Dealers want tips! How can they earn them?
Personally, I try to deal fast because that's the kind of game I like, but I will slow down if asked or do things to add some excitement, like a slower reveal on a double down card, or whatever. In any case I always try to root for the player to get what they'd need to make a good hand, and I don't rub it in when they make a mistake that costs them their bet.
I try to anticipate needs. For example, if someone pulls out a cigarette and there are no ashtrays out, I'll make sure the player gets one quickly. Or, if someone is buying in on a carnival game with a progressive I'll ask if they'd like any singles with their red chips.
My memory is really good for names and other details, so I use those and bring them up when familiar players approach the table. I also look at the players club cards when they come in and try to use the players name during their stay at my table. Most people seem to like this.
When the players mention they'd like a drink I help keep an eye out for the CW's or ask the floor to make a call to the bar to see if they can send one by. I also mention to players when last call is coming so they can get a drink if they want one before the cut off time.
Anyhow, these are just off the top of my head, what else could dealers do better? Is there anything I listed that you don't like?
Me, I like it when the dealer sort of plays along. Say on 3CP, for example, I play a pair of aces and trash and you turn an ace and trash. Some dealers will say "Oh! That's too bad! I took your ace!" I do believe the delaer is on my side, but a little proof now and then doesn't hurt. Of course, some players may find this hypocritical and annoying.
Most important, don't hustle for tips, and always, always, always, and I mean always, thank a player when she tips you (did I mention you should always do this?)
Quote: NareedWhen a player makes a mistake, like reaching for the payoff before you're done making it, don't snap at her "Hands off! I'm not done yet!"
In cases like this I usually say something like, "Oh no, don't touch it yet, I haven't paid you." Most players are embarrassed by this mistake so I try to make them feel better by saying, "Don't worry about it, happens all the time." And depending on the situation I'll explain that it's kind of a big deal because some people try to cap their bets and I don't want either one of us to get in trouble for an innocent mistake.
Quote: Nareed
Me, I like it when the dealer sort of plays along. Say on 3CP, for example, I play a pair of aces and trash and you turn an ace and trash. Some dealers will say "Oh! That's too bad! I took your ace!" I do believe the delaer is on my side, but a little proof now and then doesn't hurt. Of course, some players may find this hypocritical and annoying.
I'll often do this when a player busts in BJ and when I flip my hole card it's a '5' or '6' I'll say, "Aw, I was showing you the wrong card."
Quote: Nareed
Most important, don't hustle for tips,
I never do this, it's strictly forbidden, and we have gaming agents prowling the floor at all times. It would be stupid to do it where I work.
Quote: Nareedand always, always, always, and I mean always, thank a player when she tips you (did I mention you should always do this?)
I always give the table a pat near the dealer bet and say something like, "Thanks for the try, I hope we win!" and win or lose I thank them again when the hand is over. In the case of an outright tip, I always thank the player for their generosity and tell them I really appreciate it. Typically anything over $25 I make a pretty big deal out of it, so everyone in the immediate vicinity knows how much it's appreciated.
Unlike some forum members I have no illusions of making a profit at table games. I am there to have fun and if you increase my fun you will get more tips. Have a personality and engage the players. Many dealers act like the players are not even there and ignore them as they interact socially with the other employees.
I have a list of several items:
1. Don't bring in any bad attitude in from outside - a bad day prior to work, a fight with the wife, what have you. If I don't bring work home, then I also don't bring home into work. I actually chose to become a dealer, and even if I am later stuck with this decision in the future, crying about it at work is the worst way to handle it. Have fun with your job, with the fun being contangious, and tips will occur as part of the natural process, from the kind people who are in your presence.
2. Don't care about tips #1: if you do your job, and are friendly with a good attitude, the tips take care of themselves. A summary extention of item #1.
3. Don't care about tips #2: never worry about being stiffed. The "absent tips" never tallied anyway, as it's only the real tips that count. Someone who hit a Royal and who then stiffs you is no different than someone who bought in for a small amount - and lost ten hands in a row - in terms of their same "zero" contribution. However, the big winner who was a pain to deal to - and then stiffs you in the end - can get under your skin if you let them. You will never sweat these cheapskates if you had never sweated any of the tips at all. Sweating them just gets you into a negative spiral - where you blow future customer service opportunities.
