Tipping on a Bad Beat Jackpot - Who and How Much?

[NickMPK]

I know we've been through this before, but I just can't understand tipping someone several hundred dollars for dealing a single hand. Why does that dealer deserve a huge tip more than any of dealers before or after who didn't deal a jackpot hand?

It seems right to me to tip $25, since the jackpot disrupts the game for a while. In any case, I am mystified why someone would tip a higher percentage for a single jackpot hand than they would for a tournament pay-out, which involves many hours and many dealers.

That said, I have never played in a casino that has a jackpot, and don't really understand the point of it. Why not just play the slots if you are after a big but really unlikely -EV score?

[that_pope]

It is the only game in town in Arizona, so it is a necessary evil we have to deal with. I got lucky and hit the big end for the $5k+. I just consider it payback for all the dollars I dropped over the years, and consider it part of my poker winnings, since they take a dollar from every pot to fund it...I am lucky and have only paid about $3.5K in dollar amounts (figuring 4 won hands per hour, $4 into the pot).

But the common unspoken rules regarding it here at Casino AZ is that it isn't just a jackpot for the players, but also for the dealers...granted, they aren't paying it, but just throwing someone $50 or whatever when you won $5k would be looked down upon, and I have to play there in the future, so yeah....I only went by what is standard and accepted.

[Wongboy]

[ QUOTE ]

I know we've been through this before, but I just can't understand tipping someone several hundred dollars for dealing a single hand. Why does that dealer deserve a huge tip more than any of dealers before or after who didn't deal a jackpot hand?

It seems right to me to tip $25, since the jackpot disrupts the game for a while. In any case, I am mystified why someone would tip a higher percentage for a single jackpot hand than they would for a tournament pay-out, which involves many hours and many dealers.

That said, I have never played in a casino that has a jackpot, and don't really understand the point of it. Why not just play the slots if you are after a big but really unlikely -EV score?

[/ QUOTE ]

I sympathize with your point. IMHO, the reason for tipping a percentage is partly due to the custom of a tip percentage in other venues (most notably dining). I agree with the principle of rewarding for services rendered and dislike the custom of tipping a %, but I still end up tipping a % because that is the expectation. For example, I use a 20% baseline for waitstaff and adjust up or down by 5% for each exceptionally positive or negative thing that the waiter/waitress does. However, since the baseline is still a percentage, I will end up tipping an exceptional waiter at Denny's $20, and a terrible waiter at a steak house might get $30 for a much lower level of service.

I think that people customarily carry the % method over from dining into gambling.

BTW, a jackpot is good precisely because it attracts people who like to play slot machines.

[AKQJ10]

[ QUOTE ]
Why not just play the slots if you are after a big but really unlikely -EV score?

[/ QUOTE ]

I'd rather have the gamblers dumping money into the poker games trying to hit it big instead of the slots.

It's true that my assessment of your standard BBJ drop as 0 inherent EV/high variance doesn't consider the tipping custom, though, and it should. Effectively for each dollar dropped in the slot, if you plan to tip 5%, you're only getting 95c back. Therefore, the BBJ needs to attract a good number of gamblers to be net +EV.

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I agree with the OP's tipping range, and I updated the wiki to say 3-5% is standard. Maybe I should throw in the floor, cage, etc. If someone wants to edit that, well, have at it.

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I certainly think tipping 10% of a BBJ is excessive. If people want to make faces, they can make faces. If they want to play better against me because I'm such a jerk for "only" giving the dealer 50 or 100 bucks for a few minutes of his time, I'll go where the games are better.

It's a little tricky to say what "the norm" is because it's never been my intention to tip what the rest of the table tips. Some recreational 20-somethings tip two redbirds from a pot of $150 as a means of conspicuous consumption. If I pressure myself to keep up, we're all going to lose money at the poker room. My determination of "what's fair" is somewhat arbitrary, but it is borne out of the understanding that dealers are not primarily compensated by their wage. Having determined this arbitrary number (which for BBJs would be 3-5%) I'm going to be pretty dogged in the face of tip inflation, though, and not tip 10% or more just because the rest of the table does it.

