Jackpots and dealer tipping etiquette question

[fishyak]

I'll disagree with "in line" comments. I play 2/4 at Commerce 3 weekends out of 4. On almost any size pot, I'd say the majority of players always tip $1, regardless of small pot size.

Naturally, don't tip a grouch or bad dealer as much, if at all. But if you are a regular, it pays to be pleasant to be treated pleasantly. I was having a bad run two weeks ago and the dealer gave me $21 as change for a $20 because he knew it'll come back to him on a better day and he was trying to make my bad day a little better.

When I'm running good, my tips go up. If I hit a lucky card to win - $2 tip instead of $1. Tipping for results and can make it a more fun experience to play for everyone, including the dealer, at your table. If I go to my grave and the worst thing people have to say about me is a gave away too many extra $1 tips at 2/4, I should be so lucky.

I'll make a statement that will probably generate heat in return. I believe that people who are stingy tippers never had to work where tips were a good part of their livlihood. It's been a long time for me, but now I do work on commission and know how it hurts when you do work hard and some jerk stiffs you. I see WAY TOO much grouchy and stingy behavior in casinos. I don't want to be the guy that everyone including the dealer dreads when you sit down at their table.

[AlienBoy]

FWIW - At Commerce, where the dealers are generally superior to The Bike, I'm more apt to tip $1 for pots over $10.

But hey, If I bet out with so much aggression that the 2 people that paid to see the flop fold (3 SB minus RAKE) - I'm still supposed to tip a buck? I don't think so.

Commerce and the Bike have the added "jackpot"rake. If that rake were not there (and I wish it wasn't) I'd be less stingy with the tokage.

At Binion's in LV, where the dealers are fabulous, and there is NO jackpot rake, I'll tip a buck even out of these tiny pots. But this is harder to do with a JP rake.

Thinking in terms of EV for a moment:

We say that someone is doing amazingly well if they clear 2BB per 100 hands.

In a live game with a shuffle machine, that's about 35 to 40 hands per hour.

Let's say for the sake of argument that you have to win 3 pots to make that 2BB. For a 3/6 game, tipping $1 a pot means a reduction to 1.5BB per hundred. That's a 25% reduction in EV. That sucks.

If the dealer isn't helping me by keeping the game efficient, enforcing rules, and otherwise keeping the "energy" at the table positive so the fish feel happy and bet into me, then he's further reducing my EV. And I should still tip the same?

Nope.

The dealer IS an important part of an advantage player's game, regardless of if the game is poker, craps, or blackjack. Dealers that are together and working in a way that betters my game deserve a tip for certain. Slackers that don't pay attention to the game, don't keep it under control or efficient, and that don't enforce the rules don't deserve the same sized tip.


And yea, I used to work in restaurants, so I do get the whole tipping concept.



AB