4. Do care about tips WHEN they actually happen: always show gratitude and appreciation to anyone who tips you honestly. what I mean by this is that this gesture gets acknowledgement: just say, "Sir/Ma'am - thank you - we appreaciate it!" But, there is an occasional show-off who tips you a sorry dollar on a $2,000 Royal and then DEMANDS that you fawn over him and bow down to him for it, snapping his fingers in your face saying, "C'mon, Buddy, now THANK me for it, NOW!!" (Now this tip you can refuse as an exception.) This I had happen while this player was quickly and immediately DEMANDING profuse thanks, and I turned to him and said, "A dollar on a Royal? I am afraid that I have to refuse tips that come with strings attached," and I handed it back to him. "Tip if you want to, but don't demand that I turn cartwheels for a dollar!" is the attitude. You're not a dog being thrown a bone, and you cannot let someone let you become a show dog.
5. When leaving the table, look at the people who had tipped you and say thanks to them again. And do know it and mean it, because these are the people who make the difference, so ackowledge them as being the "ten percenters" who give of themselves and make a difference.
Quote: jml24.... My biggest pet peeve is when dealers give me unwanted advice (almost always incorrect) or push bonus bets I don't want to play. I get that they are hoping for a cut of a big payoff but if I prefer not to make a bet that is my business. It's OK to ask in case I don't understand the game but there is no need to keep harping on it, and many dealers do.
I agree. Dealers can pretty much tell if a player knows his game, OR is happy just to play his game as he sees fit.
If I didn't know better, I'd say you get to keep your own tips.
You seem to hit all the right points. In summary, what dealers need to do is just be friendly and have a personality. If you're gonna stand there like a robot, I might as well go play at one of the table game type machines. They never need to be tipped.
Quote:... like a slower reveal on a double down card ...
I played at Gold Coast one time with a dealer that was a lot of fun, with a tendency to screw with our heads - in a fun way.
For example, even though this was a shoe game, he often did not turn the double card up until after playing his own hand.
Occasionally, under certain circumstances, he would declare each player as having a losing hand, take the bet, and put it on the edge of the rack. He wouldn't fold our cards. I.E. He did it in a manner that made it simple to undo. And when he busted out, he would say something like, "OK. I just made extra work for myself," while placing our bets back in the circle before paying them.
Although it slowed the game a little, and it had all the asshole-ish-ness of that twerpy dealer in Vegas Vacation, it was still fun the way he did it.
Quote: HunterhillWhen a player says he doesn`t want to be rated,don`t then say, whats your name.I have had that happen many times.Then when the dealer goes on break I overhear him telling the floor," I tried to get his name but he wouldn`t give it up." Now the dealer comes back from break and tries to act nice,good luck I will never tip after that. Also many dealers will talk about players after the player leaves the table.Well guess what if you are talking behind their backs what are you going to say about me when I leave.
When a player doesn't want to be rated, the dealer should just say "Fine," and get on with the game.
If a floorman asks me if I had asked him for his player's card, I tell him the truth: "Yes, I asked him for his card, but he didn't want one, and he didn't want to be rated, so I went on with the game, as I was supposed to do." If pressed, I'll tell the floorman that he could have come up to the player to badger him for identification, since he's working the floor, too.
Edit: as for a dealer playing mind games with cash or checks or the results of the hand, that's a major no-no. That may come back to bite him. Better to deal a straight game in silence, if a dealer isn't capable of the act or the art of simple conversation.
Quote: HunterhillThis has nothing to do with dealers but another annoying thing is when cashing out the cashier says congratulations.They have no Idea if you have won or lost,just because you are cashing in a large amount they assume you won.
Cashiers have an idea of the average buy-in, and may make assumptions and some small talk. So what....
Quote: MonkeyMonkeyIn cases like this I usually say something like, "Oh no, don't touch it yet, I haven't paid you."
Where do you deal? I'm guessing it's not in Vegas.
BTW I forgot: ask for a player card, unless that's not policiy. I usually hand my player card along with the buy-in, but someitmes I forget.
Quote: PaigowdanCashiers have an idea of the average buy-in, and may make assumptions and some small talk. So what....
At the cage at Bill's the cahier asked me "Did you win today?" Which I thought was nice.