Maybe each dealer can start paying a dime of the jackpot drop if they want 10% of the payout.

[aholthaus33]

[ QUOTE ]
First off, let me say I am not, nor ever been a dealer, so I am not being biased.

At Casino AZ, with regular BBJ going, 10% is the norm for the dealer. I won one for about 5.7k last year, and decided I would tip $500 out. I tipped the dealer $400, the cage $20, the board person who gave me my seat $20, and two floor people who helped with the BBJ $20 apiece.

You tipping about $150 for a $4k jackpot is slightly low, but better than nothing. Give the dealer about $250-$300 is usually fair.

Just my opinion from my experience, and takling to many dealers and people who have also won it.

[/ QUOTE ]


I tip too much for almost anything, my girlfriend gives me hell for it sometimes too. I've been lucky enough to win two BBJ at Casino AZ. When I first starting playing poker, I said if 10% is a good tip, I would tip 11%. I did tip 11% both times, 1st was on ~$6700 and 2nd ~$4400.

I gave $50 to floor, $25 to cage and board lady. 2nd time I did same but gave $50 to each of 4 drink runners too, they have the hardest job in the place IMO.

Personally I think OP tip to dealer should have been more but you were definitely not bad at all.

Despite winning twice I don't like jackpot tables at all too.

[aholthaus33]

[ QUOTE ]

I know we've been through this before, but I just can't understand tipping someone several hundred dollars for dealing a single hand. Why does that dealer deserve a huge tip more than any of dealers before or after who didn't deal a jackpot hand?

It seems right to me to tip $25, since the jackpot disrupts the game for a while. In any case, I am mystified why someone would tip a higher percentage for a single jackpot hand than they would for a tournament pay-out, which involves many hours and many dealers.

That said, I have never played in a casino that has a jackpot, and don't really understand the point of it. Why not just play the slots if you are after a big but really unlikely -EV score?

[/ QUOTE ]


If you won $4000, you would drop them $25! Wow, that is horrible. I don't play professionally either, that would surely affect how much of my "income" I was just giving away.
I do agree that tournament dealers get the shaft.

I look at it as all dealers have the chance/ability to hit a BBJ and therefore when one does happen they should be rewarded for it.

[pfapfap]

Recently a stud jackpot was won at my place and the winner tipped all the dealers. Don't know if he did the dealer in the hand any more.

As to why to tip the dealer more than usual... why do you deserve to win more than usual for losing a hand a poker? You got lucky in a lottery. Eventually all dealers will deal a jackpot, so when you get one, do your part. Part of making money is to spend it. Spreading wealth and good will with "found" money is certainly acceptable and nice for everybody, which in turn helps everybody, including you.

[AKQJ10]

As fun as it would be to start another tipping thread, I think I can bury the latest question to occur to me here:

Suppose I win a BBJ for, I dunno, $5000. That will be reported to the IRS, and I will need to account for it on my taxes.

If I tip 5% of that to various personnel, that's $250 that I shouldn't be paying taxes on. Yet I can imagine that the recipients are going to be none too pleased to write me up a receipt either. Can I deduct out the tips when I file my taxes? Do I need proof?

Does it change if you officially pay taxes for gambling as a business versus not?

[grouchie]

if someone was sitting out on a bathroom break or something, i'd tip that poor slob, as it it wasn't for him, the hand would not have occurred

[Scarmiglio]

I won $10,800 in a BBJ 6 months ago. It was during the "double jackpot" hour and prior to dealing the hand I told the dealer that she had only 20 minutes left to deal me the jackpot and if she did I'd give her a really good tip. Long story short I tipped the dealer $500 and broke up $200 amongst the rest of the floor. Had the jackpot been dealt 20 minutes later I would have gotten half the $$, so why not be generous? The floormen I tipped have remembered me ever since and always steer me toward the best tables, etc... so a good tip seems well worth it.

As far as taxes go, as long as you itemize you can write off the tip without a receipt.