Live poker tipping

[moritzey]

This is a really random question, and may well have been discussed before, but didn't find anything on the forum..
Anyway, I was playing in the gutshot's 20 quid Sunday tournament today, some 80-or-so runners and. Only the final table was dealt, and the dealers there made a bit of a point of expecting a tip of around 10 percent. I mean, they did so in a nice and funny way, so fair play to them, but I still thought this was a little steep, with first price paying 470, that means they would get a tip of some 50 quid from that guy alone.. anyway, I was chip leader when we were down to three, refused a deal then, but cut one when heads-up, after the two medium stacks teamed up (well, one took out the other, that is), and I found myself being the short stack. Got a very favourable deal, paying both us of 370 and playing for the last fifty quid. (Cheap plug: Read my new blog entry on the tournament, see signature) Sadly a lack of cards and a bluff gone wrong, I ended up coming second, and we went up to cash out, when the other guy suggested to sort out the tipping together, giving the dealers 80 quid out of the 790 we had between the two of us.

I dunno, I mean I didn't really mind then, but in retrospective, surely that sort of tipping must turn quite a few people into -EV players who would otherwise break even or make a small profit? I mean, I'm not opposed to tipping, and when I go to a restaurant I'm quite happy to tip them a fiver or so, if the service was good or the food was nice or the wine was plentiful, but I don't really see why it should be so much more for dealers, instead of say 20 quid or so? It's not as if the tip should depend on the prize money or buyin, really, is it, as in a dealer in the word series is not working harder when dealing than someone in the 20 or 30 quid games I play in? And even there, percentage-based tip is a lot higher compared to say a restaurant waiter or similar service-based jobs where you tip?

I think there are a fair few people around here, who used to work as dealers or who currently are, and would be interested to hear what you think, or if you don't mind asking, what the pay is like as a dealer? As in, are tips the main source of income for a dealer? Just seemed a little strange, as surely the fee you pay to play in first place needs to go somewhere into their direction, too, no?

[tikay]

Tipping dealers is illegal in Licensed Venues, but is encouraged in non-licensed venues. (Those not operated under Gaming Commission guidelines).

This applies to the UK only.

[UpTheMariners]

we normally take £50 out of the prize pool off the top prize before the final table is dealt.

[tikay]

we normally take £50 out of the prize pool off the top prize before the final table is dealt.

I assume you mean in non-licensed venues.....!

[action man]

i don't believe it is up to the players to make sure the dealers are payed correctly.

[M3boy]

From memory, the last time I played a tourney at the Gutshot, they took a slice from the pool BEFORE the przes were announced.

Happens in US too, a staggering amount!

[Ironside]

now i tip for a good service

i often give over 50% tips when i i buy a drink in a casino for 2.20 and give the change
i always give atleast £2 for a free drink
i normally tip abut 10% to a taxi driver

i always leave £10 a night for the hotel cleaning staff

if i was playing in a non liecened room that was self dealt till the final
i would give the final table dealer no more than £20 - £30 uptill about £50 if it was a prive over £1000

[RED-DOG]

now i tip for a good service

i often give over 50% tips when i i buy a drink in a casino for 2.20 and give the change
i always give atleast £2 for a free drink
i normally tip abut 10% to a taxi driver

i always leave £10 a night for the hotel cleaning staff

if i was playing in a non liecened room that was self dealt till the final
i would give the final table dealer no more than £20 - £30 uptill about £50 if it was a prive over £1000

If you let me get your drinks, clean your room and drive your car, I could give up poker.