At the 4 Queens once the cashier told me "That's a cute necklace!" Which I thought was nicer :)
Quote: PaigowdanCashiers have an idea of the average buy-in, and may make assumptions and some small talk. So what....
So What!Cashiers have no knowledge of what an individual bought in for.So a player cashes in 2000 but they have bought in for 5000,so a 3000 loss,you think they want to hear Congratulations.I think not.
Quote: 1BBIs the cut in blackjack dealer dependent?
Depending on where you are it is to a point. Some places have a notch sawed into the discard tray where the cut card is required to be. Some places cut by hand to an approximate area. Better tip=better penetration. The way to kill a stingy blackjack player is to deal as fast as possible and offer terrible penetration. More hands per minute= faster house edge creeping up, worse penetration =no counting, etc...
Nick, I was young and stupid once. I do not believe that attitude will do you well in your career. REALLY !
Quote: jml24My biggest pet peeve is when dealers give me unwanted advice (almost always incorrect) or push bonus bets I don't want to play.
In general, I try not to give advice to players. If they ask me, I'll either tell them, "The book says..." or say, "You should ask the other players, they have money on this, I don't."
The only time I give unsolicited advice is when someone who's otherwise been playing pretty good BS tries to make a move that seems foolish (hitting a '15' against my '6', for example) and I'll say, "Are you sure?" and I'll point at my 6. Usually they are glad I acted as a safety mechanism, but if they don't appreciate it, next time I just do what they asked.
Quote: HunterhillWhen a player says he doesn`t want to be rated,don`t then say, whats your name.
I've never done that. If a player doesen't have a card or want to be rated, I say, "Fair enough." and move on with the buy in. It's no skin off my nose if the player doesn't want comps.
Quote: DJTeddyBear
If I didn't know better, I'd say you get to keep your own tips.
Nope. Some nights I wish I did. Others I'm very glad they're pooled.
Quote: DJTeddyBear
Occasionally, under certain circumstances, he would declare each player as having a losing hand, take the bet, and put it on the edge of the rack. He wouldn't fold our cards. I.E. He did it in a manner that made it simple to undo. And when he busted out, he would say something like, "OK. I just made extra work for myself," while placing our bets back in the circle before paying them.
That sounds like a dangerous practice, I wouldn't do anything like that, but I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Quote: NareedWhere do you deal? I'm guessing it's not in Vegas.
Nope, not Vegas. For my own privacy I must decline to disclose the location.
Quote: Nareed
BTW I forgot: ask for a player card, unless that's not policiy. I usually hand my player card along with the buy-in, but someitmes I forget.
I always do, unless it's under $50 buy in. I've found that most players that buy in that low don't have them, and it seems to irritate our floor supervisors to put them into the computer for those low amounts, so I try to keep everyone happy by just getting on with the buy in procedure.
I've heard about cage cashiers getting their head ripped off for congratulating someone cashing in, only to be told they lost much more. I can see how that would be annoying, but to most of us, $1000 or more is a lot of money and it's hard for that not to look like a good thing. I usually ask players how they've been doing, if they say 'good' then I say, "Ok, let's keep it going!" if they say they're down, I'll ask how far we have to go to get them back to even, and then say, "Alright, let's get your money back!" I try not to assume that just because someone sits down and cheque changes a purple that they're having a good night.
I appreciate dealers who go the extra mile. Gambling is strictly entertainment for me, so I want to have a good time. This can be as simple as the dealers greeting me by name, or reminding me about my usual bets. If things are slow, I enjoy chatting with the dealers. Having good, professional, friendly dealers have a huge impact if I would play at a casino again.
Quote: NicksGamingStuffThat is VERY true, players like talking to the dealer and I enjoy conversing with the players (as much as I can with the deafening music).
I can seriously say I didn't know what you sound like until I saw you at WoVCon (See? No smiley. I'm that serious)
I love it especially when you're the only one at the table and the dealer is really in your corner. For example, when an Ace comes out and prior to dealing your second card the dealer says, "Here comes the paint!" The paint comes and the dealer says, "You doubled your bet there, good timing!"
I like painting the corners around Black-29 at Roulette, and if I'm the only one at the table, the croupier announces, "We're looking for Black-29, 29-Black for a huge payday! I think I might have one of those in me!"
It almost doesn't matter if you're getting killed, it makes the game fun.
