bg26892
Sitting Out
What's your tipping strategy for casino cash games?
-
This site contains affiliate links. If you choose to make a purchase after clicking a link, Poker Chip Forum may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!
Cash Game Tipping strategy for cash games (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter bg26892
- Start date
Rhodeman77
Straight Flush
As long as the pot hits at least $20 I’ll tip $1. If the pot gets over $200 or so I will give $2 or $3. If the pot get really big, over $1k or if end up sucking out to win a huge pot I’ll give $5 or more.
It also depends on if the dealer is doing their job well. Keeping track of the action and keeping the players in line. Some dealers are so bad I will only give $1 no matter how big the pot is.
It also depends on if the dealer is doing their job well. Keeping track of the action and keeping the players in line. Some dealers are so bad I will only give $1 no matter how big the pot is.
Kain8
Flush
Personal rule, but I don't tip unless I'm in the green already. Then I follow pretty much what @Rhodeman77 said.
Jimulacrum
Full House
In raked games, I tip $1 per pot in all but the tiniest pots. Once in a while I'll throw $2 out there, or maybe $3 if it's a massive pot. You might catch me tipping a $5 chip once every few years or so, if it's a really huge pot and it was a lot of work for the dealer, or there's some other extenuating circumstance (e.g., forgot to tip a previous pot, dealer did something awesome for me).
In pro-dealt games with no rake, I'm a hair more generous, but it's a double-edged sword. In games with very high rake, I tend to knock it down to a flat $1 for each pot over $20-ish, and never more—basically the minimum to keep me from getting noticed as a non-tipper.
In pro-dealt games with no rake, I'm a hair more generous, but it's a double-edged sword. In games with very high rake, I tend to knock it down to a flat $1 for each pot over $20-ish, and never more—basically the minimum to keep me from getting noticed as a non-tipper.
Anthony Martino
Royal Flush
I reinvented tipping at the tables, if the dealer does something to displease me......say a nasty river card or missing my draw.....
It depends on the stakes, but I try to tip $1 regardless of the pot size, unless I’m just scooping the blinds... If there is a truly mammoth pot I’ll of course tip more.
Generally, there are way more small pots than big ones. My feeling is that the dealer has to do pretty much the same work regardless of the pot size. Dealers seem to appreciate that more than a $5 tip on a big hand, because a lot of players don’t seem to tip at all on small pots.
If a dealer has done a particularly nice job for their 30 minute stint at a table, I may give them another $5 as they’re leaving.
On a related topic... At casinos, some seem to feel that if you win a jackpot (e.g. high hand/hot seat), then you should give the dealer a much sweeter tip, as much as 10%. I tend to give something like 5%, say $25 on a $500 high hand.
During a recent visit to a casino in my area, they recently paid out a $77,777 bad beat (royal flush over quad 10s) on a nine-handed table. I was wondering what each player tipped, or if their table collectively tipped the dealer, but didn’t manage to get any info. (It was also unclear whether the casino paid out in checks, chips or cash—I think cash.) In that situation I would think something like $250-$300 per player would be a decent gesture, but others might disagree.
Generally, there are way more small pots than big ones. My feeling is that the dealer has to do pretty much the same work regardless of the pot size. Dealers seem to appreciate that more than a $5 tip on a big hand, because a lot of players don’t seem to tip at all on small pots.
If a dealer has done a particularly nice job for their 30 minute stint at a table, I may give them another $5 as they’re leaving.
On a related topic... At casinos, some seem to feel that if you win a jackpot (e.g. high hand/hot seat), then you should give the dealer a much sweeter tip, as much as 10%. I tend to give something like 5%, say $25 on a $500 high hand.
During a recent visit to a casino in my area, they recently paid out a $77,777 bad beat (royal flush over quad 10s) on a nine-handed table. I was wondering what each player tipped, or if their table collectively tipped the dealer, but didn’t manage to get any info. (It was also unclear whether the casino paid out in checks, chips or cash—I think cash.) In that situation I would think something like $250-$300 per player would be a decent gesture, but others might disagree.
Rhodeman77
Straight Flush
I played in a game last week that was mostly dealers playing in it. The thing I heard more of them complain about was how small the tips were for big pots. Especially if someone won a high hand bonus or something like that.
One guy went on for a while how he dealt a guy quad Jacks, that won him high hand and the quads Jacks bonus for a total of $700 plus the pot was another $400 or so for a total of $1100. The guy tipped him $20 and he complained lol.
I said to the dealer he may be stuck (playing PLO after all) still and that $20 is pretty good. $1100 pots are pretty common at the PLO game and most people aren’t tipping $20 when they win them. So I don’t understand the complaint at all.
