , some dealer might not even said thank you because they expected much bigger tip. If you tip too much , next time you lost or the dices lands between the chips the boxman or dealers always said seven out in favor of house , you might think twice about tip too much next time you are winning.

Are you implying the box will mis call the dice in order for you to tip more? Their income is paid not out of tips at all, but salary. It has no effect on your tipping.

Forgive me if it's been answered, but it's a very large thread:

At my poker room they share the tips from pots won (I asked). Does that also mean that they would share a tip out from a bad beat or special event win, or would that stay with the specific dealer that was tipped?

I tried to give a lil extra to a phenomenal dealer, and when she left it on top of the box for the next guy to put in, that's when I realized they shared.

That (sharing the BBJ/tournament tips) would seem the logical extension of the policy.

But then logic and casino policies often have little in common.

Why don't you just ask them? They would know better than a random forum member.

Well cuz I was already here and looking at the screen and I won't be there for a while, but I will.

Do poker dealers make more hourly than pit/floor dealers? Do poker dealers put in the same amount of hours that a pit/floor one does (don't give me the "well, we have down periods where we show up for 8 hours but only deal 5, cause I know I have walked past many blackjack tables where no one is playing them..)

I'm just curious (as someone who puts in a ton of hours live and tips, eh sparsely would be correct word). .

Because I sure as hell wouldn't be dealing for $9 bucks an hour. Nor would any other competent dealer. You would be left with dealers that don't care about service or doing things the right way

this would force the casino to pay them more because players wont be playing there

Yes, paying the dealers a higher wage is the only option the casino would have, gun-to-head, profitability considerations be damned.

People on this forum are in the minority. Plenty of players would still play. Because they like to play poker. Casinos paying us a livable wage will never happen. To big a cut to there profit margins

I play 500NL live and I tip a dollar for every $100 that I win. Maybe a bit more if it's a huge like 3-4 way all in for stacks and I hold.

Is this fair?

That's precisely why the thread is 5000 replies long. It's up to the individual. Tip what you like. If you want to tip what is average, then pay attention to what the average tip is for a month or so, and you'll get an idea what the typical dealer expects in your game.

I tip my dealers in hands that net more money than the blinds, generally. I generally play at one casino, and the dealers knows by name and always say hi even if I'm just sitting around waiting for a game. They ask me how my wife is, always are appreciative and friendly for the most part. If i get stuck with a crumby dealer, I'll occasionally only tip on huge pots. It's a fee for service, and if the service is poor , they get less.

I'd like to know about tipping floor staff, particularly if I'm seeing them several times a week. I make more money than them in my real job but can't find a way to respectfully tip floor staff that goes above and beyond. What's the protocol on floor staff?

So, if you're playing $1/2 NL and you net a $5 profit, you throw the dealer $1?

...no wonder why they always say hi when you walk by.

I wonder if you stopped tipping on these minuscule pots if they would continue to ask how the wife is and go out of their way to say hi to you or if it was nothing more than phony bs. I'm not suggesting to stop tipping, but it's natural(and smart) for dealers to want to know your name because it makes them feel 'closer' to you, and when you're close to someone, don't you treat them better($)?

I tip so that no one compares me to the inconsiderate, irresponsible idiots who do not tip.

What's interesting is most people tip for this reason as opposed to actually tipping based on service provided.