Translation: Huge tip.
But the hustlers and the ones with the over inflated sense of entitlement can forget it.
You work in a service position, smile, chat, be friendly.
If you can't manage that then I can't be bothered.
You work playing a game for a living, it ain't hard labor.
So you stand and bend all day, BFD, you get more breaks than any other profession.
Quote: NicksGamingStuffDepending on where you are it is to a point. Some places have a notch sawed into the discard tray where the cut card is required to be. Some places cut by hand to an approximate area. Better tip=better penetration. The way to kill a stingy blackjack player is to deal as fast as possible and offer terrible penetration. More hands per minute= faster house edge creeping up, worse penetration =no counting, etc...
Although I do tip - I have been at tables with super fast dealers and I like a slow game. When this happens, I simply take 30-45 seconds to make a decision on my hand, even if it is a no-brainer - this works well to slow the game down.
Quote: MonkeyMonkeyI've heard about cage cashiers getting their head ripped off for congratulating someone cashing in, only to be told they lost much more. I can see how that would be annoying, but to most of us, $1000 or more is a lot of money and it's hard for that not to look like a good thing. I usually ask players how they've been doing, if they say 'good' then I say, "Ok, let's keep it going!" if they say they're down, I'll ask how far we have to go to get them back to even, and then say, "Alright, let's get your money back!" I try not to assume that just because someone sits down and cheque changes a purple that they're having a good night.
This is a tough call - I have had times where I've lost $8k and get to the cage with $1k and the cashier says WOW - looks like it was your lucky day - I tend to jsut say thank you and laugh it off - there is no need for them to hear about my huge loss or the day.
Quote: Paigowdan
4. Do care about tips WHEN they actually happen: always show gratitude and appreciation to anyone who tips you honestly. what I mean by this is that this gesture gets acknowledgement: just say, "Sir/Ma'am - thank you - we appreaciate it!" But, there is an occasional show-off who tips you a sorry dollar on a $2,000 Royal and then DEMANDS that you fawn over him and bow down to him for it, snapping his fingers in your face saying, "C'mon, Buddy, now THANK me for it, NOW!!" (Now this tip you can refuse as an exception.) This I had happen while this player was quickly and immediately DEMANDING profuse thanks, and I turned to him and said, "A dollar on a Royal? I am afraid that I have to refuse tips that come with strings attached," and I handed it back to him. "Tip if you want to, but don't demand that I turn cartwheels for a dollar!" is the attitude. You're not a dog being thrown a bone, and you cannot let someone let you become a show dog.
Refusing a tip is grounds for termination in many casinos. I know a guy who was fired for refusing a 10 dollar tip on a $7,800 Carib. Stud hit. He said, "I think you need it more than I do sir" and pushed the toke back toward the player. No hesitation from the Shift Manager who was there, simply said "You're done" and that was that.
Quote: winmonkeyspit3Refusing a tip is grounds for termination in many casinos. I know a guy who was fired for refusing a 10 dollar tip on a $7,800 Carib. Stud hit. He said, "I think you need it more than I do sir" and pushed the toke back toward the player. No hesitation from the Shift Manager who was there, simply said "You're done" and that was that.
I have heard the same thing, though I would be interested to find out if there is an official casino policy if a dealer can refuse a tip.
Quote: JuyemuraI have heard the same thing, though I would be interested to find out if there is an official casino policy if a dealer can refuse a tip.
I don't know what the policy is where I work, but I do know of another dealer that once took a $1 tip (which he deemed offensively low for the pay out that it resulted from) and dropped it in the tray. I never heard of any repercussions from the incident.
Quote: winmonkeyspit3Refusing a tip is grounds for termination in many casinos. I know a guy who was fired for refusing a 10 dollar tip on a $7,800 Carib. Stud hit. He said, "I think you need it more than I do sir" and pushed the toke back toward the player. No hesitation from the Shift Manager who was there, simply said "You're done" and that was that.
Yes, but there was no floorman around, and I was rich enough to not be worried about the job.
And if a floorman had around, it would have been said to that player:
"Sir, I have got to back the dealer up on this one, you cannot throw a sorry dollar in the dealer's face and snap your fingers in his face, expecting him to act like a show dog doing carwheels for you. This is ridiculous. Your done for the night, player." At the time, I was so maxed-up on unemployment insurance from two jobs, one on-the-books job just finished, and management was so on top of the situation, that the casino was actually a decent place to work in, as a worker, surprisingly for this industry at times.
