Tipping, your opinions please

[kinboshi]

Cafe Rouge tips go straight into your pocket. Same with Pizza Express. 0% to kitchen or anywhere else

sorry ben but do tips in cafe rouge or pizza express really count lol

as DTD was being brought up in comparison i was comparing it to a restaurant of a similar standard (ie top end) where tips are always pooled.

I'm not saying it's wrong (or right) to tip or not.  I was just wondering why the level of service you get from one dealer influences your decision - as at the end of the day, it's shared out amongst all (the good, the bad and the ugly).  If tips are pooled, it's not really a tip in recognition of an individual's service - but merely an extension of the rake, or in a restaurant it's an additional service charge.

As an aside, are the valet's tips pooled at DTD or do they keep what they each get?   

[ariston]

Cafe Rouge tips go straight into your pocket. Same with Pizza Express. 0% to kitchen or anywhere else

sorry ben but do tips in cafe rouge or pizza express really count lol

as DTD was being brought up in comparison i was comparing it to a restaurant of a similar standard (ie top end) where tips are always pooled.

Not so much Cafe Rouge, but Pizza Express is quite an upmarket place to eat. In fact, at nearly all top end retaurants i know of. You will have a waiter/waitress assigned to your table and they will be the one who collects the tip at the end. In some cases a small % going to the bar/kitchen staff.

stand corrected then. I assumed most pooled. So if you leave a £20 or a £50 for the waitress with the nice norks with your phone number on its going to her and not to some dodgy one eyed toothless moonlighting dinner lady in the kitchen?? hmmm interesting.

[ariston]

Cafe Rouge tips go straight into your pocket. Same with Pizza Express. 0% to kitchen or anywhere else

sorry ben but do tips in cafe rouge or pizza express really count lol

as DTD was being brought up in comparison i was comparing it to a restaurant of a similar standard (ie top end) where tips are always pooled.

I'm not saying it's wrong (or right) to tip or not.  I was just wondering why the level of service you get from one dealer influences your decision - as at the end of the day, it's shared out amongst all (the good, the bad and the ugly).  If tips are pooled, it's not really a tip in recognition of an individual's service - but merely an extension of the rake, or in a restaurant it's an additional service charge.

As an aside, are the valet's tips pooled at DTD or do they keep what they each get?   

I am certain everyone will agree that the standard of dealers at somewhere like DTD is above the norm because if they weren't up to scratch then Danny, simon or rob would get rid of them. Being shared by the good, bad or ugly isnt then a problem although are you saying you wouldnt tip an ugly dealer who was good but would tip a fit dealer who was chit?

[doubleup]

I'm pretty sure that tips must be pooled in licensed casinos under gambling commission guidelines.  FWIW I would be happy to tip for competent dealers in a tournament, but not for self dealt until final table.  Its difficult to get staff in most casinos so the extra from tips should do something to attract staff, so less self dealing.

I rarely play live cash, but I suppose if I was in a good game £1/2 out of a winning pot seems reasonable, but if a dealer was crap, I wouldn't tip.

Anywhere in the US you must tip - some of the cocktail waitresses get charged for drinks, so if you stiff them they have actually made a loss.  The dealers usually have almost all their basic taken by the IRS, so if they don't get tips they have nothing.  

[boldie]

I'm pretty sure that tips must be pooled in licensed casinos under gambling commission guidelines.  FWIW I would be happy to tip for competent dealers in a tournament, but not for self dealt until final table.  Its difficult to get staff in most casinos so the extra from tips should do something to attract staff, so less self dealing.

I rarely play live cash, but I suppose if I was in a good game £1/2 out of a winning pot seems reasonable, but if a dealer was crap, I wouldn't tip.

Anywhere in the US you must tip - some of the cocktail waitresses get charged for drinks, so if you stiff them they have actually made a loss.  The dealers usually have almost all their basic taken by the IRS, so if they don't get tips they have nothing.  

Yeah but that's just a F'ed up system, no?

[kinboshi]

Cafe Rouge tips go straight into your pocket. Same with Pizza Express. 0% to kitchen or anywhere else

sorry ben but do tips in cafe rouge or pizza express really count lol

as DTD was being brought up in comparison i was comparing it to a restaurant of a similar standard (ie top end) where tips are always pooled.

I'm not saying it's wrong (or right) to tip or not.  I was just wondering why the level of service you get from one dealer influences your decision - as at the end of the day, it's shared out amongst all (the good, the bad and the ugly).  If tips are pooled, it's not really a tip in recognition of an individual's service - but merely an extension of the rake, or in a restaurant it's an additional service charge.

