Talking about tipping, instead of tipping or not.

Here's one of my dealer's pet peeves:
A player who repeatedly says, "I would like to tip you, - but I gotta win first to do so!!!"
They tell you this as if you have control of whether they win, so that they can try to manipulate you into give them winners, - as if you somehow can.

First response:
"Sir - you may tip if you want to. But I don't decide whether or not you win...."

Second response:
"Sir, if you would like to tip me, then you would tip me. Believe me, if I could stack the deck for you, then we could start a business..."

Third response:
"Sir, tipping is like sex...there are those who DO it, and there are those to just TALK ABOUT doing it. Again, tip when you want to..."

Fourth "desired" response that I never say:
"Sir, please do not tell me that you'd like to tip when you don't do so. It's bad enough that I SEE that you are cheap, so I do not need to HEAR it, too!"

I do thank for every tip made, but...some people expect dealers to jump up and pump out winners at the site of a player waving a dollar, saying - "come 'on Puppy - jump for me!" It got to the Third response level last night (yes, a full table playing, with the player right next to his wife who LAUGHED OUT LOUD at the comment, and tipped a nickle. Nice to see his wife does it...)

I've gotten in the habit (at least sometimes) of putting a buck on my pass line odds when the point is 4 or 10. This is more effective when it's a come point vs. a pass point, since I actually have to put the chip out on the felt for the dealers to set up and announce the bet (which lets other players hear what's happening).

Not for nothing, at one point last week I had a 10 working on the come. The dealer had just set up my odds, and I threw a $1 chip toward it and said "dealer odds on the 10". The chip bounced once and landed in precisely the correct spot on top of my odds to indicate it was a dealer bet - just off to the right on top of my stack. Best shot of my life. I couldn't do that again if I tried. Best of all, the 10 came a few rolls later.

Stacy,
good to hear. Tipping the pass line on the come out allows the dealers to say, "Dealers on the line!" - a little reminder that we depend on the kindness of strangers.

I tip without comment. I prefer to tip after a blackjack, hot roll, or nice win in whatever game I'm playing. It just looks more natural. I think it also sets up a mentality that my tips are correlated to winning, so if I start losing, maybe less will be expected of me.

Quote: MathExtremist

I've gotten in the habit (at least sometimes) of putting a buck on my pass line odds when the point is 4 or 10.

You didn't specify if you already had a full odds bet for yourself. If you did, are you allowed to put an extra bet on the odds if it is a tip?

Quote: Wizard

You didn't specify if you already had a full odds bet for yourself. If you did, are you allowed to put an extra bet on the odds if it is a tip?

I asked this very question to a casino manager last week. He said that if I wanted to toke the dealers $3000 as an odds bet, he wouldn't stop me, though I'm not sure if push came to shove whether that bet would actually be booked. Later in the week, I was playing at a $5/3,4,5x table and did successfully put $1 on my $15 odds on a 4. However, I hazily recall a game in the distant past where I was prevented from making a dealer odds bet because I already had full odds, so this may be a case-by-case situation. I would hope that most casinos would allow toking on top of full odds.

Quote: MathExtremist

IHowever, I hazily recall a game in the distant past where I was prevented from making a dealer odds bet because I already had full odds, so this may be a case-by-case situation. I would hope that most casinos would allow toking on top of full odds.

Actually, if the dealers' pass line bet is next to your bet, their odds are separate. Generally what I do is have a dollar PL bet with a nickle odds for the dealer.
On a crap table, there are three crap dealers, and if the boxman WERE to announce, "Naa- ya can't bet odds for the dealers," he'd have three more enemies who would not cover his back at work. [Maybe this is why they say: "On the Floor - out the door!"] Even if it were the case because of player control tips that ride on players bets, the boxman could then always say, "Set the bet up as a dealers' place bet on the point!" - which you can always do.

There are countless boxmen and floormen who wouldn't lift a finger to help an employee who wasn't buddy-buddy with them.

There is no opotion for my tipping style, which depends very much on how much I am enjoying myself. A couple of recent examples.

I sat down at O'Sheas to kill some time playing Casino War. I bought in for $50, at the $5 table. The dealer was really nice, chatty and friendly. I ended up winning a bit, and started tipping. The dealer seemed surprised when placing tip bets for him, and was very gracious about thanking me for it every time. I ended up winning a little bit, before going on a losing tear, Martingaling for about 4 hands and losing each time. I then asked the dealer if he was keeping track of my tips, and how much it was. he said it was around $50 he dropped as tipped, and I had placed around $75 in tip bets. Net result for me - minus$50. Net result for the dealer, $50 in tips. I would rather have my money going to the dealers than the casino, which in this case it did.