One guy went on for a while how he dealt a guy quad Jacks, that won him high hand and the quads Jacks bonus for a total of $700 plus the pot was another $400 or so for a total of $1100. The guy tipped him $20 and he complained lol.
I said to the dealer he may be stuck (playing PLO after all) still and that $20 is pretty good. $1100 pots are pretty common at the PLO game and most people aren’t tipping $20 when they win them. So I don’t understand the complaint at all.
Jimulacrum
Full House
Typical. No matter what people get, they always want more. Tipping culture in particular is very toxic.
Especially with some of the big jackpots that build up, a lot of dealers seem to think that whoever wins a piece owes them some generous percent like 10% or 20%, but the reality is … piss off. It's the player's money. It's the player who's had dollar after dollar taken out of every pot he's played, day after day, to create that jackpot, and it's all just a dumb-luck bet. He finally gets some of it back and he's supposed to not only watch a third of it disappear to taxes, but dole out another fat chunk to the staff? GTFOOH.
Be thankful for whatever you get, and seriously, don't bitch to players about not getting tipped enough. No one wants to hear it, and some folks—like me—are so sick of it that we may just stop tipping entirely if you act like an ingrate.
I usually watch to see what the other players at the table are tipping then I usually follow their lead.
Kain8
Flush
JustinInMN
4 of a Kind
I will usually tip one on any pot that goes to the turn or a decent size one on the flop. If I win two small ones on the flop in a row, I will usually tip on the second pot no matter what.
I will occasionally throw a two out there if it's a huge pot. But I would say these are pretty rare, seldom more than one is eight hours.
Ideally if everyone tipped 1-2 per down one way or another the dealer's would make 18-36/hr. Now that's mitigated by dead-spreads and other non-active downs of course. But I don't feel players should feel obligated to do any more than that. That seems like a fair rate that encourages a well paced game.
I will occasionally throw a two out there if it's a huge pot. But I would say these are pretty rare, seldom more than one is eight hours.
Ideally if everyone tipped 1-2 per down one way or another the dealer's would make 18-36/hr. Now that's mitigated by dead-spreads and other non-active downs of course. But I don't feel players should feel obligated to do any more than that. That seems like a fair rate that encourages a well paced game.
I only tip if the dealer is fun and brings enjoyment to my experience. $1-$2 per pot and then another $5 to $10 when they leave if I am up. Boring ass drone dealers don't get a dime from me. I am against the belief that I should be paying their wage.
Jimulacrum
Full House
Ahh, yes, I seem to recall you and me being involved in another thread that involved tipping, and possibly scaring off all the other participants with our extremist views on the topic.
LOL. Yes, another thread about tipping we get to derail
BukNaked36
Straight
I don't usually tip unless I win a pot that got to showdown.
$1 for a standard pot
$2 or $3 for a big pot
$3, $4, $5 for a big pot where I hit a draw
$1 for a standard pot
$2 or $3 for a big pot
$3, $4, $5 for a big pot where I hit a draw
DrStrange
4 of a Kind
I tip mostly on how the dealer makes me feel (i.e. somehow fun/entertaining while keeping the game going) and how well she/he does the job.
It does matter if I win a hand or two in the down - I might toss an extra dollar or two. But I also might tip at the end of a down where I didn't win at all.
If the dealer is a crabby troll, then I might not tip much at all.
The size of rake + drop matters to me as well. Playing a 10% / $15 max table means the dealer often gets nothing without being a good part of the experience.
Dealers aren't $2/hr waiters who I feel obligated to tip. Dealers aren't baggage handlers that I fear not to tip. Dealers earn a tip by the quality of their work and that doesn't depend on how well I am running at the poker table.
It does matter if I win a hand or two in the down - I might toss an extra dollar or two. But I also might tip at the end of a down where I didn't win at all.
If the dealer is a crabby troll, then I might not tip much at all.
The size of rake + drop matters to me as well. Playing a 10% / $15 max table means the dealer often gets nothing without being a good part of the experience.
Dealers aren't $2/hr waiters who I feel obligated to tip. Dealers aren't baggage handlers that I fear not to tip. Dealers earn a tip by the quality of their work and that doesn't depend on how well I am running at the poker table.
JustinInMN
4 of a Kind
I do like to give those too.
I’m all for boring ass drone dealers (BADDs?) ... I don’t want my dealer to practice his stand up routines, or dole out canned lines like “let’s gamble” or “gotta be in it to win it,” commenting on the action, debating sports, etc. I want them to deal quickly, correctly, and invisibly.
