Tipping CONTAINMENT thread.

WSOP did offer a slight improvement in paying an extra $5/down for dealing mixed games and final tables, but it wasn't enough to get me to go back.

You can't go by seniority, because there are dealers who've been there for 10+ years who have no interest in getting good. They have a rating system that determines how long you deal the main event and things like the PPC, but given how little time the floors/DCs have to watch dealers they can only be so accurate. They're spread pretty thin.

Wynn gets great dealers because they pay more and treat people well. This lets them be very selective in who they hire (10% instead of 90%) and retain people. I don't know how scalable this would be - if they grew 2x, 5x, 10x would they still be able to manage it all well?

Summer poker dealers in Vegas easily make $35+/hr. That is good money. Local 1-3NL grinders who know poker should deal each summer and 99% of them would make more dealing than they would playing. But work is a 4 letter word, and most are too lazy and would rather try to grind out $12/hr playing 1-3NL than deal. Too bad as poker players make for good dealers since they are familiar with the game. It is an easy job.

There were a lot of tourists at the WSOP telling the dealers, "Hey you get a pre tip" Take 25 dollars.

Then I didn't want to do it a few times, playing 5 5 10 PLO stakes, and then some other guy would come in a few minutes later and ask if we wanted to pre-tip.

Sometimes I would go along with it but then other times I objected. These were the worst dealers I had ever had to deal with. I didn't like the concept.

I pointed out after the dealer thanked the guy for asking for the pretip, "he's being generous with our money"

Also, one day I sat in the bomb pot game, and it broke because I refused to do the pretip.

And some other tourists were occasionally either complaining that I wouldn't go for it or pushing for it again. They also had a rake at 10 dollars per 30 minutes compared to 7 dollars per
30 minutes at other venues.

I usually tip 1 dollar in the smaller pots, and 2 dollars in medium pots or even big pots. Sometimes 5 or 10 or even 25 if I go on a massive upswing and the dealer is doing an exceptional job.

I feel like it's also a table image thing. I don't want to be seen by the recreational players tipping 1 dollar in a big pot when I see these guys throwing out 25 or 50 dollars in the mid stake's games, I play in some of the time.

And to keep the dealers happy, as long as they are doing good work

I would like to deal there sometime, but my rate is much higher than what I would be making dealing. I don't think it's an easy job. Maybe other dealers can confirm. Especially if you're dealing PLO where you need to be able to count the pot frequently.

And managing bomb pots seems a bit tricky.

The really good dealers know how to manage the table when things start to get dicey.

Note: is it really easy to get a job dealing at the WSOP making 35 / Hour over the summer? I might know someone who would be interested. How many hours can you get in there? It seemed like dealers were tired most of the time at the cash tables.

Yes, it is easy to get a WSOP dealing job. You can even audition online by just answering a few questions. Give it a shot. Well worth it.

It's not easy to shuffle cards! I've never been able to do it.

It's the easiest part of my job. You press the green button and the door opens, presenting you with a freshly shuffled deck of cards.

Sure, but more than occasionally those crappy machines stop working. And I'm pretty sure they don't have them at all at the WSOP.

At this year's WSOP I had a dealer in a numbered event who didn't speak English and another dealer who didn't understand that she couldn't deal the flop until everyone acted preflop. On average WSOP dealers are far worse than the average dealers you will find in a poker room at a casino in middle America.

have played a lot on the coasts and in middle america

have not noticed any differences in average quality of dealers whatsoever

if an argument for worst dealers i've seen were to be made, it would hands down be maverick owned card rooms and casinos in seattle - but again it's a small minority and always someone who is new to doing it so it's more of a management problem imo

I'd need that. I've never been able to do a riffle so I always do a Faro.

it kinda depends on what you're playing as well

this year's batch of WSOP dealers was easily the worst group of PLO dealers I've encountered anywhere in the past 10 years, and I've logged thousands of hours in the room where the manager completely checked out and was coasting towards his retirement

one dealer was constantly commenting on the play in progress and when one of the older guys at the table potted the river exclaimed "The nuts!"

only once in about 6-7 hours of my play there we got a competent dealer, but my joy was short-lived as when one of the players forgot to tip him he started dealing super slowly while saying "you get what you pay for"

he did revert back to normal dealing once he realized the stiffing was accidental

even though the games were decent and I did ok, the constant handholding was way too much for me

I took my play elsewhere and am not planning to play any cash at WSOP going forward if I can help it

Those PLO dealers were pretty bad, a very high percentage.