Another was playing craps at the Excalibur. My wife and I jumped on with $50 each, and played a bit. When we colored up we were up $75 between us. (me $15, the wife $10). The dice crew were great with us, me a semi novice and my wife a complete novice, so we threw in the reds totalling $25. The crew again were gracious and thanked us warmly. I hope this encouraged others to do the same.

As long as the dealer is good with us, I'll tip even if I'm losing. I dont penalise dealers with good customers service skills for the variance not being it my favour at the time. Maybe this is a subconcious way of rewarding myself for good work.

I generally follow the Wizard's method of tipping. I am by no means a "George," or a big tipper, but I tip fairly consistently. I like to tip when I'm winning or the dealer is especially friendly. Sometimes in blackjack I will tip if I get an extraordinary hand, like the other day when I split to two hands of ten and the dealer dealt me aces both times on the double-downs. That got a $2.50 cheque from a BJ payout. Also, if I am at a table with big tippers, I won't tip, since I figure I will look cheap by comparison and the dealers are already getting their tokes. If I am losing badly, I usually won't tip because I am in a bad mood, and unless the dealer is really good and cheers me up, they won't get a toke unfortunately. I also prefer hand-in rather than dealer bets, because you feel like a doof if you tip during the game and then walk away busted. The exception I would make is for craps where I like to make a line bet or a field bet for the dealers occasionally.

I nearly always tip.

If the dealer is actively unpleasant, I won't tip.

If he just does his job and nothing more, I'll tip him an average hand per hour (in my case that means between $5 and $10). I rarely play more than 90 minutes at a time, unless I hit a hot streak.

If he's nice or I win decently (I never win big), I'll tip double.

I don't make a big deal about it. I just slide the chip(s) tot he dealer and say "this is for you." At the Rapid Craps table I'd tipped using the screen, but when I cashed out up a little, I very loudly said "for the dealers" and threw in a red chip.

I also always tip the cocktail waitress $1 per drink ordered.

BTW I don't bet the dealer's tip. I've thought about it, but every time it feels to me like I'm playing with someone else's money. No dealer has asked me to make a bet for him as a tip, they all just take the chips I give them. But if one were to do ask, then I'd place the bet.

Quote: Nareed

I also always tip the cocktail waitress $1 per drink ordered.

I tend to tip a buck for a bottle or pint, but if I'm settling in for a while I'll tip $2 or $5 for the first drink, especially if I'm having spirits. It's still cheaper than the pub...

I tend to tip regardless of how well I'm doing, a dollar every 10-15 minutes, or a pass line bet with some odds when the dice come around to me.

In poker I tip a buck every down, no matter how well I do. I hardly ever tip out of the pots I win, unless it's a monster then I may tip an extra dollar. Dealers get the same that way, and it's for the service, not how I'm playing. This bugs other players and some dealers. I don't care too much, at $2 an hour on a full table, dealer will be making $20/hour if everyone tipped like me. If $20/hour isn't a fair wage for dealing in a casino, someone better let me know.

I tip dealers and waitresses, but its also a concentration thing.

Its great when the cW approaches, I pickup a red and the dealer already has five whites in his hand ready for it. He spotted the approaching waitress too and he spotted my lack of any whites in the rail. Now sometimes that waitress comes when I'm shooting, she puts the drink at my knees and I don't know it or I don't remember it ... and I'm cursing silently for awhile only to later realize I've had a drink there and the ice is melting.

So I guess its most of the time that I tip. Sometimes the dealers do like the opportunity to announce things... since its a way of reminding the other players. Its nice to occasionally say 'dealers have shoes' or to hear the Stickman say it quite joyously because its apparently rare in some places.

Now, I do know that some joints enforce limits on odds bet and prop bets and simply will not allow any sort of "dealers on its back" if that dealer bet takes the chip total over the player's limits for that bet. I don't think those houses are very pleasant places for the dealers to work, but they exist. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, its not a problem I'm often faced with since I'm the lowest of the low rollers. If someone calls out "Black on its Back", I'd sure hate to be the Boxman who says "No Bet" just because the player has already called out the table limit for that bet, yet it does happen in some places. The Box is only following orders, I'm sure.

I often start out with a green on the Don't for me and a Red on the Don't for the dealers. If I'm flush I will actually put out two Greens separated by an inch or two. Sometimes other players are noticeably puzzled by this. I doubt the dealers ever object to it though, unless the next roll is a Seven! If they say Thank You its really a comment to the rest of the table, not to me. I know that.

I've had dealers say "George" when I approach the table. I know I'm not a George in actuality but I try to be in spirit. When no one else at the table is tipping at all, I think the dealers enjoy seeing even a white chip down there for them! It doesn't make me a George though.

I play roulette and tend to tip female dealers and not tip male dealers. Men are generally much slower than women at dealing roulette. They are very slow at the payouts, like they only went to 3rd grade in math. They are slower at cleaning off the board, slower at mucking chips, slower at everything. So I only tip a male when he deserves it, which ain't often.