As an aside, are the valet's tips pooled at DTD or do they keep what they each get?   

I am certain everyone will agree that the standard of dealers at somewhere like DTD is above the norm because if they weren't up to scratch then Danny, simon or rob would get rid of them. Being shared by the good, bad or ugly isnt then a problem although are you saying you wouldnt tip an ugly dealer who was good but would tip a fit dealer who was chit?

The dealers at DTD are good (although I have very limited experience to compare them with elsewhere), and although some are bloody ugly they get a tip from me.

Yet to see an ugly valet there though...

[doubleup]

I'm pretty sure that tips must be pooled in licensed casinos under gambling commission guidelines.  FWIW I would be happy to tip for competent dealers in a tournament, but not for self dealt until final table.  Its difficult to get staff in most casinos so the extra from tips should do something to attract staff, so less self dealing.

I rarely play live cash, but I suppose if I was in a good game £1/2 out of a winning pot seems reasonable, but if a dealer was crap, I wouldn't tip.

Anywhere in the US you must tip - some of the cocktail waitresses get charged for drinks, so if you stiff them they have actually made a loss.  The dealers usually have almost all their basic taken by the IRS, so if they don't get tips they have nothing.  

Yeah but that's just a F'ed up system, no?

Whether you agree with the system or not is a different debate, you still have to tip, you aren't going to change the system when you are there for ten days a year.  BTW I do think that tipping has a place where it incentivises staff to provide good service, but can see the argument that they should always do a good job and get paid accordingly.  

[EvilPie]

Cafe Rouge tips go straight into your pocket. Same with Pizza Express. 0% to kitchen or anywhere else

sorry ben but do tips in cafe rouge or pizza express really count lol

as DTD was being brought up in comparison i was comparing it to a restaurant of a similar standard (ie top end) where tips are always pooled.

I'm not saying it's wrong (or right) to tip or not.  I was just wondering why the level of service you get from one dealer influences your decision - as at the end of the day, it's shared out amongst all (the good, the bad and the ugly).  If tips are pooled, it's not really a tip in recognition of an individual's service - but merely an extension of the rake, or in a restaurant it's an additional service charge.

As an aside, are the valet's tips pooled at DTD or do they keep what they each get?   

I asked the TD this question when I finally won enough in a tournament to warrant a tip. Apparently the dealers tips are pooled between just the dealers, the valet's are pooled between the valets.

I wasn't too impressed with this TBH. I left £50 at the cash desk for the dealers but felt a bit guilty walking past the doormen who had 3p in their little ash tray and asked how I'd got on. I was forced to say "not too bad" rather than brag about my win because I wasn't stumping up any more.

They all do a great job there to make the place so enjoyable for all that attend so they all deserve a bit of any tips whether they deal the cards or clean the toilets.

Will I be seen as tight if I win another one and give the £50 to the doormen instead? They are always welcoming and are just as important to the whole DTD experience IMO.

How do we raise this query with the DTD people? Do any of them read any of these forums regularly?

[boldie]

Cafe Rouge tips go straight into your pocket. Same with Pizza Express. 0% to kitchen or anywhere else

sorry ben but do tips in cafe rouge or pizza express really count lol

as DTD was being brought up in comparison i was comparing it to a restaurant of a similar standard (ie top end) where tips are always pooled.

I'm not saying it's wrong (or right) to tip or not.  I was just wondering why the level of service you get from one dealer influences your decision - as at the end of the day, it's shared out amongst all (the good, the bad and the ugly).  If tips are pooled, it's not really a tip in recognition of an individual's service - but merely an extension of the rake, or in a restaurant it's an additional service charge.

As an aside, are the valet's tips pooled at DTD or do they keep what they each get?   

I asked the TD this question when I finally won enough in a tournament to warrant a tip. Apparently the dealers tips are pooled between just the dealers, the valet's are pooled between the valets.

I wasn't too impressed with this TBH. I left £50 at the cash desk for the dealers but felt a bit guilty walking past the doormen who had 3p in their little ash tray and asked how I'd got on. I was forced to say "not too bad" rather than brag about my win because I wasn't stumping up any more.

They all do a great job there to make the place so enjoyable for all that attend so they all deserve a bit of any tips whether they deal the cards or clean the toilets.

Will I be seen as tight if I win another one and give the £50 to the doormen instead? They are always welcoming and are just as important to the whole DTD experience IMO.

How do we raise this query with the DTD people? Do any of them read any of these forums regularly?

Yeah they do...and excellent question. I think it's fine that tips are pooled but then they should be pooled between everyone (Just my opinion) If I tip for my food I also tip for the Kitchen (I used to work in a kitchen ages ago and it bothers the crap out of me that waiters keep all the tips when all they do is serve food that you spent all day preparing...damn lazy arse skirt wearing nancy boys! )but..anyways.

