I came across this comment in the Moral Dilemma About Cheating #2 thread, and it got me thinking about my tipping habits. I started a new thread because this would have been way OT in that thread.

I play limit hold'em in California and Vegas. My typical game is 4-8 with a full kill. I usually tip $1 anytime I see a flop and win the pot, regardless of pot size. If the pot is only $8 I will still tip $1, so long as a flop comes out. I almost always tip $1 in a split pot, unless my share of the pot is really minuscule. Sometimes I will even tip $1 if I just steal the blinds and there's no flop. Dealers seem to love this.

I also may toss a dealer an extra chip when he/she gets up to leave, If I think they've done a really good job. I also tip chip runners $1, and I like to give the cashier a buck when I cash out after a winning sesh.

But here's the thing: I will also tip $1 if the pot is very large. I have tipped $2 when I've won enormous pots, but I rarely do that.

I figure if a dealer can average $1 per hand, he/she can make $25-$30 an hour off tips alone, in addition to whatever wage the house is paying them (meager as it may be). If a dealer was dealing a game with 10 clones of me sitting in it, that dealer would be guaranteed $1 per flop, no matter what. Sounds pretty fair to me.

Just curious if any dealers or fellow players think that I'm stiffing dealers.

HaysCode, I don't think you're a stiff.

Up through $8/$26 games, I used to tip one of whatever chip was used for the game when I won a pot. For $6/$12 and $8/$16, that meant $2 tips. But I read a thread--here I think--quite some time back that detailed how tipping can affect your hourly rate. Since then, I've relegated almost all my tips to $1.

Now if it's a big pot and the dealer is good (and understand this: there's no correlation between the two), I'll bump it to $2.

I rarely see players in the local casinos and card clubs here in California fail to toke. Quite the contrary, many are just having a good time, and when they win, they toke big. Even in small pots, they toss 3, 4, 5 chips the dealer's way.

Me, even though poker is a hobby and not a profession, I take it seriously enough that I track my play and play to make the best decisions I can at the table. My bankroll thanks me for it. And I think the best decision in limit games at this level is a $1 toke.

I agree with you also that I'll tip $1 in split pots unless the split is small.

I am curious about where you're playing a $4/$8 game with full kill. I've been doing the $4/$8 game with 1/2 kill game at 101 Casino in Petaluma on Sundays and that's a game good enough that I'll drive 40 miles each way to get to it. Interestingly, though, this joint doesn't have the typical "no flop, no drop" policy, so if I raise and steal the blinds, they still take a full rake. I won't even consider tipping in this situation.

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- Low-limit limit poker @ Artichoke Joe's ($6/$12) & 101 Casino ($4/$8 w/ 1/2 kill)
- Poker blog, good writing, OK poker: http://chuck.martin.name/poker/
- Tweets from the felt: twitter.com/chuckspoker

This has been discussed over and over before, as a dealer I always appreciate any tip. If a dealer received one dollar for most every hand they would be happy, trust me. Those extra bucks for doing a good job or for larger pots are absolutely terrific.

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Views expressed are my own and not those of Green Valley Ranch, the WSOP, or AVP.

Talon, thank you very much for the response; that pretty much confirms what I had previously thought.



Unfortunately my local card barn won't be worth the drive for you. I play at San Manuel in Highland, which is near San Bernardino. If you are ever down this way, though, I think you'd like it. The games are plentiful and the action is usually stupendous. The rake is only $3 plus $1 for the jackpot. You get the $3 back if the pot is under a certain amount ($10 I think?) regardless of whether or not there's a flop, which is terrific. The only stupid thing they do is that there is not a pot size requirement for a kill. So if you win a pot and then steal the blinds on the next hand, you have to put out your $8 kill.