Pooled Tips - Evidence that its bad

[steamboatin]

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Honestly in the case of Vegas OP's point has some merit, because an aspiring dealer would likely move to Vegas. But CT has some good dealers too who happen to be in school or have family there or whatever.

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We used to lose most of our really good dealers to Vegas or Tunica. They would start here and when they got really good, they would move because they could make a lot more money.
I think the OP's geographic issue is a symptom not a cause. There are better dealers in the other locations becaused they moved there so they could keep their own tips.

[ungarop]

Is it time yet to say:

"Foxwoods sucks, they have the worst dealers ever!"

and/or

"I can't wait for Mohegan to open their new room, if they're smart they'll eat Foxwoods for lunch."


In my mind it is pretty clear here what's better. In a pooled tips scenario, there is no reason for a dealer to be motivated to be better. About the only thing that matters is showing up on time, following the rules, and not having any customers mad at you. That being said, many dealers in this environment (including many at Foxwoods) are very good, they are personally motivated to be good, no matter how they are compensated.

In my travels to other casinos where tips are not pooled, I have seen a vast difference in quality of service, speed and efficiency, and knowledge of the rules.

Personally, when I go to a place where the tips are pooled, I never tip over $1 on a pot, ever. There's just no reason to do so, who am I rewarding?

However, if I get great service from a dealer who keeps his/her own tips, I am very likely to tip him at the end of the down, even if I don't win a pot, because maybe he kept the table moving and got me more hands that half-hour. Or maybe he was entertaining, or maybe he convinced the fish to stay for another down with a good joke... oh wait, he convinced me to stay for another down with his last joke.

[mothmandan]

I work in a casino where tips are pooled and I am very thankful that they do pool them. Hear me out then spam me to hell.

Our B&M opened in November and due to the large number of rookie dealers I have been stuck dealing "wonderful" games such as 3-card poker, 4-card poker and Carribean stud. By dealing these games, which usually equates to put your chips in the dealer's tray, I very rarely see a decent night of tips. Players don't tip when they lose so I don't get tipped, they become bitter early in a down if the dealer lays a bad beat and at the end of the down I may deal them a couple of winners but see no tips due to the earlier beat. I have learned not to expect tips at these tables because first of all winners usually can't play these games and make a profit and the people that do play them rarely win.

With these proprietary games and with baccarat the average tips per night can be small but when a tip comes it is usually larger. Conversely, blackjack and poker have steady tips from the half dollar on some blackjacks and the $1 from a pot in the poker room. By pooling tips, some of our dealers can make up for a night stuck at bad tables which is not our fault. Our inexperienced staff limits the tables we can deal at.

Good dealers always get tipped better, but "good" is always a relative term. To some players good is when they win and to some good is when the dealer deals clean and fast and then the player throws you a bone once or twice in a down. By not pooling tips bad dealers wouldn't stick around but it also means that some games would disappear at our casino because there would be no dealer who would want to deal them because we would be making 1/2 the wage of a rookie blackjack dealer.

Dan's 2 cents

[steamboatin]

Your Honor, the defense rests its case.

[RR]

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With these proprietary games and with baccarat the average tips per night can be small but when a tip comes it is usually larger. Conversely, blackjack and poker have steady tips from the half dollar on some blackjacks and the $1 from a pot in the poker room. By pooling tips, some of our dealers can make up for a night stuck at bad tables which is not our fault. Our inexperienced staff limits the tables we can deal at.

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If they are using pit dealers to deal poker I think it is safe to say that all the "poker" dealers qulaify as bad there. THe people in this thread are talking specifically about poker, pit dealing is another matter entirely. Virtually all pits pool their tips, they have different ways of doing it at differnt places, but I only know of one pit that keeps their own.