To Tip or Not to Tip?

Tipping the Dealers

Tipping is an awkward subject no matter what situation you are in, but do you have to tip in a casino? Aren't they getting enough of your money already? Well, you've come to the right place. Read on to learn about both of these casino conundrums.

The gambling business is a service industry, and dealers are paid like bottom-rung employees in service industries -- not very well. Many dealers' jobs pay minimum wage, and the bulk of dealers' pay comes through tips from customers.

You are under no obligation to tip, and even the dealers don't expect you to tip while you're losing. However, if you are winning and the dealer is courteous and helpful, it's customary to tip. This can be done by simply pushing a chip forward onto the layout and telling the dealer, "This is for you." However, more frequently tips are given by placing a bet for the dealer.

In blackjack, the usual method for tipping is to place an additional bet at the front of your betting box. Don't tip so much or so frequently that you significantly shift the odds of the game. If you're betting $5 for yourself, a $1 bet for the dealer once or twice an hour, or when you're on a winning streak, will do. If you win the hand, the dealer will get a $2 tip. If you lose, the house gets the money.

Some older gambling guides tell of a cat-and-mouse game in which the blackjack player uses tips to get the dealer to deal another hand before shuffling when the cards remaining to be dealt are in the player's favor. This has little or no bearing on how the game is played today. In multiple-deck games dealt from a shoe, a colored plastic cut card is inserted into the shuffled cards to tell the dealer when to stop. When that cut card comes out, the dealer may not start another hand, regardless of what the player wants and how much he's willing to tip. Even in single- and double-deck games dealt from the hand, strict guidelines usually dictate when the dealer must shuffle. Sometimes a cut card is used. Don't tip with the expectation that the dealer will bend house rules on when to shuffle; tip for service with a smile.

Craps players also often place bets for the dealers. Most often, this is done either by telling a dealer to place a specific bet "for the boys" -- bets on 11 or the field are among frequent choices -- or by placing a bet on one of the "hard ways" and telling the dealer it goes both ways. That is, a $10 hard six both ways means the player is betting $5 for himself and $5 for the dealers that two threes will come up before a seven and before any other six. If you want to give the dealers the best chance to win, place a pass line bet for the boys.

Tips seem less frequent at the roulette wheel. Probably the most common is simply giving the dealer a chip after hitting a 35-1 single-number payoff. Don't hand it directly to the dealer -- dealers are not allowed to take money or chips from a player's hand. Place it on the table and tell the dealer it's a tip.
Slot and video poker players are a solitary lot, and occasions for tipping are rare. However, if you hit a large, hand-paid jackpot, and service has been good from a change person, it doesn't hurt to tip.

The fast pace and attitude of a casino floor can be intimidating to the newcomer. The truth is, from the hotel manager all the way down to the dealers, casinos want you to feel comfortable. Now that you have an idea of what to expect in a casino, you'll be placing bets in no time.

Article above courtesy of John Grochowski. John writes about casino games and the gambling industry in his weekly "Gaming" column, which is syndicated in newspapers and Web sites across the United States. The author of six books on casinos and casino games, he hosts a weekly casinos talk show on WCKG-FM (105.9) in Chicago. He also is a regular contributor to International Gaming and Wagering Business, Slot Manager, Indian Gaming Business, Midwest Gaming and Travel, and Southern Gaming and Destinations magazines.