Ask the Wizard: DEALERS
Do you believe players who win something in a live poker tournament should give an additional tip if they bought a "dealer's add-on" at the beginning of the tournament? I play in a lot of small buy-in tournaments that use these add-ons, and the winners are always reminded that "tips are greatly appreciated." It seems to me that I have already tipped, even in the tournaments I don't cash, and additional tipping just reduces whatever small edge I may have in a form of gambling that is already hard to beat (due to "vig," formats that diminish importance of skill, etc.) On the other hand, I don't want to seem stingy. What do you suggest?
— John G. from Reno, NV
I don’t play much poker, so had to ask David Matthews what a
"dealer’s add-on" is. Here is what he said.
The dealer's add on is an additional and optional fee you're given when you register. The add-on money is given to the dealers only as a way of compensating them for their time dealing the tourney. Normally you get an additional number of starting chips, 2500 instead of 2000, for example.
Tipping whether you buy the add-on or not should always be optional. If I had bought the add-on I would be less inclined to tip. By the way, I always buy the add-on. I am not sure if it's mathematically correct from an EV standpoint but it just seems like the thing to do if I'm going to play the tourney in the first place.
I agree with Dave. Let me take that further by saying I also oppose shaking down players in tournaments with optional fees like re-buys and wild card purchases, unless those fees are somehow returned to the players, which is not the case usually. If the tournament would otherwise not be profitable for the casino, please just drop the pretenses and make the players pay more up front to enter.
If there were no dealer add-on, I do think it is appropriate for the winners to tip the dealers. If forced to say, I would suggest 1% to 2% of the win, and the less the win, the greater the percentage. In the situation in question, I would reduce the tip by the product of the total dealer add-on money and the ratio of my win to the total win. If that makes the tip zero or negative, then you do have a dilemma. I would probably do as I do when restaurants put on a mandatory 18%-20% tip, just put down a token small amount for appearances' sake. January 12, 2009
How much do you tip if you win in a live casino poker tournament? I
have been tipping 10% for wins under $3,000. Am I over tipping? How much do the big
winners in the WSOP tip? – David from New York City
I think you're over-tipping. I think a good range is 2% to 5%, the greater the win, the lower the percentage.
December 14, 2007
While playing blackjack at a locals casino in Las Vegas, a
dealer from another locals casino sat at my table. While making small talk, she
told me that she could wipe out any player using what she called the "house
shuffle." The lady dealing to us, who claimed to have been a dealer for 25 years
agreed with her telling me that it's "all about the shuffle." They were both
referring to games dealt by hand as opposed to from a shoe. Is there a way to
shuffle that lowers the players chances of winning, and if so wouldn't this be a
form of cheating? Have you ever heard of anything called the house shuffle? – Jim Y. from Downey, CA
I don't believe it. Dealers are not the most skeptical group, often believing all the usual gambling myths. Usually the term "house shuffle" refers to the way the dealers are supposed to shuffle. For example, shuffle twice, riffle, and shuffle again. In this context, she seems to be saying she could alter the shuffle to the player’s disadvantage, which I doubt. September 30, 2007
What is an appropriate tip for the dealer (they keep their own tips) if a person hits a royal flush at Caribbean Stud if the JP is $230,000? Also, what would one tip for a straight flush if the gross pay was $23,600 but net $17,000
after 28% is withheld for federal taxes? Thank you. Love your website! – Judith H. from Chula Vista
Thanks. As I say about machine jackpots, 0.5% to 1% of the jackpot amount after taxes is good. Whether the dealers pool their tips or not should not make a difference. September 11, 2007
I was recently reading some "dealer stories" on a website and read about some craps dealers that were told "You've got to learn blackjack". These stories mentioned things like dealers pretty much learning the games on the tables. One dealer taking over for another who was letting players split anything they wanted, etc. My question relates to the training that casinos in the US offer. At my casino (and most, if not all others in Australia) training is done by the casino, in a training room and you must be at a certain level to be able to deal the game on the floor. You also need a coding from the government before you can deal the game. Major games such as blackjack, baccarat, roulette, craps, poker and pai gow take 1 week of fulltime training (3 weeks if its your first game). Where as games such as Caribbean stud, 3 and 4 card poker etc only take 4-8 hours of training. So how do casinos train in the US? And would situations like i described (splitting odd cards, not following the rules) really happen over there? – Jarrod Sydney
Training is much more informal here. I asked a friend of mine who was a former dealer about this. He said assuming you were already a dealer at a high-end Strip casino, they might have you go to a 2-hour training class in the casino on company time to learn the game. An economy casino might ask you to get the training elsewhere on your own time and dollar.
September 22, 2006
In your recent Ask the Wizard column ( 169) someone asked a question regarding the dealer incorrectly burning a card in a blackjack game. At the casino I work at, when dealing blackjack if a card is incorrectly removed from the shoe and is NOT exposed it is still the next card in play (unless it is dealt to the dealers hand, in which case it is burnt). In Blackjack a card is only burnt a) When starting a new shoe, b) When a card is boxed (facing the wrong way in the shoe), or c) Incorrectly dealt to a dealers hand. - Jarrod from Sydney
Thanks for your comments. That sounds more or less like the usual policy in Vegas as well.
August 24, 2006
Recently I was at a casino playing blackjack. There
were three other players and I was at the far end of the table. Player 1 stood on 18, player 2 stood on 19, player 3 had 15. When the dealer got to
player 3 he clearly waved his hand over his cards and said "stand". The
dealer proceeded to pull the next card out of the shoe with the intent
on giving it to player 3. Myself, Player 2 and Player 3 all immediately
spoke up and stopped the dealer from revealing the card. The dealer
then burned this card instead of returning it back to the shoe. On my
turn I stood on my 19. The dealer revealed 14 then drew the next card
which was a 7 for 21 - beating everybody. Needless to say we were all
upset at this. I asked to see the burned card and the dealer told me
"no". I asked that all cards be left on the table and to get a ruling
from the pit boss. The pit boss came over and revealed the burn card as
a jack. We explained that had the dealer not made their mistake, they
would have gotten a jack for 24 and not the 7 for 21 and all of us would
have won. The response we got from the pit boss was "too bad" and they
collected all of our bets. Our response was we all left the table. So
my question is who would be right in this situation? - Tim from Madison WI
For procedure questions like this I like to turn to Brian S., a casino manager and former regulator. Here is what he said.
In my estimation, the dealer should have called the supervisor over before burning the card on his own. The dealer shouldn't make decisions like that. If I was on the floor, I would have asked the player at 3rd base if he wanted the burn card or the next card in the shoe. If he selected the next card, I would not have shown him the burned card. He may still have been upset by the outcome, but I bet he would have stayed at my table.
July 22, 2006
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.
- Blackjack dealer makes a mistake in your favor. Do
you point it out? Do you tip?
- The etiquette of challenging the dealer where you
think he made a mistake in favor of the house against
you.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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:
- 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.
- Some shifts tip better than others. 75% of tips
are earned on the swing shift.
- 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.
- 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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