Ask the Wizard: DEALERS

Questions about Casino Dealers and Tipping

If I make a maximum bet, can I still make a bet for the dealer?

Here in Vegas, yes you can.

What is the probability that a particular dealer will commit an error while dealing casino games? Is there such a standard?

That is a good question. In general, the nicer the casino the lower the probability of dealer errors. Dealer errors are also much more likely in new games as opposed to the old classics. Also, in my opinion dealer errors go in favor of the dealer about ¾ of the time. I have never heard of any standard. To make a rough approximation I would say dealers make an error, on average, once every 1 to 4 hours. Jan. 23, 2005

Due to table-game tips to dealers being "highly recommended", each hand/play costs or "loses" the player a little bit (as little as ~$0.50-$1.00 just to be considered 'live' by dealers) each time. With games of low bankrolls and minimum bids (i.e. ~$1000 in pocket and ~$2 per play), the tip & house-edge would often make games like video-poker more worth while as far as returns and (possibly) comps are concerned.

You make a good point. Tipping definitely does add to house advantage in table games. If one were to tip one bet until every 100 hands, that would add 1% to the house edge. Additionally, slot and video poker players get comped and, in general, are treated much better. These are things to consider when deciding which game to devote your time to. Jan. 16, 2005

[Bluejay adds: When you consider tips, video poker can lose less per hour than table games but only slightly, while slot machines remain a money-sucker. Consider 99%-return $0.25 video poker at 500 hands an hour, which is $6.25/hr. in expected losses. This compares favorably to blackjack with an hourly loss is 0.5% edge x 100 hands x $5 = $2.50, + $5/hr. tips = $7.50/hr. A typical quarter slot machine loses more than twice that per hour.]

Thank you for the wonderful site. I check it at least weekly. I also have patronized your sponsors. I am a dealer at an Indiana casino. If I make a mistake in the player's favor, the last thing I want is a tip because of the mistake. It makes it look like the error was deliberate in an attempt to receive a tip. Advise people that tips should be given for service not for an error that gives them money. Thanks again. - Hayward D.

Thanks for the kind words and patronizing the advertisers. I'm happy to post what you said. For the benefit of those new to this column, this refers to a question in the December 27, 2004 column. Jan. 9, 2005

Was reading through your site and browsing the section on tipping and had a few comments to share. I've always found it best to place the tip on top of my bet and have the dealer's "playing with me" until I lose. Usually you are tipping when you are winning and if you get on a long winning streak a $1 tip can turn into much more for the dealers. Just make sure the dealer knows that the extra chip on top of your own bet is for them! Thanks for all the great information on all the games!

I've seen this happen before and I agree that some dealers like it. However, in my opinion most don't care because tips are pooled and shared among all the dealers. In 18 years of playing blackjack I have only once seen a dealer ask a player to do this. Jan. 9, 2005

[Bluejay adds: I always ask dealers which method they prefer, because some have a distinct preference. Some like the chip riding on top while others hate it. I like giving dealers the option, because just by asking I establish a small bond with them by showing that I'm considering their feelings.]

Three questions of etiquette and ethics.

1. Blackjack dealer makes a mistake in your favor. Do you point it out? Do you tip?
2. The etiquette of challenging the dealer where you think he made a mistake in favor of the house against you.
3. You wrongfully challenge the dealer, is anything more than an apology expected?

All three have happened to me within the last month. I am a small time bettor so the correction of a win or loss is not significant to me. I'd prefer not jeopardize the dealer's job. - Nathan W.

1. This is a delicate question. Personally, I just keep my mouth shut. Once in Atlantic City I saw another player correct the dealer for an overpayment and neither the dealer nor pit boss thanked the player for his honesty. If the casino doesn't seem to care then why should I? I also view making the correct payment as part of a game. Also, no I do not tip. Sometimes crooked dealers will deliberately overpay players hoping to get tipped in return. This is highly illegal and at least in Nevada they treat cheating as a comparable crime to bank robbery. So I wouldn't want anyone, including the dealer, to think I was colluding on a mistake-for-tip scheme. Another reason to not say anything is that the dealer will have to call the pit boss over and confess his mistake. Anyone can make a mistake once in a while but if the dealer is known to be mistake prone already then, yes, it could put his job in jeopardy.
2. When a mistake is in the favor of the house you definitely should alert the dealer as soon as possible. Don't make a big deal about it, just politely point out the error.
3. It is very embarrassing to challenge the dealer, only for the cards to show the dealer was right. When this happens, an apology is sufficient. Dec. 27, 2004

[Note: See above for an update on this answer.]

