We haven't had a tipping thread in awhile. Guess I will start based on what I have done in the past. If service is good, its customary in US card rooms to tip $1-$5 per hand. I would imagine a $30 tip would be nice for a $1k award, but you will get varying opinions. On tournaments, many people won't tip if money is already being taken out for staff or if there is a dealer appreciation chip add-on. When this does not occur, people will vary between 1-3%, with some people just stiffing the dealers and some giving above the 3%. Many people do not feel it necessary to tip unless they hit the FT. Its really up to you, and you shouldn't feel pressured to tip by dealers or tournament directors when service is bad or money is already being taken out.

I only have live experience playing 5/10 and lower limit poker, 1-2 nl, and a few live tourneys. In the cash games I play most of the players tip 1$ for an average pot scoop. They will tip higher if they double up or hit a few hundred dollar pot. When the circuit came to town I asked some of the regs who travel the circuit how much a good tip is or what is about right for a final table. I generally got the response that 1% is what you should tip for tournaments.


As far as the 1k hit you got. I would probably tip around $30 as well. Good job though.

Not sure if you really need to tip the specific dealer, because they probably 'share' anyway. Sucks because the good ones get the same as the bad ones.

 

Originally Posted by wickedfamous

I don't want to sound like a dick here, but I don't really like tipping. I started out playing live (95% of my experience is live) and used to be a very generous tipper, much like I would at a restaurant.

My problem with tipping is that most of the time, the dealer who deals a winning hand for me has also previously dealt some sort of bad beat on me. Even if I'm having a monster session from a given dealer, that same dealer probably dealt me a losing session as well. This is assuming you are a regular at a local cardroom.

For these reasons, I rarely tip in the limit cash games here... pretty much tipping if I win a monster pot via suckout. A few months ago I had a bad night and was sitting on maybe $10 left of my $200 buyin. New dealer sits, one of my favorite dealers actually. Less than 20 minutes later I'm stacked over $400. Now this is a $2-8 spread limit game. I tipped him $50 and went home, which seemed generous IMO. My point is that to me, these are the scenarios that warrant tips. I was having a shit night, the guy turned it around with some bailout money. I'll tip that dealer 10 times out of 10.

Even for jackpots I hate tipping. I paid alot of money into those jackpots over the years. I'll do it though in most circumstances. I once hit a quad kings monte carlo for a whopping $50, the house minimum. My $200 high hand literally got beat to a royal flush less than 5 minutes later, which was coincidentally dealt by the dealer I referenced above.

I'm not much in those situations anymore though as I mostly play live tournaments in Portland, where tipping dealers is illegal under Oregon social gaming law. Dealers also can't be hired, they must be volunteers. This results in a lot of new faces on a regular basis. There are only maybe 2 guys that I'd consider tipping after a score, and they might only be dealing 1 of every 5 final tables I play. It's just not often that I win thanks to a dealer who I know and like, and wasn't playing against on an earlier table.

I'm a nit, and a dick. I know

if everyone feels like this guy say good bye to live poker, because dealers dont make shit for hourly pay, its majority tips.

People have to make a living. Give a good tip, get good karma. The end.

 

Maybe they will replace the dealers with machines or decide to pay the dealers more.

Doesn't mean we can't help. I give a buck when I win a pot pre-flop (standard pre. flop raise, one or two limper who folds type). I give 2 bucks when I win post (standard cbet win). Then I vary based on how much I win to maybe 5-8.

 

Originally Posted by clantaztic

if everyone feels like this guy say good bye to live poker, because dealers dont make shit for hourly pay, its majority tips.

What I pay in rake exceeds their hourly rate, it's as simple as that. Give me a rake free game and I'll tip for every pot I take. Until then, I'm tipping at the same frequency that I win a monster pot. Tipping $1-2 for every single $10-$20 pot I pick up in a limit game is just stupid. I'm not playing for the thrill of fucking victory!

 

Originally Posted by wickedfamous

What I pay in rake exceeds their hourly rate, it's as simple as that. Give me a rake free game and I'll tip for every pot I take. Until then, I'm tipping at the same frequency that I win a monster pot. Tipping $1-2 for every single $10-$20 pot I pick up in a limit game is just stupid. I'm not playing for the thrill of fucking victory!

sick game

 

Originally Posted by wackyJaxon

Maybe they will replace the dealers with machines or decide to pay the dealers more.

actually, check out Harrah's Cherokee in Cherokee, NC... they use machines that take out 10% rake of every pot up to $5 i believe for 1/2 games, so no worries about tipping the dealer, and it also allows for their live games to increase their hands/hr significantly higher than any other standard live poker game. it's pretty freakin dope to say the least because you're sitting next to everyone as usual, just no more cards or chips [its all virtual on your own little screen in front of you around the table and then a global screen with everyone's chip stacks, the board, etc. (and as an added bonus, when all-in it even shows your percentage to win the hand after every street for the n00bs)].

i have no idea why i decided to basically advertise harrah's cherokee poker, because i have no affiliation to them, im just saying for those of you who haven't checked it out or know what im talking about, its worth it to!

here's a picture that sort of gives you an idea of what's going on, apparently they have these tables somewhere in vegas as well: http://media.cardplayer.com/image/p/...k2_Medium_.jpg

 

Originally Posted by SlappyJay74

The card room managers at the New Hampshire charity rooms suggest 10% (and tons of people do it too!!!) LMAO (the rake is already 20-25%)

I would say 5% MAX on your net profit for tournaments is more than fine.

Rockingham is a joke. There is no way you can be a profitable player (in the longrun) if you tip 10% on top of the 20-25% rake they are already pulling. I agree that you should be tipping no more than 5% tops in their MTT.

 

Originally Posted by ApesAreFun

With a 20-25% rake, I wouldnt tip one cent.

Dealers dont get the rake, so 3-5% is still fair IMO.

You dont go to those rooms to make a living..

Interesting tipping story from Vegas last week. Saw a guy finish 2nd at a 2 table tourney at the Monte Carlo, it paid $240 and the guy tipped $40, and then tried to get in a fight with the winner because he only tipped $20, telling him that you tip a waitress 15%, cheapskate. The buy in was $60 and he rebought once, giving him a hefty $80 profit after his $40 tip.

yea its not that difficult when half the field is 60+ yr olds with 4 teeth who can't spell poker

 

yea its not that difficult when half the field is 60+ yr olds with 4 teeth who can't spell poker

I'm not above taking donations......

I use to overtip alot. Now it's a standard $1 tip and if the pot is >$200 I throw in an extra dollar. If I steal just the blinds it's 0.

Depending on the limit I play I usually tip the small blind.