[Ironside]

now i tip for a good service

i often give over 50% tips when i i buy a drink in a casino for 2.20 and give the change
i always give atleast £2 for a free drink
i normally tip abut 10% to a taxi driver

i always leave £10 a night for the hotel cleaning staff

if i was playing in a non liecened room that was self dealt till the final
i would give the final table dealer no more than £20 - £30 uptill about £50 if it was a prive over £1000

If you let me get your drinks, clean your room and drive your car, I could give up poker.

another reason i cant making a living playing the game

[The Camel]

This is a really random question, and may well have been discussed before, but didn't find anything on the forum..
Anyway, I was playing in the gutshot's 20 quid Sunday tournament today, some 80-or-so runners and. Only the final table was dealt, and the dealers there made a bit of a point of expecting a tip of around 10 percent. I mean, they did so in a nice and funny way, so fair play to them, but I still thought this was a little steep, with first price paying 470, that means they would get a tip of some 50 quid from that guy alone.. anyway, I was chip leader when we were down to three, refused a deal then, but cut one when heads-up, after the two medium stacks teamed up (well, one took out the other, that is), and I found myself being the short stack. Got a very favourable deal, paying both us of 370 and playing for the last fifty quid. (Cheap plug: Read my new blog entry on the tournament, see signature) Sadly a lack of cards and a bluff gone wrong, I ended up coming second, and we went up to cash out, when the other guy suggested to sort out the tipping together, giving the dealers 80 quid out of the 790 we had between the two of us.

I dunno, I mean I didn't really mind then, but in retrospective, surely that sort of tipping must turn quite a few people into -EV players who would otherwise break even or make a small profit? I mean, I'm not opposed to tipping, and when I go to a restaurant I'm quite happy to tip them a fiver or so, if the service was good or the food was nice or the wine was plentiful, but I don't really see why it should be so much more for dealers, instead of say 20 quid or so? It's not as if the tip should depend on the prize money or buyin, really, is it, as in a dealer in the word series is not working harder when dealing than someone in the 20 or 30 quid games I play in? And even there, percentage-based tip is a lot higher compared to say a restaurant waiter or similar service-based jobs where you tip?

I think there are a fair few people around here, who used to work as dealers or who currently are, and would be interested to hear what you think, or if you don't mind asking, what the pay is like as a dealer? As in, are tips the main source of income for a dealer? Just seemed a little strange, as surely the fee you pay to play in first place needs to go somewhere into their direction, too, no?

10% is certainly over the top, especially when only the final table had a dealer.

I would say £40 from the £790 would have been plenty. Although if you felt the "encouragement" to tip was over the top you would have been quite within your rights to leave nothing.

As a rule of thumb 5% for wins of less than a couple of grand is plenty. 2-3% for bigger wins.

In Amsterdam I collected a little over €112,000. I left €2000 plus the change. They seemed happy with that.

[Woodsey]

Wow thats interesting. So say in the states where tipping is expected and you had a big cash at WSOP say $500k or so, would they expect a 50k tip.

No chance from me!!

[Graham C]

In Amsterdam I collected a little over €112,000. I left €2000 plus the change. They seemed happy with that.

LOL I'm not surprised!

I'd be over the moon with a 2k payday!

[boldie]

I wouldn't even consider tipping 10% if the final table was the only self dealt table. Also, as TK pointed out, tipping the dealers is illegal in a licensed UK casino. I tip the hostesses...and always try to ensure they get a half decent amount out of the total prize pool..but it won't ever be ten %..that's just ridiculous.

[thetank]

The main reason I want to win the WSOP Main Event is so that I can leave a $50 tip.

[LLevan]

If you play a tournament in a casino the casino charges a registration fee which covers all the casino's expenses including dealer's wages. I've never played at the Gutshot but from what I gather is they do also charge a registration fee and with that being the case I would personally expect the Gutshot to pay the dealer's wages from the registration fee. I would also be most upset if during the play on the final table the dealer started trying to coach the players into the fact that they were expected to tip the dealer. This is purely a seperate argument about the pro's and con's of unlicensed premises, this matter will obviously be resolved shortly in the Gutshot's up and coming legal case which has been debated at length in the past and I wont go into my opinions on this thread save to say for Poker to continue to thrive in the UK we do need more cardrooms apart from the monopoly that the casinos presently maintain via licensed premises. Back to tipping though and I'm more than happy to tip waiters, taxi drivers etc but in this case I definetely see no need to tip the dealer and wouldn't have done so here. I'd probably have got some form of verbal abuse or smalltalk behind my back but having been brought up by playing in licensed premises I still see no need to tip here, thats a personal opinion and everyone is entitled to their opinion and no pressure should be put onto players to tip especially by a dealer during play at a final table.