I ran into a situation in Reno a couple years ago that no one else seems to have heard before. At a full pai gow poker table, the dealer set her cards, I believe it was a Jack/Ten in the 2-card hand and a flush in the 5 card-hand. The dealer had missed the fact there was a straight with a higher 2-card hand, but set it and went through 4 players when the pit boss came over and said "You set that wrong" and proceeded to re-set the hand. They then went to the discard tray to replay the hands. This resulted in two of the players going from a push to a loss. The pit boss actually went to the players' stacks and took the monies from them after consulting the videotape to confirm the wager amounts. We were all told to stay at the table until the situation was resolved, but after it was, despite not knowing each other, we all left not only the table, but the casino entirely. It would strike me that once a hand is set and the first hand is settled, there can be no change. Also, for PR purposes, that pit boss lost my business forever over a mess that netted the casino $20. What do you think? - Kevin H.

The casino had the right to do this. However, in my opinion it was a bad business decision. Not only did the casino waste time resolving this mess, but as you point out, it resulted in bad feelings on the part of all players. This just goes to show the folly of following rules religiously. Personally, I think rules should be weighed against common sense. Sept. 30, 2004

Do you have any articles about etiquette and/or nuances about gambling in Europe, versus normal American casinos? Specifically, I'm targeting German casinos, and even more specifically, Blackjack and Poker. I have the opportunity to gamble a little on an upcoming trip to southern Germany, and I'd like to know what to expect.

I've played in Berlin, Hamburg, and Monte Carlo and the etiquette is more or less the same as in the United States. The main difference that I can think of is I didn't see much tipping the dealer in any of these locales. Now that I think about it, the German players seemed to take their gambling very seriously and the casinos, especially in Berlin, were unusually quiet. In Monte Carlo, the famed Grand Casino is very stuffy and formal; the Paris Casino and Sun Casino are much more fun and lively, not unlike an American casino. Have a good time! Aug. 23, 2004

I have some questions on tipping etiquette...

Blackjack: Can I double, split or take insurance for the dealer?

Caribbean Stud Poker: Can I (or do I have to) raise also for the dealer?

Let It Ride Poker: Can I place more than one bet for the dealer (what happens if I decide to take back one of my bets and there was a tip)?

Craps: Can I play a tip everywhere I can play (odds and props included)?

Roulette: Can I play on numbers for him?

As a general rule you can make any bet for the dealer in any game. In general you should tell the dealer which bets are his, except blackjack where its common practice that any bet outside the betting circle is for the dealer.

Blackjack: Yes to all three. The usual way to bet for the dealer in blackjack is to put the tip on the edge of the betting circle. If you split or double, most people also split or double the dealer's bet, although it is not required.

Caribbean Stud Poker: I asked a dealer and he said raising for the dealer is optional. I haven't studied it but I think this would result in the tip having an advantage.

Let it Ride: I'm told that the player should put out three tips initially but must pull them back in the same manner that they pull back their own bets. Bets that are pulled back go to the player, not the dealer.

Craps: Yes, you can make any bet for the dealer. The most common ones are the yo-11 and the hard ways. If you make a line bet for the dealers and back it up with the odds then it is implied the odds bet is a tip too.

Roulette: As in craps, you can make any bet for the dealer. Just tell them in advance. May 30, 2004

I'm a pit boss at an Indian Casino in Northern California and I've been following the discussion about Tip Sharing vs. Going For Your Own (April 4, May 13 columns) and I have to say from what I've seen, dealers much prefer the go for your own. In fact, because we're a go for your own house, we have dealers from all over the state (and even from all over the country) trying to get a job here because we're so close to the Bay Area. Even dealers from far bigger casinos such as Thunder Valley (near Sacramento) and Cache Creek (also near Sacramento) are trying to get a job here because they don't pool their own tips. I also experienced something similar with another Northern California casino that wasn't as nice as the one I'm currently at. There was almost a dealer mutiny whenever it was discussed about going to a pooled system.