If I had been called on it, it would have been a verbal warning on a first offence on a a years-long clean work record, and not grounds for a "term" by some disgruntled players claim. If terminated, it would have been a very easy win for unemployment for my Vegas lawyers, on a very questionable terminimation ("under lack of management support during conditions of customer abuse and game protection"), plus I would have made more from unemployment than from the job itself - under those conditions then. As a card player, I first know the hand I am dealt, then I figure a stratgey for its worth. We gamblers all do this, and at the time I was safe to do this.
But just as a matter of principal, I do NOT worry about a $7.50 an hour job where people CAN SEEM TO THINK that they can walk in off the street, burp in your face with a beer in their hands, spit on a Blackjack layout, snap their fingers in the floorman's face, and then "call you fired" because you reject a mere $1 tip. First of all, the tip is NOT casino house miney, and is not subject to casino operations protocol. We cannot even arrest a dealer who STEALS - if he or she had stolen TIP money - as THAT is outside casino corporate jurisdiction, - no less a $1 tip thrown in a dealer's face while asking for obeyance from a drunk shot-taker.
Yet the industry is quite often rude like that, [firing you for being a Catholic on a Sunny Day, etc. - in some places] - especially if a floorman is a complete dick and has a grudge against you,...but the place I work at does have some very fair and decent people there, as well as some corporate and due-process protocols to follow, and this is aside from day-time consulting gaming work, having royalties from 60 tables of my EZ Pai Gow, and my wife's job at Boyd gaming.
Simply put, a guy cannot walk in drunk off the street, play a few BJ hands, spit on a Blackjack layout, then throw a dollar in a table dealer's face, and then demand that the floorman immediately fire the dealer on grounds "for refusing a toke or a tip because he did not dance for me" under such circumstances. I'm willing to bet you yourself wouldn't tolerate such working conditions, and if presented with such conditions, you'd toss the chip back with a "no thanks, no action, Sir" - just as a matter of principal, as neither you nor I need a $7 job that much.
In a few casinos and gambling halls, it is the player who is told, "you're done," and not the hard-working dealers who are needed to run the place, and I had both the management back-up and the cash and legals resources to make this gambit. Some dealers cannot, especially break-ins, and I WAS INDEED in that position earlier in my casino career. Hated the "walking on egg shells" sense at at time, but, I knew the environment then very well as I do now. I have since accumulated a numer of income streams, a ton of industry connections, a long-standing work record as a reliable and trouble-free dealer for my casino operator in the years since.
So, if someone walks in off the street, thows me a dollar, and tells me to bark like a freakin' dog for him to give him a show, I can actually say "no, Sir" - and without fear of being terminated, and with mangement backing me up, - believe it or not. [And a few few years ago, I would NOT have believed it myself!]
I do not know what you do for a living, but I am willing to bet that such a scenario to you in your work life would be a "non-starter" in your dignified life also.
Basically, if a guy throw a dollar chip in your face, snaps his fingers, and says "dance for me, you asshole," - Yes, you can indeed refuse that tip. And this does happen from a lot of show-off gamblers trying to impress some girl at the table. But it is a labor relations abuse to fire a worker who points out that "this is not how tipping works." If mangement does NOT back up that worker, then that worker is getting a bit more than just unemployment insurance.
To be honest, I am still surprised - both at this board - and in the casino - by what "proper" gamblers think are the limits.
A proper tip gets gratitude. An improper tip gets returned. If management makes a ridiculous termination case over it, then they may be the defendant.
Quote: PaigowdanYes, but there was no floorman around, and I was rich enough to not be worried about the job.
And if a floorman had around, it would have been said to that player:
"Sir, I have got to back the dealer up on this one, you cannot throw a sorry dollar in the dealer's face and snap your fingers in his face, expecting him to act like a show dog doing carwheels for you. This is ridiculous. Your done for the night, player." At the time, I was so maxed-up on unemployment insurance from two jobs, one on-the-books job just finished, and management was so on top of the situation, that the casino was actually a decent place to work in, as a worker, surprisingly for this industry at times.