Quote: EvenBob

I play roulette and tend to tip female dealers and not tip male dealers. Men are generally much slower than women at dealing roulette. They are very slow at the payouts, like they only went to 3rd grade in math. They are slower at cleaning off the board, slower at mucking chips, slower at everything. So I only tip a male when he deserves it, which ain't often.

I'll send you to the Colony Club in London to meet my good friend... he sits and does the math in his head for tasty sized full complete payouts, with passive-aggressive players who love to screw with dealers by shorting just one of the piles bet, or betting odd amounts. He normally has the payout for every bet sussed by the marker is placed (if not before if it's a same bettor).

(no actual offer to pay for EvenBob's flight to London, plus gambling money is implied or stated in this post :))

When I sit down at the table, I always make a first bet for the dealer. It gets us off to a good start. I mean, I'm going to tip eventually, I might as well do it up front and get full advantage of the vibe.

Quote: thecesspit

I'll send you to the Colony Club in London to meet my good friend... he sits and does the math in his head for tasty sized full complete payouts, with passive-aggressive players who love to screw with dealers by shorting just one of the piles bet, or betting odd amounts. He normally has the payout for every bet sussed by the marker is placed (if not before if it's a same bettor).

(no actual offer to pay for EvenBob's flight to London, plus gambling money is implied or stated in this post :))

In EU roulette is the main game, here its an afterthought. Most dealers don't like it because they have to stand and its a lot of work. The same guy who sucks at dealing roulette is a wiz at BJ, I see it all the time.

Quote: EvenBob

In EU roulette is the main game, here its an afterthought. Most dealers don't like it because they have to stand and its a lot of work. The same guy who sucks at dealing roulette is a wiz at BJ, I see it all the time.

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. That 0-wheel also helps promote the game... there is some super-large action on roulette in London (and occasionally baccarat and Blackjack).

Quote: thecesspit

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. That 0-wheel also helps promote the game... there is some super-large action on roulette in London (and occasionally baccarat and Blackjack).

In EU its roulette, in the States its BJ, in Asia its Bac. Go figure. I was there last night and it always pisses me off. They have 6 roulette tables and 2 of them have dealers. Yet every BJ table is open. You can't get near the roulette tables, but will they open another one? Hell no, can't close one of those precious BJ tables.

Quote: FleaStiff

Now sometimes that waitress comes when I'm shooting, she puts the drink at my knees and I don't know it or I don't remember it ... and I'm cursing silently for awhile only to later realize I've had a drink there and the ice is melting.

While playing PGP at Excalibur I was too busy arranging my hand to notice the waitress. When I noticed the drink (diet coke, on the rocks <g>), I had to think back whether I'd tipped the waitress or not. I concluded I hadn't, so I decided to do so when she came around next. By then it was a different waitress, but she promised to hold the tip for the first one (I hope she did).

Of course I was so distracted looking for the aitress I missed making a bet once.... Sometimes you just can't win.

It would be best if the dealer declared a break when the waitress is delivering drinks. Or if the waitress waited for a break (payouts, gathering the dice, the shuffler sguffling, etc). Of course I dno't expect either one to happen, as both are in too much of a hurry.

I usually tip when I get a blackjack and I got payed with a $2.50 chip, or at the end of a winning session. I tip also when I get big payouts at caribbean stud.

I tend to tip on a regular basis during my play, unless I'm just getting creamed from the get-go. If that happens, I'll toss a tip at the end of my session to make up for my lack of tipping for the hour. For blackjack, if I have to double/split, I continue to tip based on the hand - I've seen many a player not add to the initial white. The dealers always love it when their tip goes from $1-$4. The CW always gets $1 each time. I've done a few dollars here or there, but have a funny story regarding big tips - One of my friends while playing in AC wanted a scotch, so he gave the CW $5 when he ordered. She brought him a full sized scotch glass filled to the rim as opposed to the small glasses and told him he was a 'preferred' customer. He doesn't remember much of the night after that, as she brought him the same sized refill every 20 mins until he had 3 and shooed her off.

-B

Quote: toastcmu

have a funny story regarding big tips - One of my friends while playing in AC wanted a scotch, so he gave the CW $5 when he ordered. She brought him a full sized scotch glass filled to the rim as opposed to the small glasses and told him he was a 'preferred' customer. He doesn't remember much of the night after that, as she brought him the same sized refill every 20 mins until he had 3 and shooed her off.
-B

That is a great point about CW tips. My friend and I perfected that play at the Majestic Casino in Lima. We started off with a big tip of the top and got really big Pisco Sours, and tapas food. Then we trailed down the tips from there, while still tipping consistently. Of course, we tipped 5 soles off the top, which is like $1.78, so it was an even sweeter play. Man, I miss Lima...