Tipping Casino Dealers – Why, How Much & Do They Keep It All?

Do you give a casino dealer a tip? And are the gratuities given to casino dealers kept in full? 

The necessity of tipping at casino tables and the dealers’ retention of gratuities when given are frequent concerns or questions among casino patrons. Tipping is not required at poker, blackjack, or roulette tables, but it is a traditional good form, particularly if you plan to play for a while.

Regarding how gratuities are handled and distributed, casinos use one of two main approaches.

We are aware that knowing why and how much to tip a casino dealer is essential, so let’s find out!

 Two Policies for Dealers’ Tips

We can’t help but question if the tip we give the casino dealer is intended only for the dealer once we provide it. There are two situations to consider, all hinges on the casino’s tipping policy for the dealers.

Keep-Your-Own

Keep Your Own (KYO) is a widespread tipping practice used by numerous casinos. According to the guidelines, a dealer who performs well will be rewarded with larger gratuities, which they can keep to themselves without disclosing or sharing them with anybody else.

Because it allows for a performance-based incentive and immediately motivates the dealers to present and perform better, casinos favor this KYO strategy. The management of a casino develops a rotating schedule for its dealers following this strategy to guarantee parity and give each dealer an equal chance to succeed.

The casinos also try to provide dealers who will create a favorable atmosphere at the table. They might anticipate receiving more tips from the gamblers if they do it. The Keep-Your-Own policy does not allow for differences, in contrast to the Tip Pooling scheme. Maintaining and tracking the specifics of a shared pool of tips is simple. When dealers take additional home money, no questions are ever raised.

Tip Pooling

Another typical rule that some casinos use is tip pooling. The dealers have a tip pool that is divided equally among all employees. The main goal of this policy’s implementation is to promote parity. The concept is unquestionably well-thought-out because dealers at high-stakes tables often earn larger gratuities than at micro-stakes tables.

Casinos primarily aim to amuse patrons, regardless of how much money they are wagering. Tip Pooling removes the chance that a dealer may feel guilty about his meager payouts and become less driven to play effectively at low-stakes tables.

Some casinos reserve a portion of the total tip pool, along with tip pooling, for the back-of-house workers, including porters, cleaners, and other less well-known employees.

Reasons to tip casino dealers

Although tipping is not required, it is something all players must do and often do. Most dealers employed by casinos in Las Vegas and worldwide essentially live off of gratuities. Therefore, it is imperative to thank them for their assistance.

From the player’s standpoint, leaving a tip is a method to both excellent reward service and ward off poor treatment. Additionally, tipping is much more essential at casinos that adhere to the tip pooling principle. If a player chooses not to tip a particular dealer in these casinos for any reason, this will imply depriving everyone else in the casino, which is immoral and unethical.

How much should you tip a casino dealer?

A gambler in a US casino should aim to tip the dealer at least $5 each hour. No matter how low the stakes are, you should always tip the minimum amount required by the casino. The player’s willingness to tip the dealer isn’t constrained. 

Generally speaking, you should tip more when the stakes are higher. Most importantly, whether you are currently winning or losing the game, you must tip this specific amount of money.

It is common to tip a dealer with casino chips rather than cash. You have a choice between these two methods when tipping the dealer. Simply putting the chip in the dealer’s direction and indicating that it is for him is a simple and direct approach to tipping.

 Placing the stake for the dealer is another entertaining approach to tip, and it also gets their support. The dealer will show you where to set the chip once you have simply explained to him that you want to make a wager for him.

Along with tipping the dealer in poker, players also owe money to waitstaff, waitresses, bartenders, and valets to thank them for their assistance. A reasonable bartender’s wage would be $5 for the first drink and $2 for each additional drink. In most restaurants and pubs, waiters and waitresses should get the customary 15 percent gratuity. A casino valet will accept $5 as payment.

Tipping the dealers is an option a player chooses rather than something required. On the other hand, how this gratuity is given or mainly received depends on the rules of each casino.