If I had been called on it, it would have been a verbal warning on a first offence on a a years-long clean work record, and not grounds for a "term" by some disgruntled players claim. If terminated, it would have been a very easy win for unemployment for my Vegas lawyers, on a very questionable terminimation ("under lack of management support during conditions of customer abuse and game protection"), plus I would have made more from unemployment than from the job itself - under those conditions then. As a card player, I first know the hand I am dealt, then I figure a stratgey for its worth. We gamblers all do this, and at the time I was safe to do this.
But just as a matter of principal, I do NOT worry about a $7.50 an hour job where people CAN SEEM TO THINK that they can walk in off the street, burp in your face with a beer in their hands, spit on a Blackjack layout, snap their fingers in the floorman's face, and then "call you fired" because you reject a mere $1 tip. First of all, the tip is NOT casino house miney, and is not subject to casino operations protocol. We cannot even arrest a dealer who STEALS - if he or she had stolen TIP money - as THAT is outside casino corporate jurisdiction, - no less a $1 tip thrown in a dealer's face while asking for obeyance from a drunk shot-taker.
Yet the industry is quite often rude like that, [firing you for being a Catholic on a Sunny Day, etc. - in some places] - especially if a floorman is a complete dick and has a grudge against you,...but the place I work at does have some very fair and decent people there, as well as some corporate and due-process protocols to follow, and this is aside from day-time consulting gaming work, having royalties from 60 tables of my EZ Pai Gow, and my wife's job at Boyd gaming.
Simply put, a guy cannot walk in drunk off the street, play a few BJ hands, spit on a Blackjack layout, then throw a dollar in a table dealer's face, and then demand that the floorman immediately fire the dealer on grounds "for refusing a toke or a tip because he did not dance for me" under such circumstances. I'm willing to bet you yourself wouldn't tolerate such working conditions, and if presented with such conditions, you'd toss the chip back with a "no thanks, no action, Sir" - just as a matter of principal, as neither you nor I need a $7 job that much.
In a few casinos and gambling halls, it is the player who is told, "you're done," and not the hard-working dealers who are needed to run the place, and I had both the management back-up and the cash and legals resources to make this gambit. Some dealers cannot, especially break-ins, and I WAS INDEED in that position earlier in my casino career. Hated the "walking on egg shells" sense at at time, but, I knew the environment then very well as I do now. I have since accumulated a numer of income streams, a ton of industry connections, a long-standing work record as a reliable and trouble-free dealer for my casino operator in the years since.
So, if someone walks in off the street, thows me a dollar, and tells me to bark like a freakin' dog for him to give him a show, I can actually say "no, Sir" - and without fear of being terminated, and with mangement backing me up, - believe it or not. [And a few few years ago, I would NOT have believed it myself!]
I do not know what you do for a living, but I am willing to bet that such a scenario to you in your work life would be a "non-starter" in your dignified life also.
Basically, if a guy throw a dollar chip in your face, snaps his fingers, and says "dance for me, you asshole," - Yes, you can indeed refuse that tip. And this does happen from a lot of show-off gamblers trying to impress some girl at the table. But it is a labor relations abuse to fire a worker who points out that "this is not how tipping works." If mangement does NOT back up that worker, then that worker is getting a bit more than just unemployment insurance.
To be honest, I am still surprised - both at this board - and in the casino - by what "proper" gamblers think are the limits.
A proper tip gets gratitude. An improper tip gets returned. If management makes a ridiculous termination case over it, then they may be the defendant.
Good point. I'm an accountant, so I deal with people barking commands at me all day, but luckily the compensation is good. In your case, I would drop the dollar but not do whatever the hell he wants you to. That should piss him off enough to leave the table, and then you don't have to deal with him.
can't imagine having an attitude that I 'deserve' a tip, its the height of
arrogance and having that attitude changes your relationship with the
customer.
A waitress wouldn't take it, and neither a dealer.
Quote: PaigowdanI don't have the attitude that I deserve a tip. And I don't take a tip that comes with an attitude, "Bark like a dog for me, to give me a show."
A waitress wouldn't take it, and neither a dealer.
Years ago Vegas had dealers who tried to entertain
the players, I never see that anymore. They got
their start when there was no tip sharing and they
had to work to get paid. Now all they have to do
is stand there, and thats what many of them do.