[Horneris]

Ive been wondering about tipping recently myself.

Where i play cash, its either £1/£1 or usually £1/£2 and someone whos not playing but knows everybody well comes in and deals and dosent play. Not a proffessional dealer but a very efficent one.

They can get ridic amounts like upto £50 an hour, so over £200 for like 5 hours, which is just too much.

I dont mind tipping like £1 but think they should get like £15/£20 an hour max, not £40/£50.

[Ironside]

if a dealer working in a pool system wasnt pulling his/her weight and wasnt getting the same tips into the pool as the rest then it wouldnt take enstien to work it out and the otehr dealers would get the slacker into shape or out the door IMHO


and from my understanding the dealers tips are split accross teh whole of DTD with bar staff and door staff and reception staff all getting a small %

[RioRodent]

Out of interest, anyone know what a dealer in this country gets paid? And how much they typically make in tips..?

We were discussing this at the weekend, and a dealer said that they get round about the minimum wage.  I'm sure the dealer said that the tips they receive make up a very large amount of their take home pay.

I'm sure it does. Say it was even a lowish stakes game, maybe £1-2 NL - it doesn't seem that unreasonable to think that in your average loosish live game a dealer might on average get tipped a quid a hand. So maybe as much as £20-25 an hour, on top of the 6 quid on whatever they actually get paid. Or am I massively overestimating it?

I think you're over-estimating it, but I might be wrong.  I think that most only tip when it's a decent-sized pot, and they aren't every hand (except on the loosest of tables).

At DTD, the tips go into a central pot that is shared amongst all the dealers.  That includes those who are dealing in the tournament, and who are therefore not receiving tips.  So when it's averaged out, it would be a lot less than the figure you estimated.  Proberly.

The DTD tournament dealers are tipped as you're 'obliged' to give 3% of your winnings should you cash.

Show off!!

(66?? ffs!!)

[littlemissC]

Cafe Rouge tips go straight into your pocket. Same with Pizza Express. 0% to kitchen or anywhere else

sorry ben but do tips in cafe rouge or pizza express really count lol

as DTD was being brought up in comparison i was comparing it to a restaurant of a similar standard (ie top end) where tips are always pooled.

I'm not saying it's wrong (or right) to tip or not.  I was just wondering why the level of service you get from one dealer influences your decision - as at the end of the day, it's shared out amongst all (the good, the bad and the ugly).  If tips are pooled, it's not really a tip in recognition of an individual's service - but merely an extension of the rake, or in a restaurant it's an additional service charge.

As an aside, are the valet's tips pooled at DTD or do they keep what they each get?   

I asked the TD this question when I finally won enough in a tournament to warrant a tip. Apparently the dealers tips are pooled between just the dealers, the valet's are pooled between the valets.

I wasn't too impressed with this TBH. I left £50 at the cash desk for the dealers but felt a bit guilty walking past the doormen who had 3p in their little ash tray and asked how I'd got on. I was forced to say "not too bad" rather than brag about my win because I wasn't stumping up any more.

They all do a great job there to make the place so enjoyable for all that attend so they all deserve a bit of any tips whether they deal the cards or clean the toilets.

Will I be seen as tight if I win another one and give the £50 to the doormen instead? They are always welcoming and are just as important to the whole DTD experience IMO.

How do we raise this query with the DTD people? Do any of them read any of these forums regularly?

the door staff and reception staff at dtd are imo opinion fantastic.they take the time to get to know peoples names and are genuinly interested in the customers.
i would hope they did get part of the tips as they deserve it as much as anyone else.if not i must remind myself to put something in the tray on reception when i leave(which btw does always have coppers in it..oops)

[Jaydeaa]

If your on about spielers in Southend, Now MINT all of there valet's are on tips only basis!

Is that legal? What happened to the minimum wage?

As far as i'm aware they self employed. and have a guarentee take home of £200 a week, but then any tips taken, are deducted, a certain valet at mint southend is taking home between 300-400 (according to herself)

[ericstoner]

I don't believe in tipping,it sickens me that employers get to pay minimum wages,and expect you to make it up to a livable ammount.
I hope we never get to be like the States,whare a large portion of the working community rely on the good will of customers to give them a living wage.

A FAIR DAYS PAY FOR A FAIR DAYS WORK. Was the mantra of those that went before us.If tipping were not the norm,employers including casinos would have to pay a living wage, or do the dealing,door,valet reception themselves.

By the way I always tip..................but I can dream of utopia