At one casino I frequent, there is a dealer who flirts with all the guys. She is by far the worst dealer in the place — multiple mistakes per half hour. Can’t count chips properly, can’t chop pots correctly, flips over cards, four-card flops, misdeals because she’s distracted, etc. But because she chats constantly and calls guys “honey,” lots of pathetic players love her, and the poker manager will never fire her. The worst part is that she thinks she is a great dealer, and gets snippy if anyone points out a problem.
I tend to just take my breaks when she gets rotated to my table because her incompetent dealing tilts me. Give me a BADD instead any day.
ohio3302016
Flush
All in.
Wait. What?
Wait. What?
markleteenie
4 of a Kind
Forgive my ignorance on this matter, but are dealers only paid on tips/nothing from the casino or just a minimum/non-livable wage from the casino?
Jimulacrum
Full House
Where I am, it's usually somewhere around (normal, non-tipped) minimum wage. Can't speak for elsewhere.
markleteenie
4 of a Kind
Wow, that is not what I was expecting... but I guess I should have.
Jimulacrum
Full House
It's true. Dealing is exhausting, and casinos are generally not the place you want to be working 8 hours a day, for a variety of reasons. The money can be decent, especially for a service job with a low barrier to entry, but it's hardly a cushy gig.
Interesting quote from the article:
I wasn't surprised to see this in the article—more of this attitude that the dealer should be getting a large tip every time someone wins a lot. Anyone who doesn't give the dealer as much as he wants is a "cheapskate," and the dealer will talk shit about that person afterward, even if he's a casino VIP.
Toxic tipping culture is toxic.
Interesting quote from the article:
I wasn't surprised to see this in the article—more of this attitude that the dealer should be getting a large tip every time someone wins a lot. Anyone who doesn't give the dealer as much as he wants is a "cheapskate," and the dealer will talk shit about that person afterward, even if he's a casino VIP.
Toxic tipping culture is toxic.
I guess we play poker for different reasons. I'm not saying I want a friendly bad dealer. I just want one who is social and friendly, and not a mechanical robot.
Tables are generally social enough for me, and the action itself provides plenty of distraction. I just want the game to run smoothly, with a dealer who is not also trying to be the entertainment. They’ve got enough to do to make sure everything is in place and moving along. I’d just much rather they focused on the mechanics of the job, and spend any extra time policing stuff like players who try to hide their high-denomination chips from view, rather than feeling it’s their obligation to keep chit-chat going.
Jimulacrum
Full House
I feel the same. I remember one occasion in particular where a dealer was preoccupied by a baseball or football game on TV. Not only was he chit-chatting about it with the players the whole time, but he would fix his gaze up at the overhead TV after dealing out each round, which of course meant he wasn't actively controlling the game or paying attention to details that could be important.
Sadly, he was just another terrible dealer at a place with more than its fair share of terrible dealers, due in no small part to the fact that they pooled tips. Other highlights:
- One dealer habitually flashed players' hole cards while dealing. (I told a floorperson, whose response was essentially, "That's just how [what's-his-name] deals. Not sure I can say anything to him that will change it.")
- One dealer habitually flashed the burn cards to the players to his right.
- One dealer would munch on trail mix he had in his pocket, mid-hand. This same dealer went to work sick on one occasion and repeatedly blew his nose at the table, into a paper towel he kept stashed in his pocket. I got the flu a few days later. I am pretty sure I got it from him.
- One dealer got upset with a player for constantly biting his fingernails at the table and scolded him for it, pretty harshly. I think he was trying to actually kick the guy off the table, which to be honest wouldn't be so bad. This dude was gnawing his nails so bad he was getting saliva all over the cards and chips. Floorperson came over and sided with the player. Dealer flipped out, told the floorperson to go fuck himself IIRC, and stormed out of the building, leaving the floor to deal for the rest of the night (it was a half-hour or so to closing). Saw him back at work the next week like nothing had happened.
- Multiple dealers were very slow, all the time—mostly older men with apparent arthritis or whatever.
- Basically all of their dealers constantly overlooked obvious soft-playing and unacceptable table talk among regs. IMO, dealers are the first line of defense against that stuff, and if they don't handle it, it becomes part of the room culture. And at this place, it did.
All these things considered, with a rake of 10% to $6 plus $1 BBJ drop, how much do you think you should tip at a place like that? (Zero comps, perks, free drinks, or anything of the sort, BTW.)
Create an account or login to comment
You must be a member in order to leave a comment
Create account
Create an account and join our community. It's easy!
Log in
Already have an account? Log in here.