In Scottsdale, the hottest casino to work at right now is a go for your own joint that has over 100 tables. The dealers there are consistently making several hundred dollars per day working there and everyone from across the country wishes they were there.

The only dealers that I see that wish it were pooled are those that lack personality or have poor dealing skills (or both). The only way those dealers make any money is to pool their tips. And just for the record, the top moneymakers at the casinos I've been at are ALWAYS men, and not even very attractive men. While some of the really attractive ladies do indeed make good tips without even trying (or so it seems), the best dealers are truly entertaining personalities with a fast, clean game.

Thanks for your comments. May 30, 2004

I am a dealer in a small rural casino and disagree with your comments against tip sharing (April 4 2004 column). The reasons tip sharing would not work here are:

1. A dealer works the same game for an entire shift. There is a big disparity in how players tip depending on the game. For example Caribbean Stud and Let it Ride players are very bad tippers.
2. Some shifts tip better than others. 75% of tips are earned on the swing shift.
3. Our casino is close to the Canadian border and if a dealer gets stuck with Canadian players for the shift then he will go home broke for the day.
4. The dealers who are friendly with the pit bosses will get the good games and good shifts.

Furthermore I disagree with calling tip sharing "institutionalized favoritism." If dealers share their tips, every dealer receives the same pay for putting in the same hour of work. Thus, it seems to me that tip sharing reduces institutionalized favoritism, rather than contributing to it as you allege. Letting people keep their own tips would mean the good looking woman would earn more than someone else doing the same job, simply because she is a good looking woman. That would be a policy of institutionalized favoritism.

Thank you for your comments but I stand by my opinion that tip sharing should be optional. My statement that attractive women get tipped better may sound unfair but it is the free market at work. I would argue that a beautiful female dealer is performing a better service to the public just by giving people something to look at. I define institutionalized favoritism as an institution (such as the casino) taking money from one class of people and giving it to another. Players may not tip fairly but as long as it is according to their own free will then it is not institutional but voluntary favoritism.

In the case of your casino, if tip sharing were optional I would expect only the men who are not friendly with management would opt to join the pool. If the casino didn't do a better job at rotating dealers and treating them equally then some dealers would quit, forcing the casino to take action. It may also lead to more female heavy workforce through attrition but that is not necessarily a bad thing. Men have a competitive advantage at other jobs, like lifting heavy objects.

It is hard to study economics, as I have, and not have a healthy respect for free enterprise. Tip sharing is a form of socialism, which will obviously benefit some, but as a whole will only result in inferior public service due to insufficient incentives. May 13, 2004

In an earlier column you expressed the opinion that dealers should be allowed to keep their own tips. You are way off base on this one. Here is what typically happens when dealers are allowed to "keep their own" at least in Washington in the Seattle-Tacoma area. If you are a female you will do well, if you are an Asian male you will also do well, if you are an Asian female you will do even better, if you are a BEAUTIFUL Asian female you have hit the jackpot! If you are a white male like me well good luck to you buddy because you are going to need it!! So I must disagree with you when you say "Keeping one's own tips is an incentive for good service, which benefits everybody."

One Asian female dealer where I work regularly does $200 or more a night in tips. She has done this dozens and dozens of times. I have done it once or twice. Is she doing something so completely different than what I do? I hardly think so. In fact I know so because she and I both worked at another casino where I was a floor supervisor and she dealt (we both deal at the casino where we are now) and she didn't do anything special. In fact she hardly said anything at all to the players!

You make a good point. However, I could argue that it violates open market economics to have women subsidizing men or Asians subsidizing Caucasians. That is essentially what is happening by tip sharing, by your own argument. As one white male to another, I sympathize with your situation but I am also against institutionalized favoritism according to race or gender. So I believe that tip sharing should be optional. April 4, 2004

I thought your information on tipping was helpful. My question is how do you tip at a black jack table? Where do you put it, when do you tip, how much do you tip? - Brian Tutich from Greensburg, U.S.