I agree. I played those games over the summer also. I didn't see any of the Vegas regulars playing at WSOP consistently (Probably because it's such a **** show at that place, which I experienced first-hand)

Sad to say my experience was the same at wsop this year. Standards for dealers appears to have gone out the window. Unfortunately I prefer the games at wsop so have learned to put up with it. The consolation is I don’t feel bad tipping less even if it contributes to the further decline in quality of dealers.

what do people here tip on jackpot handpays?

Pick one.

A) The same as I would on any other hand.

B) The same as I would on any other hand, plus an appropriate amount to account for missed hands the dealer didn't get to deal while the table was shut down waiting for surveillance, paperwork, etc.

C) $25 but no more

D) 3 to 5 percent of my winnings

E) 3 to 5 percent of my winnings, after taxes

F) 10 percent

G) I'd split my winnings with the dealer

H) Nothing. If the dealer isn't happy with his wages, that's not my problem. Let him take it up with management if he wants a raise.

Did I miss anything?

Yes, of course, but you're a me, me, me dealer so your thought process is skewed and I won't hold it against you.

The answer is to tip the amount you think the dealer deserves based on their overall skill level.

In other words, if it's a godawful dealer, tip whichever amount you think will encourage the dealer to stay home tomorrow; if it's a stellar dealer, tip whichever amount you think will encourage the dealer to come back tomorrow with a big smile on his or her face.

I've added "I" to the list.

Never saw someone thread-end a 14 year old thread this efficiently.

I think 5-10% is the safe zone. I think 10% is enough to be seen as a perfectly normal gambler who doesn't hesitate to show dealers their appreciation and 5% is enough to escape the ire of the eagle-eyed whales who are there to impress the cocktail waitresses and embarrass the nits.

C isn't a bad idea either. No one's paying that close attention, so you might get away with max-tipping $25 so long as 1) it's in red chips and 2) it's not a several-thousand dollar payout. If you win $1k, it'll probably be pretty obvious you tipped a few reds when the expectation was to throw a few greens their way, but I don't think it'll go down as a full stiff.

E seems like the silliest one to me. Getting your calculator app out so you can figure out your take-home so you can tip 3% off of *that* is gonna get you flagged as a nit/cheapskate anyway, so at that point you might as well do A or B.

Going beyond 10% is just chasing the dragon. You will never tip enough people enough money in enough situations to maintain legendary status forever. Someone will be slighted by you only tipping one green when you win a $500 flip waiting for a bigger game to open up. The custodians will be side-eying you while you leave the casino with a rack of blacks because apparently you think you're too big and important and they're too much of peasants to break off a piece of your winnings. Think you should be changing your own wastebins and cleaning your own toilets, do you? Etc...

On slots where I win like 2137 I probably give 17 dollars.

I talked to my friend who goes to Vegas a lot and he sort of tips everyone and I do that now often as well. Just throw 20 bucks at the check in not expecting anything.

Maybe poker floors if they can accept them.

I don’t mind doing a percentage tip but imo you should cap it at a certain amount. No way I’m tipping 5k or even 3k just because I hit a 100k+ jackpot. Dats crazy.

1500 max (between all parties), and that seems generous.

I also know that there’s a few dealers I would have happily stiffed and given their share to the chip runners I like instead.

We've been through this 5000 times (including, I'm sure, in this very thread). There's just no rational framework for resolving this.

It's a 6 figure gambling score: no one deserves the money and everyone deserves the money. You've been paying into the pot with the understanding you had a chance at getting a slice of it someday, and they've been breaking their chiropractor's advice to clock into this job 40 hours a week with the hopes that they might get an even smaller slice of it. They don't deserve a huge payout just for dealing this one hand same as any other, and you don't deserve this huge payout just for losing a poker hand.

How are they gonna complain about "only" getting $5k combined from the whole table and how are you gonna complain about "only" taking home $45k instead of $48.5k even post taxes?

Everyone's argument on this matter is valid by its own internal logic and everyone completely misses the point by another.

Tipping is the ultimate honesty tax. By participating in it you're enabling a broken system, and by exempting yourself from it you're punishing the very people who are bearing its brunt.

That's why this thread has been alive for 14 years and will outlive everyone posting in it.