Tipping is more than a courtesy. It provides the dealer with a reward for running a good game. A large majority of us have spent a few hours in a poker room. We’ve seen the best and we’ve seen the worst poker dealers. I’m sure everyone has a story. Ask yourself, should a dealer who keeps the game moving, deals lots of hands, and makes few mistakes be paid the same as the slower, more mistake prone dealer? You could argue “why am I responsible for paying this person’s living wage?” And you might be right! Why should it be your responsibility to support another human being. You have your own bills, your own family to consider. It’s a valid argument. But casinos do not provide a livable hourly wage for poker dealers.
Why Tipping the Poker Dealers Matters
Without poker dealers, you don’t have a poker game. Sure, you could stay home and deal to yourself or your friends. But if you want a real casino experience, you’re going to need a poker dealer. If you’ve ever had to deal with a bad dealer, you know the anxiety of having to watch them for mistakes before they happen. This takes away from your game. Poker is a tough game. It’s already difficult to be a winning poker player. Worrying about what the dealer is or isn’t doing, doesn’t help. A good poker dealer keeps the game moving, getting hands out, counting chips quickly and accurately. Ask yourself, does the “good dealer” deserve to be rewarded for being a faster more accurate dealer than the “bad dealer”? When you’re gambling for hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars, shouldn’t the better dealer be rewarded and incentivized to continue doing a great job.
The Difference a Good Poker Dealer Makes
The tip isn’t necessarily a freeroll for the dealer but an incentive to continue doing a good job. Here’s an example. Let’s say player in seat two wins a massive double up and hasn’t tipped any dealer all night. They pull in the pot, stack up their chips, put their head down and go straight to their phone. You may ask “well how is that my problem?” Well poker dealers are conditioned to receiving tips. Again, you may ask “how is that my problem?” And you’d be right. It’s not really your problem. Or is it? Poker dealers are human beings and after dealing hundreds of hands they become conditioned to receiving tips. It’s part of the job. When they don’t receive a tip, they’re accustomed to receiving their focus may diminish over time. Dealer A sits down and cranks hands out, the game is moving. Your only focus is winning all the money on the table. Big pot builds up and is pushed to seat 2. They stiff the dealer. Big pot builds up and is pushed to seat 6. They stiff the dealer. Now you notice the dealer is becoming visibly upset. Their concentration level is no longer 100%. Maybe now they’re at 80%. 50%. Maybe they’ve completely checked out and boom dealer makes a mistake. You look down at pocket aces. We need a floor decision. Dealer explains the mistake and floor makes a decision. You get screwed by this decision. If only the two people who had won previously tipped the dealer when they won massive pots, the dealer might have been paying more attention when you got the aces.
What It Means When You Tip the Poker Dealer
Tipping doesn’t necessarily mean “thank you for a winning hand”. It’s a gesture that says “thank you for dealing a great game and doing a superior job. here’s a small piece of my pot to show my appreciation.” Nobody is saying you need to tip 10% of a pot. But just a small fraction of a pot makes a poker dealer’s night. They may provide great games all night. If they come to your table two or three times a night, you’re getting incredible value out of your gesture. They’re going to provide you with better service. You need something? Let me get someone that can help you with that. You want to get the benefit of the doubt on a grey area? Guess what. That dealer remembers you from the last time you stiffed them. They’re not letting you slide on something. Nah that looks like a string bet. You need change? Nah everybody’s busy. You tipped big last time? You’re getting A+ service the rest of the night. It’s not rocket science. If you’re going to be spending time in one poker room. You better be a tipper. Everyone in the room is going to know who you are if you don’t, and your quality of service is going to go down. This isn’t a threat; it’s a fact of life. Would you be willing to continue going out of your way for someone who doesn’t reciprocate? If you had a roommate that ate all your food or used your stuff and never did the same for you, you’d be looking for a new roommate pretty quick.
Good Karma at the Poker Table
It’s not just about being the right thing to do, but it is good karma. When you got your opponent all in on a flush draw, the last thing you want is the dealer rooting for the damn diamond or heart to come on the river. We need all the good juju we can muster. I don’t know if it’s real or not, but I’m not taking any chances. I won a pot, here’s a $1 to root for me in a future pot. We’re gambling here, we need all the good vibes we can get.
When and How Much Should You Tip?
Hopefully I’ve convinced you to even consider giving the dealer a tip when you win, but now the question is what’s fair? This is where it might get confusing but stay with me. It depends on the level you’re playing. If you’re playing $1-$2/$3 a $1,000 pot is a bit different than a $5-$10 $1,000 pot. The $1-$3 game you won over 300 big blinds! That’s a massive pot! In $5-$10 it’s only 100 big blinds. Still a big pot, but not massive. So, I would say you tip on how many big blinds you win. Not how big the pot is. Now there isn’t a specific formula for tipping. You win y number of big blinds you tip x amount. But dealers understand that every single pot doesn’t deserve a tip. They’re conditioned stimulus is big pots. Sometimes you may raise and only win the blinds. Should you be expected to tip? Of course not. You raise, BB calls, flop comes XXX. You bet they fold, you win 5bbs. Should you be expected to tip? Of course not.
Final Thoughts: Tip for Better Games
At the end of the day, it’s your money, you do what you think is best for your pocketbook. But besides being able to write tips off on your taxes and increase your reported income (if that’s a thing you do), your money spent will gain value. If you expect to spend any amount of time in one poker room, consider tipping the staff, they will help you find the right game with a fish, they’ll make sure your food is delivered hot and correct. They’ll deal to the best of their ability, and you’ll see more hands. And if you’re a winning poker player, the most valuable thing you can ask for is more hands. More hands mean more opportunities to stack the fish.
Good Luck!