The vast majority of the time the player makes a bet for the dealer. This is done by putting the tip on the edge of the betting circle, close to the dealer. Think of the tip as orbiting around your bet, where the betting circle is the path of the orbit. If you double down you may or may not also double the dealer's tip. If you split then I believe you must also make another bet for the dealer. Sometimes when a player leaves the table he will just leave a tip for the dealer, like on a table in a restaurant. Dec. 4, 2001

Mr. Wizard, cool web site. Recently I was playing Blackjack and myself and friends were very generous to the dealer playing tip hands for him. We roughly broke even after about an hour or so. Later in the night I was playing Deuces wild poker. The dealer from the BJ table came over to deal and I played some tip hands for him again. I hit a Wild Royal for about $1600 and about 20 min later hit a straight flush for another large win. My question is this, since there was only 1 deck and I was the only player and the dealer shuffled and cut the cards himself do you think he may have set the deck because I was generous to him? - Mike from Jacksonville, USA

That was nice of you to tip generously. The Wizard definitely supports tipping the dealers when given good service. I'm 99% sure that you were just lucky. If the dealer did have the ability and will to cheat for the players he probably would have arranged for an accomplice to get the big wins and they would have split the money later. I have heard of stories of dealer overpaying players who tipped well, as long as they always tipped back a portion of the overpayments. Of course I don't approve of any form of cheating. Nov. 11, 2001

Love your site! In your blackjack section, you discuss tipping, but you don't suggest an amount. I'm going to Vegas for the first time in about 2 weeks, and I never knew you were supposed to tip dealers AT ALL, let alone how much. Do you have any recommendations on tip amounts? - Sarah from Chicago, USA

There is no firm standard but I would recommend tipping at least $1 every 15 minutes or so. If the dealer is being especially friendly or helpful then you should tip even more. Feb. 10, 2001

I wonder if you could comment on the Casino's practice of switching dealers. It always seems to happen that the table is on a winning streak and then the casino switches dealers mid-shoe. All of a sudden everyone starts to lose. Do you think that certain dealers tip the balance more in the casino's favor? ñ Hobbes from Toronto, Canada

The casino switches dealers when it is time for someone to go on a break. Switching dealers does not change the player's odds unless the player is a card counter and the game is single or double deck where a new dealer necessitates a fresh shuffle. Nov. 11, 2000

How much do casino dealers generally get paid? - Eric from Columbia, USA

For this question I deferred to a friend of mine who is a blackjack dealer in Biloxi, here is what she says:

Every casino differs as far as tokes however there is somewhat of an average. Your typical dealer will average anywhere from $9 - $11 in tips and makes an hourly wage of $4.50 to $5.00 per hour. So I always like to think we average $15 an hour. Some of the bigger casino's like the Grand and Beau Rivage however, make more than that. Their toke rates stay at $14, $15 and $16 per hour so they make close to $20 an hour (that's including their hourly base pay). You only get benefits (insurance, 401-K) if you are a full-time employee. Some casino's will make you a full-time employee automatically after 90 days while other casino's will keep you part-time until full-time positions are available. April 22, 2000

When is the best time to tip and where should you place that tip. Should you tell the dealer that you are tipping them. I am often concerned about the eye in the sky and where I place a tip, how much to tip, and what to say about the tip. - Josiah from South Haven, Michigan

In general, almost everything at the table should be communicated through hand signals and chip placement, including tipping. The vast majority of the time, players make a bet for the dealer rather casually. To do this, place the tip on the edge of the betting circle, along with your own bet in the middle. The tip is not subject to the table minimum since it is treated as part of your own bet, just earmarked for the dealer. If you double or split your own bet you should do the same for the dealer's bet. If you win, the dealer will pay off your bet and the tip separately. Don't touch the tip or the winnings on the tip, let the dealer collect them. Once I forgot that I had made a bet for the dealer and started to put the tip and the winnings in my stack when the dealer said, "I thought that was for me!" Needless to say I was very embarrassed at this fauxpas and gave the dealer back their money. March 4, 2000

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